King of Fighters 2000 (Neo Geo)

Back in 1990, when when the Neo Geo launched, I was ten years old. That's right. Well, I'm 20 now, and when I was 10 I'd have never imagined that today I'd be writing a review for the latest SNK release - King of Fighters 2000. The old Neo has had an impressive life span, and it's hard to believe that the system is still alive and kicking today. More impressive than that fact, is that the games two-dimensional graphics still look good by today's standards.
It's widely believed that this will be last edition of KOF (or at least the last edition for the old Neo Geo). Well, what a way to end the series then! A game of this calibur on an eleven year old game system? Wow! Well, even though I've so far given a rave review, lets go ahead and get into the meat of the review. At the end, I'll let you in on whether or not this reviewer believes the game to be worth the price of admission.

Gameplay:
This latest edition of King of Fighters plays as well or better as any other King of Fighters out there. Does that make it good? Well, that depends on your taste in games. If you love good arcade fighters (especially if your an SNK devotee), you'll LOVE this game. The only readily noticeable addition to this game added since the past KOFs is the Stryker system that was added in KOF '99.
Stryker system? Well, at the beginning of a match, you'll pick four characters. You'll only actually use three in the bout, while the fourth can be called in to help ala Marvel vs. Capcom 2. It's just a great little addition to the game.
Of course, there's also the usual KOF addition of a couple of new characters. The Lords' favorite new character is Kula, an amazingly animated character (for a Neo Geo game). She has flowing hair and clothes, and very nice special moves highlighting the work of the graphic artists involved in the project. The gameplay of this game shines as bright as the graphics of such games as Deal or Alive 2, Soul Calibur, and Resident Evil : Code Veronica.

Graphics:
While we already touched on the graphics of this game a few times in this review, we'll talk about them a little more. The first thing to get out of the way is that this game is much outshined graphicly but the latest 2D offerings on Dreamcast, and even a few past 2D offerings on the good old Neo. In fact, the '99 edition has this one beat, graphicly, by just a bit.
However, you won't find yourself calling this game ugly if you're a fan of the series.
If you're one of those so-called "graphics tarts" that only buy your games to look at the pretty pictures, you probably won't appreciate this game very much. You might as well stay away if that is the case. However, if you found yourself engrossed in games such as Fatal Fury Special, Art of Fighting 2, Street Fighter Alpha 3, or even Guilty Gear; you should find a lot to enjoy in this game.

Sound/Music:
Not much to write home about in the sound effects of this game. None of it is bad, and SOME of it is stellar. Iori's laugh at the end of winning match is perfect, and a real favorite of the Lords. On the other hand, the "Psycho Ball" voice effect has GOT to go. Are you listening SNK? Just want to make sure that sound isn't present in the next edition of KOF, if there is to be one. In addition, there's the standard fare of punch, kick, and block sounds that we've all heard before.
Now to get onto another area of this game that shines, the music. Someone at SNK must be a musical genius, as this game has excellent music. Come to think of it, every edition of KOF has had this excellent music. This reviewer even owns soundtracks of a couple of editions of KOF, and prizes them. Found in this game are some very nice rock and jazz tunes.

Replay Value:
Will you be playing this game years from now, if you make the purchase? That depends, how much do you like arcade fighters? Of course, it also depends on if SNK releases yet another improved version next year. Of course, this isn't an inexpensive game to pick up by any means, and the buyer will probably pay anywhere between $250 and (gulp) $650 to own this game.
The question is probably if it is worth it. Well, I hope you like fighters, because if you don't, this game is not worth the cost of admission. If you're a HUGE fighter fan with a fat wallet, then it might be worth your cash.
Personally, I don't regret my purchase of this extemely expensive cartridge. Current price is approximately $1200 for the American cartridge, and $160 for the Japanese Cartridge. The game is worth every penny if you really enjoy it. What better praise can I give to a game?

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