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Series
Position in the series
Saga/Story Arc
Chapter
Is it canonical?
The King of Fighters
11th
Tales of Ash
2nd
Yes

11 teams have been assembled... Only one will survive!

-Arcade Tagline

The King of Fighters XI (ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ XIイレブン) is the eleventh installment of The King of Fighters series and the second chapter of the "Tales of Ash" story arc, started in The King of Fighters 2003. This game is also the first of the series to not use the year of release in its name.

Story[]

Mukai, a member of a mysterious group, stole the Orochi seal in the last tournament and broke it, causing confusion and destruction to happen from within sight. Taking advantage of the situation at hand, Ash stole the Yata Mirror from Chizuru and drained her powers in the process. In the advent of a new KOF tournament, new faces are handed invitations, while old faces, such as Eiji Kisaragi, return to the ring. Among the new KOF participants are Oswald, Duck King (a South Town veteran fighter himself), Momoko, and Elisabeth. All these fighters will find themselves in a tournament full of mysteries and secrets started by motives that they’d ignored. Behind this healthy competitive tournament hides a hidden force called "People from the Past" with a mysterious goal.

Development[]

In December 2004, Falcoon, the series' main illustrator, said the next game SNK Playmore were developing would be different from the recent spin-off The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact, which was originally intended to be released as "The King of Fighters 2004". Development of the game began when SNK completed production on the crossover game Neo Geo Battle Coliseum in 2005. SNK cancelled production of The King of Fighters 2004 in the fall of 2004, after it was announced the company had signed an agreement with Sammy Corporation to use their arcade system instead of the Neo Geo cabinets that had been used for the franchise previously. The King of Fighters XI's arcade version used Sammy Corporation's Atomiswave system. SNK commented that by using this new system, The King of Fighters XI would stand out from its predecessors due to improvements in both gameplay mechanics and graphic quality, specifically the animation frames created for Iori Yagami. However, it lacked the AW-net, a program that allows for online play. SNK had previously tested this system for both Neo Geo Battle Coliseum and The King of Fighters Neowave.

Hiroaki Hashimoto was the main designer for all of the game's characters, while Nona illustrated the endings. When the arcade version was released in the US, cabinets in Tilt Studio locations used converted Final Furlong cabinets, instead of the standard Atomiswave cabinets. As a result of this, there were two screens, one for each player. The addition of mid-bosses from Buriki One and Kizuna Encounter were meant to surprise gamers; since their original moves did not "fit" in The King of Fighters XI, developers had to change some of them. In 1999, SNK released a Fatal Fury installment named Garou: Mark of the Wolves whose narrative lacked closure. As a result, the company decided to utilize those characters in The King of Fighters XI with a bigger role. The movements of the boss character Magaki – the leader of the group of antagonists "Those from the Past" – were intentionally designed to "disgust and disturb fans". The staff had mixed opinions about newcomer Momoko due to her relatively young age. She was designed to fit the Psycho Soldier Team. Meanwhile, Elisabeth was created as a "leading lady" character to give Ash Crimson a rival. Developers sought to make the levels as realistic as possible, with particular focus paid to the Esaka stage. The company planned to add more stages, but these were removed due to time constraints.

The game's Japanese port for the PlayStation 2 was released on June 22, 2006. Multiple changes were made for the port to make the controls more responsive, based on feedback from the arcade. On September 8, 2006, Ignition Entertainment announced they had licensed The King of Fighters XI for a European release. SNK Playmore USA announced the game on November 13, 2007. With respect to the progressive scan, SNK explained that the North American version of the game was based on the PAL region. As a result, the American and PAL versions do not support progressive scan, but the Japanese version does. The port was mostly done by Ignition and then reused in other regions, although SNK remained silent about this. Similar to previous entries, the port offers a rearranged version of the audio. SNK Playmore re-released the game in Japan on June 28, 2007, under the label of "SNK Best Collection". The company once again released the game for the PlayStation Network on December 17, 2014, in Japan. In 2020, a homebrew conversion was released for the Sega Dreamcast.

