justdefend
Quiz Detective
- Joined
- May 20, 2003
- Posts
- 87
Just picked this up for the MVS and KOF 2003 has got to be one of the best in the series. After the series went to Eolith it was apparent that they didn't know the hardware well and couldn't add much freshness to the series.
KOF 2003 really goes all out to impress and it does. The tag gameplay keeps the fight tense and adds a lot of depth that doesn't come off cheap since it's coordinated with the power meter. Control is tight, play is fast, and cancels, counters, everything works as it should. The landing roll is another addition that keeps the pace quick.
The character roster is amazing. It's a lot of old and new mixed in together - yes Billy Kane!! - and the veterans FINALLY get revamped sprites. Terry is done very well in the MOTW outfit. It seems like the developer made an effort to make him look younger than his MOTW sprite, nice attention to detail. Kyo is slimmed down in a new outfit that gives him more edge. Robert's new stance is DOPE. The new fireball kick is great. Athena is the cutest she's ever been in that frilly dress outfit. Yuri is made over anime style looks great. A few of her animations use her old sprite which is strage, but overall she receives a big revamp. The only disappointment is Mai. She's a favorite and didn't receive any sprite remake other than a new super move frame. Still gotta love her redone quotes though. King is back, thank god. A special mention goes out to Blue Mary's death scream "I will retuuuurrrn!"
The new team - Ash, Duo Lon, and Shen Woo are well defined and extremely playable. Duo Lon's wierdness is pretty impressive, plus his sprite scale kick is sweet. Newcomer Malin is nice to look out but she could be faster and have a better arsenal.
The backgrounds - GOD - are gorgeous. They don't have the animated particulars or intros of the classic KOFs but there are some of the best seen in a long time. The train station, cemetary, rooftop [SNK and Neo Geo logos!], China, forest stages are great to look at - drawn and animated very well.
The sound is great, back to the jazzy tunes heard in 95 and 96. They're simple and aren't technological masterpieces, but they have a retro feel that works.
This is a must have. One of the best KOFs in the series and certainly a new starting point for the franchise. Here's lookin to 2004.
KOF 2003 really goes all out to impress and it does. The tag gameplay keeps the fight tense and adds a lot of depth that doesn't come off cheap since it's coordinated with the power meter. Control is tight, play is fast, and cancels, counters, everything works as it should. The landing roll is another addition that keeps the pace quick.
The character roster is amazing. It's a lot of old and new mixed in together - yes Billy Kane!! - and the veterans FINALLY get revamped sprites. Terry is done very well in the MOTW outfit. It seems like the developer made an effort to make him look younger than his MOTW sprite, nice attention to detail. Kyo is slimmed down in a new outfit that gives him more edge. Robert's new stance is DOPE. The new fireball kick is great. Athena is the cutest she's ever been in that frilly dress outfit. Yuri is made over anime style looks great. A few of her animations use her old sprite which is strage, but overall she receives a big revamp. The only disappointment is Mai. She's a favorite and didn't receive any sprite remake other than a new super move frame. Still gotta love her redone quotes though. King is back, thank god. A special mention goes out to Blue Mary's death scream "I will retuuuurrrn!"
The new team - Ash, Duo Lon, and Shen Woo are well defined and extremely playable. Duo Lon's wierdness is pretty impressive, plus his sprite scale kick is sweet. Newcomer Malin is nice to look out but she could be faster and have a better arsenal.
The backgrounds - GOD - are gorgeous. They don't have the animated particulars or intros of the classic KOFs but there are some of the best seen in a long time. The train station, cemetary, rooftop [SNK and Neo Geo logos!], China, forest stages are great to look at - drawn and animated very well.
The sound is great, back to the jazzy tunes heard in 95 and 96. They're simple and aren't technological masterpieces, but they have a retro feel that works.
This is a must have. One of the best KOFs in the series and certainly a new starting point for the franchise. Here's lookin to 2004.
