Ignition Set to Deliver King of Fighters Double Pack for Less Than £20
Classic SNK fighting series finally ventures to Europe.
Although various takes on the retro-revival have proved extremely profitable, such successes generally feed off the nostalgic sentimentality of marginally older gamers, with the most popular examples (the Famicom mini-series) harking all the way back to the 80s.[ For the benefit of our younger readers, the 80s was a time when the world was a bit like GTA Vice City.]
So when we are presented with a game that’s over four years old, it’s difficult to know how to treat it. It’s not really old enough to get dewy-eyed about, but it’s certainly not fresh enough to be called a new release. That’s why we approach the news of SNK’s PS2 double pack King Of Fighters 2000 and King Of Fighters 2001 with some trepidation.
The King Of Fighters series, as it nears its tenth anniversary, is indisputably one of the finest of its type. However, SNK Playmore is about to release King Of Fighters 2003 (belated itself) and King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact in Japan, so we wonder if there is the potential for this rather stale double whammy to sell well in Europe. Ignition Entertainment, which has rights to distribute other SNK classics like Metal Slug to European fans, should really be rewarded for the noble task it performs: and it may not get its just desserts on this one. After all, the most devoted fans will probably have import versions lurking somewhere in their collections already.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things in the games’ favour. For starters, it only costs £19.99 – for Xbox or PS2. Secondly, both titles are fantastic, if quite similar. And finally, for many this will actually be the first chance to ever play a King Of Fighters game, ten years after the original’s release. It’s had numerous Japanese outings, particularly on NeoGeo and Dreamcast, but the series has never been established on home consoles in Europe. Finally, it has arrived. Let’s hope that the delay doesn’t detract from the impact that this release genuinely deserves to make.
King Of Fighters 2000 & 2001 will be hitting the shops this November. If sales are respectable, we can expect to see a European release of King Of Fighters 2002 & 2003 (also with cut-price potential), King Of Fighters ’94 Anniversary remake and, of course, the 3D Maximum Impact in the near future.
So when we are presented with a game that’s over four years old, it’s difficult to know how to treat it. It’s not really old enough to get dewy-eyed about, but it’s certainly not fresh enough to be called a new release. That’s why we approach the news of SNK’s PS2 double pack King Of Fighters 2000 and King Of Fighters 2001 with some trepidation.
The King Of Fighters series, as it nears its tenth anniversary, is indisputably one of the finest of its type. However, SNK Playmore is about to release King Of Fighters 2003 (belated itself) and King Of Fighters: Maximum Impact in Japan, so we wonder if there is the potential for this rather stale double whammy to sell well in Europe. Ignition Entertainment, which has rights to distribute other SNK classics like Metal Slug to European fans, should really be rewarded for the noble task it performs: and it may not get its just desserts on this one. After all, the most devoted fans will probably have import versions lurking somewhere in their collections already.
Fortunately, there are plenty of things in the games’ favour. For starters, it only costs £19.99 – for Xbox or PS2. Secondly, both titles are fantastic, if quite similar. And finally, for many this will actually be the first chance to ever play a King Of Fighters game, ten years after the original’s release. It’s had numerous Japanese outings, particularly on NeoGeo and Dreamcast, but the series has never been established on home consoles in Europe. Finally, it has arrived. Let’s hope that the delay doesn’t detract from the impact that this release genuinely deserves to make.
King Of Fighters 2000 & 2001 will be hitting the shops this November. If sales are respectable, we can expect to see a European release of King Of Fighters 2002 & 2003 (also with cut-price potential), King Of Fighters ’94 Anniversary remake and, of course, the 3D Maximum Impact in the near future.
Read More Like This
Comments
Joji 25 Aug 2004 18:16
1/1
Well 20 quid for a double pack of fistt cuffs is good value for money so I'll be buying a copy. KoF series is SF2's real rival, and now that SNK and Capcom have already crossed fists in a game twice, I guess it's only right that KoF gets it's own solo outing.
KoF is a good series and like SF series has stood the test of time and deserves a place on your shelf. Wishing for Last Blade and Samurai Showdown double packs soon, but perhaps those getting out the door may rely on how well KoF does. Who knows. Bring me more 2D goodness, Ignition.
It's nice to have sweet and quick games like this to play, when you have no time for long life sucking epic rpgs.
KoF is a good series and like SF series has stood the test of time and deserves a place on your shelf. Wishing for Last Blade and Samurai Showdown double packs soon, but perhaps those getting out the door may rely on how well KoF does. Who knows. Bring me more 2D goodness, Ignition.
It's nice to have sweet and quick games like this to play, when you have no time for long life sucking epic rpgs.