In the wake of the weekend’s PlayStation Experience event in San Francisco, details and gameplay footage of SNK’s latest KOF title is emerging, which was available to play over the weekend. KOFXIV hit the floor with six playable characters; franchise faces Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, returning Korean brawler Chang Koehan, fan favourites Leona and Kula Diamond, and Andy Bogard.
Amongst the new information:
- The game is set to have a final roster of 50 characters, split into 16 traditional KOF-style teams, including new and returning characters.
- New characters revealed in the PSX trailer include XIII returns Ralf Jones, Billy Kane, Kula Diamond, and King, as well as long-absent fan favourite Angel.
- The new game will launch a new story arc for the franchise, after KOFXIII closed the book on the Ash Crimson Saga.
- The MAX gauge and EX moves will return in XIV, but EX moves are now only accessible while in MAX mode.
- A new Rush combo system is available, letting players press a single button repeatedly to use a bread-and-butter combo.
- Among new online features for the franchise is Party Mode, where six online players can compete online in 3v3 competition.
While the game is still not quite meeting fans’ expectations in terms of graphics, the visual quality of what was on the show floor was markedly better than the initial teaser trailer, and initial feedback indicates that the game plays very much like a KOF game should.
Thanks to Eventhubs for the images.
The Saltmine 
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