The King of Fighters Neowave
Encyclopedia
The King of Fighters Neowave is a 2D competitive fighting game
produced by SNK Playmore
and originally released as a coin operated arcade game
for Sammy
s Atomiswave
hardware. It was the first game SNK Playmore produced for the Atomiswave. Although a part of The King of Fighters series, it is not counted in the numeral progression established in the following game in the series, The King of Fighters XI
(with KOF 2003
being the actual tenth game in the series). The game was ported to the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
. The PS2 version was released only in Japan and the PAL region
, while the Xbox version was the only home version released in North America. The character artwork was done by Tomokazu Nakano (of Power Instinct
fame).
to KOF '98
, ignoring gameplay features from later games such as the "Striker" system used from KOF '99
through KOF 2001
and tag team system in KOF 2003
. The games graphics consist of 2D character sprites overlaid over polygonal 3D backgrounds (similar to the 3D stages featured in the console versions of previous games in the series such as the Dreamcast versions of KOF '98).
With the change of hardware from Neo Geo to Atomiswave, the number of buttons is now increased to five. In addition to the standard four attack buttons used in the previous games, a fifth button is now added which is used to activate the Heat Mode. Heat Mode will cause the character to blink red and increase their offensive strength, with the side effect being that the character's health will begin to gradually decrease. The player will return to normal after getting hit by the opponent or by pressing Heat Mode button again to deactivate it, and the player must wait awhile to activate it again. The player cannot use Heat Mode when the life gauge is in critical level.
The player can select their own playing style similar to KOF '97 and KOF '98, from three different styles, which affects the techniques available to the player and the length of their Power Gauge.
In Super Cancel Mode (SC Mode), the player has a three stock Power Gauge. The player can use Super Special Moves (which requires one Power Gauge stock) and MAX Super Special Moves (which requires two). With one Power stock, the player can cancel a regular move into a Special or Super Special move, and a regular Special into a Super Special. The player can also use one Power stock to cancel a guard into a Knockdown Blow or an Emergency Escape, or do a Quick Emergency Escape during a normal or command move.
In Guard Break Mode (GB Mode) , the player has a two stock Power Gauge. Like in SC Mode, the player can perform Super Special (one stock) and MAX Super Special Moves (two stock). The player can parry an opponent's attack using the "Just Defend" technique, guarding against an opponent's attacks at the precise moment it makes contact with the character, allowing the player to follow it up with a counterattack. Using one Power stock, the player can guard cancel into an Emergency Escape or do a Quick Emergency Escape. The player can also perform a Guard Break attack with one Power stock, which is an unblockable version of a character's Knockdown Attack.
In MAX2 Mode (M2 Mode), the player has a single stock Power Gauge. The player can perform Super Special Moves with one stock, as well as MAX Super Special Moves. However, MAX moves can only be perform when the player has only 25% of their life gauge remaining. Additionally, an exclusive MAX2 move can be perform under these conditions as well. In M2 Mode, the player can guard cancel into a Knockdown Attack.
in the Korean Team. Kim, along with Vanessa and Ramon, are still featured in the arcade version as hidden characters, along with the Orochi versions of the KOF '98 Team. Geese Howard
appears in the game as the main boss character, with this incarnation of the character being based on his younger self from Art of Fighting 2.
The PlayStation 2 version of the game brings back five characters from KOF 2002: Seth, May Lee, Angel, the Kusanagi
clone, and Omega Rugal
(with K9999 being the only character from KOF 2002 missing in this version). The Xbox version, due to licensing issues with Eolith
, includes all the characters from the PS2 version with the exception of Angel and May Lee.
Extra characters
Boss
Console versions additions
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 SNK Playmore
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....
and originally released as a coin operated arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
for Sammy
Sammy Corporation
was established on November 1, 1975 and is a leading developer and retailer of pachinko and pachislot systems in Japan.In 2001, Sammy Corporation created a subsidiary Sammy Entertainment, Inc. It would later change its name to Sammy Studios in 2002. Sammy Studios is responsible for developing and...
s Atomiswave
Atomiswave
The Atomiswave is a custom arcade system board and cabinet from Sammy Corporation. It is based on Sega's NAOMI system board...
hardware. It was the first game SNK Playmore produced for the Atomiswave. Although a part of The King of Fighters series, it is not counted in the numeral progression established in the following game in the series, The King of Fighters XI
The King of Fighters XI
The King of Fighters XI is a 2D competitive fighting game produced by SNK Playmore originally released in as a coin-operated arcade game for the Atomiswave platform...
(with KOF 2003
The King of Fighters 2003
The King of Fighters 2003 is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the tenth game in The King of Fighters series and the first KOF game to become a tag tournament as well as the first one to be published by SNK Playmore...
being the actual tenth game in the series). The game was ported to the 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...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. The PS2 version was released only in Japan and the PAL region
PAL region
The PAL region is a television publication territory which covers most of Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and most of Western Europe...
, while the Xbox version was the only home version released in North America. The character artwork was done by Tomokazu Nakano (of Power Instinct
Power Instinct
is a fighting game series created by Atlus started in 1993. The Power Instinct or Gouketsuji Ichizoku series is renowned for its more humorous take on fighting games, its music and its often-weird characters.One of the innovations unique to the series was the introduction of the transformation...
fame).
Gameplay
The game reverts back to the 3-character elimination system from KOF '94The King of Fighters '94
The King of Fighters '94 is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home console. It is the inaugural game in The King of Fighters series by the same company. The game was originally ported to the Neo Geo AES and Neo-Geo CD following its original arcade release...
to KOF '98
The King of Fighters '98
The King of Fighters '98 is a fighting game released by SNK released for the Neo Geo arcade and home console. It is the fifth game in The King of Fighters series...