On March 24, 2006, Scitron and SNK released The King of Fighters XI Sound Collection (ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズXI サウンドコレクション), a soundtrack from the game. It consists of two CDs, each containing different versions of the same 37 tracks. While some tracks are identical to the ones from the game, others have been rearranged. Disc one has the tracks from the arcade version, while disc two has the tracks from the PS2 version. The music was composed by SHA-V and arranged by Koji Takata, Masuo Okumura and Masanori Kuki.

Game Mechanics[]

Aside from the already known gameplay maneuvers that add much depth to the gameplay, Runs, Rolls, Short Jumps, Guard Cancel CDs and Rolls, Empty Cancels, and the returning Quick Emergency Roll, the four largest innovations KOF XI brings to the franchise are the Quick Shift, the Saving Shift, the Skill Gauge and the Dream Cancel.

Kof xi k vs ramon

Gameplay of K' vs. Ramón in arcade version

The Skill Stocks significantly complicate the gameplay of KOF. The Power Stocks that existed previously are still present, and are filled in the usual fashion. Nevertheless, there are now Skill Stocks as well, which gradually build up over time. Each team begins a match holding the maximum of two Skill Stocks. Offensive maneuvers, such as Super Special Moves, Guard Cancels, and Tag Attacks, continue to use Power Stocks. However, more defensive or tactical maneuvers, such as Guard Evasion, Saving Shift, and Quick Shift, use Skill Stocks.

Kof xi ga

Gameplay of Terry vs. Ash in the PS2 version

KOF XI utilizes the Tactical Shift System from KOF 2003, but makes very important changes. The Quick Shift allows the player to change into another character in the middle of any combo, prolonging it, or in the middle of any attack, no matter if it was blocked or not, canceling the frames of animation of the attack, if it's needed. The Saving Shift allows the player to take out a character when he is being hit as soon as he is hit, or in any moment, at the cost of both skill bars. This effectively cuts many combos that otherwise would do a lot of damage, eliminates the possibility of infinities by repeating chains of attacks on the ground (excluding aerial juggles) and brings an element of balance to the game. While it is possible to escape from any combination of attacks on the ground, it is not possible to use Saving Shift to get out from a Super Special Move or Leader Super Special Move.

The last new feature of KOF XI is the Dream Cancel. Like the Super Cancel that first appeared in KOF '99, Dream Cancel allows players to use stocks to interrupt a move in the midst of its execution with a more powerful move, allowing devastating combos; however, the Dream Cancel is more deadly than ever, allowing a DM to be canceled into an LDM, at the expensive price of two Power Stocks and one Skill Stock.

Should the timer run down in a match, the winner is no longer decided based upon who has the most life remaining. Instead, the judgment bar, a new bar of circular shape composed of two colors, each one representing one player (red or blue, which are the colors displayed in the portraits of the characters of each side) acts as a quantifier of the skill of each player. Whichever player has the judgment bar towards his side will be the victor if none of the teams win defeating all three characters from the opposite team; rarely, if the bar is exactly in the center, the match will end in a draw and both sides will lose. The bar is affected by each attack that the players get in, combos affect progressively more, and when a character of the opposing team is defeated, the bar suffers a big change against that player. This makes taking care of keeping one's characters alive pretty important, giving strategy to the tags system.

