'King Of Fighters: The Orochi Saga' (Wii)

Also available on: PS2, PSP
Developers: SNK Playmore
Publisher: Ignition Entertainment
Genre:: Beat-em-up
Release date: March 27, 2009

With the recent releases of Street Fighter IV and Street Fighter II HD Remix, the classic 2-D beat-em-up has started to make some big noise on the next generation of consoles. Not content to let Capcom have all the fun, SNK recently announced that its unashamedly old school King Of Fighters XII will be hitting the 360 and PS3 in June. For any Wii owners out there feeling left out, fear not, because you get to see where it all began with The King Of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga.

KOF: The Orochi Saga is a compilation pack featuring five games on one disc. It contains the actual Orochi Saga story arc - KOF '95, '96 & '97 - wedged in between the historically significant KOF '94, which is where it all began, and KOF '98, which is often touted as the definitive game in the series and recently came second in Digital Spy's Top Ten Fighting Games' list.

On the surface, KOF is a rather typical 2-D beat-em-up that doesn't deviate much from the likes of Street Fighter. The moves and combo system work in much the same way and you'll be forgiven for thinking it's just a slightly slower version of Capcom's effort. However, KOF sets itself apart from the other beat-em-ups of the same era by offering 3-on-3 team-based battles. The group battle dynamic makes each fight a real epic and adds a strategic dimension to the character selection process. Usually, beat-em-up fans will stick to a character they know well and will select a solid all-rounder to duke it out against the computer and friends. However, in KOF it pays to have a big powerhouse or a quick striker in your team who is able to get in close, register a few hits and retreat. Experimentation is key in KOF, even when selecting the order in which your fighters appear in the battle. Do you use your best fighter straight away? Or do you save them until last in case things go wrong? At first the computer groups the teams together by nationality, but this is tweaked in KOF '95 to allow for default teams and custom teams. By KOF '98 you'll be able to select a trio of whomever you desire, and considering that most of the characters make an appearance in KOF '98 you'll be spoilt for choice.

With four control schemes on offer it's not only the range of characters that spoils you for choice; however, unless you're willing to invest in extra peripherals, the default controls will do no more than spoil your health. If armed with only a Wii Remote, KOF sees the player flip it on its side and use the 1 & 2 buttons as HP and HK and the awkwardly placed A & B buttons as LP and LK. The default control scheme should come with a health warning; five minutes with this system can be very painful and extended play will surely result in a trip to the doctor's and a date with arthritis. Things aren't much better with the Nunchuck, it may not hurt as much, but the button placement is still just as awkward and makes pulling off combos extremely difficult. Luckily, the classic controller and Gamecube controller can also be used and considering the price of a second hand 'Cube pad, it's not too big a burden on the wallet to invest in one; although the classic controller probably pips it in terms of ease and comfort of play.

While the control scheme is one problem that can be overcome, the series' lack of variety cannot. With its yearly updates KOF draws parallels with many sports titles. Each year sees a few minor tweaks and additional characters, without offering anything that is truly fresh or innovative. If played back to back you'll notice the difference between KOF '94 and '98, but if all five games are played together, it's very hard to notice the gradual evolution of the series. The sprites, backgrounds, animations and colours noticeably improve over time, but the improvements only really stand out if you skip a few games in the process. The same can be said for the speed; the pace goes from third to fourth gear as opposed to first to fifth and so, while battles in the later games become a bit more frantic, the game never hits turbo territory in terms of levels of excitement.

The game modes in the Orochi Saga do little to detract from the overall sense of repetition. Each individual game only features an arcade and practice mode; although the main menu does have a challenge mode, which adds a bit of extra spice and serves as a tutorial of sorts. Each individual challenge sets players a new task and by utilising particular techniques and meeting certain requirements the player will be able to beat the challenge and move on, while possibly learning a thing or two in the process. The challenge mode contains a whole host of unlockables and the Orochi Saga eventually has a museum quality about it, with the plentiful supply of music and artwork going on display in the game's media section.

King Of Fighters has never been a game that will appeal to everybody. Its uncompromising old school feel and slightly slower gameplay means that it is more suited to battle hardened beat-em-up fans as opposed to newcomers. Seeing where the series began will appeal to the gaming historians among you, and being able to play five of the King Of Fighters games without the extended loading times that have dogged the PS2 versions for so long may prove too hard to resist. As a collection the Orochi Saga is a little weak due to the similarity of the games featured, but the fact that it contains possibly the finest entry in the series goes some way to offset this problem. Ultimately, the price and lack of competition on the Wii means that anybody aching for some old school fighting should look no further than this, but make sure you purchase a different game pad or else you'll be aching for another reason.


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