King of the Fighters '99: Dream Match

This game proves that the Dreamcast is as much a 2D powerhouse as it is 3D. Each character (38 guys & gals + the '95 versions) is animated perfection. Featuring a wild array of moves & taunts. Heck, Joe taunts his enemies by mooning them. Even certain match ups have their own unique animations. Such as when Andy & Mai face-off (for those who don't know they are a couple). Both of them wink at each other & bow in honor unlike they would against other combatants. The old 2D backgrounds have replaced with 3D ones. And in this case it looks so much better. There's alot more detail with moving trains, wondering animals, & such. Not to mention that each stage has several variations despite there only being nine altogether. And if anyone has played Street Fighter you'll be able to get into this quite easily. Since a majority of the moves are pulled off with similar motions. Each character plays so differently that none of them really feels like a rip-off of another character. It's just as fun as ever & if you haven't gotten bored of this style yet, you're never gonna. My only complaints are the lack of a story mode (thanks to Alpha 3 & Soul Calibur) & the dim-witted endings they throw at you. After a short clip & the credits you get to the very end where you see a small windowed picture. No caption or nothing. What the heck happens to the characters! Still the Team Battle (it's like fighting with 3 characters) & Survival (this one takes some time) add enough variety to keep you going. I should also add that it can be linked to the Neo Geo Pocket. I've heard it's suppose to open up some kind of gallery, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Not a perfect game, but damn well good enough for me. Anyone who still loves classic Street Fighter 2 gameplay & anime-style graphics will want to jump on this title immediately.

(thanks to www.gamefan.com for the pics)

Overall 8.4

Review written by ShinjiZ on August 7, 2000