The
King of Fighters 2003
STORY:
KOF 2003
begins a new story arc following the conclusion of the NESTS arc in KOF 2001.
This story arc centers around a new lead character named Ash Crimson. Unlike the
previous protagonists of the series, Kyo Kusanagi and K', Ash is a villainous
character with a self-serving agenda, seeking to steal the powers of the Three
Divine Vessels for himself.
REVIEW:
The tenth installment of the series, The
King of Fighters 2003
redefines the classic, tried-and-true 2D gameplay of the series with the all new "Multi-Shift"
feature (AKA 3-on-3 tag team gameplay)!
Along with this dramatic change in gameplay comes a fan-approved selection of new
characters, including some epic crossovers from one of SNK's all time best
2D fighters, Garou: Mark of the Wolves! Tizoc & Gato definitely make
awesome KOF characters and thankfully they play just like they do in Garou.
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KOF
2003 selection
screen... Welcome Team Garou: MOTW!
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KOF 2003 also introduces the Tactical Leader System, in which one team member is
designated by the player as the "Leader". The leader of each team is
granted an exclusive move known as the "Leader Super Special Move" (in addition to
their regular Super Moves). These moves usually require two Power Gauge stocks to perform.
The Tactical Leader System definitely adds some different strategy to the gameplay, but
it's slightly disappointing that only one of your team members can perform their
strongest super move. One thing's for sure, it makes you want to use a lot of
different teams. 
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One big
happy family?
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The "old school" sprite-based graphics have undergone a slight, yet significant
improvement. First
off, the backgrounds show off a lot of detail and are well designed in general.
They're actually some of the best looking
backgrounds of the
series. The super move effects have also been revamped, making them appear more
epic and more painful
than ever before. Several classic characters have also been given new animations,
stances, and new even outfits this time around (such as Terry Bogard, now sporting his
badass threads from Garou: MOTW).
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"Are
you okay? . . . Buster Wolf!"
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Even with the "dated look"
that returning players might expect, KOF2003
at least manages to look like a new KOF game. Although the animation and sprites
aren't
nearly the most impressive we've seen in recent times, SNK's classic franchise looks, sounds, and plays better than ever. KOF2003 is definitely a worthy sequel on all levels.
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| Page Updated: |
January
21st, 2024 |
| Developer(s): |
SNK NeoGeo |
| Publisher(s): |
SNK
Playmore |
| Artwork
by: |
Falcoon
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| Platform(s): |
Neo
Geo, PlayStation 2, PSN, Xbox
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| Release Date(s): |
Dec. 12th, 2003 Arcade
Mar. 18th, 2004 
/
 PS2
April 15th, 2015 PSN
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| Characters: |
Ash
Crimson,
Malin, Duo Lon, Shen
Woo, Kyo,
Benimaru,
Daimon,
Terry,
Tizoc,
Gato,
Joe,
Leona,
Ralf,
Clark,
Kim,
Chang,
Ryo,
Robert,
Athena,
Mai,
Yuri, King,
Iori,
Yamazaki,
Mary,
Billy,
Shingo,
K',
Maxima,
Whip,
Jhun,
Chizuru,
Hinako,
Adelheid,
Mukai
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
The
King of Fighters XI,
KOF 2002, KOF 2002
Unlimited Match, KOF 2001, KOF 2000,
KOF '94, KOF '94: Re-bout,
KOF '95,
KOF '96, KOF '97, KOF '98, KOF '98 Ultimate Match, KOF '99,
KOF XII, KOF
XIII,
KOF XIV,
KOF XV, KOF:
Maximum Impact, KOF:
Maximum Impact MANIAX, KOF:
Maximum Impact 2, KOF: Maximum Impact
Regulation A, KOF: Neowave, KOF EX Neo Blood,
KOF EX2 Howling Blood,
KOF
R1, KOF R2, KOF Collection: Orochi Saga, Garou Mark of the Wolves |
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Gameplay
Engine
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8.5 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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8.5 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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8.0 / 10
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Animation
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8.0 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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7.5 / 10
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Innovation
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8.0 / 10
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Art Direction
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9.5 / 10
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Customization
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8.0 / 10
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Options / Extras
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8.0 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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8.5 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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9.0 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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8.5 / 10
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Characters
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9.0 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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8.8
/
10
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Review based on PS2
version
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| Final
Words: |
KOF 2003's
new Tag-Team gameplay mechanic breathed some new life into the series, keeping
it competitive with the top 2D fighters of the genre. The character roster is
another fairly strong point of KOF 2003 — featuring some great new
additions, including a team from SNK's
underrated gem, Garou: Mark of the
Wolves (and it's about damn time)!
If the classic 1-v-1 KOF gameplay was at all feeling "stale" to you...
KOF 2003's distinctive tag-team gameplay and refreshed character roster should be
enough to bring you back to the series. Following KOF
2000 as one of my personal favorite installments of the series to date, I'd say KOF
2003 became my second favorite KOF game from that era. The newer character
sprites look great, the soundtrack is nice, and the 2D background are
spectacular! In my opinion, KOF 2003 and KOF
XI were "peak" for the purely 2D era of KOF.
~TFG
Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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