(Steam version review btw) Currently there is no other game like it. If you want to feel like a bad ass super-hacker from the future, there is simply no other game that can replicate this experience. The vastness, the density... it's truly a work of art, and love. When you go in for the 100th time, you will always find something new, and it's a truly special game... However... It does feel annoying when you hear there's always new updates for this and that, and I'm thinking... I wanted all this on my first playthrough. I do feel cheated somewhat. Because of that I won't buy the DLC, but I'm glad I had the initial experience. My recommendation... buy it in a year from now. If you haven't played it yet, wait a year, and then play it. It's just not worth it if you feel easily cheated, like me. Minor con: you can jump all over the rooftops like a maniac/futuristic Spider-man, and you can literally go anywhere... that is one of the main joys of the game, but no one else can follow you... seems like a massive oversight. Imagine just how fucking cool it'd be if you had gunfights jumping around on the rooftop, or someone was chasing you, or you had to chase someone... why isn't this a thing? Anyway, great game, be sure to wait until all the updates are out, and really read the stats of everything, it'll really help you.
(I played it on gamepass) I was going to buy it after I'd given it a whirl on gamepass, because who knew when it would leave the roster... and I genuinely was- I was playing this game religiously after work for days- but... God damn, I found a bug where I went out of bounds to a later part of the game, and I thought I'd found a secret.... but no; I could not return to the part of the game I'd come from, and I was stuck, with no hope of getting back to the main game. Countless hours of gameplay down the toilet; There was no way I was starting from the beginning again, despite me loving this game to pieces. It makes it very sad and frustrating, because underneath the bugs, there definitely is a brilliant, tight game, which scratches an itch few games really can. Other reviewers mention the bugs they experienced, and I mentioned the presence of other bugs above- and they definitely do exist- but really all of them are minor, and can totally be forgiven/plain ignored without it affecting the enjoyment, or even without breaking the immersion of the game. I really was not phased one bit... until the big bug that took me out of the main game, and into an out of bounds area. That was the last straw. My final thoughts: What this game does well is that it is an incredibly built world, with compelling interactions, a humdrum childlike atmosphere, with beautiful graphics- meant to emulate Moebius' style, and just so much intrigue, and mystery to get lost in. I will pick this up and play it from the beginning in the future, but I need to let some serious time put a wedge between when I do that, I'm still salty about the out of bounds bug. But if you are considering picking it up, I'd say... do it. buy it cheap, try it on gamepass. There's a lot to get lost in with this game... just don't go too near the top of the cliffs- there is no collision there. You would have thought with all the money the devs made, they could hire a QA team, and make some patches... we'll see.
SNK fanboy biases aside, this game offers something that has been lost to time: Old school, 2D fighting. Today we have the incredible polish of Guilty Gear, DBZ, Fighting EX Layer etc, BUT despite those games being 2D, they are not pixel art 2D fighters. The reason this is important, is because SNK made this game in 2011, a pre-retro era when there was little to no interest in geriatric pixel fighters, so SNK gave the genre a send-off, in the form of the best looking 2D pixel art fighter they could, before the inevitable switch to 3D. So to make it short: the game looks fantastic. Incredibly detailed sprites fill the screen, and Graphics-wise, no pixel game in recent years comes close. Modern sprite games have a tendency to mimic old games with sprite styles that are deliberately scaled down- which I love! But KOF XIII uses sprites in a very modern, very polished way- a natural progression from their previous titles. This is a labour of love by the team. It is a AAA game above all else. The gameplay is tight and responsive: matches with friends- or online players- are high energy bouts of technical combat- as you would expect if you know the franchise. It's interesting, because people compare it to Street Fighter, but SNK fighters have a very different feel, much more frenetic, which I prefer! (Biased). The stages are varied and interesting, and a staunch character selection of 36 players. Game content wise: it's jacked. Many, many modes to play; unlockables to find; a character customisation mode is there, which is a dream come true for me- basically, there is no shortage of hours to waste. SNK really outdid themselves, content wise... not sure what happened with the new Sam Sho :'( Cons: It was "behind the times" for 2011... But for a 2D fighter it's a 10/10 game- for 90s boomers like me, and those who want to see the best of the genre. I believe the work SNK put in, made it timeless. (Recommended: Buy & play with friend over discord- nothing beats co-op.)
It's such a weird game. It's a 3D puzzle platforming game, much the same way Portal is a puzzle game. It is... but it's so much more. It's set in this neon, wire-frame cyber-whatever (not gonna say punk, that word is way overused) world, and you, the player, are basically this cyber-spiderman XD It's the best way I can describe it. You are Spiderman. You shoot webs/hookshot to overhead contact points, and you must navigate to the end of the level using timing/physics/momentum and quite a few other elements tbh, can't remember them all. But you're very mortal, and... You're not a superhero, not in the slightest. You will die many, many times. But the respawn is instant, and the action is fast and relentless, because it's just go, go GO! It really feels almost like an oldskool arcade game. It's a good balance of totally enraging when you die, and yet distractingly entertaining in the best possible way. (And there's a scoring system) Very inventive level design. There IS strategy involved, and getting through each level's pathways is an absorbing challenge. The joy of it is, like with any GOOD puzzle game, or skill-based game, or fighting game/whatever... you will get better. You will fail, then you will learn the knack, or the groove, and the satisfaction element is a huge part of this game. Once you figure out the best strategy, the best implementation of mechanics, you go "I DID THAT". Once you've rewired your brain, you can go in full "swing" (ahh...), and you will be figuring out your next puzzle 3, 4, 5...10 steps in advance. Brilliant game. Satisfying. Great Tron looking graphics. A very bizarre concept... but it's a puzzle game, and at the end of the day, that's what's great about it: it's completely original. Definitely pick this one up if you like puzzle games, or even a Spider-man sim XD. It's fantastic.
Absolutely incredible, fast-paced, arcade action, with beautiful, intricate sprites- larger pixels made possible by the NG's superior processing power, and at times it's like watching a manga. There's so much detail, it's mind-blowing. SNK leaves no stone unturned. The gameplay is fluid, the characters are memorable, and the storyline (for a fighting game) was intriguing, and really keeps the player invested. "The Last Blade 2" is considered the superior, and most loved game of the two, but 1 is also great, if you can get your hands on it. To sum it up it's a 2D Soulcalibur (but no kicks), the gameplay has real depth, and makes for excellent, lighting fast multiplayer with friends, made possible with the online play addition, which is a stroke of genius they've added it. I hope they give other classics the same treatment. Despite it being over 20 years old, it's aged so damn well. Definitely pick this up if you like fighting games with depth, or good animation. This game has both in spades.
The gore of SOF was ramped up to a supernatural level for this one, plus the added rag doll p’s means you can lay the smackdown on enemies with tenfold the whoopa$$. SOFII came at a time when we needed it, can’t say the same for the 3rd one, SOFII had the action, mystery, intrigue, and TIMING of a great game. IMO it earned its place in gaming history. Yeah it’s old, but has it been replaced? Games are too scared to even tread the ground of this behemoth, so the answer would be: NO. Still waiting for game devs to grow some balls? Do you have any faith that they will? Well if your answer’s D.T.A. and you ain’t got the sweet time to wait, play this game and laugh at the devs who are crying because they’ve had the imagination beat out of them. That’s it, cry for your mommies, the fruits of greater men’s labour is still ripe for the picking. YEEEET 100 100
