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Overview

More often than not, when a former 2D franchise goes 3D, especially a fighter, it usually equals a recipe for disappointment…even disaster. King of Fighters: Maximum Impact (KOFMI) seems to be a rare exception to this rule. While KOFMI is by no means perfection, or a 9 course gourmet meal, it comes fairly close to it. The game surprisingly manages to keep much of the charm and attention to detail for which the 2D KOFs have become famous. While many of these “SNK touches” and charms are seemingly ignored by many reviewers thus far, I will say something (in fear of defending them)…Many of SNK’s “touches” in KOF MI should be obvious to an SNK fan/follower, while some are not so noticeable, especially to someone who doesn’t follow the company and the awesome games they’ve created. Such “outsiders,” I’ll call them, cannot or will not appreciate the gameplay and style of this game. Yet KOFMI’s gameplay is surprising—in a good way—to say the least. More on gameplay later… For now, this reviewer will attempt to construct a fairly comprehensive review of KOF: Maximum Impact for the Sony Playstation 2 video game console.

Graphics 7.5/10
Graphically, I will say that KOFMI is pleasing to the eyes. I would say it’s comparable to the recent Bloody Roar 4 and much better than Street Fighter EX 3 and Tekken Tag Tournament from the days of the PS2’s launch. The character models are well-detailed, and some extremely pleasing to look at, like newcomers Lien Neville and Chae Lim. Veterans like Mai Shiranui, who now has her “bounce” back after a censored KOF 2000/2001 Combo Pack, and Yuri Sakazaki are also worth mentioning, but all the character models are well-made, their movements and animation are smooth. The win poses were even translated into 3D superbly, I think. The in-game moves, special moves, DM’s etcetera, were also well translated, and I can tell some motion capture is at work here. Unfortunately, the texture mapping leaves the characters looking a bit flat, but still an overall good job by SNK for a first effort.

When I first heard that this game was in development, I was concerned about how the developers would translate the characters’ fireballs, projectiles, and other particle effects into 3D without them looking out of place and sub-par compared to their 2D counterparts. After all, games like Tekken really seem to do a fairly yucky job of creating flames and certain particle effects with their characters’ moves, and I definitely didn’t want my KOF characters to fall in with this unimpressive trend. I am elated to report that the projectiles in this game look excellent, vibrant and colorful and right at home with the character models and huge, lush environments. Speaking of environments, they are some kind of beautiful—well, most of them. While they are by no means the most beautiful I have seen in a 3D fighter, they do look much better than I had anticipated. While I really liked Chae Lim’s Lost World waterfall stage, Yuri’s Ancient Ruins stage is just plain desolate. I would have loved to have seen some actual onlookers there, at least one or two…but the fact that it is huge, deserted, and far and away from civilization seems….spooky. While fighting there, a couple of times I found myself thinking “Please, please can I leave this eerie place? Please? Did I say PLEASE?”

On a good note, there are some very neat cameos from KOF characters that failed to make the roster. For instance, I spotted Yashiro and Goro standing beside each other upon playing at the Esaka Neo Geo Land stage. I looked a little bit down towards the corner and noticed Ramon cheering the fight on as well. I also noticed Geese Howard sitting in a chair in the dojo stage. Over all, the environments are great and show that SNK still pays excellent attention to detail. From the leaves floating past the television screen before littering the ground, to a parked car rocking to a stop after Maxima jumps off of its roof, to yet another car raising a few inches off the ground as Seth exits the vehicle, it’s obvious that much effort was put into this game. I do wish some of the environments were interactive, though.

The game intro is well done, not too long or too short really. The graphical style of the intro is nearly on par with Tekken 4’s intro in my opinion, though it was obviously not as expensive to make as Tekken 4’s.

