I just did this write-up. It's pretty scatter-brained and covers a range of topics, so it may not be of interest everyone. (Apologies.)
Just got back from the Shinjuku loke test. It as pretty packed. Much busier than the previous one. I'd estimate there were always around 25 people in line or playing. People seem to be digging it.
I think there's been a lot more coverage this time around than last time, so please forgive me if I repeat stuff that's already been mentioned. It's hard to keep track of old/new news.
System
- Unlike the previous build, Drive Cancels now take up half of your Hyperdrive meter. But the Hyperdrive meter starts full-sized. (In the previous build, DCs took up 25%, and the meter got longer with each subsequent character, allowing for more cancels.)
- While in Hyperdrive mode, you can't seem to build any meter. That means that, if you have three stocks and are trying for a NeoMax move, and accidentally do an EX move or a normal DM, there's no way you'll be able to do your NeoMax.
- As was mentioned elsewhere, the attendants kept having to restart the machines. Apparently the game starts to slow down if it's been running too long. Strange. Better fix that!
- Your power bar builds more slowly.
Andy
- It seems he can break his kick again.
- The DM listed in his command list (QCBx2+P) doesn't seem to exist. I tried repeatedly to do it and just got his normal projectile. I'm not that bad. Seriously, it was like they forgot to add it.
- Most popular drive cancel is Elbow (DB_F+P) -> DC Shoryudan or kick or super.
- His NeoMax is so damn fast. SO FAST. Not very flashy, but it gets the job done.
- Has an Eiji alternate (purple with red flames).
Ash
- Has a Joker alternate. Green hair, white face, purple outfit. Good job, SNK.
Athena
- Her NeoMax looks great. She dashes forward, and proceeds to pinball her opponent around between various still frames of her old outfits. The move concludes with her commanding a host of angelic arches to fire at her opponent.
Clark
- EX SAB has scary good range. Looks like it eats most attacks too.
Iori
- I saw someone manage to connect an uppercut (DP+P) AND his DM after Iori's HCF+C throw, but the timing seems amazingly strict. It's safer to just go straight for the DM.
- C -> HCF+C no longer works, but QCB+K -> DC HCF+C does. Very handy.
- I'm convinced his NeoMax wasn't included. I saw at least three people try to do it. They would very obviously try to build up three bars, enter Hyperdrive mode and then... Either an EX DP+P or an EX HCF+P. You could perhaps write off my earlier comments about Andy's DM to my own execution failure, but honestly, I saw multiple people fail to execute this move.
King
- NERF'd!
Her slide no longer knocks down and her Tornado Kick (HCB+K) no longer passes through blocking opponents. She's still solid though.
- Double Strike (QCFx2+K) is still a DM. The projectiles are now red, as opposed to blue.
- Trap Shot -> DC Surprise Rose (QCFx2+P) whiffs. Disappointing.
- Close D -> Trap Shot (DP+K) -> DC Tornado Kick -> DC Venom Strike (air) OR Neo Max.
- Her NeoMax (Venom Shot) is a huge, HaohShokoken-sized projectile. Well, it's more like many projectiles since it hits multiple times, but they all appear as a single wave. You can perform it on the ground or the air, but if done on the ground King will jump up a short distance anyway. The move is aimed diagonally downward.
Leona
- A version of her X-Calibur is the classic (pre-XII version). C version is XII-style.
- Her NeoMax is called "Leona Blade."
Mature
- Her NM start-up is her pulling back her eyepatch, revealing the Orochi eye. It's almost identical to Vice's, but I couldn't figure out what kind of conditions it had for connecting. It didn't seem like Mature traveled the same distance as Vice did. My guess is that there are some subtleties that aren't immediately apparent.
Raiden
- His NM is a bit weird. He strikes the same pose he makes during his grab DM (finger in the air), and then charges forward to do an incredibly damaging clothesline. Not as flashy as some of the others. It's called "Raiden Bomber."
- His Super Drop Kick now only needs to be charged for four seconds, as opposed to ten.
- He has an alternate that looks just like Patrick Van Heyting from Buriki One. No one remembers who that is, but his outfit is just a black speedo + boots.
Ralf
- He has his Bareback Vulcan Punch (QCB,HCF+K) DM back! SNK really likes Ralf.
- His EX Gatling Punch looks just like his old '94/5 DM. In other words, it's Gatling Punch + Vulcan Punch + uppercut finisher.
- Awesome: Vulcan Punch -> DC Neo Max (Jet Vulcan Punch) = 97 HITS! Holy shit, with better timing Ralf really would have the Hyakuretsu Ken.
- If his Neo Max misses, he doesn't enter the cool down phase.
