If there’s one genre in 2009 that has seen a major turnaround, then it would have to be the fighting genre. Once thought to be dead and no longer relevant, it has seen a renaissance like no other due to a high number of quality games releasing within the first half of they year. One only has to look no further than Street Fighter IV and BlazBlue to notice that the quality has returned and the fans have followed in stride behind them. Developers and publishers are now ready to take a risk on the genre and are also unleashing downloadable titles of their precious games from their beloved libraries such as Garuo: Mark of the Wolves, The King of Fighters ’98 and Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Just passing the half-year mark, there are many more titles in the pipeline from the likes of Tekken 6 to the fan-crazed Dragon Ball Z: Raging Blast.

Now, having said all of that, gamers would probably think it’s a safe bet to pick up The King of Fighters XII on the Xbox 360 with the current landscape of the genre. The franchise has been around for the past 15 years and is among the most popular fighting franchises ever created. Well, those gamers who thought KoF XII was a safe bet are going to find a harsh reality when they pop in the game and find a less than stellar title when compared to it’s predecessors and competitors already in the genre.

The longevity of the title is 1,000 leagues under the sea – in other words, way below average! There’s very little replay value when gamers take notice that there’s no new game modes added in from the arcade version, no unlockable characters, and a lack of a plot or story to go along with the title. KoF XII is a barebones entry on the Xbox 360 that deserved another few months of development to give players a reason to keep coming back for more than online play.

Graphically, the game is pixilated to a fault. Hardcore fans may appreciate the weathered look that is dated for this current age of games, but even they may find that the visual appeal isn’t anywhere near the crisp and beautiful look of similar 2D fighter BlazBlue. The developers did add in a few filters to blur the character models, but this isn’t enough to classify KoF XII as anything more than a straight-up port. Beyond that though, SNK Playmore has outdone themselves with their 2D backgrounds – they are beyond gorgeous! The only fault with the backgrounds is that there is far too few of them; the developers needed to have more than six stages represented in the final product. In addition, there are only 22 fighters included in the game – the lowest amount ever for the series.

At least the console version receives two exclusive characters in the form of Elizabeth Blanchtorche and Mature, two female fighters that are noticeably different than one another. Still, the fact remains, the low pixel count for the character models is dismal to the point that gamers may not even notice the good-looking art style that is represented in almost every SNK Playmore fighter. What a sad, sad, day for veterans to find that the HD evolution hasn’t occurred for The King of Fighters.

The gameplay isn’t at the level of adequacy either – it’s below the standards that SNK Playmore usually employs for their titles. Overall disappointing, KoF XII lacks in many areas where it should excel in. Even with the 3 vs. 3 system that allows players to choose the order of their fighters before every match, KoF XII is lacking a field that should draw a player in and grasp their attention. Sure, the game focuses on precise timing of attacks and the range at which a player attempts them, but the gameplay isn’t up to par. Too many times the grabs and throws would miss due to clipping issues, and more often than not, the game had slowdowns that will cause grays to sprout up on a player’s head in no time.

The addition of online functionality is a nice asset to longtime fans wanting to enter brawls with their friends and family, though KoF XII isn’t going to hold their interest for too long. The gameplay online isn’t top notch as there were far too many times that lag hindered my experiences. Even with my 10-meg connection, KoF XII isn’t best played online as of this moment. Gamers will experience too many button-smashing foes that will beat their opponents due to the lag and, thus, the more experienced competitors will head back to their previous fighter to spend their time with. 

Is The King of Fighters XII a must-have title? That answer is a resounding no; although, longtime fans may want to give it a rental to see if they can overlook its glaring flaws.

Gameplay: 6.3
KoF XII is nowhere near the upper-echelon of the fighting genre.

Graphics: 6.1
Fanatics may appreciate the 2D approach, but seen on a HD screen, the characters are overly pixilated.

Sound: 5.5
The standard barebones package for the audio was implemented.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 7.0
Gamers should appreciate the 2D graphics as SNK Playmore continues to stay as close as to their roots as they possibly can.

Multiplayer: 6.5
From time to time, KoF XII offers a stimulating experience online.

Overall: 6.4
At the price point of $60, The King of Fighters XII is a hard sell to anyone outside of the fanbase. Renting or borrowing is the best entry point for the series as a blind purchase may lead to one angry gamer.