The King Of Fighters XV (2020)

[Fygee]

I think it isn't that we need less KOF, since we've only gotten 3 mainline games in 12 years.

We just need more games from the other IPs to mix things up, and they're slowly but surely getting there. Sam Sho was a great entry and step forward. Another Fatal Fury game getting greenlit is fantastic. We're getting Metal Slug Tactics, which looks like a lot of fun.

Gotta also take into consideration that SNK, as a company, had been an absolute trainwreck until Oda took over. Its a small miracle that 13 and 14 even got released.

 

[Neo Alec]

We've been through this all before. There was going to be new Metal Slug, etc. Then 13 and 14 didn't sell that well and things went quiet. Samurai Shodown did get made, and now MS Tactics is coming and Fatal Fury was announced, so we can keep hope at least.

 

[Fygee]

I feel a lot more optimistic about it now than I did back then, that's for sure.

14 actually sold pretty well with all physical and digital copies taken into consideration, relative to the amount of money that was spent to develop it. It cost a fraction of the money used to develop 13. Staffing was minuscule, and since they built their own graphics engine, they didn't pay any licensing fees for Unreal Engine.

I totally get the "fooled me once, shame on you, fool me multiple times, shame on me" way of seeing it. Ultimately we'll just have to see what happens.

 

[SignOfGoob]

The best way for SNK to find me open minded to a new game of theirs would be if they made something that wasn’t a sequel and that way I wouldn’t have anything 25 years old to compare it to.

When I see footage of these shitty 3D KOFs I just think, “I already have 10 KOFs on Neo that I like more that I’ll ever like this ratchety jank. Even if I buy this to “support SNK” I still won’t play it.” and that’s a hard position to be positive in.

 

[Fygee]

KOF 15 is anything but shitty and ratchety jank.

Anyways, a new IP is unlikely unless they start out with something small like a mobile game (no doubt ruined by microtransactions and gacha crap). They just don't have the staff or budget yet to put out a new IP that has a much higher risk of failing than something based off of a well known IP.

 

[wataru330]

Zeta, you are typing like you’ve never played them.
I didn’t like the Maximum Impacts.
I don’t particularly like 14…but I tried them first.

XV has a lot to like. The gameplay is there. The graphics are markedly improved from 14.

Of course I’d prefer sprite work, or XRD style, or hi-res marionettes like Rumble Fish; however, to just blindly rule out XV as jank because it’s 3-d is a shame. You are missing out on some big fun.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

Zeta, you are typing like you’ve never played them.
I didn’t like the Maximum Impacts.
I don’t particularly like 14…but I tried them first.

XV has a lot to like. The gameplay is there. The graphics are markedly improved from 14.

Of course I’d prefer sprite work, or XRD style, or hi-res marionettes like Rumble Fish; however, to just blindly rule out XV as jank because it’s 3-d is a shame. You are missing out on some big fun.

I was really down on 14 because of the way it looked and didn't buy it, but bought 15 cause of the hype (and it was on sale on Steam). I have to say... it's not bad! I like the roster and the actual game plays pretty well. I only have 4 hours clocked into it though because Guilty Gear Strive keeps pulling me back in...

 

[SignOfGoob]

I have zero interest in any KOF that is 3D. Ever. Period. That’s it. Oh, I’ve purchased them! I played them even, I don’t like them.

And you know what? Neither does anyone else, which is why they can’t make them annually anymore.

Just because I liked Star Wars when I was six doesn’t mean I signed a contract for life to always support anything labeled “Star Wars”. I can check out anytime, and I have.

 

[Fygee]

Haters gonna hate. And saying that no one else has any interest in a 3D KOF, just because you don't, is a complete and total lie. The sales speak for themselves.

They can't/don't make them annually anymore because the amount of development required is far, far greater than a low-res 2D sprite game with perpetually reused assets on old hardware. Hell, even the high-res sprites in KOF 12 and 13 took literally a year and a half to complete just one character. ONE!

Capcom used to churn out annual Street Fighter games too. Now there's six to eight year development gaps there too between new full entries, and they have much higher staffing and brand recognition than SNK.

You're killing me Smalls.

 

[100proof]

I have zero interest in any KOF that is 3D. Ever. Period. That’s it. Oh, I’ve purchased them! I played them even, I don’t like them.

And you know what? Neither does anyone else, which is why they can’t make them annually anymore.

Just because I liked Star Wars when I was six doesn’t mean I signed a contract for life to always support anything labeled “Star Wars”. I can check out anytime, and I have.

Excellent. Now prove how much you don't care by not posting in this thread.

 

[SouthtownKid]

which is why they can’t make them annually anymore.

They can't make them annually because the business model has changed. No more arcade scene, so they rely completely on console sales. Nobody wants to buy the same game annually in any genre (other than maybe Football idiots), and especially not fighters. Players want time to get used to an engine. If a game is good, they want to compete in it for years, not months. The classic KoF model was never viable, especially when some releases felt like partially completed versions of the following year's game. People always bring up KOF 12, but I'd argue at least '99 (maybe 2000) and '97 also fall into that category. '03 as well.

