When I first heard about the KOF-EX, I was quite surprised because SNK already has their own Handheld system Neogeo pocket and they were getting ready to officially announce bankruptcy. But as more news leaked out, it turns out that a third party developer called Marvelous Entertainment was making the game. In the press, Marvelous Entertainment promised us a Brand new series of KOF, taking up where Neogeo Arcade's KOF99's left...So now that the game has being released, let me introduce you to the game.
Although I had already seen beta screen shots around the web, it was still was a real surprise when I played the game, much more exciting than Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo Revival. My first impression is that it was like holding a small Neogeo Arcade in your hands! Anyway, before I talk about the game, let me go though all the important factors first.
Controls are probably the most important thing to a fighting game. No matter how good the game is, without good controls the game is not even worth a penny. Luckily, the Neogeo KOF games only had 4 buttons so going to GBA is no downgrade. But the fact that 2 of the buttons are L & R buttons can be quite annoying because the left hand which normally should be focusing on the D-Pad also has pay attention to the L button. Of course, these developers aren't stupid, so they have provided the gamers with an alternate 3 button modes which can enable in the option menu.
The only downside is probably the 4way D-pad, which never feels comfortable with (Arcade ported) fighting games. You really need an 8way D-pad or Mini-Joystick to have total control of your fighter. But this is GBA's problem, not the game. So overall controls are well looked after. You may find some moves quite hard to pull off due to the complicated input, but once you play it enough you'll be able to master them with ease.
Now let's get on with the Graphics, which I guess would be the most appealing aspect to the people. And this game won't disappoint you.It's just like the NeoGeo arcade game, from the textures, shading to animation. Characters are very well drawn and smoothly animated. I'm sure it'll please even the most critical 2D eye.
To see it for your self, compare these two screen shots:
Don't forget KOF-EX was supposed to be a Brand new KOF game, so many SNK fans may be disappointed to the fact that allot of the graphics (e.g. stage back grounds) are taken straight from KOF99. For those that have not played KOF99, I guess It won't make any difference.
The game has a lot of high-powered techno/guitar music. Although GBA sound engine is best in the handheld market, I've noticed it still lacks power when it comes this type of music. Perhaps a mini subwoofer might be nice. :) So the music quality lies about equal to Super Street Fighter 2, nothing outstanding but good enough
Finally, the Gameplay; this game consists of 7 modes: Team Play (with three fighters), Team Vs (W/Link cable), Single play (with one fighter), Single Vs (W/Link cable), Survival Endless, Time attack and Practice. Now, In what ever mode you choose, you get an extra fighter, a striker which you can call up (by pressing A+R) 3 times per match in the game (this can be increased in the option). The striker will attack your opponent once (you cannot control your striker) but If you use it cleverly and double it up with your specials, the damage can be enormous. After some time of playing the game, I felt that the default difficulty setting is a little too easy, even for a beginner. But you can change it in the option to suit your needs.With all the aspects from the above combined, this game is sure to give you long hours of fun.
Overall, KOF is a nice beat 'em up game made up of exotic characters and well polished up battle system with history. For the Hardcore SNK fans, this game may reflect too much of KOF99 but still can be enjoyed as a quality remake. If you are not familiar with the past KOF series, this maybe your chance to experience a new flavour in the beat 'em up dominated by Street Fighter & Tekken.
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