Since the release of King of Fighters 2003, SNK Playmore have seemingly gone out of their way at every opportunity to enrage and disappoint longstanding fans of this enduringly popular franchise, with unsuccessful tweaks to characters and control schemes. Arguably, this was done for the sake of broadening the appeal of the King of Fighters brand beyond that of the hardcore faithful. This sounds like a great, and to an extent, unsurprising choice on the part of the then newly formed SNK Playmore, who were surely eager to press their newly purchased series to bigger and better things. Sadly, in this age of epic digital worlds and beautifully crafted 3D fighters, getting a firm grip on the mass market with an old school 2D fighter isn't a realistic prospect.

At first glimpse, it seems that SNK: Playmore are once again in the mood to disappoint fans of the series with the inexcusable choice of removing the longstanding yearly moniker by replacing it with roman numerals, thus declaring this title as the eleventh in the series. Okay, so this does work as to inform the uninitiated of just how long and proud a series the King of Fighters is, but to take the 2006 moniker and smack it onto the hugely maligned and generally unpopular 3D Maximum Impact series comes as somewhat of a swift kick in the crotch to purists of the genre and brand. This choice will surely serve not only to upset fans but surely confuse the already mind boggling timeline and storylines that have continued in one form or another since the series start back in 1994.

So, things haven't gotten off to a great start. Fret not though, as short of a few minor omissions, King of Fighters XI is arguably the best King of Fighters ever made and is unquestionably the best the series has had to offer since 2003! Is it better than the ever-popular King of Fighters 98? Well, that's down to personal opinion, with a definitive choice unlikely to be made any time soon. The quality and calibre of this release however cannot be questioned in any way. Unlike King of Fighters: Neowave, which was also created using Sammy's Atomiswave hardware, King of Fighters XI feels like a huge step up, not only in presentation, but also in gameplay mechanics and production values. King of Fighters XI simply feels like the first game, and certainly the first port to home consoles, to be made with the kind of care and attention to detail that fans have been hoping for since SNK: Playmore were established. This may well end up being the last King of Fighters game to be made using the potentially short lived Atomiswave hardware, with a move to the touted brand new Taito board. If that is the case, then Atomiswave certainly has one hell of a swansong on its hands.

King of Fighters XI is the first title in the series since King of Fighters 2003 to utilise the 3-on-3 tag battle system, and thanks to some very successful tweaks to gameplay mechanics it is now the purest example of tag battle to be found in any 2D fighter. It has taken the novel idea of tag battles - an idea almost ruined by the excesses of games such as Marvel vs Capcom 2, and refined it to within an inch of perfection. Although tags are allowed at any stage, the introduction of the 'quick shift' and 'save shift' mechanics make the whole affair that much more tactical and enticing.

Quick shift allows tagging of characters mid combo, thus allowing experienced players to string together multi-character, multi-hit combos. This, much like in the case of the similar system used in Marvel vs Capcom 2, could have been the straw that broke the camel's back, with experienced players potentially taking out newcomers before they have gotten out of the blocks, but thanks to some carefully planned scaling of attack powers on the part of the development team, these often work as possibly devastating, always impressive, but never unfairly powerful combos. This option is made all the more fair by the inclusion of the save shift mechanic, which allows players to tag out of battle in the middle of blocking, or even when being hit.

Although these new game mechanics sound like they may well undermine the balance of gameplay, thanks to the inclusion of the 'skill gauge', which builds up separately from the stock gauge - the gauge for super attacks - each battle feels balanced and never one-sided, as the amount of shifts available each round are very limited, thus adding to the tactical scope of the gameplay as a whole. This separation of gauges is a first for the series and is without question an inspired choice; without having to worry about depleting your stock gauge for these vital manoeuvres, you can play using a more offensive style without fear of unfair repercussions later in the fight.

Another simple yet inspired addition to the gameplay is that of the judgement system. Unlike every other fighter that has come before it, now if the clock runs out, rather than simply declaring the winner based on the amount of health remaining, the winner is declared via AI judgement based on skill and aggression. It is a simple yet ingenious inclusion that makes the clock a much more important factor throughout battles. Although you may have a lot more energy remaining than your opponent, a quick look at the a clock revealing twenty seconds remaining can force players unexpectedly onto the offensive for fear of lack of skill or aggression throughout the rest of the fight. This addition holds even greater sway given the tag-based nature of the game, meaning that fights are often longer, with greater chance of ending in a time out. It is another example of how King of Fighters XI has almost unbelievably nailed every new gameplay mechanic that it has added to this most recent iteration in the series.