A lot of us were in favor of SNK ditching the yearly releases if it meant getting solid, finished games.

 

[LoneSage]

Rain stage.

God bless the rain stage.

One of the Eight Wonders of the Neo.

 

[sirlynxalot]

So are the characters without swords going to block haomarus sword with just their hands? That seems like something snk generally tried to avoid in other games, like having Lee in last blade whip out a fan to block weapons of the other characters.

 

[100proof]

They had no problem with it in Neo Geo Battle Colosseum or SvC Chaos. Don't see why it would be an issue here.

 

[sirlynxalot]

Good point. Don't have a lot of experience with those titles so didn't think of them.

 

[Fygee]

These are characters that take on huge energy balls of destruction, fire, and electricity. Luong's lvl 3 super literally breaks your neck.

It's a cartoon. Blocking a sword isn't any more or less ridiculous.

Plus we had Foxy back in 01/02, and Nakoruru and Pachinko Pirate lady in KOF 14, so there's precedent.

 

[sirlynxalot]

Foxy... now that was a weird character design.

 

[100proof]

Completely broken and unfinished too. The perfect encapsulation of KoF 2001 as a product, if we're being honest.

 

[100proof]

There's a supposed Season 2 DLC leak out there. Not sure that I trust it but the full season 1 DLC leaked as well soooo...

Spoiler:

Team Bernstein: Adelheid, Mature, Duck King (?)
Team Promising Youngsters: Kensou, Shingo, Alice
Team Korea: Gang-Il, Kim, May Lee
Team Street Fighter: Ryu, Chun, Luke

Plus a Goenitz boss fight.

 

[Fygee]

Do we know where the leak was sourced?

Team Bernstein doesn't make the slighest bit of sense with Duck King there. If it was Vice and Mature, then sure. The rest I'm down for, though I'd rather have Xiangfei there instead of Kensou.

 

[100proof]

The claim was that it came from the same person who leaked the original roster + DLC but I've seen nothing to prove that and I'm not gonna go digging through 4ch to find out. None of the teams really make sense (as you said, Duck King is a weird choice when Vice is right there in XIV and makes more sense thematically, but also May Lee doesn't make sense as she's an Eolith creation and SNK has shied away from those for the most part and Kensou doesn't really make sense with the other two... strangely, the SF team makes the most sense as guest characters are rampant and those three would likely be the ones Capcom would want to see) and they only had two teams worth of characters shadowed in the original video so I'm inclined to say this is BS. However, the entire original roster and DLC was leaked so who knows.

 

[Fygee]

So, saying all this assuming it's true. If the first team comes out and matches this leak, then we'll know it's real.

With Khronen/K'9999 returning, all bets are off for Eolith made characters not coming back. She could definitely make an appearance, and it would be a good idea because she's still a popular character even though she hasn't been in a game for 20 years (which makes my head hurt just realizing that much time has actually passed).

Kensou, despite being a staple, its one of the more unpopular characters in the franchise, so bringing him in with DLC seems like a waste of a roster spot. Hell, at least do something wacky like bringing another young character like Alfred back.

Some more KOF 14 characters should make a return. South American team was fairly well received. Mian was awesome and my personal favorite. Sylvie is actually a pretty interesting character when you learn her back story, even if she's completely obnoxious. Xanadu.....hell, let's bring him back with Chang and Choi just to troll people.

 

[100proof]

Yeah, that's the one upside to this "leak". We'll know if it's true pretty quickly cuz none of those choices are obvious ones.

 

[SouthtownKid]

Completely broken and unfinished too. The perfect encapsulation of KoF 2001 as a product, if we're being honest.

But at least 2001 was a lot more fun to play than '99 or 2000.

With Khronen/K'9999 returning, all bets are off for Eolith made characters not coming back.

Plus, it's not like Ash hasn't been a staple this entire time. Who is a more Eolith era character than Ash? So I don't buy the thinking SNK has been avoiding them. I think people just like to read conspiracy into coincidence.

Kensou, despite being a staple, its one of the more unpopular characters in the franchise,

Remember when they hinted at Kensou being the next main character after Nests? And the whole world said, no thanks.

About Duck, it's true it doesn't make sense, but I'd welcome him under any circumstances.

 

[Neo Alec]

The claim was that it came from the same person who leaked the original roster + DLC but I've seen nothing to prove that and I'm not gonna go digging through 4ch to find out. None of the teams really make sense (as you said, Duck King is a weird choice when Vice is right there in XIV and makes more sense thematically, but also May Lee doesn't make sense as she's an Eolith creation and SNK has shied away from those for the most part and Kensou doesn't really make sense with the other two... strangely, the SF team makes the most sense as guest characters are rampant and those three would likely be the ones Capcom would want to see) and they only had two teams worth of characters shadowed in the original video so I'm inclined to say this is BS. However, the entire original roster and DLC was leaked so who knows.

According to Mobygames, May Lee was designed by Chikara Yamasaki and Osamu Kamada, SNK regulars. I would not attribute the 2K1 characters to Eolith, as they only produced the game. Most of the designers were SNK people working in Japan.