The King of Fighters XIV Reviews

The King of Fighters XIV is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Aug 26, 2016

King of Fighters XIV is very much a new KOF game. It retains all of the hallmarks of the series, from the beautiful backgrounds and giant roster to the challenging combos and large amount to learn. If you’re into the genre and are looking for something that will reward you for putting in time, then SNK’s reputation for building fighting games that allow for that should speak for itself.

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GameCrate
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 29, 2016

A fresh direction for the series that acknowledges the characters that made it what it is, while adding enough new characters to make this entry worth playing.

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4.3 / 5.0
Aug 22, 2016

All in all, KOF XIV is a great addition to the franchise that launches with a full feature set unlike its more popular rival Street Fighter V. It doesn’t look as fancy as Street Fighter V and some veterans might feel that it doesn’t add anything revolutionary to the mix. Its fundamentals, however, are rock solid and the classic KOF style and humor shines. If you’re looking for a fully-fleshed arcade fighting game experience from home, you can’t do wrong in picking up this one.

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9.5 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2016

If you own a PS4 and are into fighting games, or are just starting in the competitive scene, The King of Fighters XIV is perfect for you. It is simplistic and easy to use on the surface, but still has huge combos and advanced mechanics for players to learn and master if they put time into the game. While the graphics could be better, everything else about the game is so amazing that you tend not to notice after a while. The King of Fighters XIV is one of the best fighting games I have ever played, and will satisfy fans of the series, hardcore fighting game enthusiasts, and those hoping to get into them. Quite the return for SNK, isn’t it?

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Aug 22, 2016

Don't get thrown off by the new visual style — The King of Fighters XIV still offers solid fighting action for veterans and newcomers alike, and the slate of 19 new characters is a real treat.

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3.5 / 5.0
Aug 22, 2016

At its worst, The King of Fighters XIV feels like a game of missed opportunities loaded to the brim with potential and at its best, an incredibly well-built fighter that is sure to please longtime fans of the series and veteran fighting game players alike. Even though the game feels bogged down by a poorly constructed story, weak character models, and a slightly off putting over-pandering to new players, there is still so much about KOF XIV that feels genuine and unique.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2016

The King of Fighters XIV is a fully featured fighting game. It still feels like its classic predecessors, but it has been updated in some important areas to feel like a modern take. Its roster is both a celebration of the series that also signifies that this is a new step forward. I’m excited to see KoF back in the spotlight, and I hope to see SNK continue building on this great installment.

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6 / 10
Mar 29, 2017

King of Fighters '94 may be the title that started the entire series but it pales in comparison to its sequels - such as the superb King of Fighters '98, also available on the Switch eShop. With that in mind, there's little point in buying this if you already own that particular title, unless you're keen to see how far the franchise advanced in the four years that separate them. King of Fighters '94 is fun to play and presents a stern challenge, but it's a long way from being the best the lineage has to offer. Unless you're really keen on this entry, you're better off buying King of Fighters '98.

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8.6 / 10.0
Aug 26, 2016

The fourteenth episode of King of Fighters is a fighting game that goes straight to the point. It doesen't get lost in useless graphical showoff, and gives back to the fans the good old combat system, flawless and huge.

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Aug 23, 2016

The King of Fighters XIV does everything right, in a time where just so much is going wrong with Fighting Games. Where e-Sports are at an unparalleled popularity level and the most popular game caved into the e-Sports distribution model, it’s pretty amazing to see a fighting game that is complete on day one.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 25, 2016

A strong release for 2D fighting fans and an overall successful return for one of the genre's most legendary franchises.

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9 / 10
Aug 22, 2016

KOF 14 stays true to the KOF formula, but the move from hand-drawn sprites to 3D character models won’t appease everyone. There is the occasional stiff looking animation, but the gameplay and pacing is currently unmatched in any other fighting game series. With a plethora of single-player and multiplayer (both offline and online) KOF 14 is the most content complete fighting game on the market.

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4.1 / 5.0
Sep 18, 2016

A more than viable alternative to Street Fighter V, King of Fighters XIV offers up a refined combat system, an incredibly deep and responsive mechanical experience and a huge roster of characters, each with their own subtle martial arts discipline and varied approaches to fighting.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 28, 2016

King of Fighters XIV brings one of the genre's longest running franchises to the current generation with mixed results visually. The gameplay is deep should players want to explore it and friendly to newcomers just jumping on with the series. The soundtrack is fantastic and the net code is far improved over its predecessor. We have a winner folks.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2016

While The King of Fighters XIV isn't as flashy or good looking as other recently released fighters, it is jam packed with content by comparison having 50 characters playable on the disc.

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7 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2016

King of Fighters remains what it has always been with its latest entry: a niche fighter with a great cast, an unforgiving learning curve, and a lot of heart anchored by an incredible fighting engine. It’s not for everyone; no game is. But if you’re willing to dedicate yourself to it, and learn it, it’s a tournament worth entering and a fight worth fighting, all these years later.

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4 / 5.0
Aug 22, 2016

King of Fighters XIV has some rough edges, but is outstanding overall.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
7.5 / 10.0
Sep 13, 2016

All the depth of 2D King of Fighters, none of the beauty.

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games(TM)
games™ Team
Top Critic
7 / 10
Nov 1, 2016

A solid and welcome return

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9 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2016

This truly is The King of the fighting genre in almost every way

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