The short of it is that the overall look feels a lot more complete than the series ever did before. Instead of the usual 2D bit-mapped backgrounds, SNK has seen fit to enhance these BGs with 3D elements, while still retaining the famous SNK "feel." Boats, islands, locomotives all move about in the backgrounds, while the characters with their "realistic" shadows romp around in the foreground. While previous non-Neo-Geo installments of the series were of varying quality (Saturn versions usually being pretty good, PlayStation versions, err, usually not so good), the Dreamcast proves more than capable of handling the lush, speedy 2D visuals of SNK's premier franchise.
Stalwarts to the series like Kyo Kusanagi, Joe Higashi, Terry Bogard, Mai Shiranui, lori Yagami, Robert Garcia and Billy Kane return along with newer characters like Heavy D, Lucky Glauber and Kyo-wannabe Shingo Yabuki. All of your King of Fighters' favorites are here. To begin with, 38 fighters are available from the get-go, with alternate versions of some opening up after you've reached certain criteria. Although this isn't the "true" KOF '99 (it's more like a KOF '98: Special Edition), fans will easily forgive SNK for attaching the "1999" to the title.
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Now, with the Japanese release of King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999, you get the best of the past three incarnations of the series, plus some Dreamcast-exclusive features that make this the best installment of the series without a doubt. Although you won't find any characters from Metal Slug or Samurai Shodown in a KOF game, you will find the cream of the Fatal Fury- Art of Fighting-crop standing alongside the original KOF combatants. Besides, what other fighter is actually more stylish than the cats in KOF?Īs it is, the King of Fighters series has always brought SNK's superstars together in one convenient package. If you're a fan of the KOF series, DM99 is a must-buy. Your R-2 characters can actually learn new moves by downloading data from your Dreamcast VMU. The Neo-Geo Pocket Color support was also a surprising highlight for me. Most importantly, KOF DM99 competently lives up to its KOF 98 counterpart in the gameplay area. Another complaint is that unlike the cartridge soundtrack, the music is now redbooked off the GD-ROM so that it has to reset in between rounds. Unfortunately, the higher resolution of the Dreamcast has also made the sprites in KOF look a little dated by today's standards. Overall though, the graphics look brighter and more vibrant. The backgrounds are now a mixture of 3D objects and 2D backgrounds, and depending on what you prefer, this can be good or bad. Even if this is just KOF 98, there's not much here to complain about-unless you're a real stickler about the series. In a strange bout of deja vu, I got the same feeling after playing KOF DM99: SNK finally got it right with the Dreamcast version. Since then, SNK's been busy porting their flagship fighting game to other consoles with dubious results. It was like KOF 94 was the dawning of a new age for SNK, after having ripped off Capcom year after year.
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