"No KOF shall go unported while Playmore is on the job!"

Gameplay: 8/10

Well what's is there to say it plays frankly like all the other KOF's. The usual KOF update, new character, minor changes of moves, a few characters redrawn, and they brought back some classic stages. If it isn’t broke don't fix it, just keep adding and I'm happy. They as well added a puzzle game that's actually pretty fun, I must have spent hours playing with them. The art looks great and their just challenging enough not to be annoying. They made enough changes to keep me happy but some may expect more.

Sound: 7/10

Music has never been a strong part of the series but for a change they’re actually good. I was baffled, their pretty catchy and don't sound like they are coming out of a can. As for sound effects, I think some of the voices were redone but you know what to expect. I'm just glad they didn't make the DC load the sound effects while you play like Last Blade 2 and Mark of the Wolves did, god that's annoying.

Graphics: 6/10

I still think the characters look great and have a lot of detail compared to most other fighters, but year after year it gets old. Sadly this is a straight Arcade to DC port so the 3D backgrounds are a thing of the past. But these backgrounds still look great, I think these are the best looking ones to date in the KOF series.

Replay: 7/10

Considering that the text for the endings is all Japanese it seems pointless seeing them... but I went and saw them all anyway. From the pics it’s not too hard to guess what's happening. Playmore knew us Americans would be on this game like flys on crap, I wish they would of thrown us a bone and let you switch the language, oh well. Like I said above the puzzle game is actually fun, and when you complete them you get art in the gallery so it gives you a reason to play them.

Worth getting?

Well right now most places are selling it for $50 and up, that is a bit much but c'mon it’s KOF! So if you quite haven't had your fix hell why not.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/02, Updated 08/26/02