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 SNK has given the gaming world its fair share of memorable licenses. From fast paced fighters to adrenaline pumping side scrollers. At this year's E3, I got to sit down with Mark Rudolph, director of marketing for SNK Playmore USA, and take a behind the scenes look at two of those franchises, as well as one that may not be that well known. First up, King of Fighters 2006, the next 3D iteration and follow up to Maximum Impact. As anyone who is familiar with the series knows, King of Fighters is one of the premier fighting series out there right now, with numerous 2D incarnations, as well as the series' first 3D version back in 2004. Now, SNK is set to release King of Fighters 2006, the sequel to Maximum Impact, this August. I asked Rudolph what we can expect from KOF 2006. "One thing you will notice is the new storyline and characters in this version” he says. KOF 2006 will feature four new characters in addition to those already featured in MI: Nagase and Luise Meyrink, two entirely original characters, as well as Billy Kane and Kula Diamond, who will be making their first appearance in 3D. One new feature in the game, besides all new moves and combos, will be the ability to choose the original Japanese voice acting, one thing fans desperately wanted in MI, but due to a last second decision, was left out. Now they have their wish. After playing a work in progress of the game, one thing I can definitely say is it looks absolutely gorgeous, and even though it was not a finished version, the controls were very tight and responsive. When asked if we have seen the end of the 2D run of KOF, Rudolph says not at all, in fact there is a 2D version, currently dubbed KOF 11, slated for release on home consoles, but no date had been set yet. With that said, only one question about the series remained. Will we see a 3D version of SNK vs. Capcom? Rudolph just smiles and says "It's up to those other guys!” Expect to see King of Fighters 2006 in August
Having gotten all that KOF goodness digested and out of the way, it was on to the Metal Slug series. Now before anyone gets too excited, no they are not releasing a brand new, fully 3D version of Metal Slug, in fact quite the opposite. The Metal Slug series is going back to its roots on the PSP, GBA, and Wii. SNK was very pleased with the success of Metal Slug Advance so decided to release the game that started it all, the original Metal Slug. I played a very early build, basically just Marco running around a level with no enemies, power ups, or bosses, and the speed seemed to be a little quicker than I remember, but the basics looked to be in place. The backgrounds detailed and the animation was fluid, even though it was an early build, it seemed to be going in the right direction. I asked Rudolph if we would see any extra levels added to the original game, to which he replied "This will be a strict port of the original Metal Slug, with no add ons or extra levels”. Now if one Metal Slug isn't enough for you, how about the whole dang collection! That's right, Metal Slug Anthology is coming out for both PSP and Wii, and every game will be included. The Anthology build was a little farther along than the GBA version, sans sound effects and music, but everything else showed that these were arcade perfect ports of the originals. On the PSP, the games can be displayed in three different aspect ratios, the native widescreen for the PSP, 4:3, and a smaller arcade accurate view for those purists out there who like their Metal Slug to look authentic. Sadly, the PSP version was the only one available for play, so I'm going to have to wait just like everyone else to see how it plays on the Wii. Now, where the version of Metal Slug for the GBA has no real extras to speak of, the Anthology will offer unlockable bonus content such as arcade posters, sell sheets, etc. This is going to be one anthology you do not want to miss, especially if you're a fan of the series, or the genre,
Next up on the menu was a return to a lesser known series that first appeared on the Neo Geo Pocket Color. This incarnation just happens to be coming to the DS. Card Fighters DS is a collectible card game, featuring over 300 cards which can be combined in different ways to construct strategies to take down your opponent. We may not be seeing any new SNK vs. Capcom fighters anytime soon, but you get to choose from your favorite brawlers on both sides to engage in some card battling goodness. There was no playable build available, but from the screenshots, one thing I can say is it looks pretty colorful and the characters appear to have reverted to children in the game. Definitely looks to appeal to the younger set, but if you have any interest in collectible card games (and I know there's a lot of you out there!), this one might be worth picking up. I'll keep you posted on any further developments with this title.
Overall, my visit with SNK Playmore was a pretty productive one, I got a sneak peek at what's to be expected in the coming year, and it looks very promising indeed. My thanks to Mark Rudolph for taking the time to sit down and chat with me.
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