The King of Fighters: R1
(LAST UPDATE: 7/4/2009)

..

Developer(s): SNK
Publisher(s): SNK
Platform(s): Neo Geo Pocket
Release Date(s): 1999
Characters: Kyo, Iori, Ryo, Terry, Chizuru, Yashiro, Shingo, Shermie, Chris, Mai, Kim, Athena, Leona, Orochi
Related Games: King of Fighters R2, Fatal Fury: 1st Contact, Gals Fighters, Match of the Millennium

Review: The King of Fighters: Round 1 was SNK's first time bringing the KOF series onto a handheld... And what better system than their own Neo Geo Pocket to do just that? 14 of the most popular KOF characters make their appearance in KOF:R1, which came out before the Neo Geo Pocket was even in color, so the graphics were a bland black & white (but didn't look bad). Players could choose from "Extra" & "Advance" play modes similar to KOF '98, and most characters played closely to their original versions.

..

    Instead of the traditional KOF sprites, all the characters are drawn in a chibi style. It gives the characters a "cute & cuddly" look, but the art style works for some reason, probably because the Neo Geo Pocket is an equally cute system. ...Ahh, I love my good old NGPC. Overall, KOF: R1 is a straight forward 2D fighting game and will be a familiar gameplay experience if you're familiar with series.

 
Gameplay Engine
 6.5 / 10
Story / Theme
 6.5 / 10
Overall Graphics
 7 / 10
Animation
 6 / 10
Music / Sound Effects
 6 / 10
Innovation
 5 / 10
Customization
 4 / 10
Options / Extras
 3 / 10
Intro / Presentation
 5 / 10
Replayability / Fun
 5 / 10
"Ouch" Factor
 4.5 / 10
Characters
 6.5 / 10
BOTTOM LINE

6 / 10

Closing Comment: It's a cute tribute to the KOF series, and a decent handheld fighter, but the character count was a bit low considering the series and the gameplay needed a bit more work... The game would also look much better in color. Thus, the sequel, King of Fighters R2, was improved on all of these factors. ~F.Yagami, Webmaster of TFG