The roster is pretty standard King of Fighters fare, but I have to say that I was disappointed to discover that Geese Howard or Rock Howard didn’t make the cut. My personal belief is that SNK Playmore intentionally excluded several popular characters in order to use them as anchors in the inevitable sequel. Seriously, what would be a bigger draw in a possible King of Fighters XIII – - a HD version of Mai or freaking Bao?

Like Star Trek, King of Fighters XII is, in effect, a series reboot, but without the hokey time travel hook. Terry Bogard ditches his Garou: Mark of the Wolves bomber and long hair for his classic Fatal Fury cap and vest; Athena is decked out in her Psycho Soldier grab; Ralf and Clark sport hardcore military gear that you’d expect the Ikari Warriors to tote into action.

The sprites are also quite beefy. You’d expect characters like Goro and Raiden to be big bruisers, but Ralf and Clark have transformed from average-size characters  into absolutely huge muscle-bound characters that pulsate with raw power. Initially, I hated Ralf’s design; as a striker, he looked far to0 tank-like, too grappler-like, for my states. But after a few rounds of using him, and whipping out familiar combos, I was able to overlook it. Terry and Andy have also bulked up (not as dramatically as Ralf and Clark), but thankful smaller characters like Ash and Benimaru still possess their svelteness, which creates a sense of scale.

Ash’s storyline which started in King of Fighters 2003 (and continued into King of Fighters XI) is tossed out of the window for yet another dream match (yet Iori is still flameless). It departs from previous dream matches (King of Fighters ’98, King of Fighters 2002) as there aren’t any pre-defined teams, which isn’t much of a loss. The tag team feature has also been removed, returning the series to its gauntlet roots.

The controls are responsive and handle like a dream. Punches, kicks, throws, and special moves are crisp; I never felt as though I were fighting against the controls, although, admittedly, console controllers are less than ideal methods to play a fighter (especially the Xbox 360s’). Some of the command moves have been altered (for example, throws require the use if two punch buttons as in Street Fighter IV, which is disappointing), so it may take time for veterans to adjust to the re-envisioned movesets.

King of Fighters XII introduces the new “Critical Counter” system, which allows a player to chain attacks together after filling the CC bar and landing a close strong attack. In my limited time with the game, it appeared to function as a custom combo ala Street Fighter Alpha 2. There’s also a “Clash” system, which separates fighters that simultaneously land blows (the game forces a break that forces the fighters into neutral positions). It’ll be interesting to see how the SNK fanbase reacts to Capcom-ish gameplay, as they’ll have to grow acclimated to the new system.

Unlike the arcade, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions will feature online play, with up to 8 players in the lobby. Other options include practice mode and two visuals modes (one that gives a slick anti-aliasing appearance, and one with more of the old school “rugged sprite” style).

King of  Fighters XII is slated to hit the home consoles in July and, for a lack of a more eloquent description of my joy, I can not f’n wait. The gameplay changes my alienate some longtime fans, but I urge everyone with even a passing interest in the series to invest some time into it.

The 2D fighting renaissance continues.