, ignoring gameplay features from later games such as the "Striker" system used from KOF '99
The King of Fighters '99
The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle is a head-to-head fighting game by SNK released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sixth installment in the companys The King of Fighters series. The game was ported to the Neo-Geo CD and the PlayStation as the final KOF game released...
through KOF 2001
The King of Fighters 2001
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...
and tag team system in KOF 2003
The King of Fighters 2003
The King of Fighters 2003 is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the tenth game in The King of Fighters series and the first KOF game to become a tag tournament as well as the first one to be published by SNK Playmore...
. The games graphics consist of 2D character sprites overlaid over polygonal 3D backgrounds (similar to the 3D stages featured in the console versions of previous games in the series such as the Dreamcast versions of KOF '98).
With the change of hardware from Neo Geo to Atomiswave, the number of buttons is now increased to five. In addition to the standard four attack buttons used in the previous games, a fifth button is now added which is used to activate the Heat Mode. Heat Mode will cause the character to blink red and increase their offensive strength, with the side effect being that the character's health will begin to gradually decrease. The player will return to normal after getting hit by the opponent or by pressing Heat Mode button again to deactivate it, and the player must wait awhile to activate it again. The player cannot use Heat Mode when the life gauge is in critical level.
The player can select their own playing style similar to KOF '97 and KOF '98, from three different styles, which affects the techniques available to the player and the length of their Power Gauge.
In Super Cancel Mode (SC Mode), the player has a three stock Power Gauge. The player can use Super Special Moves (which requires one Power Gauge stock) and MAX Super Special Moves (which requires two). With one Power stock, the player can cancel a regular move into a Special or Super Special move, and a regular Special into a Super Special. The player can also use one Power stock to cancel a guard into a Knockdown Blow or an Emergency Escape, or do a Quick Emergency Escape during a normal or command move.
In Guard Break Mode (GB Mode) , the player has a two stock Power Gauge. Like in SC Mode, the player can perform Super Special (one stock) and MAX Super Special Moves (two stock). The player can parry an opponent's attack using the "Just Defend" technique, guarding against an opponent's attacks at the precise moment it makes contact with the character, allowing the player to follow it up with a counterattack. Using one Power stock, the player can guard cancel into an Emergency Escape or do a Quick Emergency Escape. The player can also perform a Guard Break attack with one Power stock, which is an unblockable version of a character's Knockdown Attack.
In MAX2 Mode (M2 Mode), the player has a single stock Power Gauge. The player can perform Super Special Moves with one stock, as well as MAX Super Special Moves. However, MAX moves can only be perform when the player has only 25% of their life gauge remaining. Additionally, an exclusive MAX2 move can be perform under these conditions as well. In M2 Mode, the player can guard cancel into a Knockdown Attack.
Characters
Like KOF '98 and KOF 2002, Neowave has no actual storyline, but is instead a "Dream Match" which gathers numerous characters from various past KOF games, regardless of their status in the over-arching storyline. The character roster of the arcade version is similar to the Neo Geo version of KOF 2002, with a few differences in the team placement. The KOF 2000 Team and the KOF 2001 Team are eliminated from the lineup, and a Mixed Team is introduced, composed of Saisyu Kusanagi, Kula Diamond, and Shingo Yabuki. King replaces May Lee in the Women Fighters Team, while Jhun Hoon replaces Kim KaphwanKim 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...
in the Korean Team. Kim, along with Vanessa and Ramon, are still featured in the arcade version as hidden characters, along with the Orochi versions of the KOF '98 Team. Geese Howard
Geese Howard
is a fictional video game character appearing in SNK Playmore's Fatal Fury fighting games series. Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Geese is the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town. Geese hosts a fighting tournament named "The King of Fighters", in which he faces the...
appears in the game as the main boss character, with this incarnation of the character being based on his younger self from Art of Fighting 2.
The PlayStation 2 version of the game brings back five characters from KOF 2002: Seth, May Lee, Angel, the 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...
clone, and Omega Rugal
Rugal Bernstein
is a video game character created by SNK. First introduced in The King of Fighters '94, he is a recurring boss in the The King of Fighters fighting game series. As the host of the tournaments from The King of Fighters '94 and 95, Rugal plans to turn all the competitors from the tournament into...
(with K9999 being the only character from KOF 2002 missing in this version). The Xbox version, due to licensing issues with 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....
, includes all the characters from the PS2 version with the exception of Angel and May Lee.
Extra characters
- Orochi Yashiro
- Orochi Chris
- Orochi Shermie
- Vanessa
- Kim KaphwanKim KaphwanKap-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...
- Ramon
Boss
- Geese HowardGeese Howardis a fictional video game character appearing in SNK Playmore's Fatal Fury fighting games series. Debuting in Fatal Fury: King of Fighters, Geese is the local crime boss of the fictional city of South Town. Geese hosts a fighting tournament named "The King of Fighters", in which he faces the...
(based on the younger version from Art of Fighting 2)
Console versions additions
- May Lee (PS2 version only)
- Angel (PS2 version only)
- Seth
- Kusanagi
- Omega RugalRugal Bernsteinis a video game character created by SNK. First introduced in The King of Fighters '94, he is a recurring boss in the The King of Fighters fighting game series. As the host of the tournaments from The King of Fighters '94 and 95, Rugal plans to turn all the competitors from the tournament into...
Reception
External links
- The King of Fighters Neowave at the official Japanese website of SNK PlaymoreSNK PlaymoreSNK 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....
- The King of Fighters Neowave link to the official European version for the PS2 by Ignition Entertainment