The fighting game gurus at SNK PLAYMORE have finally put the finishing touches on the PLAYSTATION 3 release of The King of Fighters XII, the long-awaited next-generation rebirth of this revered arcade fighting franchise. The game will be available at retail tomorrow, July 28th, and we here at Ignition Entertainment are thrilled to help bring this all-new hand-drawn 2D fighter to the North American market first. That’s right; U.S. gamers will get their hands on the game before their counterparts in Asia and Europe…so early adopters can train for a few days to hone their skills before facing online challengers from KOF’s Japanese homeland.

Series veterans likely already know the franchise’s unique history—back in 1994, characters from classic Neo Geo series including Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and Ikari Warriors were brought together to create a unique and revolutionary three-on-three fighting game known simply as The King of Fighters ’94. For the next decade, KOF reigned as one of the most beloved fighting game franchises ever, with annual updates satiating fans’ desires for updated rosters and gameplay evolution. But in 2004, KOF mysteriously went on hiatus and fans knew SNK PLAYMORE had to be planning a massive overhaul for the venerated fighting series. It’s now been nearly half a decade since The King of Fighters was last seen, and The King of Fighters XII arrives just in time to celebrate the franchise’s 15th anniversary.

King of Fighters XII has taken the next evolutionary step with radically reworked gameplay, glorious high-resolution 2D graphics, and silky smooth animation. SNK PLAYMORE has spared no effort lovingly hand crafting each of the 22 characters to forge the most gorgeous 2D fighting game ever seen, coupled with a selection of lively, intricately detailed stages spanning the globe. The idea that 2D sprite graphics that could be compared to animated films was once an inconceivable dream, but that promise has been fulfilled with KOF XII’s fluidly moving fighters.

PS3 pugilists looking for a single-player experience can challenge the traditional Arcade Mode, change focus with the Time Attack Mode, or even unlock a wealth of attractive artwork in the Gallery. But as usual, the game truly shines in a Versus setting—grab a buddy, plug in a second controller (or even better, a joystick), and watch the hours melt away (and the thumb blisters build). You can also battle head to head via the Playstation Network to engage players online all over the world. With 8-player online lobbies, KOF XII simulates the arcade experience of days long past—prospective fighters can be spectators during other players’ fights and then “quarter up” and play the winner.

KOF XII players can also experience the revolutionary, PLAYSTATION 3-exclusive Clan Mode, a unique feature that allows players with a common goal to band together as a members-only club in order to create the most dominant online Clan possible. You’ll be able to send out a Clan newsletter, kick out members who aren’t carrying their weight, and challenge other Clans to move up the international Clan leaderboard. PS3 players will also be able to download an exclusive theme featuring sultry female fighters Elizabeth and Mature, and should look forward to a slew of upcoming downloadable content that will be made available on PSN. And don’t forget about full Playstation 3 Trophy support, allowing players to be rewarded for their skill and to flaunt their accolades as true badges of honor.

Don’t miss out. History is being made and you can be a part of it with The King of Fighters XII – the ultimate fighting game for the ultimate fighting game fan.

And as a little gift from us at Ignition, we’ve got some Mercury Meltdown PSP vouchers to give away. Keep an eye out on the Sony PlayStation Twitter feed today at 3PM Pacific for deets.

Some fans arrived as early as 8am and drove as far as from Oregon to participate. Everyone was rewarded with the chance to win raffles, enjoy some free grub, and be highly entertained. With the talented DJ Anoop spinning tunes, blockbuster-worthy just-got-beaten-up makeovers from Anti-ER, and models getting crazy with pillow fights, the thrilling 7-hour tournament was building up to the final sweat-inducing moment of truth for our KOFXII players. Right before we got to the zenith of the tournament, we had a special guest appearance by Monique Ganderton from the upcoming King of Fighters movie, followed by an exclusive premiere of the King of Fighters movie trailer. Finally, it was time for the intense showdown between two of the top KOFXII players. After four rounds of gasp-worthy combos and eye-popping roundhouse kicks, Reynald Tacsuan emerged as the ultimate King of Fighters XII champion. In addition to being crowned, Tacsuan also won the $10,000 grand prize: the KOFXII arcade cabinet, directly imported from Japan. Other fans and spectators were able to take home tons of KOFXII goodies too like signed posters, limited edition KOFXII Japanese mugs, and KOFXII T-shirts.

