Copyright © 2000 SNK

Six years ago, SNK released a 2D fighting game that featured solid game play, and the ability to fight as a team of three. And so 3-on-3 team fighting was born, in the form of THE KING OF FIGHTERS '94. If anything, SNK can be credited for introducing the idea of team fighting and soon other games began to emulate them, like Capcom's VERSUS games, Sega's VIRTUA FIGHTER series, and even Namco's TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT. Of course, after this innovative first step, SNK slowly sinks into the same rut that plagues all companies to date: rehashed sequel-itus. Sure, for the first few years (KOF'95, KOF'96) there were new backgrounds, some new characters, and a few game play tweaks. But it finally pains me, one of SNK's biggest fan, to say this: THE KING OF FIGHTERS series has lost all redeemable qualities whatsoever, and is now a "has-been fighter" that sorely needs innovation. Their newest iteration, THE KING OF FIGHTERS '99: EVOLUTION for the Sega Dreamcast (not to be confused with the US game THE KING OF FIGHTERS '99, which is really KOF'98), is a tired, outdated 2D fighter. It is nothing more than a sorry example of a company beating a dead horse into the ground.
Calling this game an "Evolution" is a slap in the face for loyal SNK fans, or for any gamers for that matter. What has "evolved" is the addition of the Striker System, which allows you to pick a fourth team member that you can call out for a limited number of times for an attack. It's basically like the Helpers in the older VERSUS series games. What's sad is that this partner that jumps out and helps you for a one-shot move, while "new" for the KOF series, is already outdated by fighting games standard today. Both DEAD OR ALIVE 2 and TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT allow you to instantly switch between two team members at any time during the fight. Capcom one-ups them by letting you switch between three teammates and calling them out to help at any time as well!
In addition to the Striker system, KOF'99 has (surprise!) added a few new fighters, and removed some older ones. The new fighters are all just rehashes: K' is a Kyo-clone, Maxima is the typical big, slow "throw-type" character, and Jhun is another Kim Kapwan. Whip is the most interesting one out of the bunch, using a whip for all her moves. But she too falls into the fireball/dragon punch syndrome.
SNK also adds in actual 3D to the backgrounds. When you move around the stage, they change realistically with your viewpoint. There are some nice weather effects as well, like the falling rain on one stage. Overall however, it is too little, too late.
The game play suffers the most, feeling very old and stiff. It is essentially the same engine as the original KOF'94, with some slight modifications to tighten it a bit. This is an engine that has been reused over and over again for the last six years! You may remember last year's review where yours truly still praised the engine and recommended the earlier incarnations of the KOF games. I still stand by that review. However, the advent of the next generation consoles has brought out innovative and stunningly beautiful games like DEAD OR ALIVE 2 and SOUL CALIBUR. It's inexcusable for a company to recycle the same engine year after year. When you have seen games like Square's upcoming THE BOUNCER, KOF '99 is just pathetic.
The worst part about the game play is that in an attempt to make it more "balanced" from one year to the next, SNK will remove certain moves from some characters, or adding others, or making moves unlinkable. They've taken some of the most enjoyable characters from the past, like Terry Bogard, Shiranui Mai, and Blue Mary, and essentially "neutered" them. Almost all of Blue Mary's moves are no longer executable as combos, and it is the same with many of Terry and Mai's moves.
Ultimately, SNK's THE KING OF FIGHTERS '99: EVOLUTION is a game that should never have been released. This is not to say that it is a bad game. Rather, it's an old, tired game. It appeals to no one except the most die-hard KOF gamers. I was one of SNK's biggest fan. It's just that after a certain point, if the company can't move on and innovate, the savvy gamers will.
Interestingly enough, SNK recently released a new game for FATAL FURY, their other dated series. Called GAROU (FATAL FURY): MARK OF THE WOLVES, it has a new cast of characters, with the exception of Terry Bogard. The artworks and backgrounds are completely redrawn, and the fighting engine feels tight and responsive. By comparison it is doubly sad to see SNK rehash their biggest franchise to death. What's worse is that it looks like KOF 2000 is going to use the exact same engine as KOF'99! I sincerely hope this is not the case, but it doesn't look good.
With the rich history SNK has in fighting games, they just need to sit down and revamp their development philosophy and operations. Even if they don't move into real 3D (SAMURAI SHODOWN 3D isn't worth mentioning), they need to do something more innovative and refreshing, like new hardware and new hand drawn characters with many animation frames. Until they change, they're heading for extinction.

Rating: 6.0 / 10

Sega Dreamcast
Fighting
1 to 2 Players
T-3102M
¥ 5800
Available now in Japan
Where to buy