Two classic beat-em-ups that are well worth getting for any fan of the genre
Now I will be honest this is the first King of Fighters games I had ever played, I have Fatal Fury on the Mega Drive and Capcom vs SNK 2: EO on the GCN but that is about it, I had new from a bit of experience that these games were harder and had tighter controls than Capcom’s games but that never put me off as I just love a good scrap.
I loaded up KOF2000 first and was pleasantly surprised at the opening movie, I will admit the menu screen was a little under whelming since it was basic beyond belief, but I didn’t let that worry me. When I did start up the game I was greeted by some very well drawn backdrops that still hold up well, everything looked just right, the controls are pretty much perfect, and easy to pick up if you have played any 2D Beat-em-up ever. I found my self struggling at first since I was going in blind as to what to do against certain opponents, but once I did I was pretty much hooked. I don’t think I have stopped playing this game for too long lately, especially in multiplayer and Party modes, plus the added bonus of unlocking all the previous KOF intros is a decent one and gives you something extra to play for.
This one is clearly a fine example of how to make a classic looking 2D Beat-em-up and well worth playing.
Now after playing KOF2000 I was expecting much the same from the sequel, I couldn’t have been more wrong, upon loading this one up; I was greeted by a fantastically drawn intro and in all honesty blown away by the menu presentation and art work, seeing as they were a huge improvement over the last game. When I finally got around to playing the game I was pleasantly surprised that the whole thing had been given a makeover as far as the backgrounds went, but ever so slightly disappointed that the characters looked slightly out of place now and low-res, it never really bothered me for long though as I started playing this and couldn’t stop like the last one. I’ll also have to say I found this one slightly harder too due to the increased speed, but that just made it better.
Anyone out there looking for a classic beat-em-up you wont find any better than the two on here, it’s a shame that games like this are considered Retro or just for a niche market as most of them are far better than their 3D counterparts, I guess the only good thing about it is the games are usually cheaper. This is a must for anyone who loves good beat-em-ups.