Characters[]

The new characters added to the roster (between originals and of other franchises) are:

Oswaldxi
Oswald, the new member of the "Hero Team", is an old man once a professional assassin who seems to be in retirement. He enters to the KOF tournament at Ash's request, and also because the young man heard rumors about him.
Elizabethxi
Elisabeth Blanctorche, the new leader of the Rivals Team, is the last heiress of her noble family, in France. She is a childhood friend of Ash Crimson and they were raised in the same mansion together. Knowing what he did to Chizuru Kagura in the past tournament, she enters to the tournament willing to stop him.
250px-King
Duck King, from Fatal Fury series, is a DJ who lives in South Town. He enters to the tournament at an invitation from Terry Bogard.
Momoko-xi
Momoko, the new member of Psycho Soldier Team, is a little girl who enters to the KOF tournament at the request of Athena Asamiya. She practices capoeira, a Brazilian fighting style.
Jenet-xi
B. Jenet, from Garou: Mark of the Wolves, is the leader of the Lilien Knights, and enters to the tournament only for monetary gain.
Shion-xi
Shion, the sub-boss of the game and one of the hosts of this tournament, is an enigmatic character about which little is known. He works as an underling of Magaki and seems knowledgeable about the workings of Orochi. His true motives and his reason for following him are unknown.
Magaki-human form
Magaki-true form
Magaki, the final boss of the game, is another member of the Those from the Past. Alongside Shion, he hosts the tournament in hopes of reviving Orochi to give its power to his master.

Furthermore, some characters from less famous SNK franchises appear as mid-bosses, but they have no impact on the plot as a whole:

Gai-xi
Silberxi
Gai Tendo and Silber, from Buriki One.
Hayate-xi
Jyazu-xi
Sho Hayate and Jyazu, from the Savage Reign series.
Note 1: This game has the greatest diversity of teams of the series' history, such as new teams and those already known undergoing changes. Therefore, the provision is as follows:
Kofxiteamheronew2
The mysterious Oswald replaces Duo Lon in the "Hero Team", who felt betrayed by Ash Crimson, after discovering the young man's real intentions.
Kofxiteamrivalsnew2
As a consequence, the Hizoku clan ninja joins with Elisabeth Blanctorche and Benimaru Nikaido in the Rivals Team, whose intention is aims to stop Ash (Benimaru enters to the team due to the fact that he is a close friend of Chizuru Kagura and Kyo Kusanagi, two of the Sacred Treasures guardians). Both entered to the team at the French noblewoman's invitiation.
Kofxiteamfatalfurynew2
Convinced by his rebel disciples, Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge, Kim Kaphwan joins with Terry Bogard and Duck King on the Fatal Fury Team. Joe Higashi leaves the tournament to defend his Muay Thai champion title, and Terry's brother, Andy Bogard, continues with Hokutomaru's training.
Kofxiteamaofnew2
The bartender King replaces Robert Garcia in the Art of Fighting Team, who had to resolve a simultaneous disaster in his father's company to a simultaneous, that needed to be solved with the Italian man's presence. She returns to the team after 5 years.
Kofxiteamikarinew2
The soldier Whip leaves the team of her brother K', and returns to the Ikari Warriors Team after 5 years, replacing Leona Heidern, who is recovering from a crisis caused by the weakening of the Orochi seal.
Kofxiteampsychosoldiernew2
Sie Kensou returns to the tournament after 4 years, along with his beloved Athena Asamiya and the newcomer Momoko, reforming the Psycho Soldier Team.
Kofxiteammotwnew2
Convinced by the pirate and Lillien Knights' leader B. Jenet, Gato and Tizoc leave their teams in the past tournament (Outlaw Team and Fatal Fury Team, respectively) to form the Mark of the Wolves Team (or MOTW Team, in Japanese).
Kofxiteamagentsnew2
With the intention of continuing to investigate the Those from the Past, Blue Mary joins with the freelancer agents Vanessa and Ramón, who are investigating the same purpose. She replaces Seth in the Agents Team.
Kofxiteamantikyokugennew2
Angry at Yuri Sakazaki calling her fighting style cowardly, Malin recruits the other two biggest rivals of the Sakazaki family, Eiji Kisaragi and Kasumi Todoh, and creates the Anti-Kyokugenryu Team (A.K.A. Art of Fighting Team). As a result, she leaves the High School Girls Team (who is undone), and the enemies of the style returns to the series (Eiji after 10 years and Kasumi after 5 years).
Kofxiteamknew2
The old NESTS agent Kula Diamond returns to the tournament after 4 years, her first after the destruction of the cartel, and joins with her former enemy, K', and his partner Maxima, replacing Whip in the K' Team.
Kofxiteamkyoiorinew2
At the request of a weakened Chizuru Kagura and in order to prevent Ash Crimson's plans from materializing, the clan rivals Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami set aside differences and form the team that bears their surnames (Kusanagi-Yagami Team), along with Kyo's biggest fan, Shingo Yabuki.
Note 2: Some classic teams, like the Japan Team, Women Fighters Team and Korea Justice Team, don't appear in this game.
Note 3: All PS2 exclusive characters reused the assets from their appearances in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
Note 4: Some parenthetical citations are sometimes Japanese team names, sometimes shortened team names.

