[videoman190]

Here's the latest bolg entry!

Latest blog entry translation by sonic Tempest

Hello, it's Yuzuko.

With the revealing of the K' team's last member, Kula, all the playable characters have finally shown up.
Well then, we continue the team introduction series of posts which started on 4/28 with the Garou team (Terry/Andy/Joe). Those who use them should surely pay close attention! As usual, to get information on the characters' abilities, I talked to the game design director, Mr Yamamoto and the game art director, Mr Yamaguchi.

Q: Jumping right in, what new moves has Terry gained since KOF XII? His DM 'Buster Wolf' is one of them isn't it?
Yamamoto: Yes. Buster Wolf is a high speed charging attack. It goes without saying, but it's the fastest move Terry has in his repertoire. Because the startup is fast, you can use it to interrupt strings of attacks. It's also useful in combos.

Q: There's an EX version too, right? How does it change?
Yamamoto: Of course, there's an EX version. The invincibility on the EX version is longer, allowing you to beat the opponent's attacks even if you do it early.
Yamaguchi: In addition the EX version has a different animation from the normal version. When the EX version hits, the animation is similar to the Garou MOW version in that he retreats slightly when blasting the opponent. We've also increased the hitpause when the attack connects, for both the normal and the EX versions. Please do try it out if you get the opportunity.

Q: What's his NEOMAX DM like?
Yamamoto: The name of the move is 'Trinity Geyser.' It's a tremendously powered-up version of his Power Geyser where he creates several Power Geysers on screen at once.
Yamaguchi: You would have seen this at the recent location tests, but we changed the 'impact' of the startup portion of this move. When he raises his hands above his head, you can see blue energy effects gathering near them. In addition, we've made the animation of the attack a bit slower than it was before. We also changed the fire effect that shows up when he strikes the ground, making it clearer. It looks basically like a series of Power Waves (from Fatal Fury 1) that are appearing and disappearing one after the other. I've always thought it'd be nice for Terry to have a move like this, so it's a deep emotional moment for me.

<video of Terry NeoMAX>

Q: A lot of people used Terry during the location tests, so it seems like he's the main pick for a lot of players out there. How would you suggest he should be played?
Yamamoto: It might seem difficult to use drive cancels with Terry, but in fact the landing frames of his Burn Knuckle can be drive cancelled out of, so you can cancel out of that move to start a combo. I think you'll be able to combo fairly easily from there.

<video of Terry drive cancel combo>

Q: What sorts of moves has Andy gained from KOF XII?
Yamamoto: He's gained his 'Geki Hishouken' DM. It's a move with no obvious frontal weaknesses where he gathers an energy vortex in front of him and shoots it forward. You can do things like super cancel it off a connected Zan'eiken.
In addition, since Andy has the 'breaking' capability from Garou MOW on his Kuuhadan, he's very user-friendly and has a lot of practical combos.

Q: Anything special about his EX moves or DMs?
Yamaguchi: It's a little boring, but EX Shouryuudan (his uppercut) has longer invincibility and does two hits.

Q: What about his NEOMAX DM?
Yamamoto: It's called 'Chou Shin Soku Zan'eiken'. Since the NEOMAX system is one of the selling points of the system this time around, we made this move really flashy. It's really fast!
Yamaguchi: You can do it not just on the ground, but in the air, too.

<video of Andy NeoMAX>

If you K.O. an opponent with it, you'll get to see a special winpose too.

Q: Anything else worth mentioning?
Yamamoto: Some of his commands have been changed from the location test. Zan'eiken has had its charge time removed, making it easier to pull out in rapid succession. I can now recommend it without reservations.

Q: Finally, what moves have been added to Joe since KOF XII?
Yamamoto: He's regained 'Ougon no Kakato' (QCB+K). It's a move where he drops his feel on the opponent while jumping. It's been a very useful move throughout the KOF series, so this is good news, isn't it? In addition, he's gained his DM 'Bakuretsu Hurricane Tiger Kakato'.

Q: Please tell us about his EX moves.
Yamamoto: The EX version of Ougon no Kakato has very little lag on landing, so if it hits on a grounded opponent you can connect followup attacks. Pay attention to the timing and definitely give it a try.
Yamaguchi: The EX version of Hurricane Upper has him firing three tornadoes instead of one. The EX version of Screw Upper becomes 'Slide Screw' - in other words a tornado that moves horizontally across the screen. (ST: Sooo it's the SDM version then?)

Q: Please tell us about his NEOMAX DM.
Yamamoto: It's called 'Screw Straight.' A horizontal tornado materializes right next to Joe, just like a drill.

<video of Joe NeoMAX>

Yamaguchi: Just like Terry's move this is one that I've been hoping to do for a long time but only just had my wish granted. It was hard to do during the NEOGEO era because of hardware restrictions...
I'm happy it showed up this time.

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Thank you very much.
Today we've also released a promotional video. Please do watch it!
Next week's entry will be about the three members of the Psycho Soldier team. Do look forward to it!