"Playmore comes of age"

Graphics: 9
Gameplay: 8
Sound: 8
Replay:8
Difficulty: easy

After SNK went belly up, I pretty much gave up on the King of Fighters(KOF) franchise. I cringed when I heard that Playmore was going to bring out this 3D version of King of Fighter. Especially after seeing their offerings so far. But SNK: Playmore seems to have jumped high and landed on their feet with King of Fighters: Maximum Impact.

Its not so much that the King of fighters 2002 and 2003 were bad games. Quite to the contrary, the games were good as they have been polished over more than a decade now. However, production values have suffered tremendously since the lean years at SNK. I'd say, look at successive versions of KOF after 1998. It is quite clear that the acquisition of the franchise by Playmore had not reverse this decline...until now!

The King of Fighters series has always gained it draw from its flamboyance. Its over the top fighting, charismatic character design, breathtaking scene design and thumping audio has kept me coming back to this series since its SNES days. Sure, there have always been some issues with character balance, and AI intelligence has always been woeful at best. But those shortcomings are hardly noticeable, when you are so totally engrossed by the frantic fighting pace and the enthralling aural and visual experience. King of fighters 2002 and 2003 lacked this screen presence and thus turned out to be far inferior offerings that what they should have been. With Maximum impact, Playmore has definitely jumped forward in the right direction.

Starting with a prominent display of Mai Shiranui on its cover, to the raging audio and the flashy, colorful and creative character design and selection, SNK:Playmore has put its emphasis right where fans new and old want it to be. The fighting stages are all well done and characters animate very well. The look, feel and attitude of old characters remain faithful to their 2D days, but Playmore looks to be getting a little carried away with some of the alternate costume designs (Mai without her trademark flowing train of hair?!). The new characters blend in quite well with the old in terms of attitude and style. Graphics on KOF:MI won't win any graphics of the year competition, but will most certainly hold their own against the best of the best including Soul Calibur 2 and DOA 3 and is replete with all the latest graphics crazes like lens flares and color bloom. The in- game cinematics are simple and yet well done.

What makes KOF: MI a great game is that it will satisfy the KOF fan base while being extremely accessible. KOF: MI while being fully 3D still plays as fast as its 2D incarnations. KOF fans should rejoice everywhere to know that this is no SF EX rendition
of KOF. Though it still lacks in a couple of areas (story mode and loading screens), the overall feel of the game is that of a polished well developed title. The addition of "stylish" moves (chain combos) makes this a much more newbie accessible game, but at the same time it makes the fighting system more complex and deep. As a KOF purist, I really liked the way the game played with the stylish moves, but specials and especially DM's (DOA thrashing?!) could use a little speeding up. Even my non-gaming friends found KOF:MI quite accessible. However, this is no button masher's paradise. Good timing and smart execution will still rule the day.

King of Fighters: Maximum Impact is far from being the best it could be. But, it is definitely the best KOF offering to come up in a long time, and this most certainly qualifies it as a must have for any KOF fan. Households with more than one gamer would also do well to pick up this title as it is just a blast to play against friends. Gamers new to the franchise will like its incessant pace and visual flair. If SNK:Playmore keep moving in the right direction as they have done here, I would not be surprised if the fighting game wannabes like Tekken and Virtua Fighter get ruled by the next King of Fighters.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/05