I was going to write that “she” comes across as an icy bitch – can I still salvage that? I’m filled with some very confusing emotions right now, and some others that are downright disturbing.

I was basing that original opinion entirely off of my time within the various rings of King of Fighters XII, during which there is no narrative detour or soliloquy that tries to elaborate on his/her character to force that opinion on me. With a JRPG I’d at least get some sort of text-based heads-up on the gender issue.

It should be fair to say that any player that comes to a fighting game fresh and free of information is left to base their first impressions entirely on looks. In picking a fighter for that first battle, there is only an attraction to the visual. From there it gets all science-like, with the moves, combos and fighting styles dealing out the value of each character. Within most fighting games that I’ve played, personality exists within the fighting style itself, emerging further from that with visual eccentricities to flesh it out. The fight then works to define a character in countless ways.

I came into King of Fighters XII without knowing much about the series – I’m a Guilty Gear fan at heart.

I started with Ash Crimson, and was struck by the minimalist movement behind punches and kicks, which were small swings of his/her arm and brisk foot sweeps. Moving away from an opponent, he/she tossed his/her hair and sauntered away as if he’d/she’d already won the fight. Of course he/she can still jump and flip kick with the best of them, and summon green flames for good measure. But the subtlety of his/her movements dripped with what I began believing to be his/her personality, which then influenced the fighting style. He/She struts, putting only as much effort into the fight as necessary, often appearing completely unmotivated, or at least highly disinterested.

That seems like a different approach to me, and I had some thoughts about character design, but now fellow rebel Shaun is telling me that “He” fights this way to avoid wrecking “His” fingernails. So beyond whatever my original questions about the series were, now I just want to know who or what Ash Crimson is before I go medicate myself with copious amounts of alcohol. What if I’d already put posters up all over the office before discovering this!?!

Obviously I don’t have many answers, but this is a fighting game after all, so throw your best punches my way with your own opinions about the game.