For those unfamiliar with the franchise, SNK's King of Fighters stood
as a pleasing and challenging alternative to Capcom's Street Fighter
series. Both were one-on-one brawlers with extensive character rosters,
but the similarities ended there. King of Fighters always emphasized skill
and technique over stylish combo and elaborate attacks. This approach made
KOF slightly more grounded in reality and also gave the series some depth.
It began as a cross-over of SNK's Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting games,
but grew to have a life of its own. One of its most unique and influential
features was its team system where players could select three fighters
from an extensive selection of characters and brawl against three others.
These matches were quite intense and since players could select which
order the characters would fight, the placement could become quite a
strategic element in determining the outcome of each match. Beyond that,
the characters shared many basic moves and techniques, though their
effectiveness and damage levels would change with each one. The games
themselves evolved over time, with improvements made in the character
appearance, more elaborate backgrounds and a slowly refined gameplay
system that added balance and depth. Another key element in the series'
long standing appeal was its large selection of characters which swelled
into the dozens as the series moved along. Unlike many other fighting
games of the time, SNK's releases generally required a great deal of skill
and practice in order to defeat, and there weren't a lot of shortcuts or
flashy moves to use as crutches. This made the games themselves appeal to
the hardcore, and their appearance on the niche-oriented and expensive
Neo-Geo hardware added to their elite gamer allure.
Ironically,
after all these years in some kind of obscurity, SNK has released their
titles on probably the most mainstream console in a generation. The Wii
edition, subtitled 'The Orochi Saga', is surprisingly good in a number of
key areas. It includes complete versions of KOF '94, '95, '96, '97 and
'98. From a visual standpoint, each of the KOF titles on this pack looks
exactly as it did in the arcade, down to the last pixel. Character
animations and movements are very much intact, and there's no noticeable
missing animation frames or slowdown evident in this release. Players can
use the wiimote in horizontal position, which makes the game control as it
would in the arcade, though there are no shaking or waving motions to be
found. Players can also use the Wii’s classic
controller in this installment for an even more comfortable and
traditional style of play thanks to its traditional button configuration
and button layout. For an even more authentic arcade experience, players
might want to check out Hori’s Wii Fighting Stick controller, which
almost makes you feel like you’re playing on actual Neo Geo hardware.
The emulation's nearly flawless performance is fairly consistent and we had little trouble doing all the moves,
using either the standard or analog pad. Obviously, the precision offered
by an arcade stick is ideal, but the game remains excellent no matter
which interface you choose. KOF Collection offers a very
straight-up port of these titles, and their gameplay delivers what you've
come to expect. The games load fairly quickly which allows you to jump
right into the action with little delay. KOF Collection also includes
several bonus media features that can be unlocked as well, such as art
galleries and move trailers that adds to the bonus. Overall, the emulation
in this package is excellent and provides players with near flawless
translations of these arcade games.
The appealing roster of characters
offers a diverse selection of fighting styles, special moves and attacks
that gives the games plenty of depth and style. Mastering each one takes
some time, but there are many skills and techniques that you can transfer
between the titles. Each one of the games has a slightly different feel,
but the general pacing and flow of the battles is consistent. KOF
definitely has a unique feel to it, and this unique style of play, with
its emphasis on realistic battle techniques, instead of the flashy combos
seen in Capcom fighters, makes for a satisfying experience. These are some
of the elements that you'll notice after extensive play where the depth
and balance begins to come through. Going through this series of classic
KOF titles, you can definitely see the evolution in terms of moves and
styles that developed over time. This is why having all of these games on
a single disc is both convenient and interesting, allowing you to see how
a certain character's moves and attacks have evolved over the years, while
also seeing how SNK changed the balance subtly over the years. Having said
that, the titles become a bit redundant after awhile, but for the SNK
fan the small changes can be significant and interesting. While the games look slightly
dated from a graphical standpoint, the gameplay has stood the test of
time, making this a solid argument as to SNK's legendary skill in making
these fighting titles. It's uncompromising gameplay doesn't condescend to
casual players, you won't be able to shake or move the wiimote around to
perform special moves. Instead, you have to rely on your skills and
memorize button combos and input moves in a traditional manner. This
approach means that it probably won't appeal to many of the Wii's casual
converts but KOF Collection is a solidly produced compilation for Wii
owners looking for some classic hardcore gaming action.
- Michael Palisano
