Dean Howard
n00b
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2004
- Posts
- 22
This thread started out with my impressions on KoF Maximum Impact and KoF Neowave. Having read subsequent posts and other threads, I realized my opinions weren't useful. To make up for my mistake, I went back and played the previews of both titles to garner more useful information for the KoF community. The result is this utterly revised post about KoF Max Impact. My apologies to CurtWRX and Galfordo, whose below replies were in response to my prior (and now deleted) post.
This particular post deals with my experiences with KoF Maximum Impact at the Hong Kong Animation/Comics/Gaming Fair. SNK had a nice booth, selling T-shirts and posters, as well as previewing KoF 2003 and SNK vs Capcom Chaos for both the Playstation 2 and X Box. However, this post deals specifically on some hands-on knowledge of KoF Maximum Impact.
All the games at the SNK booth were presented in the try-before-you-buy stands one would associate with, you know, Best Buy or Toys-R-Us. I basically got to play 2 matches and viewed another half-dozen; the below observations are based on those hands-on and spectator experiences.
Prior to visiting the booth, I've read news on the game and viewed the trailer, so I already knew what characters were going to be in it and so on. However, with an opportunity to try the game out, I looked at issues like if the transition from 2D to 3D completely screw up gameplay for people used to the old systems and how were 3D issues, such as dodging to the side from attacks, implemented?
Watching the game played, it seems like KoF's transition from 2D to 3D was pretty smooth. The speed of movement and attacks seemed pretty much the same in Max Impact as one was used to in prior KoFs. The significance of this is that veterans won't have to re-learn the timing of the traditional combos (such as Kyo's flaming punches or Iori's deadly flower combos.)
However, after playing a bit, it seems I always overestimated the reach of my characters. In 2D, it was always easy to judge distances...which is not the case with Max Impact. The situation is not due to any flaw in the game itself, but the fact that the game a.) is now in 3D and requires a different way of seeing things and b.) changes its perspective depending on how far apart the two fighters are. I think this issue with dimensions is going to be the initial hurdle for many veterans, but it's easily overcome, given time.
Regarding more concrete issues...well, for one, I really hate playing KoF with the horrible Playstation 2 joypads, that's probably my only gripe. Sidestepping can be done with the L and R trigger buttons; they're useful for positioning, but not for avoiding attacks, which is still best achieved with an AB roll. I basically tested sidestepping against Yuri's big fireball...even though I started my sidestepping well in advance and was on the other side of the screen, I still got hit. My problem was that my first 3D fighter was Tekken, where sidestepping was preferable to simply blocking in many cases.
Positioning is important as each arena has 4 walls that basically function as corners did back in 2D KoFs. The arena is still relatively big; my feel was that the distance between opposite walls was relative to what you would expect in the previous KoFs. As characters can roll to their sides when downed, they could avoid being stuck in the corner.
A more substantial difference involves how basic punches and kicks could be linked into combos. For example, you can basically hit Hard Punch or Hard Kick three times to perform a sequence of moves which are essentially a combo. This seems to link into special moves; using Iori, I was trying to do his deadly flowers (qcb+punchx3) combo, but ending up doing 3 weird punches and then his flaming uppercut.
So, to recap, 3D gameplay appears to be pretty easy to adjust to, plus adds a few new features. I feel this game is very successful as I, too, was a skeptic of KoF Max Impact. Now, I'm really looking forward to this game's official release...I find its gameplay on par with the very best of 3D fighters. It's clearly not a Samurai Shodown 64, and it'd be an insult to compare it to Street Fighter EX or Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliances; it's a Soul Caliber...it's a Tekken 3/Tag. In fact, it's probably better than all of those. I mean...you know those threads about how it's time for a new system to KoF? I think Max Impact may be what everyone is looking for, but I need to play a little more to be sure.
Graphics are impressive...the measure I used is that of character animation. It's not too hard to simply render a character design in 3D; to make him move in a believable way, especially after the audience is used to seeing him in 2D...that's a challenge. What was most eye-catching was not seeing my favorite characters in a new dimension...it was in seeing those character concepts re-done in their alternate outfits.
I read news about how Kyo Kusanagi had both his old school black outfit and his new one in Max Impact; it was a significant point as it showed how characters had alternate outfits, not simply a palette swap. I don't know how much was posted online, but wait until you see the alternate outfits for the other characters. To describe a few:
Rock Howard - Borrowing Terry Bogard's jacket from Mark of the Wolves, he looks just like his mentor, albeit a little younger.
Iori Yagami - My favorite 2nd outfit, Iori appears with a heavy tan and dark hair, wearing an open red shirt.
Clark Steel - As it turns out, Clark is actually a black man...I kid you not. His alternate outfit reveals his true ethnicity, with bleached white hair, orange Speedo tights and no shirt. I'm really not kidding here. And one thing more...his name appears as Clark Still. It's like, "Hey, I'm actually a brother, but I'm Still Clark!"
And finally, Kim Kapwan...
Yes, it seems that he's had a sex change operation and renamed him/herself Chae Lim. Actually, no...that's just a lame joke at Kim's expense, but this Chae Lim is a character that I've never heard about with the spotlight on the two new brothers and the two other girls, but she basically plays like Kim. However, I really wasn't kidding about Clark Still...I'm really sorry I couldn't get a shot of that.
To conclude, KoF Max Impact = pretty great game. It does everything one would expect, bringing KoF gameplay to a 3D arena, while adding new X factors to spice up the series just as everyone has been asking for, then adds another element still in the form of some excellent unexpected graphical improvements that go beyond simply rendering the characters in 3D. I went into the booth expecting to be disappointed and left seeing KoF in a new light. Max Impact's developers had an impossible task and didn't just pull it off, but did so in style.
