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> Results: King of Fighters 2002/2003
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If you've been playing video games as long as I have, you've come to realize that 2D fighting games are an acquired taste. You're either in the camp where the gameplay is fun, innovative and infinitely replayable, or you consider the entire concept uninspired and recycled. SNK's The King of Fighters 2002/2003ﾗtwo installments of the popular 2D fighting series offered together in a PS2 compatible combo packﾗwon't sway anyone's opinion, but if you've come to appreciate 2D fighting over the years, you'll discover some great gaming to be had here.
Starting with the eighth installment in the KoF series, King of Fighters 2002 is packed with the larger character roster of the two games. Forty characters are available, with hidden characters and variations available for unlocking. Considering the great lineup of new characters, plus proven fighters from the early days of KoF, you'll forgive the game's otherwise lackluster set of outstanding gaming elements. It retains the popular 3-on-3 team system, but the Striker system (found in King of Fighters 2000 and KoF 2001) has been dropped altogether. While each character certainly carries the personality and move sets (both special and super moves) necessary to hold a player's interest, there isn't really anything here to make someone seriously take notice of 2002, beyond the heavily populated character select screen.  King of Fighters 2003, on the other hand, introduces a gameplay mechanic new to the KoF series: the ability to tag and switch out with other characters in your team. Sure, it's old schoolﾗCapcom's been doing the Assist thing with their 2D fighters for a few years nowﾗbut the mechanic truly expands the gameplay scope in KoF, introducing a strategic element and increasing the game's intensity, making for a faster paced experience. This innovation is slightly offset by the decreased play roster (35 initial characters to choose from), but you'll likely forgive the loss of a few favorites given the increased level of fun you'll have with the remaining selection. Both games are very similar in appearance. Playable characters, while extremely well animated, are heavily pixilated. They often bear a muggy, almost washed out look. This issue is even more evident in front of the 3D backdrops which are sometimes unimaginative in design, but certainly polished and pristine when compared to the 2D character sprites carried in the foreground. To the games' credit, you won't often notice these strong comparisons while playing given the hectic action going on. Considering both installments are essentially direct ports of their original arcade counterparts, you can't entirely fault the games for having been designed for older 2D hardware. Still, I wonder what type of graphics bliss SNK could provide with a 2D fighter developed, ground up, for next-gen systems.  In regards to audio, 2003 sports a CD-quality soundtrack while 2002 sounds a bit off even considering the game's age, but both games are respectable. Localization, as with most SNK fighters, is almost non-existent with 95% of in-game speech spoken in native Japanese. The announcer often struggles with his English intros. Of course for SNK fans this is part of the charm, just as the games' almost incoherent storylines are considered mainstays. 
KoF games always seem to present a play roster composed of campy, even funny characters, along with those easily considered serious and mature in design. Fan favorite Mai is here in her traditional garb, which shows quite a bit of skin (think slave girl Leia from Star Wars), along with lots of chest bounce for lack of a better description. (SNK purists should note ﾖ while the earlier 2000/2001 collection was censored, this collection is not.) Most characters aren't nearly as blatant, but "suggestive" is the key word here. Some characters' attacks will draw large sprays of blood from their opponents, while other characters won't draw a drop. It's definitely hit and miss. The goal of the game is to essentially beat the snot out of the other player so obviously there's the inherently violent nature of the game to consider as well.
Still, these factors are much less an issue than many other Teen rated titles on store shelves today, considering these titles can't match the realism of modern day 3D fighters. You may find your pre-teen ready for this collection, but should definitely give it a once over beforehand. This review edited by Dave Long Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "King Of Fighters" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: King of Fighters 2002/2003 |
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