Dreamcast

The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999

Overall, King Of Fighters '99 has strong and smooth gameplay, with all the pulse pounding action of a SNK arcade machine. Perhaps the most appealing part of the KOF and Fatal Fury series is the incredibly deep storyline and backgrounds that all the characters of the game have. It is almost like keeping up with a soap opera with kung-fu flare. Needless to say, if you are interested in a well-designed 2D fighter where well thought strategy may be more useful than the strength of your fists, then run to your nearest gaming retail establishment, scream 'Burning Knuckle' and feed the lowly salesperson a flailing fist sandwhich, and don't forget to buy the game.

A slight knock on the score due to the somewhat dated graphics and the lack of Geese. Not enough to stop me from giving this title my full recommendation though. It's even better considering that you can find it for under 20 bucks right now. You have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain. Buy it now!

Like it or hate it, you've got to respect the Neo Geo. I mean, name another arcade hardware platform that's been able to deliver the goods for a decade. The system's mix of quirky fighting games, puzzle games, and shooters makes fans of the platform loyal to the point of an almost-religious fervor. Aside from this relatively small number of NG fans, the system's software has gone largely unnoticed in the arcade, and the home version of the hardware is equally unappreciated, mostly due to the scarcity of older carts and the still-staggering prices of new games, which usually sell in the $250 - 300 range). King of Fighters '98 is SNK's latest all-inclusive fighting game, taking characters from all over the SNK universe, inventing a few new ones, putting them in teams of three, and letting them go at it in luxurious 2D environments.

Henpecking aside, King of Fighters: Dream Match '99 is a great addition to a fighting fan's library. While Soul Calibur may have the edge in graphics and depth, and Marvel vs. Capcom has the nod as a fast and furious party game for all, Dream Match '99 is a rare creation that was put together for those who appreciate the finer points in a head-to-head fighter. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today.

Overall, I feel that this game is for hardcore fans of the series, and for people who want to try something new other than Street Fighter. Although it's not a game which revolutionizes the 2D fighting game genre, it's simply a lot of fun to play. With a plethora of extras such as Neo Geo Pocket support allowing you to upload/download edited characters, SNK certainly did their best to provide a variety of gaming options. However, I can't extensively comment on this due to the fact that I don't own the handheld. In short, my only gripe is that the game resembles 98's modifications - abadoning the storylines and endings; it's just a pure fighting game.

This is far from the best fighting game on the Dreamcast, but if you're a fan of 2D fighters and can't get enough of SNK's never ending King of Fighters series, I strongly suggest you give this one a shot. It may be a little hard to find now, but it's well worth tracking down. If you simply have a passing interesting in fighters, then you really ought look elsewhere. This King of Fighters is good, but it's not Dream Match!

Overall, I think SNK did a pretty good job for their first attempt on a new system. Even though the KOF series is my favorite 2D fighter, I feel that the conversion could have been a lot better. SNK, unlike Capcom or many other companies, usually takes a while to start taking advantages of a system. Also, they aren't known for giving out a lot of extras in their conversions, which is rather disappointing, especially in comparison to Capcom's home version of SFZ3. DM99 is a great alternative for those who do not have the cart version, do not want to deal with the long load time on the NeoCD, or do not want to have an inferior conversion on the PS. Even though there are a few annoyances and differences, they can be easily overlooked after a while (except the gameplay bug for Mai). I hope that SNK will keep up their good work and continue to improve/polish their products.

Outside of the fact that The King of Fighters Dream Match 1999 doesn't add to the story that has been developed over the past few years (although that shouldn't be to surprising, it is a dream match after all), there is very little to complain about. Even with a huge number of characters (thirty-eight not counting secret versions), everyone has a distinct personality. And, although I wouldn't buy the soundtrack, the music is good for a fighting game. Besides, with some major gameplay changes, and the start of a new storyline, this is the game that ends the old series of King of Fighters games, and welcomes the next series of King of Fighters games with The King of Fighters Millenium Battle 1999. Finally, for those that are wondering, yes, this was worth waiting years for.

King of Fighters: Dream Match '99 is probably the most mediocre title for the Dreamcast yet. It doesn't do anything particularly bad, it just isn't very good. 2D fighter and SNK fans may get a kick out of it, but for the rest of us, it's probably not even worth renting.