AT THE END OF THE DAY
After the divisiveness of the previous year, this is a fantastic comeback. The King of Fighters XIV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, KOF XV, The King of Fighters X
PROS
- A large and diverse repertoire is available.
- Fight engine encourages inventiveness.
- Excellent netcode for rollbacks.
- Stages that are colorful and appealing
- Thrillingly entertaining Mode de fête
- DJ Station has almost 300 tracks from SNK’s discography.
- Features that are built-in and tournament-friendly
- Spectator mode and online lobbies
- Ray tracing is supported
CONS
- There is no crossplay across consoles.
- Inconsistent matchmaking
- Modes of training that are mediocre
- Occasional tearing of the screen
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XV (FOR PC) SPECS
| Games Platform | PC |
| Games Genre | Fighting |
| ESRB Rating | Teen |
SNK took the seed that was KOF XIV, planted it, watered it, and developed one of the best fighting games in recent history with The King of Fighters XV. KOF XV boasts a reworked fighting engine that allows for imaginative combat, appealing character models, bright levels, near-flawless rollback netcode, and a plethora of multiplayer options to keep you knuckling up with online adversaries for hours at a time. Despite a lackluster training option and the rare occurrence of screen tearing, this $59.99 PC game is among the greatest in the series, with the lavish King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition and The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match.
The Fundamentals of KOF XV
The core structure of KOF XV may be confusing or daunting to the uninitiated if you’re coming from Guilty Gear Strike or Street Fighter V. KOF XV, like previous mainstream King of Fighters games, includes 3-on-3, team-based battle, necessitating the learning of many characters. Unlike another team-based fighting game, Dragon Ball FighterZ, KOF XV lacks tagging, making character order as crucial as character selection. As essences are knocked out, the meter you earn is handed down to other teammates, so putting your favorite fighter—or a fighter who relies heavily on the meter—in the anchor (last) position provides that fighter the most possibilities. I’ll get to that in a minute.
Art of Fighting, Ash, Fatal Fury, G.A.W., Hero, Ikari, K’, Krohnen, Orochi, Rival, Sacred Treasures, Secret Agent, and Super Heroine are the default teams, drawn from SNK’s many properties. The 39-person roster, which includes a mix of strikers, grapplers, zoners, and other genre tropes, is vast by traditional fighting game standards but small by KOF standards. For example, the King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition includes 64 characters, while The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match has 66. If some of your favorite characters are absent, keep an eye on SNK’s DLC roadmap. So far, the developer has confirmed that Team Garou (due out in March) and Team South Town (due out in May) will be released soon.
The Battle Engine
Many specials, supers, and climaxes from KOF XIV are carried over to KOF XV; however, SNK made significant and minor gameplay adjustments to set this new title different from the previous one. The new Shatter Strike and Max Mode are the two essential differences.
Shatter Strike is a new armored, meter-powered counterattack that crumples ground or wall-bounces aerial enemies, leaving them vulnerable to a big-damage follow-up. Consider it a KOF-style blowback move that, rather than merely knocking an opponent to the other side of the screen, sets them up for a combo (and you don’t have to be on guard to use it). Traditional blowback assaults are still around.
On the other hand, Max Mode is a KOF mainstay that temporarily boosts your character’s attacks and guards the crush meter. The Max Mode Quick version is uncorked by activating Max Mode soon after a conventional attack or command move. When using Max Mode Quick, your character does not gain the regular Max Mode perks. Instead, you dash toward an opponent, closing the distance quickly enough to connect an attack and continue or start a combo. Thankfully, you no longer need to engage Max Mode to use high-powered EX moves, allowing you to be more creative in a fight.
What does all of this imply in practice? KOF XV is a surprisingly adaptable KOF game that encourages player innovation. Unlike its predecessor, which relied too heavily on Max Mode and EX moves, KOF XV encourages players to try new things. Auto-combos that are friendly to newcomers return from KOF XIV, and they make button-mashing noobs feel like a pro. They don’t do much harm, thankfully.