Official Team Roster[]

"Hero Team" (A.K.A. Ash Team or "Protagonist Team")[]

Ashkofxi
Ash Crimson
Oswald-sprite1
Oswald
Shenwoo2003
Shen Woo

Rivals Team (A.K.A. Elisabeth Team or Deuteragonist Team)[]

Elisabethkofxi
Elisabeth Blanctorche
Duolon2003
Duo Lon
Benimaru2003
Benimaru Nikaido

Fatal Fury Team (A.K.A. Garou Densetsu Team)[]

Terry2003
Terry Bogard
KimXI
Kim Kaphwan
Duckkingkofxi
Duck King

Art of Fighting Team (A.K.A. Ryuko no Ken Team)[]

Ryo2002
Ryo Sakazaki
Kingkof2000
King
Yuri2003
Yuri Sakazaki

Ikari Warriors Team (A.K.A. Ikari Team)[]

Ralf-kof2001-stance
Ralf Jones
Clark99
Clark Still
Whip99
Whip

Psycho Soldier Team (A.K.A. Athena Team)[]

Athenakofxi
Athena Asamiya
Kensoukofxi
Sie Kensou
Momoko-sprite1
Momoko

Mark of the Wolves Team (A.K.A. MOTW Team or Garou Team)[]

Jenet-sprite2
B. Jenet
Gato-sprite2
Gato
Tizoc2003
Tizoc (The Griffon)

Agents Team[]

Vanessa2000
Vanessa
Blue Mary XI
Blue Mary
RamonXI
Ramón

Anti-Kyokugenryu Team (A.K.A. Anti-Art of Fighting Team)[]

Eiji XI
Eiji Kisaragi
Kasumi99
Kasumi Todoh
Malinkofxi
Malin

K' Team[]

K' 2003
K'
Kula2000
Kula Diamond
Maxima99
Maxima

Kyo & Iori Team (A.K.A. Kusanagi-Yagami Team)[]

Kyo2003
Kyo Kusanagi
Iorikofxi
Iori Yagami
Shingo 2k3
Shingo Yabuki

Mid-Bosses[]

Note #1: Unlike prior games, there are multiple different Mid-Bosses, with all of them requiring different conditions to fight a certain opponent. Each Mid-Boss is fought as a Solo Character, lacking a Team.
Note #2: In the original Arcade & Atomiswave version, Mid-Bosses are unlocked by having the game run after a certain number hours have passed. The game needs to be running for this, but there is no need for actual gameplay (it is enough if the game is running in demo mode).
Mid-Boss
Series Correlation
Arcade & Atomiswave Conditions
PlayStation 2 Conditions
Adelheid2003
Adelheid Bernstein
The King of Fighters
Have the game run for 720 hours.
Failed to reach any requirements.
Gai-sprite1
Gai Tendo
Buriki One
Have the game run for 960 hours.
Defeat 1 opponent with a Leader Super Special Move before Stage 4.
ShoH-sprite2
Sho Hayate
Savage Reign
Have the game run for 1440 hours.
Defeat at least 2 opponents with a Leader Super Special Move before Stage 4.
Silber-sprite1
Silber
Buriki One
Have the game run for 1200 hours.
Defeat 6 opponents with a Super Special Move without losing any teammates before Stage 4.
Jyazu-sprite2
Jyazu
Savage Reign
Have the game run for 1200 hours.
Defeat 6 opponents with a Super Special Move without losing any teammates before Stage 4.

