The King of Fighters 2000

"SNK's Last and Best KoF! SNK Forever :)"

This is SNK's last development of King of Fighters. Any future release of KoF games will be made by other companies. After SNK died in the Fall of 2001, Playmore had bought all the NeoGeo rights from SNK and picked up where SNK left off..

Every year there's a new King of Fighters game, since 1994. KoF'95 was a game where the damage system is similar to Mortal Kombat 2. KoF'96 was like a prototype version of KoF'97, and KoF'98 was just a dreammatch. KoF '99 is like a prototype version of what is now called King of Fighters 2000.

If you've never played King of Fighters '99, then you may not notice that Kyo is no longer the protagonist, but in fact a clone of Kyo known as K'(or K Prime). K Prime is a prototype clone to Krizalid(which is also another Kyo clone, and the final boss of KoF'99).

This game is also released on the home Neo-Geo system, Sega Dreamcast, and Sony PlayStation 2 in Japan only.

ALRIGHT, LET'S GET ON WITH THE GAME.

Gameplay - 10
- The Striker System has changed big time since King of Fighters '99. You can now do insane combos using strikers as a distraction in between so you can start pummeling a new chain. The Striker System is more improved, and very much like King of Fighters '99:Evolution where you get extra strikers.
- Power Stocks have changed from KoF'99. You now can only do one max SDM. No longer you have to wait until your life goes red anymore. Be careful, though, as these max SDMs hurt insane damage.
- Everybody, I MEAN EVERYBODY from King of Fighters '99 has a MAJOR improvement in King of Fighters 2000. SNK made their old leading characters Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami the death threats of this King of Fighters game, if used properly. Kim Kap Hwan, K Prime, and Athena can also combo in a insane way, but not as brutal compared to Kyo and Iori.
- The Counter and Armor modes have been retained. Just like in KoF'99, you need to max out your stocks before using these modes. Counter Mode(A+B+C) basically boosts up your speed and you can do a infinite amount of Level 1 DMs until the counter time runs out. Armor Mode(B+C+D) basically boosts up your muscle power and your endurance. When you get hit, you wont get knocked back, and you can attack back without letting your character recover.

Graphics/Character Design/Visual Effects/Backgrounds - 10
- The graphics in the new Neo-Geo GigaPower system(KoF'99 used this system as well.) is superb compared to Capcom's CPS-3 board. From the projectiles to Kyo's Aragami/Dokugami, and any light/dark fire effects looks clear and better.
- The character design was brilliant! Almost all the characters are well drawn and show great potential and agility.
- The background effects were amazing. I especially liked Kula's stage, where it's frosted up entirely, and the objects in Zero's stage. Oh, and not to mention the aquarium and the desert, which were pretty cool.

Sound/Music - 10
- Every team has a theme, with the exception of Kyo, Iori, Zero, and Kula(the only hidden playable character in the game). The remaining four have their own themes. I personally like Kula and Kyo's the best.
- Most of the voice actors seem to sound better in every KoF incarnation, such as the ones for Kyo, Iori, Athena, etc..

Controls - 8
- This is where little things get wrong. Although the controls are a improvement over KoF'98 & KoF'99, I'd still have the say moves are easier to execute in KoF'97. In the arcade version, it might be a little laggy at times. But the controls are pretty decent. I think KoF 2001 controls are worse compared to this.

Replay Value - 9
- Now why did I give this a NINE? You can adapt to the controls and gameplay really quick if you know the moves. The game isn't that hard. The Damage system has been modified to be a little more balanced compared to KoF'99.

Presentation/Overall - 10
- When it comes to SNK, they know their fans pretty well. As their last year to develop a final KoF game before closing its doors, SNK has done it! It's almost like every new storyline, there's always at least one game that is a major improvement over everything else. Games such as King of Fighters '97, King of Fighters 2000, Metal Slug 3, and SNK vs Capcom. SNK Forever, gotta love it!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/03, Updated 01/04/03