King Of Fighters [UK]

NG:DEVTEAM - NEO XYX

2012-09-19T17:01:00.002+01:00

Just noticed that NG:DEVTEAM have posted up a teaser video for their new game, which I think is for the MVS, on their Facebook page.

Looks like an old-school type shmup, and I'm really interested in seeing more of this game.
Just a shame I don't have any Neo based hardware out here in Japan aside from the Neo Geo CD, though to be honest I can't really afford to play games much. xD

No ideas on how much or when it will be released but stay tuned to their website or Facebook page for more details.

Also I saw fairly recently that Amazon.co.jp has put up preorders for the Neo Geo X Gold system, the initial run of systems will include a special Ninja Masters game card!

Just a bit of a shame that it comes out so close to the release of the Wii-U.
At the moment I'm still trying to figure out whether or not I can upgrade my visa status to a working visa, so if I leave to go back to the UK I can only afford to buy one or the other and it will probably be the Wii-U since I already have a Neo Geo back home!

Anyways check out some more pics of the system from Famitsu that I found via Bordersdown.net.

Bit disappointed the portable doesn't mount into the cart slot!!

Knights Chance, New AES Game ??

2012-08-27T03:52:00.001+01:00

Recently a group called Neobitz has been teasing regarding a game they have in development for the Neo Geo AES, so far not much details have been revealed aside from the fact that it will comprise of four games and will be a puzzle/variety style game.

Check out their Facebook page for more details as they are released.

Also speaking of the Neo Geo, I was recently reading about the Neo Geo X portable which is due for release some time in the near future. The 'Gold Package' is looking rather tempting, which comes with a base unit designed to look like the original AES unit as well as a joystick.

At the moment from what I know the US version will cost $199, no idea on what the European price is at the moment.

Stay tuned to their website for more details.

Yatagarasu coming to 3DS e-Shop???

2012-08-24T04:43:00.000+01:00

Saw this posted up over on Tinycartridge this morning.

Although not an SNK title, members of the team who created this doujin game have previously worked on SNK titles.

I'm not too familiar with Yatagarasu myself, I've tried various old versions of the PC version but never played it properly and checked it out more out of curiosity than anything else.

The overall design of the game itself looks great though and whenever it's released I look forward to checking it out and playing it properly.

No release date or price that I can find information for so far but I look forward to being able to play more fighting games on the 3DS.

At the moment the only one I can play is Blazblue, which i'm not a great fan of, but the Squirrel character Makoto reminds me of Vanessa from KOF.

I'm still hoping SNKP get off their arses and release some games for the 3DS, I'd love to play some of the old NGPC fighters on the 3DS.

Traders' Junk Corner

2012-07-25T17:54:00.001+01:00

It's been a while since I've had time to write anything properly on here.

As I've mentioned life hasn't been too easy living in Japan, working part-time and trying to do as much as possible within one year on a limited budget means I don't have much time for gaming or to do as many write ups.

But tonight I'm going to write a little bit about Traders which is a used games store located in Akihabara.

Why this store in particular ? Because for me it's been a treasure trove of SNK used games for the past few months.

As you can see in the opening image, I've picked up these various PS1 titles in the past few months for the meagre amount of Y700. Equivalent to about £5 or so.

Not only these games but I've also picked up a fair amount of Neo Geo CD titles, prices ranging from as low as Y20 (20p) to about Y200 (about £1.60).

I was really happy to be able to pick up Puzzle Bobble for the NGCD for a meagre Y200!!!

Although the items are sold as 'junk', I have yet to buy anything from there which has been faulty or in poor condition. At worst there may be some wear to the case or the spine card is missing.

As well as SNK games I've also found other retro titles I was interested in for Y200 or less.

I can't remember which one it is on the map but you can have a look at the locations of Traders in Akiba on their website.

Someone likes KOFXIII a bit too much...

2012-07-25T17:36:00.000+01:00

Saw this over on Kotaku, apparently someone in Tokyo decided to whack one off over a KOFXIII Climax machine...

