1999 - lots of expectations and concerns ran rampant over the future of The King Of Fighters, SNK's premiere brawler franchise. The past five installments proved without a shadow of a doubt that there was a market for the series, and after the conclusion of the four year Orochi Saga, many were left wondering how things would turn out in the next installment. After the filler year release of KOF '98, a true sequel was finally released in July 22, 1999, giving fans another year of monumental battles... and questions.
Yes, 10 years ago today, The King Of Fighters '99 hit arcades and took the entire world by storm. It served as the first episode of what would be known as the "NESTS Saga", and introduced a new primary protagonist for the series in the process - K', a mysterious individual who could wield flames and had no recollection of his own past. Two years have passed since the last official tournament, KOF '97, and Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami have mysteriously vanished without a single trace. Everyone went back to their simple and normal lives... until a new tournament invitation was extended to fighters around the world. It was at this point that Benimaru Nikaido and Shingo Yabuki, two close friends and teammates of Kyo, decided to participate and investigate the whereabouts of their friend. However, in order to do so, they had to join forces with K' and his partner, Maxima, to form a team to participate in the tournament.
The roster increase also proved beneficial aside from new characters introduced and fan favorites returning. Instead of a three man team rule, it was now increased to four, with a new assist feature added to the game known as the "Striker System". The extra fighter's presence gave additional ways to execute distractions and counters that were beneficial in breaking combos and turning the tide against opponents who were gaining the upper hand. Other system additions, such as "Counter Mode" and "Armor Mode", increased the player's offensive and defensive capabilities respectively.
It is later revealed that the flames K' held are the direct result of an experiment conducted by the shadowy organization called NESTS, using the DNA of Kyo, who was captured by the syndicate after the events of KOF '97. Clones of Mr. Kusanagi were also created, to serve as soldiers for the organization's plans of world conquest.
Meanwhile, the REAL Kyo did manage to escape, sporting a new look and an undominatable will to find those responsible for his abduction and making them pay. It was not long before Iori showed up, intent on resuming the feud he started with his rival long ago. However, all of these concerns had to wait, as the true enemy finally showed his face, and his name was Krizalid - the supposed organizer of the tournament. The battle proved to be a tedious experience, but in the end K' emerged victorious, finding out that Krizalid was a clone of his and nothing more than a puppet in the grander scheme of things. His death left more questions in the minds of those who participated, as well as a driving urge to rid the world of NESTS' influence once and for all.
In a sense, I have a love/ hate relationship with '99. Character wise, I enjoyed playing the new faces, old faves like Kyo, Terry, and Iori, and of course, K'. Story wise, the game sounded like a Sci-Fi episode mixed in with the martial arts mayhem we've come to know through the years. I remember grabbing this game for the original Playstation, and I found the experience to be quite mind boggling thanks to the slow loading and hard pressed controls. It was only the legacy of the series, the awesome soundtrack, and not to mention the fighting, that kept me going, and I only found justice playing this installment with The King Of Fighters '99 Evolution - a rerelease for the Sega Dreamcast. It featured characters that never made the original game, serving as extra strikers you could use and unlock. The controls were better, and 3D background visuals complimented the upgrade and makeover the game had.
The NESTS story continued in King Of Fighters 2000. At the conclusion of the last game, K' found out he had a sister - a girl named Whip, who was serving alongside the members of the Ikari Team. By the end of '99, Whip joins K's team, seeking to dispose of NEST once and for all. However, other fighters around the world are called forth once again for another tournament, this time organized by the enigmatic Zero, another agent of the NESTS organization. Through subterfuge and deception, Zero was able to take control of the world's defenses and destroy a large portion of the fictional city called South Town (which was the home of Fatal Fury hero Terry Bogard). It was only a matter of time until the heroes confronted and defeated the megalomaniac, who sought to enslave humanity to his will and dethrone NESTS in the process. His masters didn't take the news too well, so they sent agents to dispose of Zero, with the Anti-K' agent Kula Diamond leading the charge. Zero was defeated, but NESTS remained, much to the chagrin of those who despised the syndicate. Overall, despite the lackluster story and short boss battle, the game was a relative success, thanks in part to the Striker System from the last game, which was carried over and improved in this sequel.
At this point, the original SNK was near bankruptcy, and the future of the KOF franchise was looking mighty bleak for players hoping for a new installment of the epic fighting franchise. When all seemed lost for KOF, salvation came in the form of Breezzasoft, a company made up of former SNK employees who took over the reigns and decided to finish the NESTS Saga once and for all.
Produced by Korean based game company Eolith, The King Of Fighters 2001 was finally released in November 2001, to the surprise and bewilderment of those who thought the franchise would never see the light of day again. Like every year before it, more characters were present, and the NESTS team finally had the guts to show their faces. New characters were added once again, and K' was given a rival, K9999, who was eerily similar in appearance and powers to Tetsuo from the classic anime film Akira. The game play system also went through another makeover. the Striker system and Four man team were still intact, but players could now mix and match whether they wanted four combatants and no striker, three combatants and one striker, and so on. This method, however, came at the expense of the power stock gauge. The more fighters and less strikers you have, the less stocks you have. Players had a reason to experiment with this, as favorites like Kyo and Iori got a combo boost, more moves, and a super special DM (Desperation Move) they could unleash by using two stocks of the power gauge. These additions came in handy, especially when confronting the game's final bosses - Original Zero (yes, the last game's Zero was a clone apparently) and NESTS' leader himself, Igniz. Painstakingly overcoming both of these tough guys closed the curtain on the Sci-Fi turmoil, and finally resulted in the death of the NESTS organization once and for all.
Well, are you confused about how things went from mystically epic to science fictionally unappropriate? I sure was, and I still question why the direction of KOF went this way. Still, if you overlook the story, not everything was bad. When it comes down to it, IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FIGHTING... Nothing else. Every character from Athena Asamiya to Mai Shiranui got a makeover and additional moves to boast around with, so that should be grounds to celebrate and reason enough to enjoy these games.
The King Of Fighters 2002 decided to listen and treat fans to "old school", bringing back the classic three man team gameplay and adding just a wee bit of extras, such as the secret super Desperation Moves that can only be executed upon near death. Like '98 before it, 2002 was another filler year, and only proved that players like myself hungered from more KOF goodness. Eventually, the NESTS saga was compiled and released in numerous platforms, and even the dream match titles, '98 and '02, got complete makeovers and rereleases in the vein of '99 evolution.
In the next and final installment of Spotlight, KOF goes extreme. Big changes were made and a new chapter begins... again.
No comments:
Post a Comment