Sub-Boss[]

Shion sprite Shion_stance
Shion

Boss[]

Magaki-sprite1
Magaki

PlayStation 2 Exclusive Hidden Characters[]

Note 1: These characters are exclusive to the PlayStation 2 version of this game, and are unlocked by completing specific missions in Challenge Mode.

Note 2: In this game, Robert goes to his original voice actor from the first games of the series (and from the two games of his source series).

Kyongbc
NESTS Kyo Kusanagi (listed as "EX Kyo")
Maikofxi
Mai Shiranui
Geesengbc
Geese Howard
Mr Big ngbc
Mr. Big
Robertngbc
Robert Garcia
Tung-sprite2
Tung Fu Rue
Hotaru-sprite2
Hotaru Futaba

PS2 Special Edit Teams[]

Unrequited Love (?) Team[]

Kensoukofxi
Sie Kensou
RamonXI
Ramón
Robertngbc
Robert Garcia

Justice Team[]

Athenakofxi
Athena Asamiya
KimXI
Kim Kaphwan
Tizoc2003
Tizoc (The Griffon)

KOF Heroes Team[]

Kyo2003
Kyo Kusanagi
K' 2003
K'
Ashkofxi
Ash Crimson

KOF 2003 Heroes Team[]

Ashkofxi
Ash Crimson
Duolon2003
Duo Lon
Shenwoo2003
Shen Woo

Girls Team[]

Athenakofxi
Athena Asamiya
Kula2000
Kula Diamond
Momoko-sprite1
Momoko

Birds Team[]

Jyazu-sprite2
Jyazu
Duckkingkofxi
Duck King
Tizoc2003
Tizoc (The Griffon)

KOF '96 Art of Fighting Team[]

Ryo2002
Ryo Sakazaki
Robertngbc
Robert Garcia
Yuri2003
Yuri Sakazaki

Punishment Team[]

Elisabethkofxi
Elisabeth Blanctorche
Jenet-sprite2
B. Jenet
Whip99
Whip

Older Brothers Team[]

Ryo2002
Ryo Sakazaki
Adelheid2003
Adelheid Bernstein
Gato-sprite2
Gato

"Older Sister" Team[]

Vanessa2000
Vanessa
Elisabethkofxi
Elisabeth Blanctorche
Kingkof2000
King

Buriki One Team[]

Ryo2002
Ryo Sakazaki
Silber-sprite1
Silber
Gai-sprite1
Gai Tendo

Ninja Team[]

Eiji XI
Eiji Kisaragi
Maikofxi
Mai Shiranui
Jyazu-sprite2
Jyazu

Currently Reforming Team[]

KimXI
Kim Kaphwan (as the Team Leader)
AshkofxiIorikofxiShion stanceMagaki-sprite1Silber-sprite1Jyazu-sprite2GeesengbcMr Big ngbc
Next two members can either be: Ash Crimson, Iori Yagami, Shion, Magaki, Silber, Jyazu, Geese Howard and/or Mr. Big.

New Challenger Team[]

KyongbcMaikofxiGeesengbcMr Big ngbcRobertngbcTung-sprite2Hotaru-sprite2
Any Team solely composed of the PlayStation 2 exclusive characters (EX Kyo, Mai, Geese, Mr. Big, Robert, Tung Fu Rue and Hotaru Futaba).

NPC Characters[]

Stage Cameos (only in PS2)[]

Original Characters[]

Metal Slug series[]

Other Games[]

SNK Mascot[]

Stages[]

Note: In this game, the stages are randomly chosen by the game's system.