Other notable features (or lack thereof) is interaction between characters, which is present and yet also practically non-existent. Surprisingly, most characters do not interact with one another. In the case of siblings, like Ryo and Yuri, and Alba and Soiree, there is a nice exchange of words. Besides that, with practically no exclusions, not even the biggest rivals are given special intros in Story Mode. Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami are not even required to face each other in this mode, so they clearly have no dialogue. Terry Bogard and Ryo Sakazaki do happen to face one another, but I noticed no specific conversation between them. The emphasis, it seems, is placed instead on the new characters and most character-specific dialogue is limited to them. This is kind of expected and acceptable, since SNK is known for having their older characters take a backseat to newer characters. However, the Ikari Warriors (Ralf, Clark and Leona) have a small amount of pre-fight interaction, and there are a couple other instances of interaction amongst certain character match-ups, but for the most part, this concept is upsettingly underused in KOFMI. The good news is that the Versus Modes provide a couple of instances of pretty good character interaction. What stand out the most is the exchange between Kyo and Iori. They even have the famous "What color is your flames" dialogue. K' and Kyo don't really have anything special to say to each other. Surprisingly enoughly, K' doesn't even greet his friend Maxima either, nor does Ralf greet Clark.. .KOF is a series famous for character interactions, and the fact that this is missing in Story Mode makes it feel somehow less than a KOF game. Perhaps SNK will listen to players’ feedback and correct this issue in the sequel.

I’ve already mentioned how much I enjoyed seeing how the win poses were translated into 3D. Regrettably, most of the English voiceovers accompanying these poses are less than stellar. But I’ll address my one issue with the sound in a bit.

Gameplay/Controls 7.5/10
Gameplay is always the meat (and potatoes) of any fighter. Without a competent fighting engine and combo system, players would be reduced to playing a game that is shallow, pretty much unplayable and unenjoyable. KOFMI plays very much like its 2 Dimensional counterpart(s). You still have your basic SNK fighter button layout/setup: Light Punch, Strong Punch, Light Kick, and Strong Kick. Still present are the throws or “Body Slams,” as they are called in the game, which are achieved by pressing Forward or Back on the D-pad/joystick and pressing S. Punch or S. Kick when close to an opponent. You can escape a throw by pressing Back on the d-pad/joystick, plus either Triangle or Circle (default) Players can still dash forward, back step, and there is NO BLOCK BUTTON (“YES!”)…Blocking is achieved by pressing back on the D-pad/joystick or down/back for a crouching or “low” block.

Desperation Moves (called DOA Thrashing, WTF?) are also still a significant part of the series. Players are given a Power Gauge that fills slightly when a move connects. The gauge starts at “0,” but when the gauge fills ups once, the number “1” appears to the left of the gauge for Player 1 or to the right of the gauge for Player 2. When the gauge fills up with 3 bars, the word “MAX” appears instead of the number “3” (assuming that the player doesn’t use the gauge prior to it completely filling up). This gauge is used to do DM’s, or Desperation Moves (indicated on the Move List with 1 yellow star). This means that you must have at least the 1 full bar, which is indicated by the number “1” beside the gauge. SDMs, or Super Desperation Moves, are indicated with 2 yellow stars, and require—you guessed it—a gauge that reads at least “2.” Some moves, however, like Ryo’s life-draining super punch consumes a totally MAXed gauge. Be careful with moves like this; however, if your opponent blocks this particular move, Ryo will have drained his entire gauge back to “0,” and will have to build his gauge back up from scratch. If this move connects, conversely, it will deplete about 80 percent of your opponent’s life meter.

There are also new features added to the already enjoyable gameplay of KOFMI. These features add quite a bit to the gameplay and strategy of the game and are germane to the now 3D characters’ survival …The most notable new feature is the Sidestep, which allows the player to dodge the attack of an opponent and counter-attack him from the other side. This is achieved by pressing R1, while the Outward Sidestep is achieved by pressing Down + R1 (default, of course). Players can perform a “Blow Back Attack” by pressing R2 as well as an Aerial Blow Back by pressing R2 while in the air—this was formerly called a “Knockdown Attack”. While this move is not really new to the KOF series, the name has been changed so I am placing it here so that all those who thought it was new may realize that the two terms have the same meaning.

