| The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 / King of Fighters 2006 |
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The truth behind the Addes
organization name was only known throughout the dark recesses of the underworld.
No one really had an inkling as to what this organization truly entailed. Now,
another of Addes was to reveal a new battle royale. Invitations in white
envelopes were sent to the world's mightiest, who will find the call to the
battle by Addes irresistible. As stated in
Alba Meira's private novel by Akihiko Ureshino on the official KOF Maximum
Impact 2 site (which serves as an official follow up to the story of KOF
Maximum Impact 2) Alba was in fact the one who defeated Jivatma and Luise.
Soiree was kidnapped as a result of that and Alba has not seen him since then.
REVIEW: Known as King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2 (in Japan), The King of Fighters 2006 features 24 initially playable characters, as well as an impressive 14 unlockable ones (including the final boss) for a grand total of 40 playable characters. Along with a much improtved characte roster, KOF 2006 shows off improved animation, graphics, gameplay mechanics, and presentation. SNK, known primarily for their 2D titles, delivers their best 3D fighter to date. KOF 2006 features
a great line-up of SNK characters, each with a robust (and sometimes,
humorously confusing) moveset. Characters retain most of their attacks from
their most recent movesets, and were even given some brand new ones. Many of the
new moves (and super moves) look badass to say the least, and are presented
quite nicely thanks to the smooth animation (which can be fully appreciated during a
KO, as the camera slows down during the last strike of the match). The camera also does an
epic 360 around the final attack if you finish with
a "Super Special Move"... nice touch.
Like in the first game, the gameplay's pace
is definitely fast
and takes some getting used to. If you've ever put any time into a 2D version of
KOF, you'll most likely feel right at home playing KOF2006 due to the speed of
the game. The core gameplay is
all about cancels... you can cancel normal moves into special moves, special
moves into other special moves, and then into super moves. The system is
intuitive and it's rather easy to start creating some cool-looking combos.
KOF2006 also features buckets and
buckets full of unlockables... notably, TONS of costumes (possibly
the most unlockable costumes in any fighting game to date). On the downside, some
costumes are quite ugly, absurd, completely unnecessary, borderline disturbing,
and in many
cases have terrible color schemes. Others are pretty decent though, and the "cosplay" alternate outfits based on other SNK characters
are quite entertaining. Dueling
the classic SNK fighters against each other in 3D, with a solid gameplay
system (for the first time) is definitely satisfying for the old school fans.
However, the character selection is a mixed bag. In my opinion, the veteran KOF'ers like Kyo Kusanagi,
Terry Bogard, Rock Howard, or Billy Kane are all incredibly fun to use
(for those of us who know their moves by heart). However, some of the newcomers
just don't live up to the veterans, both in terms of personality and fighting
style. Although the newbs aren't all that bad, I would rather have had
the chance to use some of my old favorites like Vanessa, Yamazaki, Joe, or Gato for example.
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This time around, the cool personalities
(and voices) of all returning KOF characters were captured correctly (which is no doubt a must if you're
remaking a classic 2D series into 3D game). They messed it up big time in the
first game, but have redeemed themselves in this version.
A personal favorite slowdown moment of mine comes during a 20-hit Iori combo,
causing lots of slow-mo in the right places, making the combo hurt that much
more... 
Good
stuff. 
.
The moves are done with justice for the most
part, and look as painful as
they should. The translation of animation from 2D to 3D was
done much better this time around than in the original Maximum Impact.
But rejoice KOF fans,
you can now turn the dialogue to back to Japanese... and hear the KOF fighters
as they're supposed to be heard. When the Japanese dialogue is turned on, the
characters of KOF 2006 scream their special moves with
emotion and enthusiasm... hell yes.
You can also unlock some cool new stages, mini games,
and missions. It'll keep any console fighting game fan busy for a while busy... and you should enjoy the
trip, because
KOF 2006 is a pretty fun game to play
