(LAST UPDATE: 7/3/2009)
Developer(s): SNK Playmore
Publisher(s): SNK Neo Geo
Platform(s): Playstation
2, Xbox (As KOF: Maximum Impact MANIAX)
Release Date(s): August 12th 2004 (
), October 12th 2004
(
), March 4th
2005 (
)
Characters:
Alba,
Lien,
Soiree,
Chae
Lim, Mignon,
Kyo,
Iori,
Terry,
Ryo,
Ralf,
Clark,
Yuri,
Athena,
K',
Mai,
Maxima,
Rock,
Leona,
Seth,
Duke
Related Games:
King
of Fighters 94, King of Fighters 94: Re-bout,
King
of Fighters 95,
King of Fighters 96, King
of Fighters 97, King of Fighters 98, King
of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match, King of Fighters
99, King of Fighters 2000, King
of Fighters 2001,
King of Fighters 2001,
King
of Fighters 2002, King of Fighters 2003,
King
of Fighters XI, King of Fighters XII, King
of Fighters: Maximum Impact MANIAX, King
of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2, KOF:
Maximum Impact Regulation A, King of Fighters
EX Neo Blood,
King of Fighters EX2 Howling Blood,
King
of Fighters R1, King of Fighters R2, King
of Fighters Collection: Orochi Saga
Story: Addis was the most powerful gang in Southtown. Its leader, a man known only as Fate, was considered a modern-day Robin Hood to the poor and downtrodden. He himself had adopted two twin brothers, Alba and Soiree Meira, and trained them to be successors to his legacy. Six months before the in-game events, Fate is killed by Duke, the leader of the up-and-coming Mephistopheles gang. Duke then proceeds to exploit the poor to serve his own twisted thirst for power.
In the present day, the Mephistopheles
Fighting Tournament is beginning, with the venue being all of Southtown. The
participants ( Minus the Meira Brothers and Lien.) believe that the tournament
is being sponsored by a charity organization known as the Metatron Foundation,
but they soon learn that its true sponsor is the Mephistopheles gang. However
for Alba Soiree and Lien they are contacted directly by Hyena so they know
Metatron has nothing to do with this.
.
Review: KOF: Maximum
Impact is the first game in the King of Fighters series to "go
3D" and overall was a big disappointment to fans of the series. First off, in the original PS2 version, the character voices are "dubbed"
in English, with no Japanese dialogue option. To make matters worse, the characters
sound nothing like the original Japanese voice actors... A terrible mistake, one
which really put a damper on the game.
The
gameplay actually does feel somewhat like KOF, mainly due to it's fast
nature. Returning characters retain most of their classic moves (and frame
counts for some moves), but animations in general appear stiff rendered
in 3D... While those frame counts might have worked in a 2D
fighting game, that's not to say they'll work the same in 3D. Some moves
just look horrible, but other mores are animated
fairly well and look like they hurt (like the super moves). There are also cheap
"pick up" combos in the game, such as Terry
Bogard's Power Dunk, or K's uppercut, which can be done 3 times in a row and hit
a grounded opponent... 
It's good for a laugh at least.
As a 3D fighting game, Maximum Impact doesn't do much right,
and doesn't do the KOF series any justice either. The Story Mode is borderline retarded, due to the fact that a weird,
no-name freak in a lime green suit (Hyena)
orders you around and tells you who to fight next... Did that ever happen
in a previous KOF game? No.
The
new characters introduced aren't that great either, and the lack of many
classics leaves so much to be desired... The line-up is simply uninspiring. SNK threw in a few extras besides your
staple Arcade mode,
like mission mode, which is a challenge at least; and even a mode where you
can select a "rigging model" for each character... WTF is a rigging model anyway?
Well, this "Rigging Model"
changes your characters appearance by adding a few items to their outfit
and/or changing it all together... Most of which are quite silly and/or
completely stupid. The alternate and bonus costumes for classic characters are worth a
look, but still doesn't give any sort of reason to play this game.
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5 / 10 |
Closing Comment:
While some fans might find something to enjoy about Maximum Impact, let's face
it... It fails as a 3D fighting game, and didn't live up to the 2D like of KOF
games. Things to fix: Add more (and better) characters to the roster, and tune
the gameplay... The sequel, King
of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2, was a significant improvement.
~F.Yagami,
Webmaster
of TFG
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