Posted on: April 8, 2024
GameboiFanatic
Games: 101 Reviews: 1
The actual game of KoF 2003 (not port)
2003 is one of my favorite KoF's ever, and a great final entry on the original NeoGeo system. The music isn't that great in the OST, but much better on the AST, and the roster could be a little larger, but the rest of the game is awesome. This game was not only the end of the NeoGeo era for KoF but also the start of a new Saga in the story, Tales of Ash, following Ash Crimson, a sorta Villain Hero, who looks pretty effeminate for a man (boy, as he's 16 in this one iirc) rocking a beehive hairstyle, and fighting in a not-so aggressive way compared to the hot headed Kyo Kusanagi. He is a little similar to Guile from Street Fighter with his special techniques but more specialized, not doing much damage or being too crazy, just having a good projectile and reversal but he works, he works well since this game lets you swap between team members on the fly. It lets a character like him thrive, and almost the entire cast is great, as even the worst characters are still decent. Another great part of the roster was the introduction of Garou: Mark of the Wolves characters into KoF, as this is the tenth game, matching the ten year timeskip that that game had in its own story. Terry wears his outfit from Garou, and Andy is on hiatus from the Fatal Fury team to train Hokutomaru, being substituted by el Griffon, Tizoc. Even the Outlaw Team of '97 follows, instead of Blue Mary her spot is taken by Gato, Blue Mary is on the Womens' Team in this one. While the actual story for this game specifically isn't too hot, it does bring the series back to the vibes of the Orochi Saga, bringing back Chizuru Kagura as a hidden character and secret boss, and having the first canon appearance of Kusanagi (with rerecorded voicelines too). Graphics in this game aren't the best, you can see compression artifacts in prerendered stage assets, but sprites still look great. Controls are still responsive, and this game has that feel only KoF has, definitely a classic.
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