Available in All Versions[]

Normal Stages[]

Stage
Stage Name
Description
Stage Changes
Kofxiruinsbg
Ruins, Cambodia
The ruins of Angkor Wat. The fight takes in the Bayon Temple, at a sunny day. Can be seen birds, trees, tourists, monkeys and a stone face.
None.
Kofxitemplebg
Temple, Japan
One of the Honganji temples, next to the Shosei-en Garden, in Kyoto. Can be seen panels with a hawk perched on a tree branch and a tiger in a forest, a shinshoku, a dog, people cleaning the floor, sakura trees and a small waterfall.
None.
Kofxialleybg
Alley, America
A street at night. Can be seen people watching the fight, two bridges, neon signs and graffiti. A motorcycle goes through the stage a few times.
None.
Kofxiicefestivalbg
Ice Festival, Russia
The ice festival of the city of Krasnoyarsk. The fight takes place next to an ice castle. Can be seen ice statues and people filming and throwing snowballs at each other.
Kofxibeachbg
Beach, South America
The surroundings of the Mar del Plata, in the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires. The fight takes next to the beach. Can be seen a mechanical workshop, veichles, palm trees, radios, a tent and people cheering, listening to radios, filming and in sun loungers.
Kofxiwhitetownbg
White Town, Italy
The city of Ostuni. The battle takes in a tunnel next to the cathedral of the city. Can be seen houses, people, posteres with the game's name, the cathedral and some veichles passing, in the background.
None.
Kofxiaqueductbg
Aqueduct, Spain
The Aqueduct of Segovia. The battle takes in a roof near the building. Can be seen other roofs, the Mirador de la Pradera de San Marcus, in the left, and the Segovia Cathedral, in the background.
None.

Boss Stages[]

Stage
Stage Name
Description
Stage Changes
Kofxithefinalhallbg
The Final Hall
The fight takes in the ruins of a temple, in a cloudy day. Features lanterns, other temple in the background and destroyed beams, besides flames. Associated with Shion.
None.
Kofxithedifferentspacebg
The Different Space
A hideout with beams, a hole with a floating ball and gargoyles. Features a glow coming out of the hole. Similiar to Mukai's stage in KOF 2003. Associated with Magaki.
None.

Available Only in PS2 Version[]

Stage
Stage Name
Description
Stage Changes/Notes
???
Shuttle, USA
The Kennedy Space Center, in the american state of Florida. The fight takes in a platform next to the Space Shuttle. Can be seen workers in the left.
This stage has two versions: in the first, the rocket is launched and it's daylight; in the second, it's night and the rocket returns to the launch base.
???
Esaka, Japan
Two stages. In the first, the fight takes in the center of Osaka, on a busy avenue. Can be seen people cheering, cars, trucks with the game and SNK Playmore's logo on the carriage, some cameo characters, trees, buildings, traffic cones and a crosswalk. In the second, the battle takes in the front of SNK Playmore's headquarters. Can be seen the company and game's logos, people and cameo characters, trees, scenes of the game and cellphones holograms.
None.
???
Wheel, England
The London Eye. The fight takes in one of the domes. Can be seen the Westminster Palace, in the background, and the game's name, in the floor of the dome.
The only variation is the sunset in one of the versions.
???
Concert, Japan
A stage. Can be seen a crowd, blue lights, ballerinas with Athena's KOF 2003 costume and a giant screen with artworks of Athena in her original game, in KOF 2000 and in KOF Neowave.
In another version, the lights are yellow, the ballerinas are gone and several smaller screens with artworks of Athena can be spotted.

Gallery[]

Critical Reception[]

Overview[]

Since the PlayStation 2 was being replaced by a new console during the release of The King of Fighters XI, Gamasutra listed the game as one for the "hardcore gamer". However, in its release week in Japan, The King of Fighters XI was the only PlayStation 2 title to be featured on Japanese sales charts alongside Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven 10. The number of copies the game sold in Japan throughout 2005 is unknown, although it sold 47,225 units in 2006.

