STORY:
After the incident at the previous tournament, the commander of the Ikari Team,
Heidern, is determined to figure out the objective of the NESTS cartel so that
he can stop them from achieving their ruthless ambition. A fellow commander and
long-time friend of Heidern, named Ling, tells the veteran fighter that K' and
Maxima were once operatives of NESTS and that they may hold the key to locating
the whereabouts of the mysterious organization. Using this information, Heidern
decides to focus his efforts in using the next KOF tournament as a way to lure
both K' and Maxima out so that they can be captured and interrogated into
telling the authorities about the NESTS cartel. Unknown to Heidern however, Ling
has his own agenda.
Though missing a few
faces... 2K has a great selection.
REVIEW:
KOF 2000
is the seventh game in SNK's long-running King of Fighters series. The 2000
edition's gameplay engine builds upon the striker system introduced in KOF '99. The game now
features an Active Striker System, allowing players to summon the Striker member
at any time during gameplay (even when jumping or knocked down). Strikers
are most effectively used in the midst of combos for longer and more damaging
combos!
Athena with a new
outfit?!? Get out...
After players chose their 3 team members from a
selection of SNK icons (and some newcomers), they then pick their fourth team
member (striker). This time, players can
either choose to use the default fourth character they selected or an alternate
character known as "Another Striker"... whom is used exclusively for
assist attacks. A wide variety of SNK characters spanning many different
franchises make their debuts as KOF strikers, and there's one per each selectable fighter in the game! The alternate strikers range from veteran
KOF
characters like Geese Howard, to Samurai Shodown's Nakoruru, or even Fio from
Metal Slug... and there are even some secret "Maniac
strikers" hidden in the game.
Rocky from SNK's
obscure beat-em-up, Robo Army, makes an appearance!
The gameplay of KOF 2000 is
as solid as you'd expect from the series, with the striker system enhancing and
speeding up KOF's traditional 2D gameplay. The "Emergency Evasive Action" from King
Of Fighters '98 also marks it's return in KOF 2000. Graphically, KOF
2000 isn't anything groundbreaking, but is one of the best looking KOF
titles to date. Some characters sprites are certainly beginning to look aged, but there are a great selection of new 2D sprites
& characters to remind
you you're playing a new KOF game.
KOF 2000 is one of my all time favorites in the
entire King of Fighters series.... Why? Awesome
character roster, tons of cameos, memorable music & stages, and the striker system makes
KOF's classic gameplay engine even flashier and more fun... just what the series
needed if you ask me. ~TFG
Webmaster
