Genre: Fighting
Publisher: SNK NeoGeo
Developer: SNK NeoGeo/Eolith
Release Date: February 8, 2005

Buy 'KING OF FIGHTERS 02/03': PlayStation 2

The King of Fighters franchise has a long, illustrious, and very interesting history. This is true not only for the series, but also for the developer, SNK. When they went out of business in 2001, fans worried that King of Fighters would be done for. To make a very long introduction short, all of the KOF rights were secured, and 2D fighter fans have a quality bargain in the form of The King of Fighters 02/03. This is a pair of fast-paced, deep, hard-hitting fighting games, that unfortunately lacks online support. If you're a fan of Capcom fighters or the Guilty Gear series, you owe it to yourself to pick up KOF 02/03.

Fans of the KOF series probably already know that, after SNK went under, a Korean developer called Eolith took over development of the franchise, starting with KOF 2001. While their first effort was admirable, they seem to have hit their stride with the back-to-roots KOF 2002. As the second "dream match" of the series, KOF 2002 transcends the Orochi and NESTS storylines to bring a huge roster of characters together.

KOF 2003, which was developed by SNK Playmore, starts a storyline involving a new "hero" known as Ash Crimson. The premise for the story is familiar: Another King of Fighters tournament is being organized by a mysterious sponsor, and your team is to fight its way to the final antagonist. KOF storylines have always been interesting, especially when compared to other fighting games. Hopefully this new branch will prove to be engrossing as future installments are released.

Gameplay-wise, KOF 2002 and KOF 2003 are significantly different from each other. KOF 2002 follows the traditional three-on-three format that has been KOF's trademark from the first installment. Eolith got rid if the questionable Striker ability, where a fourth player would jump in momentarily to make a quick hit. You don't have the ability to tag your players in and out at your discretion in this version. A new fighter jumps in only when the previous one is defeated. You lose when your third character is incapacitated.

There is a "Max" bar that fills up as you perform attacks, and as you are hit. Power meters such as these are a mainstay of 2D fighters nowadays, and KOF 2002's work basically the same as in other fighters. Once you've built up at least one "stock" (a full gauge), more powerful, flashy special moves become available.

There are 44 characters to choose from in KOF 2002, and fans will be happy to see memorable faces of KOF's past. Mainstays such as Terry Bogard, Ryo Sakazaki, and Iori Yagami are accounted for, as well as newer entrants, like K9999 and Angel. Keeping balance between so many characters is difficult, but abilities are pretty even. Still, major characters such as Iori, K', and Terry feel more powerful than some lower tier characters.

KOF 2003 will be more familiar to fans of Capcom's Vs. games. This version still lets you choose a team of three fighters, but once in battle, you can switch between the three characters. The first character you choose for your team is designated as the "leader," who is able to perform a Super Special Leader Move with two stocks of power. These don't have a huge effect on the gameplay, but are both powerful and cool looking.

Fans of Capcom's Vs. games may also notice that in KOF 2003, fighters' life meters don't replenish when they are sitting out. This will lead some to wonder what the point is of switching out characters at all. Basically, you have the same amount of life energy as in a traditional three-on-three KOF, except you have the ability to "spend" that life energy at your own will by switching between the three fighters. Sure, you may want to switch to a character you're better with if your opponent changes to his or her "best" character. Aside from that, switching doesn't really add much to the gameplay. Also, there are no flashy team attacks, but considering the hardware this game was originally based on, that's understandable. Despite these complaints, KOF 2003 still has the grade "A" meat and potatoes gameplay underneath the new tag-team aspect.

KOF 2003 sports 35 fighters. Although a bit less than KOF 2002, this is still plenty to keep you busy, and chances are you'll only try to master a handful anyway. The new storyline introduces the pretty-boy "Hero Team," made up of Ash Crimson, Duo Lon, and Shen Woo. Iori, Terry, and Ryo are among the standard KOF characters that make a return.

The pacing of both KOF 2002 and KOF 2003 is quick. Although they're not as fast-paced and insane as Marvel vs. Capcom 2, they're plenty fast. Special moves are easy to pull off, and if you are familiar with "Hadoken" and "Shroyuken" inputs, you'll be right at home with this series. As far as how "deep" this fighting game is, it's as deep as any Street Fighter game, and you'll find that learning all of the intricacies of the fighting engine can suck up a lot of hours.

Both games have a few modes of play to choose from, but don't look for anything resembling a deep quest mode. KOF 2002 does have a challenge mode that requires you to win matches under certain conditions, but that's about it. Along with standard time attack and practice modes, both games have to option to forego team play and go with one-on-one matches against the computer or a human opponent. Also, KOF 2003 allows you to play in the traditional, three-on-three, non-tag-team style.

Multiplayer works just fine, but online capabilities would have been much appreciated. I'm sure you realize how difficult it is to find another gamer who is into 2D fighters, let alone non-Capcom 2D fighters.

This is a no-frills package (the manual offers no background stories or pictures), but some nice unlockable galleries are available on both discs. By beating characters in certain game modes, you unlock goodies such as conceptual art and character endings. It's not much, but it's a nice touch.

The graphics look dated, with low-resolution sprites and some ugly backgrounds. In fact, many may consider these two games to be an eyesore. However, you do get used to it, and after a while, it's guaranteed that you'll gain an appreciation for the memorable character design and nice animation. Both games use polygons in the backgrounds (KOF 2003 uses them to a much greater extent), but they still look subpar. Despite the technical drawbacks, there is just something attractive and endearing about the look of both games. And remember, these titles were originally made for the NeoGeo platform, which came out in arcades in 1989. Considering this, KOF 02/03 is a technical wonder.

Like the graphics, the sound falls short of standard, but only on a technical level. The sounds all have a "digitized" quality, especially the voices and sound effects. Hits and special moves sound loud and brutal, nonetheless. The music in both games is good, with KOF 2002 borrowing some hooks from previous installments. The music and sound effects will mentally bring you back to the arcade, although the technical quality is unimpressive.

The bottom line is that KOF 02/03 is a great deal for fighting fans. This set is a great way for newcomers to jump on the KOF wagon, but also offers plenty of 2D goodness for veterans. There's enough variation between the two games to keep you coming back to both versions, and plenty of characters and moves to keep you thoroughly occupied. Although the tag-teaming of KOF 2003 doesn't add too much to the gameplay, it does add a hectic, frenzied element to the bouts, and it's nice to finally have that kind of control over your teams. Purists will love how KOF 2002 goes back to the roots of the series, getting rid of the Striker member and offering fans yet another "dream match." Finally, don't judge this one by its graphics. The gameplay is all there.

Score: 8.5/10