The King of Fighters '99

The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle
File:The King of Fighters '99 - poster.jpg Cover artwork for the Neo Geo CD version.
Developer(s)	SNK
Publisher(s)	SNK
Platform(s)	Arcade, Neo-Geo, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PC
Release	July 22, 1999
Genre(s)	Versus Fighting
Mode(s)	Team Battle; Up to 2 players simultaneously
Arcade system	Neo-Geo

The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle is a Template:Vgy head-to-head fighting game by SNK released for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It is the sixth installment in the company's The King of Fighters series. The game was ported to the Neo Geo CD and the PlayStation as the final KOF game released for both platforms. A Dreamcast version was also released under the title The King of Fighters '99 Evolution. Both the Neo Geo and Dreamcast versions are included in The Kings of Fighters NESTS Hen compilation released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. The game introduces several changes to the established KOF format, as well as a new story arc that would later be dubbed the "NESTS Chronicles".

Gameplay

Instead of the three character teams from previous KOF games, each team now has four members. Before a match, the player chooses three of the characters to use in the actual fights, while the fourth member becomes the designated "Striker", a character the player summons during battle to help their character out by performing one of their Special Moves against the opponent. A Striker can only be summoned a limited number of times during a single match, which is determined by the number of "Strike Bombs" at the bottom of the screen.

The selectable fighting styles (Advance and Extra) from KOF '98 are gone. Instead, the game has a single playing style modeled after the Advance mode from the previous game, where the player fills their power gauge by attacking the opponent or performing special moves. This time, there are two powered up states the player can choose during battle depending on the button combination used). Counter Mode increases the player's offensive strength and allows the player to use their character's Super Special Move infinitely, as well as combo a Special Moves into a Super Special Moves by using a "Super Cancellation Attack" or a "Moving Attack". The other powered up mode is Armor Mode, which increases the character's defensive strength, allowing the character to take more damage from the opponent. However the player cannot use Super Special Moves during Armor Mode.

Story

A long time has passed since the last King Of Fighters tournament and no-one has seen Kyo Kusanagi or Iori Yagami since they defeated Orochi at the climax of that tournament. But out of the blue new invitations are sent out to characters inviting them to a brand new tournament returning to the King Of Fighters roots as an underground secretive affair far from the mass media and big business of the tournaments from previous years it also changes the team requirement from 3 fighters per team to four.

The increased number of characters per team, as well as the story element of the missing Kyo and Iori lead to the reshuffling to the character roster. K′ (K Dash) is introduced as the new protagonist of the game along with his partner Maxima, who joins forces with Kyo's former teammates of Benimaru Nikaido and Shingo Yabuki to form the new Hero Team. Takuma Sakazaki rejoins the Art of Fighting Team as its fourth member, while Mai Shiranui finally becomes an official member of the Fatal Fury Team after six games. King joins forces with Blue Mary (formerly with the "'97 Special Team") to form the new Woman Fighters Team along with Kasumi Todoh (last seen in KOF '96) and Li Xiangfei (from Real Bout Fatal Fury 2). The other returning teams each gain a new member in the process, with female soldier Whip becoming a member of the Ikari Team, young boy Bao joining the Psycho Soldier Team, and Tae Kwon Do master Jhun Hoon teaming up with his rival Kim Kaphwan as part of the Korean Team. John Hennigan made his first appreance and team up with Jeff Hardy, Jerry Mouse and Muscle Mouse as Twist Of Fate Team. The game also introduces two clones of Kyo Kusanagi as Team Edit characters based on previous incarnations of the character, while the real Kyo, along with Iori, also returns with a new look and new special moves.

Characters

Hero Team

• K′
• Maxima
• Benimaru Nikaido
• Shingo Yabuki

Fatal Fury Team

• Terry Bogard
• Andy Bogard
• Joe Higashi
• Mai Shiranui

Art of Fighting Team

• Ryo Sakazaki
• Robert Garcia
• Yuri Sakazaki
• Takuma Sakazaki

Ikari Team

• Leona
• Ralf
• Clark
• Whip

Psycho Soldier Team

• Athena Asamiya
• Sie Kensou
• Chin Gentsai
• Bao

Women Fighters Team

• King
• Blue Mary
• Kasumi Todoh
• Li Xiangfei

Korea Team

• Kim Kaphwan
• Chang Koehan
• Choi Bounge
• Jhun Hoon

Twist of Fate Team

• Jeff Hardy
• Jerry Mouse
• Muscles Mouse
• John Morrison

Single Entry

• Kyo Kusanagi-1
• Kyo Kusanagi-2

Boss

• Krizalid

Hidden Characters

• Kyo Kusanagi
• Iori Yagami

Versions

KoF '99 was remade for the to the Dreamcast as The King of Fighters '99: Evolution. This version had different stages and a few selectable striker characters. The new strikers are Kyo Kusanagi, Athena Asamiya (in her school outfit), Goro Daimon, Billy Kane, Ryuji Yamazaki, Chizuru Kagura, Syo Kirishima, Alfred Airhawk, Vanessa, Seth, Fiolina Germi, and Gai Tendo. Additionally, the game can be connected to the Neo Geo Pocket Color game The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise. Points won in Battle de Paradise can be transferred to The King of Fighters '99: Evolution to speed up the leveling process for the Extra Strikers. Both, the Neo Geo and Dreamcast versions are included in The Kings of Fighters NESTS Hen compilation released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	75.33% (PS - 6 reviews) 73.50% (DC - 6 reviews)
Metacritic	67 (DC)

Review scores

Publication	Score
Electronic Gaming Monthly	8.0/10 (PS) 7.5/10 (DC)
GamePro
GameSpot	6.1/10 (PS) 6.6 (DC)
IGN	8.5/10 (DC)

Sources

• The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website