The King of Fighters 2000

"Newbies, start here"

Episode 7 of the most hyped 2D beat-em-up has reached home in style…And that series would be SNK's trademark title, The King of Fighters ! Ready for KOF 2000 !? Then, hang on because you are just about to discover the ruling beat-em-up…

Once day, a company named Capcom got an idea about making a game where people would fight in the streets using moves and where they would fight in rounds. This game was, wonders of wonders, called Street Fighter and was perceived as a true masterpiece and helped the named company gain a lot of popularity. Of course, there were sequels and people just enjoyed this whole Street Fighter series !

If things has continued like this, there would have been something incredible between the eager gaming community, always on the look-out for new sensations, and that company…But behold, in all such 'love stories', there has always been 'un grain de sable' which would spoil the smooth mechanism and set things moving unexpectedly (see 'Romeo & Juliette' or 'Paul et Virgninie')…And in this case, that annoying 'particle' went by the name of SNK…

SNK, after following the path of Capcom by releasing 2 fighters namely Garou Dentetsu and Art of Fighting, decided to do something different. The idea was to do a beat-em-up where players would choose 3 characters instead and where they would take on teams of 3 too until they met a boss who was alone (but being alone didn't change a damn thing to him being hard…).

Thus, The King of Fighters '94 saw light and at that time, many people broke their fascination for Capcom and turned to SNK, since they found the innovations cooler. More titles came out each year until '99 where things got a bit different. During this year, the number of character increased to 4, with this fourth character being called the Striker. These characters didn't actually fight but could be called from time to time to perform an action. And we come to the year 2000…

Ah ,the joys of owning a Neo-Geo ! Most noticeably, the Striker system has changed compared to '99. Well, it isn't really a change to those who have Evolution on DC but since I don't have it (and never will), it's a change for me. Now, strikers can be called whenever you want : while attacking, while being attacked, in air, after a throw, during a move, but not during a DM though (it would have been weird anyway…). Of course, striker bombs are still at the base of it but there were plenty of new features to make it more interesting.

By taunting, you will lose a power stock and earn back a bomb. Strikers can be called just after a throw for an additional hit. Even better, the number of strikers is huge…Characters now hold 2 strikers each, and some even hold a third hidden one. The game holds a total of…hold on to your seat…79 strikers (I'm counting Vice and Mature as separate strikers). Quite a lot, eh ?

And with the Active Striker system, that could mean one thing : a helluva combos. Yes Sir, infinites are plenty in this game. Supposedly dead characters like Geese, Chris, Rugal and characters from other series like King Lion, Kaede, Nakoruru have been integrated as strikers in this final edition. A last gift from SNK maybe ? Well, what a gift…Christmas every day ? Definitely !!!

Concerning playable characters, the game now holds 35 characters and, once again, a deep plot where teams meet and fight for honour or more obscure reasons in some cases. Benimaru has now got his own team and Shingo, as usual, has followed him. The two new characters in his team are Lin, a fearsome-looking ninja who uses poison a lot, and Seth, who's trying to keep an eye on the latter (poor Seth !). K' and Maxima now form the Hero Team along with Vanessa, a sexy boxer (doh !), and Ramon, a Mexican wrestler too much a rip-off from the mighty Clark Steel if you ask me.

Mary has joined Terry in the Fatal Fury team while King has teamed up with her lover Ryo in the Art of Fighting team. Yuri has replaced her in the Gals team along with new character Hinako who has taken Xiang Fei's place who is now only a striker (and a pretty useless one too…). Iori and Kyo are still alone and there is now a mid-boss, Kula, referred to as the anti-K'. The boss, Zero, is as usual very very cheap and a real pain to the ass to beat but gets real easy once you figure out the tactic to beating him.

Graphically, the game is a tad better than '99 and the backgrounds have gone 3D Sir ! Characters are well-drawn and the new characters are very cool-looking specially Lin (I just love this guy, Iori's just lost his throne !). Details are, as usual, plenty but some parts look a bit weird. As for the backgrounds, they sport a lot of details and being in 3D makes the game deeper.

As in all previous KOFs, there is a changing detail in the backgrounds like the bulldozer that progressively crushes up the wall or the desert-stage. However, I still regret '98 looks which was really awesome. The characters don't have such facial expressions (Shingooooooo) as in '98 and are not that colorful. But they're still good though and the graphics are indeed cool.

The soundtrack is once again decent. In fact, there are some cool soundtracks like The Trooper which is a remix of World War 3 from '99 and Goodbye Esaka (must I really tell you whose theme this is !?). The other themes are good as well and serve their purpose easily (another soundtrack that'll sell !) but are literally crushed down by the quality of the themes offered in '99.

Sound effects are, prior to SNK's habits, of the highest quality and the voice-acting will never get on your nerves unless you generally have a problem with people talking (do you ?). The cast hasn't changed in the least and new characters have good voices (Lin again here…), not those edgy and hesitant voices which other beat-em-ups usually come up with.

Tight controls and a smooth animation make KOF 2000 even better and I'm sure those combos will start in no time once you've gotten used to the new ideas in the game. Truthfully, the controls in this game are perfect and if say you have a problem pulling out special moves and desperation moves, just go and have an operation to change your hands. There is also that useful option called 'Practice' which is essential as you try to master the game, and you'll need that to beat Zero.

And the best part is yet to come…Ze Gameplay ! What can I write down !? 35 characters, more than 70 strikers, teams of 4, need I really say more…? The gameplay is simply fantastic and with all the possibilities of teams, the gameplay deserves a perfect score. Believe me, you're in for a good time. Think of all the combos that exist in the game…Err, on second thought, don't think ! You will surely get a headache.

The Active Striker system has really added a lot to the game and due to this, the amount of combos is breathtaking. Some strikers are at the base of very cheap infinites (that damn Joe) and the striker combos will get your hands asking for a break in no time. This game is completely combo-frenzy so just be careful if you are not used to these types of games. And trying to learn all the combos of the game takes one hell of a time, I can assure you.

The King of Fighters 2000 doesn't deceive my expectations and if you want a beat-em-up where you can have fun (while being beaten around), just check this title out. In any case, SNK has tried to please more people (i.e. those who have been into KOF only since '99) and it is a complete success. And if you so happen to be a KOF fan, this one's just made for you. Aaah, the pleasures of owning a Neo-Geo…Buy this game now !

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/25/01, Updated 11/09/02