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Overview
I was sifting through my collection of PC and PlayStation CD's. Having none of the "Big Three" consoles, and having tired of Capcom fighters (for now). I was looking for some other 2D fighter to play. Then I stumbled upon a CD with two flame-wielding bishounen on the cover. The King of Fighters '97, it proudly advertised. I realized that this was the first KoF that I had seriously played, ever. So, for old time's sake, and for shits and giggles, I decided to play through this baby again.

The last and probably the best KoF of the Orochi Saga, King of Fighters '97 is a big improvement in more ways than one. It refined the graphics, gameplay, and controls of the KoF games before it. It arguably has the best story of all the King of Fighters games. In my opinion, it is one of the games that propelled the KoF series, nay, SNK itself, to new heights. It's not perfect, but its mechanics and style paved the way for the "Super Turbo of SNK", King of Fighters '98. So, it's definitely worth a second look.

Most of the previous KoF cast game return in '97. As with most King of Fighters games, it is the newcomers that make an impact. The Women's Team of '96 changed a member- Kasumi Todo left, and in her place is mid boss of '96 (toned down of course), Chizuru "the mirror lady" Kagura. Kyo's student, Shingo Yabuki, makes his debut as a single entry (the other single entry being Iori). Two new teams are in The King of Fighters '97 as well. One of them is the '97 Special Team, composed of Billy Kane, Yamazaki, and Blue Mary. The other one is the New Faces Team (NFT), a band composed of Yashiro Nanakase, Chris, and (my personal favorite) Shermie.

There are six hidden characters in this game. To stay in theme with the Orochi Saga, almost all hidden characters are Orochi in nature. The most prominent of these characters is Orochi Iori. This is the Iori from the Yagami Team ending '96, one who has entered the Riot of the Blood. He's a Iori who takes hits poorly, but is tremendously fast, and deals a lot of damage with his moves. Another Riot of the Blood character is Orochi Leona (who is, you guessed it, a wild Leona with a speed and power boost). Then there's Kyo94, the old version of Kyo with a fireball. The three remaining hidden characters can be collectively called the Orochi NFT. It's Yashiro, Chris, and Shermie with a special and super moves makeover (elemental moves more or less based off the Fire, Lightning and Earth attributes that define the members of the Kyo Team).

The final boss is the fabled Orochi, the god who wears pantsâ„¢. At first, he seems to be menacing and formidable (the opening voice clip alone = 0_o). He has quite a few screen filling moves, and two powerful supers: a "sunlight" one (fills the whole screen, which had me wondering-- did it inspire Capcom to make the Seraphic Wing for Gill) and a vacuuming "soul crush" one. But alas, as one plays through the game, he or she is bound to discover that Orochi is laughably easy to defeat, leaving himself open to attack more often than any other SNK boss in recent memory. In fact, besting the mid bosses (Orochi Iori or Leona, and then the Orochi NFT) poses a greater challenge then Orochi himself. This is one of the few times where you can say "easy" and mean it.

Graphics 7.5/10
The graphics are average. The backgrounds are more colorful and crowd-filled than the previous KoF's. There are a lot of details in each background (such as the camera crews in most stages, and the infamous color-changing Bali chicken ). And the boss stages had me awestruck. The blood red backdrop when you face Orochi Iori, the flame, lightning bolt, and lava effects when fighting the Orochi NFT, and the kaleidoscope patterns when fighting Orochi-the background details were fantastic. The sprites are still solid. The PSX version, however, has a few frames missing here and there (most notably in the grapples and grapple supers), to save memory. This does not affect the game much. The flame, fireball, electricity, hit sparks, blood, and other effects are still there. This game was eye candy for me when I first played it, and it still is today.

