The King of Fighters 2000

"A little late, but still one of the best."

Finally, here it is: The King of Fighters 2000 for the Dreamcast.

Unlike the excellent extra-filled conversion of KOF '99, KOF 2000 for the DC is simply a straight port of the Neo-Geo home cart with a few extras thrown in. If you've seen the DC port of Mark of the Wolves, you know what to expect. I really hoped for some of the stuff they crammed into '99, that snazzy in-fight move list in particular, but oh well.

On to the game. For those of you that don't know, KOF 2000 is essentially KOF '99 on crack. This effect is achieved with one simple tweak to the game engine: you can now call your strikers pretty much anytime that you want to. This leads to some slightly crazy, but still skillful, gameplay.

On the subject of strikers, the staggering number of them available is one of this game's strongest aspects. There are close to 80 strikers in the game, each one of them possessing a more or less unique effect. Your tactical options are simply incredible.

Let's talk graphics. As we all know, the Neo-Geo is an ancient piece of arcade hardware. Regardless, the game looks pretty decent on the DC, and you'd be amazed at what the Neo-Geo is still capable of. The character portraits in particular are easily the best in the series.

I was pleasantly surprised by the music in this port. I always thought that KOF 2000's soundtrack was horribly bland, but the new arranged tracks are much nicer than the old tunes. The original stuff is there if you want it, but I never use it. In my opinion, KOF '96 still has the best soundtrack, with '98 and '99 close behind it.

Now for the important part, the gameplay. This is still classic KOF here, which is a good thing, since it is one of the most refined fighting systems there are. If you are a fan of games like Marvel vs. Capcom, steer clear of this game, because here combos take skill to achieve, and the best player will prevail 99% of the time. If you're a fan of real fighters, but don't know KOF, prepare to spend a lot of time learning the nuances of the game.

In conclusion, if you appreciate real quality and you aren't scared away by graphics that aren't ''state of the art'' you MUST buy this game. And as always, beware of Terry Bogard, he'll getcha.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/11/02, Updated 08/11/02