The King of Fighters 2006 is one of the best fighting games ever...at least to me.
The graphics of the game are rather impressive. The characters and their costumes are intricately detailed, yet the skin features are not that great. However, I have found the stages to be the best graphic-wise. My favorite stage is the brown-accented Grand Mosque, which has you fighting in a Muslim place of worship with beautiful statues and carpets. I sometimes like to just go into practice mode and study the stage; that's how beautiful I find it to be.
The costumes for each character are numerous and diverse. I know it seems a bit shallow to say this but dressing up each character before a fight is so much fun and this game is a dream-come-true in regards to this aspect. With all of this in mind, the amount of unlockable content is enormous yet fun to achieve. Much more fun than Dead or Alive 4 for instance, for Jivatma (the boss of this game) is difficult to defeat yet not cheap or impossible like Alpha-152. The levels of difficulty for the AI range from easiest to maniac (which is crazy hard but not overly difficult to defeat opponents). I myself prefer the expert difficulty which is just before the maniac one.
One of the best parts of this game in my experience is the story mode. Most of the characters available have a rather intricate storyline that one experiences slowly but steadily. For a fighting game, KOF 2006 has a pretty interesting and thoughtful story. While each character has different reasons for entering the KOF Tournament, each story is intertwined with Jivatma and his organization's evil plot, which involves missing scientists and the infinite galaxy of stars. I do not want to reveal more in case you have not experienced the story yourself. However, the hidden characters do not have specific story cutscenes like the other characters, which is pretty disappointing. You can still go through the story mode with every single character though. I suggest you watch the story mode in Japanese with subtitles because the acting is much better in its original language.
Another aspect of the game makes up for the lack of special story modes for hidden characters. As you unlock your characters, you can view their biographies in profile mode. Their revealed stories are rather lengthy yet interesting to read. You can find out about each character's specific likes, dislikes, etc. Another fun mode of play for me is the challenge mode, which has you vying to complete different missions. But the missions are not any ordinary ones. One involves you having to defeat a tank and another has you creating a carved statue. They are actually quite fun. And they help you unlock more costumes for your characters.
Finally, the fighting mechanics of this game are top-notch. Each character has a unique fighting style and special powers. And to top it all off, each character possesses a few different kinds of DOA Thrashings (KOF's version of super combos and powers). Certain DOA Thrashings require a certain number of super combo bars, which are accumulated from you attacking your opponent and vice versa. Check out the number of bars near the bottom of the screen. A new addition to the series is the Sabaki (countering). By pressing L2 while standing or crouching, one can stop high or low attacks. If successful, the opponent is stunned for a moment or two, allowing you a guaranteed attack or throw. But the opponent can counter your attacks right back so watch out. If you want to go to the next level, you can deliver a Counter-Sabaki, which is simply a counterattack. I usually find myself doing these randomly, but I have found some use for the regular Sabaki despite the fast pace of this game.
King of Fighters 2006 is my favorite fighting game because it has all the features I love: an intriguing and lengthy story mode, a huge roster of characters and costumes, and a good number of different modes to just have fun with. If you like fast-paced and hard-hitting action, I highly recommend that you check this title out. To me, it's the perfect example of what a fighting game should be.