	The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga
	Developer: SNK Publisher: Ignition Entertainment Release Date: Out Now Players: 1, 2 player wi-fi	Words By:
SNK has been rifling through their drawers again and has come up with this; a 5-game compilation of their The King of Fighters series, subtitled “the Orochi Saga”. It features King of Fighters '94 through 98, and thus offers tremendous value for retro PSP-ers out there. So suited to the 2-D beat ‘em up or fighting game is the PSP that you have to imagine that some retroholics will be buying one just to play SNK’s back catalogue in the comfort of their own armchair, or at the beach, or in the car, or on a bus, train or plane. The 5 games include characters from a various SNK fighting games including Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier. King of Fighters plays a tight game with solid game mechanics, team fights mean that a new fighter comes in when one has been defeated, and the things that make or break all fighting games – balanced opponents and easy to perform hits and combos – are all present and correct. Having the 5 games on one UMD also means that - should you be inclined – you’ll get to see each of the fighters’ stories and endings. You may well be familiar with Capcom’s Street Fighter series, and not have a clue what the King of Fighters franchise is, but as SNK designed it to be in direct competition with Street Fighter there are many similarities and the games play in very similar ways. You won't have a problem getting the hang of KoF as executing moves and combos will be a walk in the park for an SF veteran, and the varied characters and fighting styles will need a lot of practice to master. On the occasional bit of “button lag” or poor response to an input spoils the action. I was surprised that even without any tampering the games look bright and pleasing, but are obviously looking their age in terms of animation and detail. The series has however always looked a bit lusher than the Streetfighter games because they ran on more powerful arcade boards and in the home, on the Neo Geo, which was the most powerful console around for most of the King of Fighters franchise lifespan. Sound-wise it’s just great, the sound FX and music are catchy and I found myself humming a couple of them for days after playing the games – and how many recent games’ music can you say that about? SNK even thought to include a jukebox so you can listen to each of your favourites individually. Overall, The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga is excellent value for money for collectors and retro completists. PSP gamers curious about the golden age of old-school beat ‘em up fighting games could do far worse than use this as an entry point.

Best Bits
- 5 games on one disk
- Varied fighting styles
- Stylish graphics

Worst Bits
- Occasional button lag
- Slow loading times


by: Mike Honsole