Review : King of Fighters 2001 Dreamcast

I was as happy as a kid in a candy store yesterday when I got my copy of King of Fighters 2001 for Dreamcast (import). Not only is this the best NeoGeo game ever it is the best home version of a NeoGeo game. It is playable using any Dreamcast boot disk and has rumble support and VGA mode. I ordered it from VideoGameDepot.com and they had a great selection and good prices. Every step of the process was well laid out and the guys over at Penny Arcade swear by them. I plan on buying more import games from them in the future.
KOF 2001 features 40 Fighters with two bosses. Yup you read that right 42 playable fighters.

They are:
Hero Team: K' / Maxima / Whip / Lin
Japan Team: Kyo / Benimaru / Goro / Shingo
Iori Team: Iori / Seth / Vanessa / Ramon
Ikari Team: Leona / Ralf / Clark / Heidern
Fatal Fury Team: Terry / Andy / Joe / Blue Mary
Art of Fighting Team: Ryo / Robert / Yuri / Takuma
Women's Team: King / Mai / Hinako / Xiangfei
Nests Team: Kula / K9999 / Foxy / Angel
Psycho Soldier Team: Athena / Kensou / Chin / Bao
Korea Team: Kim / Chang / Choi / May Lee
Bosses: Zero / Igniz

I have never played KOF 2000 so the only game I can compare this to is KOF 99.The reappearing fighters has had their animations updated and polished and it looks like there is more animation than KOF 99. The art style looks influenced by Garou: Mark of Wolves and Real Bout : Fatal Fury with a slightly cartoony design but a darker color pallet. The animation in this game puts Disney to shame and gives Capcom and Sammy a run for their money. The game squeezes more and more out of the 12 year old NeoGeo hardware and this game stands up next to Street Fighter 3 for fluidity and game play.

The music is good and is a mixture of classic videogame music and Asian drum and base techno.

The backgrounds are detailed and good. There are some that show the limitations of the NeoGeo hardware but that is because I have been spoiled by Guilty Gear X and the NAOMI (Dreamcast arcade) based Capcom games.

The game play is slick and has a groove system that is more like Capcom style than SNK charging. You can choose to have the for people on your team as normal fighters or the assign them as strikers to jump in and assist combos. The strikers need to be charged over the fight and are not instantly accessible as they are in KOF 99. I like the new system better and the strikers are very useful.

There are some really good new fighters and it is enough to get over version creep. KOF2001 feel like a new game and it really shines with the new fighters like Kula, K9999, Vanessa and May Lee.

The Bosses are well.. Bosses as they should be. They are harder than hell even on the easiest setting. I felt like screaming after being slaughtered practically instantly by the final boss and I laughed a mad laugh when I finally beat him.

The Dreamcast version also features a single play mode that more resembles Street fighter, a Gallery of unlock-able illustrations and Puzzle mode.

Puzzle mode is a rather slick blend of Capcom puzzle fighter and Pyo Pyo using the KOF people. I like it a lot and look forward to playing it with BBQ.

It is ironic that one of the best NeoGeo games was made after the death of SNK but if this game is any indication the NeoGeo legacy is in good hands and I look forward to Playmore moving to a more powerful hardware platform. Not to mention probably the last new Sega Dreamcast game I will ever buy.

I would suggest this game to everyone who has a Dreamcast and loves 2d fighting games. I hope that Playmore is at E3 and announces an American home ports of more of their games.

Yes EvilNinja, you should get this one.

Update:Gabe of Penny Arcade has a good review of this game if you want to hear about it from another SNK and Dreamcast freak.