The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

SNK’s The King of Fighters series of 2D fighting games has been one of the longest-running and most prolific in the history of gaming. Now, in a bold move, The King of Fighters will be making the transition into 3D with The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact.

Plot has been pretty scarce in past KOF games, but Maximum Impact will break this trend. The game will revolve around a gang turf war in a gritty fictional urban area called Southtown and the subsequent fighting tournament that is intended to resolve the tension. This plotline will introduce several all-new fighters, including twin brothers Alba and Soiree, and the buxom English fighter Lien, among others. There will be 16 playable characters in all, and you can expect to see plenty of SNK all stars in Maximum Impact too, including Terry Bogard, Kyo, Ralf, and Ryo.

Aside from changing the graphics from 2D to 3D, Maximum Impact will discard the three-on-three team-based fighting that has been one of the unique hallmarks of the KOF series in favor of more-traditional one-on-one action. The game will also feature a selection of gameplay modes, including a story mode, a two-player versus mode, a survival mode, a practice mode, and a training mode. The fighters themselves will be armed with plenty of unique combo attacks, as well as new sideways and jump attacks. Also new to Maximum Impact will be the knock-back attack feature, which will let you send your opponent airborne, presumably to set the stage for a devastating combo attack.

For a series that stayed true to its 2D roots for so long, and earned a devout following for it, how smoothly it transitions to 3D in Maximum Impact will be of paramount importance to the game’s success. We’ll have more details on the development of this title as they become available.