KING OF FIGHTERS EVOLUTION

by Bobak!

[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? -Ed.]

King of Fighters Evolution: A Review in Reverence to the late Charles Bukowski... By Bobak!

Prelude:

Some people say getting drunk is a bad idea, let alone writing a review while under the influence of multiple margaritas, beers and a few malt liquors... well to those puritans, I saw "maybe so."  -but the fact is, here I am -and I want to write a review, and I'll be god-damned if I let a little bit of a raised blood-alcohol get in the way.

Anyway... Chapter One: Premise!

Well, if you've never been familiar with the King of Fighters saga... I pity you.  I mean, why in the hell would you choose to start reading this review on a website called "Neo-Geo.com"?  Seriously, of all the hundreds of reviews on this page you decided to pick a game that's not only not the first in the series, but a port -so obviously this review is dealing with a translation of a game that most of the readers are already familiar with.  Therefore if this is you, you are an idiot and should stop reading.

There, now for those of you that are still here there is very little different between KOF Evolution and the original KOF '99 from which it was based.  The major addition is that of two new strikers: Vanessa and Seth, who actually appear as playable characters in KOF2k.  I imagine they were added to this version because it was being programmed alongside the aforementioned MVS/AES game. 

So other than that, there is no major change in the story.  In a nutshell: "Oh no!  Here come the NESTS!"

Graphics: Or, why not to buy a Neo Geo game.

Well, lets be frank.  The Neo Geo's graphics have been surpassed for some time.   Fortunately, that has never made a lick of difference because the games are so damn good... quite f---ing good... Better than than the majority of POSs that are put out there -errr, ahem... I digress.  However, the folks at SNK did make a slight change in the appearance of KOF Evolution: Like KOF Dream Match '99, they reprogrammed the backgrounds to actually move in a rendered, 3-D fashion.  For the average SNK buff such as myself, this is quite a pleasant surprise.  Level backgrounds that had already looked spectacular (like the legendary English rain sequence) look even better in their new Dreamcast form.  Some people have derided this change, but to those people I say, (in my best LA accent) whatever...  This was the one area they could change without really messing with the original game, and to that I give kudos.  

Sound: Did ya hear that?

Well, other than Iori's really weird yowl -the sound in KOF Evolution is as crisp and smooth as a CD based game should be (so at times it sounds better than the cart).  So instead of wasting time excessively loving or hating, lets move on...

Gameplay:

In terms of control, KOF Evolution is the tweaked out, super-charged version of KOF '99.  The amazing control that was the hallmark of the KOF series is here and in spades.  Break out the controllers and/or arcade sticks and have yourself a time!

Overall:

Well, I could sit here in this section and bullshit you with all sorts of rehashes of what I said above, or some obnoxious appeal to "buy it, buy it now!"  -but I'm not going to. If you liked the KOF series before, you should like it now.  In fact, if you're a little hesitant to pull out the big bucks for the AES/MVS versions of this game, then this is a very good alternative.  If you've never tried KOF before (then what in the hell are you doing still reading this review when I told you to leave???), then this would be a reasonable introduction to the series. 

Solidarity!

TOTALS:

Graphics: 80%

Music/SFX: 85%

Control: 95% 

Overall: I could put a percent here, but let me just say that I think this is a better buy than the Neo Geo version.  Equate that into whatever percentage you want.

(Here's are alternate Japanese covers of the same game)

Bobak!: is a big fan of the USC Trojans.

----------------------------------------------

More Reviews of This Game:

by Kyo2000

by Shimitar: GotU

Forums  |  Neo Collection  |  Master List  |  AES Price Guide  |  MVS Price Guide
CD Price Guide  |  Neo Store  |  Screenshots  |  Reviews  |  Home  |  Email