The King of Fighters 2000/2001

"2d Fighting Goodness"

Introduction
First off, I am a huge fighting game fan. Almost anything decent in the 2d or 3d fighting department will get my attention. When this was very quietly released at the local video game store, I picked up one of the two copies they received.

Story
The King of Fighters series is known for having a great storyline. Sadly, the US does not see most of the games though and we never really find out about the story. Unlike the Tekken series which has a storyline riddled with plot holes, the King of Fighters releases a version each year to continue the story. Although this is great for a story, each year of the game does not change much. Most of the story centers around a character named Rugal and an evil organization named NESTS. Although Rugal does not appear in this one, NESTS does and they are working on creating the ultimate god based on all of the fighters' data. As you would expect, you get to fight their creation in the game. This game actually has two versions in it. It has 2000's version and 2001's version.

Gameplay 8/10
If you have ever played Street Fighter or any other fighting game by SNK (the makers of this game), you can easily step in and kick butt. Both 2000/2001 contain over 35 characters. In each game, some are new and some are classics. Traditional characters like Terry and Iori are back to mix it up with the newer ones like K and Whip. Each character has a light and heavy punch and kick. Special attacks are pulled off with the usual rolling of directions or charging in a direction for a couple of seconds. The game uses a 3 on 3 fighting tournament. You pick the order they come out in and a 4th character can step in to briefly do an attack (you pick this also, 2000 has a better selection of these 4th characters than 2001 does). Your team of 3 characters battles other teams of 3 until you get to the final showdown with the bosses. Each boss will take on all three of your characters. As you might guess, the bosses are pretty cheap and overpowered. The game loses points here because often one or two moves repeated over and over will kill the boss while playing normally will have you looking at the continue/loss screen.

Graphics 7/10
This game is using the old 2d style graphics that were so popular in the age of the 16bit consoles. It does look very good but it really can't compare with Guilty Gear X2 (the most gorgeous 2d fighter for the PS2). The strange thing was that I thought the backgrounds in 2000 were better than 2001 while the characters looked better in 2001 compared to 2000. Although the game looks better than previous versions on the PS1 and Dreamcast, it still won't take your breath away like some of the 3d fighters out there. The animation on the characters is not as good as Guilty Gear X2, but it does work well. I did like how certain characters interact when they meet old rivals or friends. This usually results in a neat little taunting. The game also loses points because they completely removed the blood from the game (there was not much in the Japanese version). This seems odd in an age where Vice City and Manhunter brag about it. They also reduced some of the bounce in the women. This didn't bother me because so many of the newer fighters use this to the extreme (cough...cough...volleyball).

Sound 7/10
The music works and so do the effects. They are all pretty average. I do like how all the characters have their own voice and many have little taunts during the fight. The only problem is that almost all of them speak in Japanese. It sounds cool, but I have no clue what they are saying and they don't give us subtitles like Soul Calibur 2. The music is average and something you will easily forget. The punches and kicks all work but won't win any awards.

Replay 9/10
If you like 2d fighters, this will keep you busy for a long time. You get 2 King of Fighters in this one package. Each has a different final boss and story. Each one boasts a roster of 35+ characters and while some may be in both, others appear in only 2000 or 2001. In 2000, you can unlock extra 4th characters that come in to do a simple attack. Some of them are classics from previous SNK fighting games like Geese from Fatal Fury. If you have any friends who like SNK fighting games, you can play for hours against them on either 2000 or 2001.

Overall Rating 8/10
A good solid effort on the fading genre of 2d fighters. I also liked how they placed 2 fighting games in one package. It just loses a couple of points because Guilty Gear X2 was a lot better in graphics and sound and the King of Fighters series has changed very little over the years. They just elvolve their storyline, add new characters, and cycle previous characters in and out of each year's game.

Final Recommendation
Buy it if you like 2d fighters. This market is fading fast and Capcom doesn't even seem to want to revive their Street Fighter franchise. With Guilty Gear X2 and this being the only ones released in a while and nothing on the horizons, we have to take what we get. At least this one has a lot going for it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 01/20/04