The tournament was an incredible success and all the die-hard fans in Los Angeles were able to bask in endless KOFXII glory. Photos and video from the event are available on the official KOFXII Facebook and Twitter pages.

Dedicated KOF fans have been patiently waiting for years to get their hands on a new installment in this legendary franchise. Since its inception 15 years ago, The King of Fighters has served as a ferocious franchise mash-up, gathering characters from classic series such as Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, and Ikari Warriors for three-on-three street fighting action. For years, fans could depend on KOF to deliver a new yearly update sporting a few minor tweaks and new playable characters, but the advent of the HD era demanded a fresh start. KOF XII is precisely that—a total reboot and rebirth that embraces the past while looking towards the future. The developers at SNK PLAYMORE have worked hard to deliver a next-gen King of Fighters sequel that honors the series’ tradition of hand-drawn 2D art and animation while upping the ante with gameplay refinements and fierce online play.

Creating the massive amount of hand-drawn art required to fluidly animate HD-quality character sprites required a small army of artists sketching their hearts out—SNK PLAYMORE estimates that each fighter required a combined 18 months of man-hours in order to be completed. A similar attention to detail went into the game’s creative (and often wacky) high-definition 2D stages—check out the porcine, baguette-chomping ladies populating the Paris stage to see precisely what I’m getting at. The game’s art team has also pulled off some clever special effects rarely seen in a 2D fighter, including pseudo lighting and detailed character self-shadowing.

Although the creators of KOF XII have remained fiercely loyal to the series’ 2D hand-drawn roots, they aren’t afraid to make sweeping changes to the core fighting gameplay. Recent KOF titles had introduced a host of complex rules and systems that all been tossed out in KOF XII. The basics remain intact—two punch buttons, two kick buttons, plenty of special moves, and devastating Super Special moves—but the implementation of throws, reversals, and counters has been completely revamped. As always, KOF offers players an incredible amount of agility, with a serious emphasis placed on dashing, rolling, back stepping, and mastering the game’s different tactical jump maneuvers. And since the focus here is a return to the franchise’s roots, many of the fan-favorite characters have reverted to their classic KOF ’94 move sets, costumes, and stances.

We’re especially thrilled to bring the KOF XII experience online via the PlayStation Network, as there’s no better way to experience a fighter than to virtually deliver a humiliating beatdown to another real player half a world away. KOF XII offers some killer online options, including 8-player lobbies, the ability to edit and upload your replays, and the PlayStation 3-exclusive online Clan system.

In order to properly introduce KOF XII to the eager community, we’ve cooked up an event that’s going to kick off the E3 season with a well-deserved roundhouse to the head: The King of Fighters XII Tournament. We’re proud to be partnering with Sony Computer Entertainment America, GameStop, and the EVO Championship Series, the largest and longest running fighting game tournaments in the world, to host an international championship tournament on Saturday, May 30th, at Element, located at 1642 Las Palmas Ave, Hollywood, CA 90028.

We’ve invited 128 of the world’s finest KOF players to throw down and prove their skills by playing a sneak-peek early version of The King of Fighters XII for PS3. Sure, these hardcore warriors will be brawling for bragging rights (and a nifty crown), but they’ll also battle for a chance to win valuable KOF goodies, including an import-only KOF XII arcade cabinet! And the fisticuffs will provide only part of the action, as we’ve arranged special guest appearances and fun activities that will celebrate the 15th anniversary of SNK PLAYMORE’s legendary 3-on-3 fighting franchise in style.

We’d love to be able to invite everyone to take part in this monumental KOF event, but the fire marshal wasn’t so keen on the idea. But if you’re a hardcore King of Fighters fan who will be in the Los Angeles area on May 30th, there is still a way you can still be a part of the celebration. We’ll be holding an amateur King of Fighters cosplay contest during the tournament, so anyone who shows up in costume at the venue by Noon on Saturday, May 30th will be given access to the event as a spectator. You may choose to dress as any King of Fighters character that has appeared in the entire series, but you must be clearly recognizable as that fighter—if you don a trash bag and a cardboard hat and try to pass yourself off as Terry Bogard, we do reserve the right to limit access. Good luck with your costume, and we hope to see you there!