KING OF FIGHTERS EVOLUTION

by Shimitar: God of the Universe

[Editor's Note: Some listings of this game omit the "99" and list the game as "The King of Fighters Evolution."  Don't confuse "King of Fighters '99 Evolution," which is a port of KoF '99 with special features (bonus strikers like KOF2k's Vanessa and Seth), with the similarly titled "King of Fighters Dream Match 1999," which is actually a port of KoF '98! Confused yet? -Bobak! ]

King of Fighters Evolution – American Release

Being a huge Dreamcast fan and a greater SNK fan I just had to pick this one up. I actually played KOF 2000 before this one, but both are great. At a very cheap price of 30 dollars, any Neo fan can get this one and have the same experiences of a Neo cart. 

Graphics: 9

The graphics are comparable to the Neo Geo but the characters are slightly smaller. Also from Dream Match 99, 3-D backgrounds were included. But they are much better than Dream Match. As usual KOF special effects always amaze me, and the Dreamcast version is no exception, this game is a true arcade experience. The backgrounds are amazing, and I enjoyed all the fluid animation of the characters. Since this was an Agetec release, there is no blood, and there were some other things edited from the AES cart, but these are only minor things, and it doesn’t affect the gameplay so the game is still enjoyable. Some characters have great outfits as well. 

Sound: 10

The Dreamcast version always uses the AST to KOF tracks. KOF Evolution has some of the best music in any KOF. Every track has been arranged to high quality for the CD, and Kyo’s Tears track is probably the best song I heard in KOF, in my opinion. The music never stops in a fight until a team or single character has won a battle, so unlike Dream Match there are no flaws in the music. The voices and sound effects are pretty much the same as the other KOFs. 

Gameplay: 9

I like KOF Evolution gameplay, but it isn’t as good as KOF 98’s or KOF 2000’s. This game first introduces strikers, which are fun, but KOF 2000 has a more advanced striker system. Gone is the emergency escape system, which I loved by the way. This game introduces a more offensive dodging system, where you stay standing while dodging, and when dodging back, you dodge forward towards the opponent again. I really didn’t like this but it wasn’t all that bad, I got use to it but I really missed the emergency escape system. The striker system also is not as advanced as KOF 2000 as mentioned earlier because, you can only call strikers from certain positions, which limits the possibilities of creating your own devastating combos like in KOF 2000. There were also major changes in characters, such as Robert. He was one of my favorites, and they made him a charge only character and I really didn’t like that, but it’s not a big deal. Other than that this an excellent game!  

Replay: 10

KOF Evolution is very enjoyable game. This game will probably get a better reaction than the AES cart among friends who don’t own a Neo. This would be because they aren’t use to the joysticks, but are better with the Dreamcast controllers, which I am by the way. Since the Dreamcast controllers are smaller and have the special four button layout, I would prefer them. They would probably be frustrated playing with the Neo joystick; I know I was when I first started playing with it. This game is also for those who don’t own or can’t afford a Neo and its games, and at 30 dollars you can’t beat such a great bargain. Agetec is really helping SNK in America, and I’m glad we have a company like them to release games for other systems. Only if the Dreamcast could stay alive! 

Overall: 9.5

(Here's an alternate cover of the same game)

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More Reviews of This Game:

by Bobak!

by Kyo2000

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