Long time...

2012-06-02T04:35:00.001+01:00

It's been a long time since I last posted, apologies but my life here has been a bit busier than I would have imagined so haven't had very much time to play or do many KOF related things. :(

For the stuff that's happened in between my last post and now as some of you may know I met up with Gunsmith and Professor a couple of times, KOF Climax and KOF-i 2012 were released.

Whenever I have time I try to play a little bit of KOF-i 2012, and try to pop down to Shinjuku Carnival to play some Climax.

I was a little disappointed that Clark in 2012 doesn't have his armour grab, and it's a little difficult to do his EX grab -> off the floor super. But still it's a great update to the previous app.

I finally started working at a part-time job this April, teaching English at an after school club for Elementary (about 6-9 years old) level children. Because it's only part-time I still have to find another job to do in the other time slots I have available for work, although it can be quite fun here in Japan it really sucks when you live on a small budget. :-/

I've turned into a bit of an One Piece fanatic since coming here, although I was a fan anyway, there is so much merchandise here it's hard not to try to buy as many things OP related as possible. xD

Most recently I got bitten by a mosquito three times in the same bloody arm, it's pretty swollen and I hope not infected because I don't have the money to go to see a doctor. D:

I've bought quite a few bits and bobs of SNK related stuff since coming here so I'll try to get around to taking some photographs at some point. ^^

KOFXIII Climax, Location Test In Akiba This Weekend.

2012-02-06T08:44:00.001Z

Received an e-mail this morning from The Professor (MMCafe) to let me know that there would be a location test for the new arcade version of KOFXIII at Akihabara, Club Sega.

After a couple of disappointing visits to play XIII in Shinjuku Carnival, where hardly anyone touches XIII, I'm really excited about this news.

Since I currently have no plans for the weekend I will aim to be going there for both days, if I make it down there I'll try to take some notes.

Shinjuku Carnival

2012-02-05T14:09:00.001Z

Finally got a little time to head down to Shinjuku Carnival again today, luckily I didn't get lost on the way there or the way back. xD

I arrived there about 9pm (Sunday) and although there were people playing the KOF games there it wasn't really too busy in this section compared to Gundam or Tekken.

During the hour I spent there I played one game of KOFXIII (winning two challenges) and then finishing the game, and then got the shit completely kicked out of me on 02UM.

02UM appears to be the more popular of the KOF games in Carnival, playing on XIII it didn't seem the level was particularly high and not many people seem to eager to play it.

What I like about Carnival is the switch (as I showed in the previous blog entry) where you switch between button layouts, they also had this switch on the KOF02UM machine, and of course that it costs only 50Yen per game.

In regards to my non-KOF situation in Tokyo I still haven't found work yet sadly, and only have enough money left to scrape by two more months with enough money for basic living costs. So if I'm not able to find work pretty soon it looks like I will have to go back to UK at the end of March. :(

It's been fun here though so far, I've really enjoyed meeting loads of new people here and hanging out around Tokyo. Hopefully everything works out and I can stay here FOREVER xD

Small Update from Tokyo

2012-01-10T04:36:00.001Z

Still haven't had much time to do very much gaming related whilst here, did manage to pop into Shinjuku Playland Carnival the other day and played one quick game of XIII.

Beat the guy who was playing and then got no more challenges, seemed like 98 and 02UM were getting played quite a bit though.

As you can see in the opening image they have a dial on the machine so you can pick between Kanto/Kansai/Taiwan button layouts, pretty cool considering I don't like using square configuration.

Managed to pick up a Kensou XIII chibi figure for Y400, did see a few of the other characters in the same shop but the prices were all like Y1000'ish.

Also my friend helped me pick up a Neo Geo CD console plus 94 from a car boot sale for Y1500 (about £12).

Still haven't managed to find work here yet, just moved into a guesthouse last night where I have a deal with the owner to go to his English Cafe 15 days a month to get reduced rent.

