The King Of Fighters XV (2020)

[KRONOS]

As a very casual KOF player at this point, I'm pretty pleased with the look and nostalgic sensibilties of KOF XV so far. SNK kinda mined back to the Neo-Geo era and have modernized the look/feel of their newest outtings - music from classic Neo-Geo games playing for the character trailers, locations like Sound Beach, Pao Pao Cafe, etc. I like Michael Max hanging out in the background. This consistency of themes in SNK games is good for brand identity building. I hope SNK keeps using the DNA of it's past in new games.

 

[ShaolinAce]

Since when did Robert get a porn stache? Where was I when this happened?

 

[100proof]

Since when did Robert get a porn stache? Where was I when this happened?

Definitely had it in XIV.

A shame the animations look mostly re-used from XIV. The models generally look better (although that could just be shading) and I appreciate the cost-savings and versatility of using 3D models these days but those animations just didn't look good compared to old KoFs. The ones made for XV (Chizuru, Orochi Team) definitely look better and it seems like they fucked around with a couple of the old characters but Ryo + Robert in particular still look bad.

 

[Taiso]

I thought Robert's facial hair and costume were from NGBC, which itself is an evolution of his look from AOF 3. He had the blue and white outfit in AOF 3 but not the goat.

If I'm recalling it right. Been so long.

 

[Mr. Karate II]

Original Source.

 

[k'_127]

 

[SouthtownKid]

Still not wild about that voice for Robert. I wish they'd gone with one of the earlier Robert actors. But whatever.

 

[Heinz]

Ryo looks like he came straight out of gears of war, terrible. Robert's face is too child like and the facial hair doesn't fit at all.

 

[k'_127]

 

[flat6]

Rumi Aikawa makes a cameo!

 

[ShaolinAce]

That is a sweet stage.

I don't have too much hype for this one though. Playing KOF 13 online for 3 months made me hate Ralph and Clark quite a bit. Thier appearance in that game didn't help all that much but they look "ok" here. Im just not a big fan of the Akari team save Leona.

 

[wataru330]

Bunch of long-ass fingers in this game.

 

[Fygee]

I hope they bring Ralf back to an older moveset for him. Wasn't a fan of his moves in 13 or 14.

Something similar to '99 would make me happy. Kinda tough to tell based off of that trailer.

 

[k'_127]

 

[ShaolinAce]

Fuck yes. She looks damn good.

Im a simp for #18 always.

 

[wataru330]

Fools finna be joint locked, like weed prohibition!

 

[2D_mastur]

Man, I wish they would have given her back her boots. The sneakers are trash.

 

[@M]

I honestly never picked up on Blue Mary looking like Android #18 until I read ShaolinAce's comment just now. Krillin is super disappointed in me...

 

[2D_mastur]

"Little Krillin" is too.

 

[yagamikun]

I'm really digging the small attention to detail that I'm picking up on in these comparison videos by Orpheus on YouTube. For example, as I watched Mary's video this morning I picked up something small, but impactful. In just about every frame, of every move in 14 where Mary's hair covers her face partially or fully, the artists have moved her hairline back so you always have a clear shot of her expressions. I'm appreciating the small details like this even more than the technical upgrade.

 

[ritsuka66]

snk is really pathetic https://twitter.com/SNKPofficial/status/1399908628815962113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1399908628815962113%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url= https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-king-of-fighters-xv-has-been-delayed-to-q1-2022.435047/

 

[Heinz]

The dev team at SNK of yore would be committing seppuku by now.

 

[yagamikun]

I'm 100% okay with the delay. Even though 14 got some love when it came out, it was quickly overshadowed by all other modern fighting games and dropped off the fgc's radar by a significant margin. This delay will not only give SNK more time to polish the game and balance the (huge) cast, but it will also provide some distance between 15 and GG Strive. By the time 15 drops early next year it will get some time in the spotlight alone as Strive will have already found its base by then. Couple that with no new fighters on the horizon, and Street Fighter 6 in development limbo, KOF 15 will be the fighter for 2022. The success or failure of 15 will largely determine if we even see more new stuff from SNK in the future. So, yeah, it sucks, but I think the timing is right.

 

[Fygee]

snk is really pathetic https://twitter.com/SNKPofficial/status/1399908628815962113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1399908628815962113%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url= https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-king-of-fighters-xv-has-been-delayed-to-q1-2022.435047/

COVID wrecked development of a lot of games. This comes as no surprise to me at all, especially for a smaller studio like SNK. Better for the game to be complete than rushed.

 

[Mr. Karate II]

Sources of the images:

01. Amakusa says it all. (Hope it doesn't break the rules as I understand Amakusa isn't a KOF character, but this scene gave me the idea of doing this post) : The King of Fighters - Reddit.

02. I Sleep/Real Shit : SNK - Reddit.

03. Fighting-Games Daily (@FGC_Daily) [Twitter] (May 27, 2021).