Another significant new feature is the (Forward / Backward) Emergency Evasion. Using good judgment and sufficient timing, a player can totally evade an oncoming attack by pressing either forward and R1 to evade and pursue your opponent, or Back and R1 to evade and flee from your enemy. Additional defensive features include Fall Break (press R1 prior to being knocked down), and throw escape (which I mentioned earlier). There are Cancel Rolls (Back or Forward + R1 during block/guard), which allow players to roll out of an enemy’s attack while in a guarding position. By pressing R2 in the guard position, you may also perform a Guard Cancel Attack, turning your defense into offense instantly. Unfortunately, though, all of these “cancel moves” deplete one bar from the power gauge.

“Stylish Moves” have also been added. To do these, simply enter the commands specific to your character after doing certain special moves. Make sure your timing is spot-on, however. Practice and experiment with these for some powerful combos!

Okay. Now it’s time for something less objective—my opinion! This is my review after all! The game’s speed is a breath of fresh air, fast, frenzied, and extremely challenging. The game does have some balance issues, but not nearly to the extreme degree of Marvel Versus Capcom 2 or SVC: Chaos. The AI seems a bit repetitive to say the least, as it loves to punish players foolish enough (myself included) to get knocked down. This is especially true of the final boss, Duke. While he is nowhere near as cheap as Igniz from KOF 2001 or even most versions of Rugal Bernstein, he is a handful, particularly when playing the game on “Expert” or higher. I honestly haven’t tried the “Maniac” difficulty setting yet—for fear I might soil myself—but I plan to very soon. The game is far from cheap, however, and the controls are responsive but also seem just a little bit sloppy in a couple of areas. All in all, though seasoned KOF players will initially have to get “used to” or accustomed to the 2D gameplay with 3D elements. This experience is new, and yet VERY familiar at the same time.

Sound/Music 9/10
First off, I would like to get the bad part out of the way. The voiceovers are atrocious overall. There, I said it. Immediately, Rock Howard’s voiceover comes to mind. Rock’s voice sounds way too mature…it is gruff and throaty, and they could not have done worse by hiring James Earle Jones to do his voice acting…Terrible! Terry Bogard’s voiceover also comes to mind. While it is not as unbearable to listen to as Rock’s voice, it does sound like a cross between adult Goku from the Dragon Ball series and Lion-O lord of the Thunder Cats. (Or maybe I’m hearing or overanalyzing things?)… K’, my favorite character, is given a very inconsistent voiceover. In one breath, he sounds totally bad-ass, and in another breath, he just sounds…generic. I could go on and on, but there are so many character voices that do not seem to fit the character that it would take this entire review to mention them all. In this game’s defense, I will say that Iori Yagami, Ryo Sakazaki, Duke, and most of the other newcomers’ voiceovers were really first-rate. With so few good voiceovers, however, I still can’t help but hope that the rumors of the original Japanese voices being unlockable are true.

Sound effects are topnotch. They sound crisp, clear and right in synch with the character movements. The thud of blocked kicks and punches, the smack of connected attacks, the swishing of missed pokes and kicks, even the colossal thump of Duke hitting the pavement, all sound right in line with what a fighter should sound like.

Noise Factory is credited with providing the music for this game, and it shows…uh…sounds like…it! For those unfamiliar, Noise Factory (I believe a subsidiary of SNK Playmore) is the marvelous company behind the music of recent Neo Geo fighters, Atlus’ Matrimelee: Power Instinct 4 and Evoga’s Rage of the Dragons. For those unfamiliar with those games, I am sorry. You might want to play them sometime or find the videogame Soundtracks. You won’t regret it. Of all the music, which is proportionately unbelievable, my personal favorites include the music that accompanies the game’s introduction, the South Town, Iron Hell, and the Parking Area’s themes. Basically every track complements the fast gameplay and the generally upbeat feel and evolution of the series.

Replay Value 8/10
Game modes include a Story Mode, Versus Mode, Challenge Mode, Practice Mode, Profile Mode, and Options Mode—that’s 6 basic modes for the mathematically challenged.