One thing that is immediately noticeable from the start is just how much better looking every aspect of this game is in comparison to any King of Fighters game from the past. Even though King of Fighters: Neowave also used the Atomiswave hardware, it simply cannot hold a candle to King of Fighters XI for graphics or general presentation. From the off, the menus are slick and polished, the unbearable load times of previous ports have finally been removed and every background, attack and even health bar simply oozes a touch of class often lacking from SNK titles of the past. Special praise should go to the new backgrounds, which finally show a bit of life and the character selection screen with its bold colours and beautifully drawn anime style characters. These may sound slightly trivial, but believe me, they make a huge difference and really demonstrate the effort that SNK: Playmore have put into this title. The sound quality has also taken a huge leap forward, largely thanks to the use of the Atomiswave hardware. Much like Neowave, thanks to the potential for CD quality sound rather than the terrible synthesizing that has plagued the series for a little longer than it should have, the music and voiceovers are now clear and much easier on the ear, with some classic tunes helping to complete this exceptional package.

The only slight disappointment comes from the continuing use of low-res character models. Although it does give the game a certain charm, and will certainly keep traditionalists happy, with Guilty Gear characters now in high-res and Capcom characters moving with exceptional fluidity, it seems like one of the few poor choices made by SNK: Playmore in the production of King of Fighters XI. Saying that, the characters have all been touched up with almost universal success and stand as the most fluid and best-animated versions seen so far in the series.

To add to the otherwise splendid presentation is the inclusion of over forty-five characters to the roster. It is an almost mind-boggling figure, made up of some of the finest 2D fighters ever created. There is even the PS2-exclusive inclusion of Geese Howard, Robert Garcia and Mr Big. The return of characters such as the Duck King will also no doubt keep old-school fans happy. All the usual suspects are onboard, with the notable exceptions of Chang, Choi, Goro and Takuma to name a few, who have been dropped from the cast and may be missed by longstanding fans of the series. This is however a hugely forgivable omission, with more than enough characters for even the most insatiable of fans to get to grips with. To make up for these dropped characters, SNK: Playmore have added three surprisingly decent all-new characters, in the form of Momoko, Elisabeth and the card throwing Oswald, a future fan favourite in the making. Add to that the inclusion of characters from the exceptional Gorou: Mark of the Wolves and you are left with the most impressive roster seen in a fighting game for quite some time.

On top of the excellent presentation and perfectly balanced gamepley, SNK: Playmore have really gone to town on the game modes. Whereas 2D fighters have always been notoriously short of modes and longevity beyond Vs matches, King of Fighters XI comes packaged with a plethora of modes to keep fighting fans happy for a long time. Although the online aspect of the game has sadly been dropped for the Western release of the game, all-new game modes such as Challenge really add some much needed depth to the title. Normal mode alone has more depth than your average 2D fighter alone - add to this Arcade, Vs Mode, Practice, Endless (basically just survival against a never ending list of combatants) and Gallery, which has a fine selection of concept art to be unlocked along with each character's ending, to name a few of the goodies on offer, and you are left with a well rounded package with more diversity than the majority of 2D fighters. The major new addition however is the aforementioned Challenge mode, which much like games such as Soul Calibur and Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, pits you in a series of specific challenges - 40 in total, which diversify the action a great deal while encouraging you to use more in-depth tactics on a regular basis, thus adding to your expertise as you work through the forty scenarios on offer.

SNK: Playmore should be applauded for what they have done with King of Fighters XI. Although coming up short in the past, it seems they have finally started listening to fans' pleas while clearly coming to the conclusion that the best way to satisfy fans while potentially bringing new fans in is simply by making the best game possible. There is no need to attempt to cater to tastes when a game is this well put together. After the relative disappointment of Neowave and the simply appalling 3D Maximum Impact series, SNK: Playmore have finally come good with one of the finest 2D fighters around. If you are a fan of the genre, or even slightly curious, then you simply must pick up a copy of King of Fighter XI just as soon as you can.

Reviewed by Liam Pritchard for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).