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King of
Fighters 02/03
Score: 8.7 / 10
For a long time, it seemed as if the King
of Fighters existed to please its fans and no one else. Ever since the
series began in 1994, the series has only really evolved by tweaking
gameplay mechanics and adding or subtracting characters. SNK, perhaps
realizing its fanbase wasn't enough to keep it alive anymore, finally
changed up things with The King of Fighters 2003. SNK has released one
of the best one-two punches in recent memory with this package -
including both King of Fighters 2002, regarded by fans of the series as
being one of the best; and KoF 2003, a faster-paced game eager to change
up the formula.
The King of Fighters 2003 gives the game a jolt by allowing on-the-fly
character switching, much like the Capcom Versus titles. This tag-team
gameplay is much faster and more flexible, but keeps the rock solid
foundation of the previous games.
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on
the "Soft Focus" option.
The character selection has been paired down a bit from older offerings,
removing classic fighters like Andy and Choi. The new characters are
freckled-face pretty boy Ash (mostly a Guile ripoff), punk-ish martial
artist Shen Woo, and the mysterious Duo Lan, who can disintegrate and
materialize at any part of the screen. SNK is also doing a bit more to
integrate Mark of the Wolves into the King of Fighters games, as they've
included badass outlaw Gato and Mexican wrestler Tizoc, as well as
outfitting Terry Bogard in his Garou uniform. The game also marks the
return of Chizuru (from KoF '96) and a classic version of Kyo under the
moniker Kusanagi.
Even if you're not a fan of the changes made to 2003, more conservative
aficionados will have their fill of King of Fighters 2002. Being the the
second "Dream Match" of the series, KoF 2002 collects characters from
both recent and classic titles, regardless of the ongoing storyline. In
addition to characters from the NESTS saga (K', K9999, May Lee, Angel,
Whip, and Kula), plenty of old faces like the Shermie, Chris, Vice and
Mature -- and Rugal once again returns as the final boss. Exclusive to
the home release are King, Shingo, and perennial Fatal Fury villain
Geese Howard. Unless you really miss the Sports Team from '94, this is
one of the best rosters in all of the KoF games, and longtime fans will
probably not be disappointed.
After taking the reigns from Eolith, SNK has delivered a decidedly more
polished game than its predecessor, KoF 2001. The backgrounds have been
greatly improved, many with tons of characters from past games. The Xbox
version also adds 3D versions of the stages, which actually look pretty
decent. Unfortunately, the music suffers from exceedingly poor
instrumentation, butchering many classic SNK themes. Since 2003 got an
arranged soundtrack, I don't know why they didn't bother sprucing up the
2002 music into something more listenable.
While this package has been out for the PS2 for quite awhile, the XBox
version adds online play via Live. Surprisingly, Xbox the controller
holds up pretty well, much better than in Street Fighter Anniversary or
Guilty Gear X2. Other than some minor additional load times, nothing
much has changed from the PS2 version.
Given that these are still pretty much just Neo Geo games with a few
enhancements, the graphics aren't going to stun anybody, at least those
that care about those sort of things. Anyone with an appreciation for 2D
artwork will be in heaven, because even though the sprites are still
low-res, they're incredibly detailed and express extraordinary amounts
of personality just through their animations. Whether it be May Lee's
heroic stance (complete with red scarf floating in the wind) or Whip's
casual sauntering or Mai's infamous jiggling (which hasn't been censored
this time), SNK continues to prove that it can create some of the most
memorable characters in all of video gaming, even if they haven't
redrawn most of them for the better part of a decade.
2D fighting fans haven't exactly been catered to this generation of
gaming -- Guilty Gear hasn't really changed since its release back in
2001, while all Capcom has to offer are re-releases and incredibly
shoddy efforts like Fighting Evolution. As a result, it's always welcome
that SNK, usually stalwart in its refusal to change, has given a kick to
the pants in its most popular series. It's not going to win over those
convinced that 3D fighters are the only way to go, but for everyone
else, the King of Fighters 02/03 pack offers some of the best 2D
fighting game action in recent memory, both for long time fans and
newcomers.
- Kurt Kalata
(November 7, 2005) |
