The King of Fighters 02/03 (KoF) is actually two games on two disks for the
price of one. It won’t appeal to all bargain-hunting gamers, though. KoF is
really for hard-core fighter fans, especially those who’ve enjoyed other King of
Fighters games or who have a penchant for old school 2D fighters. And KoF is
decidedly old school, originally appearing on the NeoGeo system which has been
around almost as long as I can remember. As you can probably guess, the NeoGeo
is nowhere near as powerful as an Xbox, so the games’ graphics look decidedly
old and chunky. Don’t expect a Dead or Alive type of look here as you won’t find
anything that jiggles or bounces as you play. Even the menus are bare-bones
functional here. No, KoF is most decidedly for the fighter purist.
Both games come with a whole bevy of fighters to choose from (over 40 in each
game), so there’s a lot of variety in styles here and the opportunity to get in
a lot of gameplay as you figure out the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
The gameplay options in each are far more modest, though. Both feature
three-on-three battles but they’re handled slightly differently in each game. In
2002 your first fighter competes until he or she loses, at which point the next
fighter steps into the battle. In 2003, you can tag-team between your fighters.
This latter style of play opens up the game’s strategy a bit as you can try and
get a good match-up by bringing in the right fighter at the right time.
Both games support online play, and again the support is pretty basic. 2003
seems to perform better online and also has the option of fighting rematches
with your last opponent, which 2002 lacks for some reason. Expect another
bare-bones implementation, as King of Fighters is focused on the fighting and
little else.
If you’re a King of Fighters fan or yearn for a return to the days of 2D
fighters, then you’ll find The King of Fighters 02/03 a nicely priced treat.
Most others will probably be put off by the clunky graphics and strict 2D
gameplay.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
68%. Strictly for the King of
Fighters enthusiast or old school 2D fight fans.
