King of Fighters '95 |
Neo Geo |
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Review by Matt Paprocki |
SNK |
Fighting |
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Graphics: 8 |
Sound: 8 |
Gameplay: 7 |
Overall: 7 |
![]() The balance issues from '94 are still here. The Art of Fighting squad is overwhelmingly powerful, with a ridiculous amount of special moves, some of which would be turned into last ditch efforts in later games. The core fighting engine remains identical, aside from some new characters and the loss of some old ones. Even a bigger issue is the difficulty balance, skewered almost entirely in favor of the computer. Their hits cause more damage, their attacks come with little delay, and their defense is impenetrable. It's a classic case of "SNK boss syndrome," but one that runs through the entire game, even when set on easy. ![]() That leaves this edition one of the least renovated. The company was obviously working the formula, inserting some inspired backdrops, and tweaking this just slightly for the next year. It's a small step (though not a bad game by any means), enough to write this one off completely, and ignore it to head straight into '96. |