The King of Fighters 2001

"Revamped and rocking."

Iori's new Maiden Masher extension rocks. It really does.

A strange thing to begin a review with? I guess it is, but I just can't get over the laugh he comes out with after blowing his unworthy opponents halfway to hell.

Or the fact that Kyo has stolen the trademark 'Asobi Wa Owari Da' battle cry of Iori for a new super of his. A grappling super, no less, in which he beats the bloody, uh, blood out of his enemies.

Okay, I'm over it. I won't even mention Tetsuo... uh, K9999's big mutant arm attack. Even though I just did. Or Angel's craziness. Or...

The graphics! Let's start with the graphics, shall we?

Not that much to say here... they're better than KOF 2000 on DC by quite a bit, especially since the characters are much larger, more solid and the 'hit gravity' is much more substantial. When you hit the opponent, you really feel like you've connected and smashed some bones.

The sound? Some of the new character voices seem a little strange at first, but you quickly get over the change. The BGM is another story though - the tracks aren't exactly bad, it's just that previous KOF's had superlative music that was almost unmatched by any other series.

The gameplay? Tough to describe. Like heaven on earth for 2D fans, that's for sure. If you lose, you never blame the pad, you never blame 'cheap' moves... you always feel you lost fairly. If you win, you feel that you've earned it. And not just against another human, the AI on expert isn't that bad either - it actually goes for decent, cool looking combos, which is a rarity in 2D fighters past the usual 'jump in punch, standing punch, fireball/super'.

This is a game that learning combos for is actually worthwhile - you won't get beaten by some stupid little low kick that's strangely overpowered, you'll be beaten by combos and supers. And you'll win with them too!

The cast? KOF is famous for its characters you know. From Kyo and Iori to K' and K9999 to Terry and Ryo to Mai and Blue Mary to Vanessa and Angel and Takuma and Yuri and... the list is endless, and full of great, likable and memorable characters.

Except Bao, that is.

However, having the greatest boxer ever to grace a fighting game (Vanessa) more than makes up for that.

Seriously, the cast rules. You'll find at least 10 characters you want to use, rather than most fighting games' two or three. And with around 40 characters to choose from, you're guaranteed to want to use a fair few of them - especially since the action usually centres around team play.

Don't despair though, 1 on 1 fans! You can choose this option too!

No english text option is a shame, though. It seems Playmore aren't as nice as SNK was to overseas buyers. Their translations always cracked me up. 'Lovable Igniz' indeed.

Oh, and following the usual KOF trend, the bosses will rip you in half on expert and eat your remains. A new Zero returns, and Igniz... hates you. We'll put it like that.

So, what's great about it in one easy to swallow, bite sized package:

+ Everything except the points below. Seriously, it's THAT great.

- One or two backgrounds aren't up to scratch.
- The music, while still decent, isn't as good as previous KOF titles. Heavier on repetition and beats, see.
- The loading artwork from the start is... ugly.

If the above factors turn you off, however, you're either not a 2D fan or simply need your head examined. And reprogrammed.

In conclusion, it's simply the finest 2D beat em up on the Dreamcast and far above the 2D fare dished out by any other console. Eolith have done themselves proud, and get this - KOF 2002, also coming to DC and PS2, is supposed to be even better!

I'll believe it when I see it though - this game is heaven, people.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/03, Updated 02/02/03