TGS '07: SNK brings the fight to the show floor

TOKYO--SNK Playmore's long history of fighting games have quite the cult following around the world, and it was evident today at the company's TGS booth with crowds packed around to play the latest--and oldest--titles the company had on show.

The front of the predominantly white booth sported several kiosks playing King of Fighters 4: Maximum Impact Regulation A for the PlayStation 2, as well as Metal Slug 7 for the Nintendo DS. Also in attendance was the infamous DS game Dokidoki Majo Shinpan--the controversial title that tasks you with finding a witch in a high school by slowly stripping young female suspects of their clothes. But the back of the booth was just as busy, if not more so. The back was where SNK had set up stations to play some of its back catalogue, which will soon be released on Xbox Live. These titles include King of Fighters, Magician Lord, World Heroes, and Metal Slug Complete.

While the games themselves were well populated, by far the biggest crowd at the SNK Playmore booth during our visit was drawn by two cosplay girls dressed up as G-string-wearing Fatal Fury character Mai Shiranui. Literally dozens of photographers were crowded around the two girls, who seemed to be taking all the attention in stride.