At long last, some direct-feed screenshots from The King of Fighters XII have hit via FileFront. Just look at those gorgeous hand-drawn sprites and backgrounds.

According to Joystiq, these screenshots were taken from the upcoming console versions, and demonstrate the added antialiasing option for character sprites.

Developed by SNK and published by Ignition, the latest entry in the long, long, long-running 2D fighting series hits PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in July.

Following up on the rather bare-bones announcement that The King of Fighters XII would arrive on consoles sometime this year, publisher Ignition has revealed that the hand-drawn SNK fighter will hit PlayStation 3s and Xbox 360s worldwide in July.

"While other fighting games have abandoned the time-consuming process of creating beautiful 2D art, KOFXII fully embraces the refined aesthetic beauty that only human hands can produce," said former games journalist and Ignition business development director Shane Bettenhausen, making a not-so-subtle jab at Street Fighter IV.

Ignition seems to be playing this one awfully close to its chest--the publisher has yet to release a single official screenshot from the console editions--but promises that more information and media are indeed coming at some point before the game's arrival.

SNK Playmore's fighter The King of Fighters XII will arrive in North America and Europe next year, publisher Ignition announced today, though further details are scarce.

The sequel sees the long-running series ditch all of its constantly reused previous artwork. Instead, it utilizes "new 2D high definition, high resolution sprites, on detailed 2D backgrounds," all of which are hand-drawn.

"Release date, game platforms, screenshots and loads of details on new features" are all coming soon, teased Ignition. Given the game's emphasis on HD visuals, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are expected to follow the arcade release that hits Japan next April.

To see the gorgeous sequel in motion, check out the arcade trailer below... Read more