The King of Fighters 2001
Encyclopedia
The King of Fighters 2001 is a competitive fighting game
produced by Eolith
for the Neo Geo
. It is the eighth game in The King of Fighters series and the first game produced following the closure of the original SNK. The game was produced by the Korean
-based company Eolith
and developed by Brezzasoft
, a company formed by former SNK employees. The game was ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2
. The stand-alone PlayStation 2 version was released in North America in a two-in-one bundle with the preceding game in the series, The King of Fighters 2000
. Both the original Neo Geo version and the Dreamcast version were included in The King of Fighters NESTS Hen compilation released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
K′ and Maxima return to put an end to NESTS once and for all. They are now joined by former Ikari Team member Whip and the assassin Lin formerly from Benimaru's Team, both whom are seeking the destruction of NESTS as well. NESTS sends their own team to compete in the tournament, composed of NESTS agents Kula Diamond, K9999, Foxy, and Angel. Kyo Kusanagi
joins his former teammates of Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon, reuniting the original Japan Team along with Shingo Yabuki, while Iori Yagami
joins a team composed of agents Seth, Vanessa, and Ramon. Yuri Sakazaki
rejoins the Art of Fighting Team, while King and Mai Shiranui
once again lead the Women Fighters Team along with the returning Li Xiangfei and Hinako Shijo. Heidern also makes his KOF return, taking Whips place in the Ikari Team, while Kim Kaphwan
s young student May Lee takes over Jhun Hoons place in the Korean Team, who is unable to compete due to an injury.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
produced by Eolith
Eolith (company)
Eolith was a South Korean based company. They developed The King of Fighters 2001 and 2002 after SNK was bankrupted. They also developed Double Dragon EX for mobile phones. Their last title released was Chaos Breaker, for Taito....
for the Neo Geo
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
. It is the eighth game in The King of Fighters series and the first game produced following the closure of the original SNK. The game was produced by the Korean
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
-based company Eolith
Eolith (company)
Eolith was a South Korean based company. They developed The King of Fighters 2001 and 2002 after SNK was bankrupted. They also developed Double Dragon EX for mobile phones. Their last title released was Chaos Breaker, for Taito....
and developed by Brezzasoft
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
, a company formed by former SNK employees. The game was ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. The stand-alone PlayStation 2 version was released in North America in a two-in-one bundle with the preceding game in the series, The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2000 is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the seventh installment in The King of Fighters series for the Neo Geo, as well as the final one produced by SNK before the bankruptcy. The game was ported to the Sega...
. Both the original Neo Geo version and the Dreamcast version were included in The King of Fighters NESTS Hen compilation released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.
Gameplay
Like in the previous game, the battles are once again between teams of four. Instead of a strict "three fighters and one striker" format, this installment introduces the Tactical Order System, which allows the player to select which characters will they control in combat and which characters will serve as strikers. Before each match, the player can form a team configuration of four fighters and no strikers, to one fighter and three strikers. The number of strikers in ones team will affect the length and number of stocks of the player's Power Gauge. Teams with no strikers will have a longer Power Gauge to fill and can carry only one stock, while a team with only one fighter and three strikers will fill their Power Gauge quicker and carry up to four stocks. One stock can be used to summon a striker, perform a guard or super cancel, a blow-away attack, or a Super Special Move. MAX-level Super Special Moves requires two stocks to perform. Players can now cancel an attack into a Striker Summon with use of a Cancel Striker, while some characters now have Wire Whip techniques which will send an opponent flying into the air and arrive at the other side of the fighting area.Story
Time has passed since most of Southtown was decimated by the now-destroyed Zero Cannon. Another KOF tournament is being held and this time, it's hosted by the NESTS Organization, the group of antagonists behind the events of the previous two games.K′ and Maxima return to put an end to NESTS once and for all. They are now joined by former Ikari Team member Whip and the assassin Lin formerly from Benimaru's Team, both whom are seeking the destruction of NESTS as well. NESTS sends their own team to compete in the tournament, composed of NESTS agents Kula Diamond, K9999, Foxy, and Angel. Kyo Kusanagi
Kyo Kusanagi
is one of the main characters in SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series; he was first introduced in The King of Fighters '94 as the leader of the Japan team. He is one of the iconic characters of the series and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. His name and...
joins his former teammates of Benimaru Nikaido and Goro Daimon, reuniting the original Japan Team along with Shingo Yabuki, while Iori Yagami
Iori Yagami
is a character from the SNK Playmore's The King of Fighters video game series that first appeared in The King of Fighters '95 as the leader of the Rivals Team. He is an iconic character of the series, and regularly appears on publicity material and merchandise. Iori is a central character to the...
joins a team composed of agents Seth, Vanessa, and Ramon. Yuri Sakazaki
Yuri Sakazaki
is a video game character from SNK Playmore's Art of Fighting series. She first appears in the original Art of Fighting being kidnapped by Mr. Big, a criminal from the fictional city of Southtown. The players, Yuri's brother Ryo and his friend Robert Garcia spend the game searching for her...
rejoins the Art of Fighting Team, while King and Mai Shiranui
Mai Shiranui
is a player character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series of fighting games by SNK and in related media, also appearing in a large number of other games...
once again lead the Women Fighters Team along with the returning Li Xiangfei and Hinako Shijo. Heidern also makes his KOF return, taking Whips place in the Ikari Team, while Kim Kaphwan
Kim Kaphwan
Kap-hwan Kim , usually written surname first as Kim Kap-hwan, is a character in both the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters series created by SNK Playmore . He is credited as the first ever fictional Korean character to appear in a fighting game...
s young student May Lee takes over Jhun Hoons place in the Korean Team, who is unable to compete due to an injury.