- Gatling Punch -> DC Gallatica Phantom.
Ryo
- Multipunch -> DC HCB+D -> (in corner) uppercut. Very cool-looking, and good damage.
- EX version of his Ryuko Ranbu has him adding a Haoh Shokoken to the end of it, a la Takuma.
- Saw f+A -> Ryuko Ranbu.
- His Neo Max has a strange energy effect upon hitting. Reminds me of Maxima's QCB+P. It doesn't dizzy the opponent.
Takuma
- His projectiles are huge and fast. Other projectile-heavy characters (Athena and King) can't seem to keep up with him.
- His walking animation is great. He confidently struts forward with a big grin on his face.
- He's slower and heavier than most other characters.
- Feels like a mix of classic Takuma and a new Takuma.
Terry
- Close C -> Buster Wolf -> Neomax (Trinity Geyser). Flashy, but probably not worth the extra bar. Just like with his Dream Cancel in XI, Buster Wolf hardly does any damage. Better to just do Close C -> Trinity Geyser.
- EX Rising Tackle now does around 17 hits.
- C version of Power Wave doesn't travel as far. EX Power Wave is full-screen. (I suspect his normal Power Waves are no longer full screen just so that the EX version has more advantages.)
Vice
- Damn strong. In this version of the game, I'd say she's probably one of the strongest characters.
- She can do Mayhem (QCB+P) -> DC Da Cide (HCF+K) -> DC Mayhem -> Etc. Shenanigans! Of course, unless she's in Hyperdrive mode, she can only DC twice.
- Maybe it's just the trajectory, but it doesn't seem like Splash (her DP+P move) makes a very good anti-air throw outside of a follow-up to Mayhem. Was mostly used to catch crouching opponents.
Yuri
- The addition of her uppercut has made her a crowd-favorite. CrB -> CrA -> DP+P -> DC ANYTHING.
- Her NM has the same basic animation has her Raioken (QCF+K) but instead of her normal projectile she throws something that would be best described as a nuclear weapon cleverly disguised as a projectile. Big explosion.
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New York Stage
- There's a blimp with a television screen on it showing the current match. Just like the TV in the stadium stages. Lots of floats can be seen. (My favorite is the dinosaur.)
Brazilian Stage
- Heavy falls (usually caused by DMs but not always) cause things to drop from the trees above. I saw some fruit and even a snake.
- I love the attention to detail in this stage. Especially the small lizards and frogs off to one corner.
France Stage
- Saw Shermie. She appeared in the third or fourth round. She kind of stands out because, unlike everyone else, she isn't animated. Still, a nice easter egg.
China stage
- I hadn't noticed before, but everyone in the background is now on a boat bobbing up and down.
- Li Xiangfei cameos on one of the rooftops. Similar to Shermie, she appears randomly in the third or fourth round. She has some dim sum bowls. (Are they even called bowls? Don't know the proper terminology.)
England stage
- The weather changes slightly during the course of the match. There's a lot of fog in the first round, but some rays of sunshine appear by the fifth match.
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Thinking I'd like a chance to practice the game, I got in line to do the single player. This turned out to be a mistake after about half an hour, when I realized I had barely moved in line. Turns out, it takes a long time for people to play through six stages. I think this is because people either wanted to try out lots of combos and NeoMax moves, or they wanted to see all the cutscenes and intro dialogues. They only had one machine set-up for single-player too.
Anyway, the good news is that XIII, in complete contrast to XII, has an incredibly robust single player. More so than any other arcade KOF. The challenges are a great idea (and remind me of Heart Attack mode from Outrun 2). The challenges I saw:
- Roll three times.
- Jump three times.
- Get a three hit combo.
- Drive Cancel a move.
- Hit the opponent with an EX Special.
- Hit the opponent with a DM.
- Hit the opponent with an EX DM.
And the intros are fun.
- Terry pisses off Takuma by not remembering the name of his alter-ego. (He calls him "Mr. Tengu.")
- Everyone makes fun of Terry for being a hobo. Well, they more nicely refer to him as a Freeter (wikipedia it), but the meaning was clear.
- If these get a good translation, I don't think very many people will be missing the animated intros.
As everyone has already seen, the animation quality is superb. No voice acting yet, but hopefully that will come later.
Overall the game is shaping up amazingly well. It already seems very complete, except for a few small details:
- Hwa Jai's clonage is a bit obvious.
- In single player mode, the lack of team stages is odd. I fought the Psycho Soldier team in the Egypt stage, and their happy, upbeat music set against the creepy Egyptian dudes was very incongruous.
- The above-mentioned slowdown (after extended gaming).
Overall, everything is going great. Good luck to SNK with the last 10%.