Title - "The King of Fighters 1997"
Alternative title(s) - N/A
Genre(s) - Fighting - 2D
Platform(s) - Arcade, Neo-Geo home systems, Saturn and Play Station
1997 is here and it looks like Orochi is really making its push here. How so? Let’s go to the new roster.
Shujink
- Ky, Beni and Daimon (No changes here.)
"Garou Densetsu" - Terry, Andy and Joe (No changes are here as well.)
Josei no Kakutouka - King, Chizuru and Mai
"Ry
ko no Ken" - Ry, Robert and Yuri (No changes here.)
"Psycho Soldier" - Athena, Kensou and Chin (No changes here.)
"Ikari" Senshi - Leona, Ralf and Clark (No changes here.)
Tae Kwon Do - Kim, Chang, Choi (This is the last team to not have a change.)
New Face - Yashir, Shermie and Chris
Special - Yamazaki, Billy and Mary
Single - Iori and Shingo
Final Boss - Orochi
In are Mary, Shingo, Billy, Yamazaki, Yashir, Shermie, Chris and Orochi. Out are Kasumi, Vice, Mature, Geese, Krauser, Mr. Big and Goenitz. Boy, am I glad that the last one is gone.
Uh oh. King and Mai are in trouble again. Kasumi left to know what happened to her dad. However, even though Chizuru is hosting this tournament again, she has decided to team up with King and Mai because she’ll need all the help she can get. So, thank goodness for her.
This was the year that the Sports team was supposed to return (and only Kami-sama knows why). Well, three kids were slick and they stole the entries. They are Nanakase Yashir, Shermie and Chris (Japanese, part Japanese and part French, and part Japanese and part Swedish respectively).
If you saw the Orochi Assassins ending, you should know why Iori is all by himself. The new kid is Yabuki Shingo, a friend of Ky who wants to fight just like him. As for the special team, this team may be one of the worst ways to create a team, relationship-wise, but guess what? Since the 8-team tradition was broken last year, SNK let Japan select the three members of the final team and as a result, you have Hong Kong’s lethal man Yamazaki Ryji, Geese’s British right-hand man, Billy and there’s Mary Ryan, also known as Blue Mary. (It’s a possibility that she is part American, and part Japanese.) As for how this team came to be, three magazines conducted this poll and as a result, Mary won for Gamest, Billy won for Neo Freak, and Yamazaki won for Famitsu. (Thanks Iggy.)
As for Orochi's push, well, I already mentioned that new team. What various teams don't know is that Iori and Leona have ties with Orochi. There are eight soldiers who serve Orochi and with an element: Yashir - earth, Shermie - lightning, Chris - fire, Goenitz - wind, Gaidel - water, Vice, Mature and Yamazaki who have an unknown element. (Probably the last three have dark, steel [don't ask] and mountain [again, don't ask] respecively.) For those that don't know, Gaidel is Leona's father. Now, because she is the child of an Orochi soldier, she is unable to control her full powers yet. As for Iori, his ancestors made a pact with Orochi to be better than the Kusanagi clan, but the drawbacks are that they will have to deal with the pain all the time and if Orochi calls, they won't be able to fully control their power.
Fun - 10
Each character now has at least 2 DM's. That's right! Two! It's about time too.
This is one of the few games in the fighting game world in which the roster seems close to being balanced. If not, it is balanced. Sure, Beni is too good here, but he always has had that problem early on.
After six battles, you will fight either Iori under Orochi's control, which will happen most of the time or you will face Leona under Orochi's control, if you have Iori in your team. If Iori and Leona are together, you will face the former. Thought you could nibble yourself out of this scenario, huh? After that, you face the real selves of the new team and Orochi in the end.
Oh! If you're in Advance mode, pick your teams carefully because happy relationships give your an extra stock, while bad relationships take away your stocks. Yeah, relationships are big this time around.
Whoo! If I must mention a flaw however, it's that you don't get much of a bar to be desperate in Extra mode. That's about it.
Life - 10
There are many endings. Some are default and others are hidden. There is supposed to be a certain ending in the Japanese version, but why that didn't appear in the non-Japanese one is beyond me. Besides, a big roster and two modes, this is magnificent if you ask me.
Control - 10
Yes, we now have two modes: Advanced, which is "'96" minus the ability to charge your power bar and Extra, which is like "'96" minus the roll, but replaced with the old dodge and air blocking. So, think of last year, but with two different modes and you have this category in a nutshell. Bravo SNK! Bravo!
Story - 10
Whoo! Now, this is what you call a story for a fighter! The saga being based on an old Japanese myth, I'm liking this!
Audio - 8
The music is good and all, but why does it feel silent a good amount of the time? Each team/individual for some cases should have a theme! Boo! They should have given the Heroines team "Get'n up" again for example.
Anyway, like I said, the music, if you hear any, is good. Terry has "Kuri to Itsumade mo" ("Forever Enclosed"), his "Garou Densetsu II" theme, remixed and I love the new Psycho Soldier remix! Billy has his "Real Bout Garou Densetsu Special" theme London March and the new music is great as well.
All of the characters have new samples and I like Robert's new general intro sample, though I still prefer his old ones. Athena gets a voice actress change again and the new characters have good actors behind them.
Art - 10
The places look like real fighting places all over the world. I like the realism. Speaking of which, I like the fact that Kshien Stadium, the stadium where the Hanshin Tigers of the Osaka area play at, is used as a stage here.
As always, you expect some characters to have some kind of sprite change or an effect change. Indeed, you are correct. Athena brings out a new costume again and Beni's Rai Jin Ken has a more natural look. So, there you go.
Overall - 10
The Orochi saga ends on a high note. So, play the final chapter of this story. You won't regret it.
+
There are lots of ways to make you play this game again and again and this is a nice conclusion to the Orochi saga.
-
It's too silent in terms of music and you have to watch your health carefully if you want to be desperate in Extra mode.
Date of creation - 12/28/03
Last update - 11/22/04