King of Fighters Neowave provides thrifty thrills

King of Fighters Neowave (KOF) for the Xbox harkens back to the days when Capcom's Street Fighter II was popular. Dropping quarters into the machine to challenge other people in virtual fisticuffs was the high point for the afternoons of many.

While SNK Playmore's take on the fighting game, the Art Of Fighting series which later became the King Of Fighters (KOF) series, hasn't enjoyed the same success as Capcom, it still has its own dedicated fan base. The next game in the series, KOF Neowave, should please those loyal fans while continuing to provide a good time for casual gamers.

Neowave's gameplay modes are standard. Most come from the team-and-single-character fight modes against the computer or a human player. There is also an "endless" mode where you can fight a ceaseless string of computer-controlled characters until your health meter expires. While the reward is minimal, performing well in endless mode unlocks high-resolution character pictures, available in the gallery.

The wide range of characters helps keep the game fresh. The game offers over 24 distinct fighters, each having his own unique fighting style; none seems to have a large advantage over another. This makes the player rely more on skill than a sure-fire move. It is even possible to edit the colors of the characters to a scheme of your liking.

One welcome feature that helps simulate the arcade experience is the "Xbox Live" function which allows you to fight anyone all over the world. The lag issues are minimal, which is important in keeping the timing of attacks consistent. The graphics aren't overly impressive. The backgrounds and characters don't look as good as other 2-D spirte-based games, but the attack effects can provide a few exciting moments. The game's music isn't very noteworthy; it would've been nice if they had taken advantage of the custom soundtrack feature.

Another somewhat disappointing feature is the lack of any post-game victory quotes or a real story. Part of the charm of the KOF games are the sometimes cheesy and often humorous choice of words the translators put in the game. There is nothing like "You are just a bunch of fool!" or "Argh! Is this the end... of lovable Igniz?", when you are playing the game. Overall, however, for a $20 game, this is worth every penny. If you enjoy exploring every facet of fighting games or just want a fun pick-up-and-play title, check out King of Fighters Neowave.