Gameplay/Controls 8/10
Gameplay is solid. In this game, you get to choose between two modes, Advanced and Extra. These modes affect your moves (defense and super meter in particular). Advanced plays like a Capcom style fighter, with a 3-level bar, and the ability to perform DM's when the bar is at least 1 stock full. When equipped with two stocks or more, one can press A+B+C to "break" (use up) one stock. This opens up at timer, and SDM's can now be performed while it is running. Advanced mode has the dash, roll and recovery roll as its perks. As for Extra mode, it plays like the KoF '94-'95. One must manually charge the super bar (using A+B+C) to be able to perform DM's, and when at red life, one can perform DM's indefinitely. SDM's can be performed when down to red life only, and when the super bar has been fully charged. Extra mode has the hop and the (old school) dodge as its features. To my knowledge, both modes have the C+D and aerial C+D knockdowns, and the short jump (the diagonal leap). The gameplay is smoother this time around, because the motions and controls have been improved from King of Fighters '96 (they feel more responsive to me). No more breaking your wrist just to send that Haoh Shokoken flying towards your opponent's face. Oh yes.

There is also some sort of helper system, defined by the smiley face icons: It defines the relationship of the members of the team you formed.

^_^ - Happy. This means a cheerful character will help you out of a dizzy/throw if he or she is an idle (background character). You are to press A+B+C (rapidly) when dizzied/grabbed, and this is supposed to summon your idle teammate for an assist or 'cover attack'.

In addition, 'happy' characters add one full Stock to the Advanced Mode as they enter a round (amount on the Advanced Mode meter is retained for the next round too).

'_' - Neutral. This means you may or may not be helped. Advanced Mode meter remains as is for the round wherein this character will enter.

>_< - Mad. The character will not help you, and you will lose any Advanced Mode meter gained by the previous character prior to K.O.

Usually a character will don a happy face icon if he or she is with default teammates. On the other hand, a character will become neutral or mad when partnered with someone else, or with their natural enemies (Kyo with Iori, Shermie with Chizuru, and so on).

Sound/Music 7/10
The sound is, to say the least, experimental. As with the arcade version, the PlayStation KoF '97, for the most part, has no tracks. Instead, ambient sounds make up most of the game's sound. Only a select few characters (and the bosses) have tracks. In the PSX version, the AST tracks are used. Yes, sir, this means Athena's theme has lyrics in it! The piano, guitar, and voices spice up the game. The AST tracks make the loading times bearable. Almost.

Replay Value 8.5/10
As with the other console versions of the KoF games, there are features aplenty. The alternate gameplay modes are there: single play (frankly, I could never understand why they put this in a team-oriented game :P), and two survival modes, survivor score and survivor time attack. The practice mode is solid as well, enabling both players to duke it out without fear of the KO. The main menu "private mode" is nice. It takes you to the image galleries chock-full of official art and fan art. It also lets you listen to the AST songs as you browse. Lastly, a clip previewing the RPG King of Fighters: Kyo can be viewed in private mode.

Overall 8/10
The King of Fighters '97 is not without its faults. The tiers are skewed. Orochi Iori and Orochi Leona are absolute beasts, their attack power and speed making them clearly head and shoulders above the competition. The Orochi NFT is quite strong. Some of the regular characters have powerful and abusable stuff too (sup Power-Charge-happy Terry, hello Extra Mode Kyokugen team). These things are enough to make the tourney players and KoF experts utter that dreaded phrase: "OMG, BROKEN"! Considering that this is a console version, the loading times, animation choppiness, and occasional slowdown abound. This tends to be a turn-off for many players.

In summary, the King of Fighters '97 is a solid game in KoF series. I feel that this game showcases both SNK's strengths (presentation, storyline, and the one-player experience overall) and weaknesses (use of the old hardware, the tiers and balance issue due to the hidden characters). If you must play this game again, and can forego viewing the gallery goodies, by all means play the rom arcade version, and just avoid the PSX (and earlier) console versions of the first few KoF's. It is a wonderful trip down memory lane. It familiarized me to the KoF games, broadened my horizons beyond the Capcom aspect of fighting games, and introduced me to Shermie. As mentioned in the introductory paragraphs, it ultimately became the precursor to the greatness that is KoF '98. If you're a devoted SNK fan, I say it's a decent addition to your collection.

- By Photon