King of Fighters R-2

"Crazy Fighter on the Go"

INTRODUCTION:
King of Fighters R-2 is the color sequel to King of Fighters R-1, a black and white game that was one of the first available for the NeoGeo Pocket. While R-1 was based on KOF '97, R-2 is based on KOF '98. Kasumi Todo, a character from KOF '96, is included in the roster, while Kim Kaphwan and Chizuru Kagura have been axed. This game excels over its predecessor in more ways than just its color graphics.

GRAPHICS:
Color! Well, it's not that big of a deal, but it is an improvement over R-1. The sprites are the same despite their prettier look and are just as well animated as before. Still no blur evident. The backgrounds, on the other hand, benefit greatly from the color graphics, looking deeper and more well defined.

CONTROL:
Some of the control problems in KOF R-1 seem to have been addressed as movements that were annoying to pull off before are much easier now. The amount of time the attack buttons need to be held down to perform a strong attack also seems to have been increased, making weak attacks much easier to perform.

SOUND:
Music is good, but standard tunes get old after a while. Considering everything is being pumped through one speaker, the sounds and music are easy to discern from each other. I was thinking that this might be a really big turn off, but then again, any NGPC users would be more than use to it. So, the sound isn't a huge draw back considering it is King of Fighters, ya'know?

FUN FACTOR:
This is where this game really shines. Not only is it King of Fighters on the go, but the Making mode gives it definite replay value. Sort of like a pseudo-RPG, this mode involves fighting battles against increasingly more difficult opponents in order to earn skills that can then be used in the Making mode itself or in versus battles against another player. The Making mode quest itself is basically a variation on the main game, adding conditions such as not being able to charge your special meter, or taking more damage from attacks. The DC mode allows you to exchange data between King of Fighters '99 Dream Match and R-2, adding points to your total in the DC game and unlocking extra Making mode skills in R-2. Both of these options combined add to the replay value of not only King of Fighters R-2, but '99 Dream Match as well.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/03