Again, Story Mode mostly focuses on the new characters in the series. The new characters’ stories vary tremendously from the veteran characters that basically get the same physically “rehashed” story—the dialogue is somewhat different for each returning character. During Story Mode, each returning character is greeted by Hyena, a funny-looking, big-nosed gentleman in an ugly yellow suit, who reveals that the true organization behind this year’s KOF Tournament is called Mephistopheles. Each character comments on how “ominous” or “sinister” the organization’s name is, while Hyena explains the rules. After about 7 battles against different opponents, players reach the boss character, Duke. Upon defeating him, each character “lets” Duke get away and finds the phrase “I’ll see you in Hell” written in blood on the cold, marble floor. Completing Story Mode unlocks the corresponding member’s profile in Profile Mode as well as his/her “Rigging Model,” which I’ll explain later. Players can unlock Duke by beating Story Mode with both Alba and Soiree.

Versus Mode includes Single 1 on 1, where 1 player versus the computer. Single Versus is a 1 on 1 game between two human opponents. Team Play allows 1 player to form a team of 3 characters reminiscent of the original 2D KOF. Team Versus provides two human opponents the opportunity to battle against each other with teams of 3 fighters.

Challenge Mode includes a Mission Mode, which gives the player certain conditions to meet in order to defeat each opponent in battle. If a player is having trouble completing a particular mission, he is given the option to move on to another mission. You can also unlock additional colors for each character and hidden stages in this mode by completing each mission. Time Attack Mode pits you against computer opponents in a race against the clock. Players must clear this mode completely or break a time record to enter his name/initials on the ranking list.

Practice Mode allows you to practice character moves and combos.

In Profile Mode each character’s profile opens up when a player completes Story Mode with that specific character. Profiles include personal information about the characters, like their back stories and favorite foods, hobbies, etcetera. Also included is the character’s “Rigging Model,” which basically gives each character additional gear like the simple guitar strapped to Iori’s back, or an entirely new look like Lien’s second model’s pirate costume. You can choose to change the character to its Rigging Mode model or you can leave them with their original looks/outfits. I personally like Alba’s 1 model rigging model, which puts him in a cool ninja outfit with swords and the whole nine yards.

Option Mode allows you to change the default game settings.

KOFMI might not have thousands of unlockables and secrets like Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance or MK: Deception or even the Soul Calibur series, but compared to all previous KOF home releases, it’s a huge step in the right direction.

Overall 8/10
Well, KOFMI is a very pleasant surprise. I would even go so far as to call it the best 3D game of 2004. Of course, I really enjoy 3D games with 2D gameplay, and this is the best example of one that I’ve played since the Rival Schools series, so I am biased that way. It proves many of the naysayers wrong, and while it’s not perfect, it is indeed a fun and very good fighter. The overall package is impressive, from the “low profile” but tasteful cover art to the free DVD and Terry Bogard cap (that I am still waiting “patiently” to receive). The new characters are a welcomed addition to the series—Falcoon did an excellent job with the character designs! Alba, Soiree, Chae Lim and Lien are awesome character designs. In my opinion, Mignon and Duke are nothing to write home about, but I’ve seen worse. Look at some of Tekken’s character designs and you’ll see what I mean!

If you don’t have the game yet, you won’t believe that the instruction manual is in FULL COLOR for the first time it seems in ages. This is terrific, since most Capcom and SNK fighting game manuals have been continually printed in black and white, while Japanese gamers ALWAYS get full-color ones. The DVD even comes with a booklet that has each character’s move list—even Duke’s! Moreover, the game has a nice character select screen, well designed menus, a decent number of secrets and unlockables, and that classic KOF gameplay feel to it! Sure, there are a few mistakes made in a couple of the character profiles, and some of the English voiceovers fail to hold up against the characters’ lip movements. However, the interesting and respectable roster and the character cameos are enough to persuade me to forgive them…this time. Who said it couldn’t be done? Who said it couldn’t be done well? Not me…but whomever said it can now take a big ol’ bite of K’s “crow” in 3D!

- by Crimson Dash