The King of Fighters 2000 & 2001 PS2

SNK's King Of Fighters series kicked off ten years ago, when the first instalment smashed onto the Neo Geo platform, the 16 bit console reserved for arcade halls and people with too much money. Although King of Fighters titles have been released previously in Japan for Dreamcast and PS2, in Europe we've only been treated to the cut-down GBA and Neo Geo Pocket versions. Finally, after Ignition Entertainment signed a deal to publish SNK titles in PAL territories, the seminal beat 'em up series will reach these shores. The first arrival is the King of Fighters 2000 and 2001 double-pack. Although, on the face of it, some will query the worth of a port of a game designed for a 16 bit system several years ago, the reputation of the series should guarantee a certain level of attention. After all, Neo Geo versions of King Of Fighters 2000 and 2001 now sell second-hand on certain well-known auction sites for around the $150 mark. So, such a reasonably priced double pack for PS2, although clearly less collectable than its chunky cartridge counterparts, could be deemed as rather good value. There's little room to criticise the nature of King of Fighters gameplay. You either love it or are entirely apathetic towards it. It is fair to say that, despite the faithful accuracy of the port, the graphics are inherently dated and unimpressive. However, a beat 'em up as finely balanced and tuned as this is clearly all about the gameplay. On the surface, it all seems quite simple. It's about familiarising yourself with the range of your chosen character's moves before unleashing them in a well-timed manner in order to exploit the weakness of your opponent. For fans of 2D fighting games, this double pack will offer a surprising amount of depth (surprising, that is, if you've not played them before). Some of 2001's characters, Mei in particular, have some extraordinarily complicated special moves. And although these might be daunting to newcomers, they will seduce more ambitious fans of the genre who wish to display their slig