Sticking to the actual topic, I doubt it Riot. KoF has gone down hill in the last 10 years. Its become Maddenesque with its yearly re-threads. I like the fact that its in HD and 2D. I will certainly be picking the game up. That said, I think it will be harder for KoF which has been getting updated frequently to outshine SF which hasn't been updated in nearly a decade.

I think it's hilariously ironic that a SF fan would criticize any series for worthless yearly updates, when Street Fighter has had something like 20 individual games in its 21 year lifetime and well over 30 if you count the numerous minor upgrade ports.

King of Fighters XII definitely has the looks, but I see them staying too conservative with the gameplay. Street Fighter IV is being re-invented by some of the most passionate devotees the series has ever had. I expect SFIV to deliver where it counts, gameplay and balancing.

As far as Smash Bros., it's a game I love to death, but I don't think it has much of anything in common with a traditional fighting game. It may rest in the same genre by default, but it's much more a stationary beat-em-up than a fighting game, same as Power Stone. It's also insanely unbalanced, which takes away from the competitive nature of it. Then again, I could say the same about Soul Calibur since the second one came out. 

SFIV is looking like SFII with updated graphics, C. Viper and Abel. That isn't very much to brag about, and it certainly isn't better than what King of Fighters XII is doing. There's also the possibility that none of the major characters from SFIII will be in the games. Ono has stated that this game will not take place after SFIII. If I can't play as my favorite characters from the series, I will be thoroughly disappointed. I hapen to like Gill and Ingrid a lot, and I want to play with those characters.

@Naznatips:

Smash Brothers is a completely different type of game. Let me ask you this question: If I'm not much of a Nintendo fan (i.e. if I don't care much for most of the charaters), will I be able to enjoy the game based on it's gameplay alone? Take into consideration that Smash Brothers' fan service does nothing for me. I have doubts that I will fully enjoy the game to the same extent you guys do because of this.

You have played Smash Bros though, right? I've never played a Mario, Zelda, or Metroid game in my life (up until Galaxy and MP3), nor do I even know most of the characters in the game, but I still have plenty of fun with it.

Since I haven't played the other two games, I can't say how much "in league" they are with Smash, in terms of gameplay or the actual type of game, but, one's opinion is one's opinion, and there's no harm having it. 

 I had both Smash Brothers GC and Smash Brothers 64. However, I don't believe I played them enough to really give a strong option. I personaly prefered Digimon Rumble Arena 1&2. 

To be completely honest Riot, yes. Yes, you absolutely should enjoy the game. To the same extent? Well, perhaps not, but that's just simple math (Awesome Gameplay + Nostalgia > Awesome Gameplay alone). There are a lot of characters in Smash games that people hadn't ever played, but still enjoyed.

In Melee Marth and Roy from Fire Emblem were in the game and a Fire Emblem had never been released outside of Japan. Still, many people made Marth and Roy their main characters. Very few people today ever touched a Game & Watch handheld. Certainly many Nintendo fans never bought a Metal Gear Solid game. There are a lot of characters in Smash that the fans of the game may not be familiar with, but that doesn't stop them from loving a game that's simply extremely well built in every way.

Didn't you say "I doubt anyone on this site can beat me." in the Brawl Tournament thread?

(actually, I know you did because I copied it right from the thread. )

I never played the 64 version, though a guy in my dorm building has it, and plays it pretty regularly. I guess it's "better." I'll report back when I get more information. (leaves the building Bond style)

Uh, Riot... King of Fighters is a fanservice game itself.

Look up Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury... etc.

The fact that the characters keep gaining history and backstory just further makes your point kind of moot.

I mean would you expect someone who doesn't know anything about KOF characters to like the game as much as Smash Brothers if they are Nintendo fans.

(It's pretty obvious you are a fan of KOF characters.)

Am i the only person who put a lot of tokens in Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury in the arcades?

The Fire Emblem characters look pretty interesting, actually. I am keeping an open mind, Naznatipz, and I will game this game it's fair shope. Although, this really isn't my favorite way to play a fighting game. I prefer the gameplay in games like Street Fighters and King of Fighters. I'm also not really skilled at Smash Brothers yet, so I don't know exactly how deep the games combat really is. With that said, when I play the game and it moves have such simple button inputs, I start t question the games depth. Smash Brothers need to prove to me that it's not just a fan service party game. I want a fighting game masterpiece, and that's what I'm expecting from this game. Great graphics and Nintendo's most popular mascots fighting will not be enough to make this game a triple A exerience for me. I simply need to play the game more before I can consider as good as Street Fighters or King o Fighters.