The King of Fighters XIV Reviews

The King of Fighters XIV is ranked in the 79th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
7 / 10.0
Jan 26, 2021

So, in 2021, is it worth picking up KOF XIV? In all honesty, no. With an appallingly-bad story mode, and notable absence of online opponents, there is really not much content to justify a purchase. Yes, the gameplay is fantastic, and these other flaws are not indicative of that, but simply put, you’ll be getting a very empty game. Waiting on KOF XV would likely be your best bet, but if you do opt of the 14th instalment, you will still get a fighting game with sharp, fast-paced and rich gameplay. Nevertheless, although I do have to hand it to SNK for their successful attempt at entering the 3D fighting game market, considering the other options available, I find it difficult to recommend KOV XIV over them. Who knows, maybe KOF XV will continue to build on the foundations laid here, but that awaits to be seen.

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Jan 21, 2021

The first 3D outing of the venerable King of Fighters series gets a second chance with King of Fighters 14 Ultimate Edition.

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Digiato
Arash Parsapour
Top Critic
75 / 100
Feb 13, 2018

King of Fighter XIV is a new beginning for the fourth arc of the series story and its success has made SNK into remastering other games like Samurai Shodown. If you're into fighting games and you're looking for a real challenge, King of Fighter is the proper choice instead of Tekken and Mortal Kombat series.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 13, 2017

Given that the computer port has many problems, the game itself is of great value. Despite of its average graphics, The King of Fighters XIV is one of the best recent fighting games because of a huge roster, numerous playable modes and a fantastic gameplay

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9 / 10
Jun 22, 2017

On PlayStation 4 The King of Fighters XIV was impressive, and on PC it's even more so. Being frank, I think it's the best 2D fighter out there, all things considered.

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Unscored
Jun 20, 2017
THE KING OF FIGHTERS XIV (PC) - Logic Review video thumbnail
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 / 10.0
Nov 8, 2016

The King of Fighters XIV is an odd beast of a fighting game that has tons of depth and great character variety. It’s not much to look at and it does a terrible job at teaching you how to play, but once you get it down it’s one of the most satisfying fighting games out there to learn and destroy at. If you have the time to get over that brick wall, this will probably be one of your favorite fighting games.

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

A solid and welcome return

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GameGrin
Nathan_908
Top Critic
8.5 / 10.0
Oct 18, 2016

King of Fighters XIV is brilliant. It is certainly an upgrade on the last game, with upgraded visuals, a cool story mode, depth of characters, and great locations being the main boasting point. Having said that, the actual gameplay is brilliant stuff, with the combinations and movement of characters being a particular highlight. It is just a shame the online experience is rather hit and miss, even after the patch.

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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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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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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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Gamers FTW
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Sep 2, 2016

King of Fighters 14 is rough around the edges and is certainly not a perfect game, but what it lacks in graphics and compelling story it more than makes up for in gameplay. Delivering some of the best fighting in the series to date with fresh takes on old mechanics, any fighting game fan would be missing out if they judged King of Fighters 14 by its graphical punch.

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Aug 31, 2016

SNK's first mainline 3D King of Fighters title boasts an impressive roster, technical gameplay, and enough content to keep you brawling for a very long time.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 31, 2016

Overall for this being my first time playing a game in this franchise I felt the game was a pretty solid offering. It was pretty easy for me to pick up and play but it has that depth the more hardcore fighting game fan may be looking for. I prefer 1v1 fighting games but the 3v3 didn’t bother me too much and it works well with the huge roster on display here. I’m also not a big online player in fighting games so I wish there was more single player content as the story mode isn’t very long. I don’t think this is the king of fighters but I do think The King of Fighters XIV is worth checking out.

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Az Elias
Top Critic
7 / 10
Aug 30, 2016

The King of Fighters XIV is a solid comeback for the series, and the generally subpar 3D visuals are quickly gotten used to after a few minutes with the game. The proof is in the pudding; the same classic 2D fighting gameplay KOF has been renowned for is meaty, with plenty of depth for series vets to work with, an easier time for newcomers looking to get into it, enough modes for both solo and online players, a supersized character roster, and plenty to unlock in terms of artwork, music and more. Improvements could have been made in other areas, such as the weak story and presentation (menus and models), but more importantly, KOF XIV should have some great competitive legs, and deservedly so.

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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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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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Readers Gambit
Guest Reviewer
8 / 10.0
Aug 28, 2016

Starting with The King of Fighters XIII, I have been excited for the next in the series and boy did The King of Fighters XIV deliver. The series has always been looked at with a touch of fear and apprehension from outside players, but those who give the game a moment of their time will find that it’s both an accessible and deep fighter, offering to the new and old alike.

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