It's seriously too cold here, even sleeping with layered clothing and a jacket on and I still wake up bloody freezing in the middle of the night.

Gonna probably go to look for a heater unit today in Don Quijote, should be cheaper than me using the aircon all day.

Hello From Japan

2012-01-02T04:16:00.000Z

Been a while since I　have last post here, I　haven`t forgotten about it, just have not had the time to post anything since I　arrived to Japan last week.

So far I　have had minimal time to play KOF, only trying KOF98UM:FE　at the local Taito Station the other day.

Haven`t seen as much KOF merchandise as I　would have thought but quite a few cheap things, so far I`ve only bought the Elizabeth figure from the KOFXIII　chibi collection, was quite tempted to buy the KOF02 guide for Y350 but decided not to in the end.

Once I　manage to get myself a bit more settled in (and get rid of this bloody flu)　then I will try to post up some pics and visit more arcades.

NESTS Kyo - Random Notes

2011-12-19T19:12:00.003Z

Had a quick chance to test out NESTS Kyo (aka Kyo With The Power Of Fisting) yesterday at the One Month Later event, I believe he is out tomorrow on XBL (maybe PSN too), so just thought I would share my initial notes on what I could test.

He is able to do his rekka punches from light taps (i.e cr.B, cr.A, qcf+A ~etc).

He has his old 97(?)/98 combo cr.B,cr.A -> qcfx2+A/C

He can do his qcf+K~K -> qcf+A -> (delay) into another qcf+A~qcf+A -> (drive cancel) -> qcb, hcf+A/C

Overall he felt a little bit 'floaty' compared to the original XIII Kyo, not sure if this is 100% true or if I was just going crazy on caffeine.

From what I could test his HD Bypass combo (cr.B, cr.A -> qcf+BC) double kick would not work, I've discovered for some reason doing the HD bypass with some characters creates additional delay frames not present normally.This might have just been me being off though, so I will test again when he is released.

Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to test out any other HD Bypass combos.

Overall I felt I preferred the original XIII Kyo, though I will probably end up buying NESTS Kyo tomorrow anyway.

1up Interviews Takashi Nishiyama

2011-12-15T19:17:00.001Z

Earlier today I found out that 1UP.com has recently interviewed Takashi Nishiyama.

Whilst the article/interview is titled 'The Man Who Created Street Fighter' as you find out in the interview he also was a big part in the development of quite a few of the major SNK fighting game titles, and personally I consider him as one of the 'Fathers of 2D fighting games'.

You can check out the full interview over on 1UP, it's actually pretty rare for him to give an interview so well worth checking out. I know from my own experience it's even difficult to find much information about him searching through Google.

It's interesting that he notes that Fatal Fury was his Street Fighter II, how different that series might have been if he had not left Capcom to work for SNK.

SRK KOFXIII Hyper Guide Wiki

2011-12-13T14:53:00.001Z

Saw this via DreamCancel's forums.

A few of the members over on Shoryuken.com have put together a guide wiki for KOFXIII covering much of the basic, intermediate, and advanced elements of KOFXIII.

Although I have not read the entire thing as of yet (it is fairly extensive), from what I have read it is very good and would be helpful to all levels of players to check it out.

As it is a wiki page I'd imagine it would be updated periodically with fresh discoveries, check it out here.

Also don't forget to check out the various resources on Dreamcancel.com with the character specific subforums and also has a wiki section (not sure if this has been completely updated for console version though).

On a non related note I traded in a load of games over the weekend to put towards an iPad, first thing I had to do was put KOF-i on to it.

Bit difficult to play due to the size of the iPad, but because I can save replays more easily with two KOF-i games I might take the chance to come up with some combo videos when I get the chance.

Iori With The Power Of Flames DLC Out Now

2011-12-06T15:21:00.001Z

Just saw over on Rising Star Games' Facebook page that EX Iori is now available for purchase on XBL Marketplace, not too sure if it is out on PSN today (judging from the EU PSN blog it doesn't look like it is).