For information and pictures on the other upcoming KoF title, Neowave, check out:
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96696&page=3
This particular post deals with my experiences with KoF Maximum Impact at the Hong Kong Animation/Comics/Gaming Fair. SNK had a nice booth, selling T-shirts and posters, as well as previewing KoF 2003 and SNK vs Capcom Chaos for both the Playstation 2 and X Box. However, this post deals specifically on some hands-on knowledge of KoF Maximum Impact.
All the games at the SNK booth were presented in the try-before-you-buy stands one would associate with, you know, Best Buy or Toys-R-Us. I basically got to play 2 matches and viewed another half-dozen; the below observations are based on those hands-on and spectator experiences.
Prior to visiting the booth, I've read news on the game and viewed the trailer, so I already knew what characters were going to be in it and so on. However, with an opportunity to try the game out, I looked at issues like if the transition from 2D to 3D completely screw up gameplay for people used to the old systems and how were 3D issues, such as dodging to the side from attacks, implemented?
Watching the game played, it seems like KoF's transition from 2D to 3D was pretty smooth. The speed of movement and attacks seemed pretty much the same in Max Impact as one was used to in prior KoFs. The significance of this is that veterans won't have to re-learn the timing of the traditional combos (such as Kyo's flaming punches or Iori's deadly flower combos.)
However, after playing a bit, it seems I always overestimated the reach of my characters. In 2D, it was always easy to judge distances...which is not the case with Max Impact. The situation is not due to any flaw in the game itself, but the fact that the game a.) is now in 3D and requires a different way of seeing things and b.) changes its perspective depending on how far apart the two fighters are. I think this issue with dimensions is going to be the initial hurdle for many veterans, but it's easily overcome, given time.
Regarding more concrete issues...well, for one, I really hate playing KoF with the horrible Playstation 2 joypads, that's probably my only gripe. Sidestepping can be done with the L and R trigger buttons; they're useful for positioning, but not for avoiding attacks, which is still best achieved with an AB roll. I basically tested sidestepping against Yuri's big fireball...even though I started my sidestepping well in advance and was on the other side of the screen, I still got hit. My problem was that my first 3D fighter was Tekken, where sidestepping was preferable to simply blocking in many cases.
Positioning is important as each arena has 4 walls that basically function as corners did back in 2D KoFs. The arena is still relatively big; my feel was that the distance between opposite walls was relative to what you would expect in the previous KoFs. As characters can roll to their sides when downed, they could avoid being stuck in the corner.
A more substantial difference involves how basic punches and kicks could be linked into combos. For example, you can basically hit Hard Punch or Hard Kick three times to perform a sequence of moves which are essentially a combo. This seems to link into special moves; using Iori, I was trying to do his deadly flowers (qcb+punchx3) combo, but ending up doing 3 weird punches and then his flaming uppercut.
So, to recap, 3D gameplay appears to be pretty easy to adjust to, plus adds a few new features. I feel this game is very successful as I, too, was a skeptic of KoF Max Impact. Now, I'm really looking forward to this game's official release...I find its gameplay on par with the very best of 3D fighters. It's clearly not a Samurai Shodown 64, and it'd be an insult to compare it to Street Fighter EX or Mortal Kombat Deadly Alliances; it's a Soul Caliber...it's a Tekken 3/Tag. In fact, it's probably better than all of those. I mean...you know those threads about how it's time for a new system to KoF? I think Max Impact may be what everyone is looking for, but I need to play a little more to be sure.
Graphics are impressive...the measure I used is that of character animation. It's not too hard to simply render a character design in 3D; to make him move in a believable way, especially after the audience is used to seeing him in 2D...that's a challenge. What was most eye-catching was not seeing my favorite characters in a new dimension...it was in seeing those character concepts re-done in their alternate outfits.
I read news about how Kyo Kusanagi had both his old school black outfit and his new one in Max Impact; it was a significant point as it showed how characters had alternate outfits, not simply a palette swap. I don't know how much was posted online, but wait until you see the alternate outfits for the other characters. To describe a few:
Rock Howard - Borrowing Terry Bogard's jacket from Mark of the Wolves, he looks just like his mentor, albeit a little younger.
Iori Yagami - My favorite 2nd outfit, Iori appears with a heavy tan and dark hair, wearing an open red shirt.
Clark Steel - As it turns out, Clark is actually a black man...I kid you not. His alternate outfit reveals his true ethnicity, with bleached white hair, orange Speedo tights and no shirt. I'm really not kidding here. And one thing more...his name appears as Clark Still. It's like, "Hey, I'm actually a brother, but I'm Still Clark!"
And finally, Kim Kapwan...
Yes, it seems that he's had a sex change operation and renamed him/herself Chae Lim. Actually, no...that's just a lame joke at Kim's expense, but this Chae Lim is a character that I've never heard about with the spotlight on the two new brothers and the two other girls, but she basically plays like Kim. However, I really wasn't kidding about Clark Still...I'm really sorry I couldn't get a shot of that.
To conclude, KoF Max Impact = pretty great game. It does everything one would expect, bringing KoF gameplay to a 3D arena, while adding new X factors to spice up the series just as everyone has been asking for, then adds another element still in the form of some excellent unexpected graphical improvements that go beyond simply rendering the characters in 3D. I went into the booth expecting to be disappointed and left seeing KoF in a new light. Max Impact's developers had an impossible task and didn't just pull it off, but did so in style.
For information and pictures on the other upcoming KoF title, Neowave, check out:
http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96696&page=3
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