The critical reception to The King of Fighters XI has been "generally favorable" based on an average score of 75 out of 100 on the Metacritic website. The quality of gameplay and cast of characters was the subject of positive response. GameZone said it offered the "most bang for your buck" on the PS2, considering its late release schedule, calling it a "complex" 2D fighter game. A reviewer for Cheat Code Central said they enjoyed the game mode in which the player controlled three characters fighting against another trio during a single fight, and cited the new mechanics as an improvement over those of its predecessor The King of Fighters 2003. GamesRadar+ enjoyed the considerably higher number of characters and the noticeably fast combat than in previous entries in the series. Ryan Clements of IGN called it "a very old-school 2D fighter" while indicating that the style of the series had not changed much since The King of Fighters '94. He said the game was well organized, despite the large number of playable characters, and enjoyed experimenting with each character's variable fighting techniques. He added that fights would be very difficult for players, until they learned how to use the special moves. Andrew Park of GameSpot opined that the game was well-balanced with its variety of playable characters and complimented its illustrative design. Eurogamer called it an "excellent 2D game", comparable to other works such as one of Capcom's most famous games, Street Fighter III, although they complained about the lack of popular characters from the franchise such as Joe Higashi.

Numerous publications said the graphics were dated due to SNK Playmore's constant use of sprites, although Siliconera enjoyed the art employed in other areas of the game which they said showed a significant increase in graphic quality. Eurogamer said The King of Fighters XI would not stand out amongst other fighting game franchises like Soul Calibur or Tekken, which employ 3D graphics in contrast with this game's 2D graphics. Meristation agreed, saying the franchise was in need of a major overhaul. IGN said the developers should have optimized the graphics, though they felt the menus and cutscenes were well done. uVeJuegos.com was more critical, saying that SNK Playmore should have updated the graphics of the series several years earlier. On the other hand, Game Revolution did not mind the use of 2D graphics based on how the scenarios change across the fights. Despite finding the game's graphics dated, GameZone enjoyed the overall presentation, which the reviewer called "one of best fighting games ever to grace the PS2", noting its low price provided great replay value.

The boss characters attracted some negative responses. GameSpot described the sub-boss Shion as "terribly powerful" and the final boss Magaki as "absurdly overpowered", and criticized the voice acting for the Magaki character, additionally noting that his appearance was unimpressive. GamesRadar+ agreed, describing Magaki as a "Typical KoF final boss from hell". While noting the artificial intelligence had improved from that used in The King of Fighters 2003, uVeJuegos.com said Magaki had unfair moves due to his massive damage input during battles. Game Revolution's reviewer felt that Magaki was one of the strongest bosses they had ever seen based on the way he moves across the screen. He said that proper use of the game's mechanics would allow the player to defeat him and said that the game was still enjoyable despite this boss.

In a retrospective review, HardcoreGaming regarded The King of Fighters XI as one of the best entries in the franchise, noting the backgrounds' quality, the gameplay and quick load times compared to the original arcade game. In 2012, Complex ranked it as the eighth best SNK fighting game ever made, adding that "Shion has to be the coolest sub-boss ever". In 2009, SNK Playmore released a sequel called The King of Fighters XII. However, as the game did not feature a story, SNK Playmore finished the story arc involving Ash in The King of Fighters XIII released in 2011.

Reception Table[]

Aggregation scores[]

Aggregator
Info
Metacritic
75


Review scores[]

Publication
Info
Famitsu
28/40
EuroGamer, GameSpot, IGN & MeriStation
8/10
GamesRadar+ & GamesRevolution
3.5/50
Cheat Code Central
3/5
GameZone
8.1/10
uVeJuegos.com
73/100

References[]


External links[]