Bought an instant code for 400MS from Game's website (£3.50) for free using my Game card points, so I've set it all up so i can download the DLC when I get home tonight.

Also it seem that there will be a poseable figure of Terry Bogard coming out at some point from D-Arts, check out more pics here, not quite my favourite character but hopefully it'll pave the way for a series of poseable KOF characters.(So I can do childish stuff like the image below.)

(Sodomy)

KOFXIII Colour Edit - (Clark) DUFFMAN OHHH YEAHH!!

2011-12-05T23:27:00.000Z

During the stream for SouthTown Arcade's ranking battle last night a few of the members of the chat room were speaking about creating a Duffman version of Clark.

Thinking about it, the idea was a perfect fit for Clark so after work today I decided to give it a try and came up with the above colour edit. Just a bit of a shame you can't edit a red cape on to Clark. xD

Upcoming December KOFXIII UK Tournaments.

2011-11-30T12:29:00.001Z

Seems like KOFXIII is picking up fairly quickly in the UK, with tournaments being announced thick and fast, bit of a shame that as KOF has finally started to become popular here that I'm going to be out of the bloody country for a year... =_=

But still, great times for the other UK KOF players and of course for the community as a whole.

Coming up this weekend -

Nth Gen / Neo Empire @ London Gaming Con (3-4th December)

Then up in Scotland they will be starting their Ranking Battles on KOFXIII starting the 8th December.

And finally the One Month Later tournament held by EX Dragon Project on the 18th December.

Of these I am aiming to attend the One Month Later tournament, even though I would love to enter them all I still have loads to pack away and things to sort out...Stressful month... =_=

Fio - Metal Slug - 1/8 Scale Figure [Embrace Japan]

2011-11-28T18:11:00.001Z

Saw this over on TinyCartridge just now.

A figure of Fio from Metal Slug, as well as a mini Metal Slug tank and mini prisoner, made by Embrace Japan.

From the information I can find via Google it should be about 20cm tall, and according to the listing on Playasia it will be released next March.

Considering when I used to play Metal Slug X on a weekly basis that my main character was Fio, and the fact that I should be able to pick it up while in Japan, I feel inclined to buy this.

Also not many official Metal Slug figures (that I know of) have been produced, my friend managed to find one of Marco at a car boot sale but wouldn't sell it to me. =_=

KOF02/KOFXIII - A Kuso Introduction To BC/HD Bypass Technique

2011-11-28T17:00:00.000Z

Finally decided to make the video public after a few edits here and there, there's not much else I could think to add but if then if there is later I could always just make another video.

Pretty much I decided to make this video after discovering BC bypass worked in this game as well, and as when originally learning KOF02 a few years ago this was how I learnt to get used to the BC combo system I thought it would be useful for some of the newer players to know about it.

Something introduced in XIII though is the ability to EX BC bypass, as you can see in the video with Clark the result can be quite devastating.

Hopefully I'll get the chance to make a couple of more videos before I head off to Japan.

KOFXIII Console Version - Day Four

2011-11-28T03:48:00.000Z

Spent most of today working on the BC Bypass video i mentioned in the previous entry, going to check it again tomorrow to see if I've made any mistakes before publishing it to the public. For now you can check out a preview of it here.

Also as you can see from the opening images I also worked on a 'B.Jenet' colour scheme for Mai today.

As I seem to remember B.Jenet was supposed to be like the 'replacement' character for Mai in MoTW so I thought it was fitting to create a colour scheme for this. It's also made picking Mai a bit more interesting for me.

I've not made many other colour edits today, I think the only one I REALLY wanted to make since before the game came out was nude raiden and I've already done that so have run out of ideas. xD

KOFXIII Console Version - Day Two/Three

2011-11-26T23:20:00.000Z

I've pretty much been playing in whatever spare time outside of work so forgot to post up last night.

Found out you could edit the colours of Yuri's bottom area to skin colour, as well as her bra, so that had to be done.

Also finally got enough colours to attempt a Ninja Turtles version of the FF Villains Team.

