| The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact review |
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Innovation is what should be the driving force behind games - this is a commonly-held belief and, if that's the case, then the King Of Fighters series should have been considered dead and buried long ago. So far there have been nine true iterations, from The King of Fighters '94 through to KoF2003, with some slight deviations along the way in the form of The King of Fighters '99 Evolution (KoF '99 with 3D backdrops) and the Quiz King of Fighters games (obscure, Japanese-only releases). Each version (barring Evolution) has been developed solely for the ageing Neo Geo console, and The King of Fighters can be viewed as the ’Rocky’ of fighting games: each iteration adds a few more characters, a roster of new backdrops, yet it retains the arguably successful formula of its predecessors. Even the sprites remain largely unchanged from KoF '94.
SNK Playmore have realised that there's no more cash to be made from a 2D King of Fighters game. The latest 2D iteration - The King of Fighters 2003 - has made little to no impact on the scene, and arcades all but ignore the machines. So, using the capabilities of the Playstation2, SNK Playmore have thrown the game into the third dimension.
What's so immediately striking, though, is how similar the game looks to its 2D counterpart. Dodging is similar to the KoF '98 style, rather than the '99 style, and not only can the characters dodge backwards and forwards, but there are two additional buttons to activate the 3D fighter's perennial buddy, the sidestep. Most of the moves have been included (with a few exceptions), but easily the most nostalgic aspect of the game is derived from the character models. Each has been gorgeously animated to look precisely how you'd expect them to look in 3D: K' has his trademark lazy swagger, Terry (Especially in his Garou: Mark of the Wolves outfit) looks incredible as he sizes-up his opponent at the start of the round.
Apart from moves, though, this is where the similarities end. Amongst the King of Fighters fan base, the biggest bone of contention with KoF: MI stems from the combo system. In the 2D games, each button press was an individual attack; it wasn't possible to press the same button twice to pull off a smooth combo in the same was as, say, Virtua Fighter 4. However, in Maximum Impact, each character has a few chain combinations, appropriately named "Stylish Arts". For example, pressing Strong Kick, Strong Punch, Strong Kick with Iori Yagami performs a roundhouse, punch, then a launching kick, and this is where the game excels - there's so much opportunity to create your own combos: you could launch straight into a Desperation Move (Think Super Arts from Street Fighter) from here, or dash forward and carry the juggle on. The possibilities are nigh-on endless, and only through plenty of experimentation will you learn the best uses of them all. Many of the Stylish Arts are cancellable, so you can perform half a Stylish Art, cancel at a key point, and continue with another. Watching a seasoned player simply makes the mind boggle: massive chunks of energy can be battered away in a series of Stylish Arts and Desperation Moves.
The main aim of developing a fighting game these days is to create a title that can be enjoyed by players of all skill levels, and is completely balanced so that it can be played competitively in tournament conditions. This means that the game must feature balanced characters, and there must also be plenty of scope for improvement. In Street Fighter III, the difference between amateur and professional players was immense, due to the different layers of knowledge that a player must progress through before they are truly tournament-standard material. They had to learn - nay, master - the parry, chains, links, kara-throws, kara-cancels, and then develop a style of play which was unpredictable and damaging. King of Fighters: Maximum Impact doesn't have this layer of depth.
The move from 2D to 3D has stripped-out many of the elements that made the King of Fighters stand alongside the best that Capcom could offer in the mid Nineties. In the 2D incarnations, when pulling off certain special moves, each character had a split-second of ‘Invincibility time’. In a roundabout way, it was the precursor to Street Fighter III’s parry system, in that you had to anticipate an opponent’s attack in advance, and counter it effectively. Between advanced players, it encouraged a slower pace, yet this is completely missing in Maximum Impact. SNK Playmore have essentially tried to move away from the series’ roots, but at a slight detriment to the balance of the game; it’s now shifting away from the precise, tournament-based gameplay of the original titles, and towards a showcase of special moves, supers and combos. This is not automatically a bad thing, but the prospective purchaser must be aware that this game cannot be played in tournament conditions, much like SNK Playmore’s previous nostalgia-ridden title, SNK vs Capcom Chaos.
As far as play modes go, KoF: MI features a story mode (read: Arcade mode with cutscenes), Challenge Mode, Practice Mode, and Versus Mode. The Challenge Mode features a series of various objectives, such as pulling off a four-hit combo, beating an enemy without blocking, or simply getting two rounds off an opponent in a row. It’s hardly thrilling or especially taxing stuff, but by completing the mission mode, you unlock different stages and palette-swaps for the characters.
Most of the stages look plain awful, though. Perhaps it’s another side effect of SNK Playmore’s insistence on using the Renderware API, but texture quality, choice of colours (Check the Disco stage for a perfect example) and art direction make the stages look like they were ripped directly from launch PlayStation2 games. It even features an homage to Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution’s Rooftop stage, incorporating a carbon copy complete with circling helicopter, then fails in its intentions by looking rather drab in comparison. Considering the title is Playstation2-exclusive, one has to wonder why SNK Playmore went down the Renderware route, rather than write directly to the metal.
KoF: MI is certainly a lot better than it could have been. SNK Playmore have made a brave attempt at recreating the longest running 2D fighting series in 3D, but something has been lost in the transition, and the result is an entirely new beast. Whilst not suited to tournament play in the slightest, there’s plenty of scope for having fun juggling opponents and letting rip with massive combos. Let's hope The King of Fighters: Neowave will take up the tournament reins sometime soon. |
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System: Sony PlayStation 2
Genre: Fighter
Developer: SNK Playmore
Publisher: SNK Playmore
Players: 1-2
Version: Japan
Writer: Tom Salter
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Pros:
- Characters now look great in 3D
- Stylish Arts genuinely add to the series
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Cons:
- Graphically a little drab
- Not suited for tournament play
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