The King of Fighters series
Mainline '94'95'96'97'98'992000200120022003XIXIIXIIIXIVXV
Remakes Dream Match 1999'99 Evolution'94 Re-Bout'98 Ultimate Match2002 Unlimited Match'98 Ultimate Match Final Edition
Offshoots R-1R-2EX: Neo BloodEX2: Howling BloodNeowave
Spin-offs Quiz King of FightersThe King of Fighters: KyoBattle de ParadiseKOF: Maximum ImpactKOF: Maximum Impact 2KOF Maximum Impact Regulation "A"KOF Sky StageOnline'98 Ultimate Match WebSNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy
Mobile The King of Fighters -Mobile- / R-2-Volleyball-KOF Gals MahjongThe King of MillionaireThe King of ReversiMahjongKOF Kentei - Mezase Cult Quiz Ou!Moeyo! KOF DaiundokaiKOF x Garou DensetsuBattle Festa-i/AndroidEncounterThe Rhythm of Fighters'98 Ultimate Match OnlineBeast Busters featuring KOFWorldDestinyAll StarOrochi GoM: Fighting Stars AssemblyKOF: Chroniclefor GirlsArena
Pachinko The King of FightersChapter of NESTSMaximum ImpactIIICR The King of Fighters
Compilations Orochi CollectionThe Orochi SagaNESTS Collection
Films/Animations Another DayThe King of Fighters (movie)DestinyAwaken
Mangas/Comics/Novels/Manhwas The King of Fighters: Kyo (Manga)The King of Fighters: A New BeginningThe King of Fantasy (Manga)The King of Fighters Side Story: The Origin of Flame - Shingo Travels Through Time! Let's Go!The King of Fantasy (Novel)The King of Fighters: R's Letter
Cancelled Online (UnoTechnology)Fighters' WorldKOF MI "A2"KOF: Maximum Impact 360Online (DragonFly/Triple A Games)
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The King of Fighters games
Prologue KOF '94 Logo Sprite
Orochi Saga KOF '95 Logo Sprite KOF '96 Logo Sprite KOF '97 Logo Sprite KOF '98 ENG Logo Sprite
NESTS Chronicles KOF '99 Logo Sprite KOF 2000 Logo Sprite KOF 2001 Logo Sprite KOF 2002 Logo Sprite
Tales of Ash KOF 2003 Logo Sprite KOF XI Logo Sprite KOF XII Logo KOF XIII Logo
New Age Saga KOF XIV Logo The King of Fighters XV Logo
Remakes KOF Dream Match 1999 Logo KOF '99 Evolution Logo KOF '94 Re-Bout Logo KOF '98UM Logo KOF 2002UM Logo KOF '98UMFE Logo
Maximum Impact series KOF MI Logo KOF MI2 Logo KOF MIRA Logo
Offshoots Kofr1logo Kofr2logo KOF EX Logo KOF EX2 Logo KOF Neowave Logo
Spin-offs Quiz King of Fighters Logo Sprite KOF Kyo Logo KOF Battle de Paradise Logo Sprite KOF Sky Stage Logo The King of Fighters Online (MOBA) KOF '98 UM WEB Logo SNK Heroines Tag Team Frenzy ENG Logo
Mobile The King of Fighters -Mobile- / R-2The King of Fighters -Volleyball-KOF Gals MahjongThe King of MillionaireThe King of ReversiMahjongKOF Kentei - Mezase Cult Quiz Ou!Moeyo! KOF Daiundokai KOF x FF logoBattle FestaKOF-i 2012 LogoEncounter ROF logo KOF98UMOL logo Beast Busters KOF logo The King of Fighters: World The King of Fighters Destiny (拳皇命運) KOF All Star LogoOrochi GoSNK All Star Logo KOF Chronicle (Logo) The King of Fighters for Girls (Logo) KOF Arena Logo KOFSC Logo
Pachinko The King of FightersChapter of NESTSMaximum Impact Kof3 logo CR KOF Logo
Compilations The King of Fighters Orochi Collection KOF Collection -The Orochi Saga- LogoThe King of Fighters NESTS Collection
Cancelled The King of Fighters Online (UnoTechnology)The King of Fighters' WorldKOF Maximum Impact Regulation "A2"KOF: Maximum Impact 360The King of Fighters Online (Cancelled)
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