Was supposed to be spending my day packing away my belongings today, but ended up working on a BC bypass video. There's still more work to be done on it but you can check the first version of it here.

Any feedback on it would be great, it kind of makes sense to me but I also know that I'm not very good at explaining things xD

Had a quick run through of Story Mode today as well, not as impressive as I would have though but not too bad either. I didn't particularly like the lack of animation, especially after seeing the cut scenes from the Arcade version. (They do throw these in to Story Mode though.)

Also browsed through the Art CD that came with the PAL version, contains about 4 folders with some of the artwork that i believe is from the Japanese preorder phone cards, the original sketch work, and a few wallpapers for PC desktops. It also includes a combo video produced by the guys over on eLive.

At some point I will upload the contents of the Art disc but not for a while, as I think people who can buy the PAL version should do.

Haven't had any more play time online since Thursday, should probably get back to packing to be honest. xD

KOFXIII Console Version - Day One

2011-11-25T04:22:00.002Z

Just wanted to share my first colour edit and a quick impression of the netcode before i popped off to bed. (Almost 4:30am here...)

Netcode so far I've found 2 bars to be a bit similar to 02UM's level of input lag, and 3 bars a bit more playable but still slight delays. Both online sessions I played with players in the UK.

Still I am enjoying the game so far.

KOFXIII - Console Version ! \o/

2011-11-24T17:58:00.001Z

I received both of my copies of KOFXIII earlier today both without the preorder CD, apparently they are being sent out seperately...But an e-mail I receieved from Shopto seems to say that i might only get one set instead of two. =_= I've sent an e-mail to them so hopefully they'll clarify what's going on.

So far I've only played through the game once, unlocking Saiki along the way (apparently you just have to complete as many target actions as possible by the time you finish the third match in arcade mode).

I did get in a little bit of practice mode, discovering you can do quick maxes (inputting a special move whilst pressing B+C to get the special move and BC activate at the same time).

I also discovered how horrendously bad the lag is on my TV, struggling to do st.B -> st.C with Clark. =_=

Once I get home tonight I will be spending a little more time in practice mode and hopefully testing the netcode on Xbox Live, will try to write a bit more later if I can.

KOFXIII - Fanta Stick PX / US KOFXIII -360 - Region Free

2011-11-18T12:15:00.003Z

Playasia now has stock of the KOFXIII Edition of the Fanta Stick PX, according to the product description it has compatibility with both Xbox360, PS3, and also PC.

At £64 it is not a bad price for a stick that is dual supported right out of the box, although shipping seems to be quite high at £48 for Fed Ex. (No ordinary shipping options appear to be available on this item.)

If I wasn't heading out to Japan next month I'd probably consider importing it, hopefully I'll be able to find it at some point whilst I am there.

Also confirmed by Playasia is that the US version of KOFXIII for 360 is region free.

Apologies for the lack of blog updates lately, as I mentioned I am currently preparing to spend a year in Japan so I have had quite a lot of things to sort out and pack away. =_=

[Edit]: As pointed out to me by Gunsmith, you can find more details about this stick on Gammac's website, which shows all the features of this stick as well as images of it's internal parts.

KOFXIII - Neo Magazine Review

2011-11-11T18:01:00.002Z

Just a quick note to mention that the thread on Neo-Geo.com regarding the review of KOFXIII in Neo Magazine has been updated with a few images.

Also SNKPlaymore updated the official KOFXIII blog yesterday with some details about the game's Network and Replay Mode. (Translation available via MMCafe.)

ON Show 23 - This Saturday (Tomorrow)

2011-11-11T14:13:00.000Z

I will be joining Gunsmith, and Cristina, on the Orochinagi Show tomorrow where we will be streaming live footage of KOFXIII.

Amongst the things we should be showing are basic character tactics/'tutorials'.

I will be demonstrating with Athena, and a joint demonstration with Gunsmith about Clark.

Check out Orochinagi for more details, and the actual stream will be running on General Skirmish's Twitch channel.