KOF 2002 Unlimited Match is a vastly superior port of one of SNK's fighting greats vs the original 2002 offering brought here a while back. Compared to that one, Unlimited Match boasts the following: - Actual graphics options: Resolution choice, add/remove border art, choice of using 4:3 (original) or 16:9 (stretched) aspect ratios, add/remove sprite filter. - Actual modes: You can do things other than just pure arcade mode, such as training or endless. You have a choice of team (3v3) or solo (1v1) arcade play as well. - Online play (provided you use GOG Galaxy). - Balance adjustments to the original 2002 (less broken combos) in addition to a swath of new characters, expanding the roster to well over 60. - No audio/visual/input lag (or at least it sure doesn't feel like it compared to the first wave of Neo Geo games brought here.) - Control customization (I mean seriously, why was that Neo Geo frontend missing controller customization in so many games?!) It's just simple. Unlimited Match feels like a much more complete product vs the first wave of Neo Geo games which were merely Neo Geo ROMs dropped into an emulator with a bare bones frontend. That said, there are a few missing "frills" though when compared to the PS2 version. The most immediate difference is that the backgrounds are not 3D, but even then the 2D backgrounds look good scaled up. In fact, the backgrounds look jarringly better than the player characters by a visible margin. As gorgeous as these character sprites were in the 90s iterations of the series, they kind of clash with the much cleaner background art. Speaking of the characters, there's no color editor here for them either. Overall if you want a real SNK arcade game that doesn't have questionable performance issues, you've found one right here.
I'm going to keep this brief and mostly focus on the port itself. Anybody that's actively seeking out SNK's stuff likely already knows the nature of their games which are arcade classics emphasizing skill and difficulty. MotW is the final known entry of the Fatal Fury/Garou series, taking a page from it's contemporary Street Fighter III's philosophy in focusing on bringing in a fresh roster while building upon the technical aspects of the series' gameplay. This entails the removal of the two plane system common in the Fatal Fury/Garou series while working in the additions of the T.O.P. system and Just Defend mechanics. This is the third PC version of this game following the original Humble then Steam versions. Unfortunately the inexcusable problems noted with the Steam release crop up here as well, indicating that the GOG version likely hasn't had any work done for the better. The game suffers odd frame drops in several places that don't seem nearly as apparent on the barebones Humble version! This becomes immediately evident in things as simple as jumping, which looks choppier than it should. That's not all however as the audio for player actions tends to sound delayed also, sometimes just barely, other times rather obviously. It's a wonder how the barebones first version somehow functions a bit better in motion than this one over a year later. If you're just looking to experience the game for cheap, then I guess this is an "okay" option. Heck, if you want to re-emulate it yourself this will help serve that purpose legally as well. That being said, there are clearly better versions of the game on other platforms (not PC) and it makes one wonder why in the world SNK would approve ports like these when they've clearly contracted much better groups to do them several times over by now. So a very casual "yes", and a rather hardcore "no". Definitely play it if you like the genre and are new to MotW. If you already have, seek a port more fitting of a true hungry wolf.
To me, Doom is like the equivalent of the original Mario or Sonic games for the FPS genre in the sense that it is uncompromising in its focus and strong on its delivery. By the second level of the game you'll understand just about everything you need to know about the game: point your gun at the demons/undead and shoot, find keys and switches, get to the exit. The game doesn't try to be a rich narrative or overly complicated with mechanics and controls, nor does it have to be. It's just you struggling against an onslaught from hell with 36 levels of full blown action between you and freedom (and guess how that goes for you knowing Doom II exists?) Doom has a great sense of difficulty progression throughout the original three episodes though be warned that the added episode 4 spikes the difficulty much faster than the rest. Aside from that out lier Doom is reasonable in length and pace. Levels can be speedrun in blisteringly fast times but rushing them from the get go discredits their design merits. Search a wall or object and you'll sometimes find just what you need to survive the next demon hoard, or sometimes even whole new sections of a stage you never even knew existed. It's very much a game of constant action but a curious mind gunning to know every nook and cranny will have quite the time uncovering every hidden space in Doom and typically you're rewarded well for it (sometimes with more demons too!) It's not necessary, since 100% running alters nothing, but fun. The last major thing to consider with this game is that it's over 20 years old now and yet that hasn't stopped its fanbase from sprucing it up with a myriad of source port engines and even more so 20 years worth of mods such as levels, visual updates, and total overhauls of the base game. It's a game so strong at its very core that's it's kept a devoted fanbase tending to it so far past its inception. Even one of its original creators made a new level for it over 20 years after the fact!
