DC KOF '99: Evolution Impressions

SNK recently released King of Fighters '99: Evolution in Japan, and the Dreamcast fighting game does as nice a job of presenting the same gameplay as the arcade version, while adding a few new features in an attempt to get players interested in the game once again.

Developers replaced the 2D backgrounds of the Neo-Geo original entirely with 3D backgrounds. While not on the same level as the amazing backgrounds of the DC version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2, they do look pretty nice and lend a fresh new look to the game.

Also, SNK added a collection of extra strikers, which are characters that can be called upon a limited number of times per match to come out and execute one attack before they jump back into hiding. While in the original game you could simply use any of the game's characters as strikers, now you can also use extra strikers. The two strikers available for you to select from at the beginning of the game are new characters Vanessa and Seth. We presume that both characters will be fully playable in King of Fighters 2000. The game also links up to the Neo-Geo Pocket Color, letting you download points between the systems; points with which you can use to unlock even more striker characters, such as Daimon, Kyo (yes, that means there are four versions of Kyo in the game), Chizuru, Athena, Billy, and Yamazaki.

While KOF99 is a fairly solid fighting game, I found KOF98, which came out on the DC as King of Fighters Dream Match 1999, to be a much better game, with a wider lineup of characters and more interesting gameplay. Look for a full import review of KOF99E soon on videogames.com.