Option after option after option after option after option after option after option after option after option after option after option
The home screen in KOF XV is crammed with options. You can play the story-driven Story mode, listen to over 300 music songs from SNK’s history on DJ Station (many compositions unlock as you play), participate in casual and ranked online battles, browse leaderboards, and watch match replays.
SNK demonstrated its appreciation for the community by including an esports-friendly tournament format tailored for locals and significant tournaments like Evo. You may save up to 32 entries, create brackets and rulesets, and save 15 custom teams. It’s a beautiful touch. Thankfully, KOF XV allows you to join online lobbies and play against other players or watch them play.
A Few Complaints
KOF XV is a fantastic fighting game with many exciting additions, but it does have some problems. To begin with, there is no crossplay between PC and consoles, which splits the player base. It’s a shame that PC players can’t mix it up with console players because KOF XIV has a fantastic rollback netcode that makes playing distant opponents seem like local matches. Crossplay would be especially useful in KOF XV’s Party Option, an online mode in which each of the game’s six characters is controlled by a separate player.
Second, the matchmaking engine isn’t entirely practical. I can quickly discover matches in my area, but I get error messages every time I try to find bouts outside. This isn’t a one-off problem; it’s being discussed on the KOF XV Steam community boards.
Finally, the training mode in the oven might have utilized a little more time. Yes, it teaches you how to do specials, supers, and climaxes, but it does not teach you to play in different situations. KOF XV doesn’t have a streamlined control scheme like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; instead, it features a lot of meters, jumps, hops, and moves, which might be intimidating to newbies. High-level play necessitates learning how and when to use certain activities, which the training mode does not address.
Is KOF XV Compatible with Your PC?
Your computer must have at least an Intel Core i5 CPU, an AMD Radeon R9 280 GPU (with 3GB of video RAM), 8GB of system RAM, and 65GB of accessible storage, according to the KOF XV Steam page. KOF XV ran smoothly at 60 frames per second on my gaming PC, which has an Intel Core i5 processor, 16GB of RAM, and an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card. Anti-Aliasing Processing, Depth of Field, Shadows, and Ray Tracing are just a few of the graphics choices available in KOF XV. The game plays smoothly, although there are instances when a thin line cuts across the screen due to screen tearing. Fortunately, there’s a quick Vsync workaround for it, but I’m hoping for an official patch soon.
KOF XV supports 49 Steam Achievements, Steam Cloud, Steam Trading Cards, Remote Play Together, as well as a variety of gamepads, fight pads, and battle sticks as a Steam game. At the time of writing, it’s unclear whether SNK’s newest game will work on Steam Deck (it’s presently labeled as untested). That isn’t to say it isn’t compatible with SteamOS (KOF XIV is Steam Deck Verified).
The King Reclaims His Throne
The King of Fighters XV is the latest installment of SNK’s flagship fighting game brand, which has received mixed reviews since KOF XII. SNK created a contemporary fighting game that hits on every angle by developing on (and freeing up) KOF XIV’s mechanics, adding a tremendous visual direction, and lastly, introducing rewind net code to nurture the online community. KOF XV may lack Mortal Kombat 11’s top-tier graphics, dramatic story, or super-deep modes and unlockables. Still, it succeeds admirably in recreating the arcade/bodega fighting game experience on modern platforms. SNK should hopefully be able to resolve the internet matchmaking issues quickly.
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King of Fighters XV
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Azura Ali, a writer who is dedicated to exploring the complexities of the human experience through my work. I believe that writing is not just about putting words on a page, but about exploring the human condition in all its forms and complexities. I strive to create stories that are both honest and authentic, that reveal the beauty and complexity of the human experience in all its forms. I believe that writing has the power to connect us with others, to bring us closer together, and to help us understand ourselves and the world around us.
