TGS 06: King of Fighters to get face-lift

TOKYO--SNK Playmore's King of Fighters series is one of the longest-running fighting game franchises, but the game's graphics have remained relatively the same since it was introduced more than a decade ago. According to the publisher, that's going to change.

During the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, SNK Playmore arcade project art director Nona appeared on stage and revealed that King of Fighters XII will feature a complete visual overhaul. Only a logo for the game was shown, and Nona explained that the game is still in the middle of development.

"We're throwing out the [character] pixels that we have been using for the past 10 years, and we are going with new graphics," Nona said. "We are hoping to make the ultimate 2D game."

Last week at the Amusement Machine show, SNK Playmore announced that KOFXII will be one of three debut titles on Taito's new Type X2 arcade platform. The publisher is also bringing its KOF: Maximum Impact series to Type X2, as well as a new 3D version of Samurai Showdown, titled Samurai Spirits Sen, which is under development by K2 Ltd., the company behind the PlayStation 2 Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven and Tenchu: Fatal Shadows games, as well as Tenchu: Return from Darkness on the Xbox.

SNK Playmore hasn't announced a release date for KOFXII yet. GameSpot will bring updates on the game as they become available.