King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition (PC) Review

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The definitive version of KoF XIII.

It’s been nearly two years since I played The King of Fighters XIII on the Xbox 360. Even back then, I could see it was a fantastic fighting game that had a lot going for it. Since my review, KOFXIII has gone on to be highly watched and played, even making consecutive returns to the EVO Fighting Game Tournament. Needless to say, it was and still is a big hit. Now, it’s getting a new release on the PC with The King of Fighters XIII: Steam Edition and I have to say, this is the version to get.

For a more in-depth look at the mechanics of the game, take a look at my original review of the console version right here.

All the bells and whistles of the console release are here. The training mode, tutorial and mission modes will help players learn the essentials and some helpful combos. They explain everything easily and can help newcomers ease into their experience. The story mode is still here, complete with the frustratingly impossible boss fight. The full customization of characters’ color palette is also here and still very deep.

Of course, that’s not what people want to hear. Everything from the console version is here, but there are a few new things that need to be mentioned. First of all, the netcode has been seriously improved. When KOFXIII first hit the consoles, it was a bit of a mess in terms of online play. Granted, it was patched and became much smoother, but here, it is great right out of the gate. In the 30 or so matches I played online, I had zero laggy matches. Every once in a while, a one second lag may crop up, but it never broke the match. The one thing that still bugs me is the lack of a spectator mode. It would have been nice to have seen that added to the Steam Edition, but alas, it is still missing in action.

The second addition is the inclusion of the three downloadable characters that were offered later on for the console version. These include fire-based Iori Yagami, Mr. Karate and NESTS-style Kyo Kusanagi. This brings the already massive roster up to a whopping 36 characters.

As far as display and visual controls for the PC go, it’s a bit bare bones, but it really isn’t as necessary for this game. The hand-drawn animations and backgrounds look great even to this day. It utilizes full controller support so players wanting to hook up their fight stick to play have the option.

For $29.99, players looking for a deep, methodical fighting game experience have just found a very good deal. I can’t suggest KOFXIII enough for fighter fans and this is the version to get with the improved netcode and the three DLC characters included in an already massive package. If you’re into fighting games and have yet to try out KOF, you should definitely check out the Steam Edition.

Review copy of game provided by publisher.
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Drew is the Community Manager here at ZTGD and his accent simply woos the ladies. His rage is only surpassed by the great one himself and no one should stand between him and his Twizzlers.