This is the release of two games, The King of Fighters 2000 and The King of Fighters 2001. Both of these games are included in this release.
The King of Fighters 2000 is the final King of Fighters game to be released by SNK in its original state. Both the story and gameplay provided in The King of Fighters ’99 are expanded upon in The King of Fighters 2000. The Ikari Warriors are participating in this year’s tournament in an effort to learn more about the NESTS organization and to thwart the plans of potential NESTS agents K’ and Maxima. This year’s competition is being sponsored by the Ikari Warriors. However, not everything is as straightforward as it usually is, and by the time the tournament is through, even the Ikari Warriors themselves run the risk of being betrayed from within.
The roster of The King of Fighters 2000 has 34 playable characters, in addition to two bosses that can be unlocked. This year’s tournament will include the return of both the four-man teams and the striker system that was first implemented the year before. Additionally, the striker system will feature substantial improvements on its own. One of the most notable modifications is the addition of a “alternative” striker system. With this system, each fighter in the game now has a second character tied to them, and that character can be selected for striking purposes in place of the fighter’s normal character. For instance, one can decide to employ Iori Yagami’s alternate striker rather than using Iori himself; in this particular situation, the player might decide to choose and use Mature and Vice as strikers rather than Iori and his old comrades. Some characters also have a hidden “maniac” striker that possesses peculiar powers that could be handy in certain situations.
Once again, 10 distinct teams compete against one another in this eighth episode of the King of Fighters series. This time, the competition takes place in multiple nations, and the winner will be crowned the King of Fighters for this year. However, the NESTS organization is once again the obstacle in the way of the participant. They have assembled their own team of four combatants, which is led by two individuals who hold high-ranking positions within the NESTS organization: a man who claims to be the original Zero and Igniz, who is the CEO of the NESTS organization.
For this installment in the series, the character roster has undergone yet another round of revisions. There are a total of 42 playable characters in The King of Fighters 2001, including the newly added May Lee, Angel, K9999, Original Zero, and Igniz, in addition to the returning fighters such as Heidern and Goro Daimon. The game also features two boss characters. With the exception of the striker system, which has been redesigned since the previous King of Fighters game was released, the gameplay system that was utilized in The King of Fighters 2000 has remained more or less intact since that game’s debut. You now have complete control over the maximum amount of strikers you can have; you can have as many as three characters allocated as strikers and one character assigned as a fighter, or you can assign all four of your characters to the role of active fighters. After each bout, the player has the option of adjusting the number of strikes and fighters. In addition, the quantity of power you can store for special maneuvers and Desperation Moves will increase proportionally with the number of characters you have assigned to the role of striker. A fully active combat team has access to only one Power Stock, while a striker-dedicated team (with the exception of the solitary fighter) has access to as many as four Power Stocks.
