Using the same formula as previous KOF games, Maximum Impact Regulation A pits teams of fighters against other teams in successive bouts. Players select three fighters from a roster of 41 characters and battle an opposing trio in 3D battlefields. SNK updates the KOF Maximum Impact II game with two new characters named Xiao Lon and Makoto Mizoguchi , adds new desperation moves, and retunes the game play for more balance. Ash Crimson and Blue Mary feature prominently in the game but we generally prefer the powerful attacks of B.Jenet. The PS2 version of the game also features Multi Matching BB compatibility so fighters can link up with other fighters online and engage in bouts. For added convenience, the moves for an active character may be viewed at any time during a match by pressing START and highlighting the Command List option.

Jan Code: 4964808300921

View the back cover and screenshots on the main NCSX website.

» The intro depicts a green neon wire image of Ash Crimson lifting her hand to her face and features hard rock music along with blistering images of the characters in the game mixed with lens effects and filters which would make a video producer happy. At the end, there's a blur of characters phasing in and above each other before a full image of Ash Crimson appears with a flaming left hand that she holds near her face. Soon afterwards, the title screen pops up with the announcer bellowing, "KOF Regulay-shun Ayy."

» The game supports the Multi-Matching BB service for online bouting.

» The fighters are large and fill up nearly 3/4 of the height of the screen. Punches and kicks are accompanied by loud sound effects to accentuate each blow. The moves of the fighters are fast but we got used to it.

» Press START and the following options appear on the MAIN MENU:

TIME ATTACK / Choose a trio of fighters. Next, select NORMAL MODEL or ANOTHER MODEL incarnations for each character and fight in 60 second bouts.
PRACTICE / Select one fighter and an opponent and test your skills against a dummy or active opponent.
VERSUS / Play TEAM PLAY, SINGLE PLAY, TEAM VS, or SINGLE VS.
JUKEBOX / Listen to the vocal sayings of every character in the game along with 31 BGM selections.
NETWORK MATCH / Go online and challenge someone on the Multi-Matching BB service to a duel
OPTIONS / Set difficulty, number of rounds, sound volumes, button configuration, view records, etc

» The 8th song in the JUKEBOX is titled, "THE NATIVE IN MY HOLE" while the 14th song is titled, "Looks Like Chinese?" and the 15th song is "DRAGON CHINESE." Those are their caps.

» There is a total of 41 characters in the roster split into three rows. The full cast rosters is as follows:

First Row from left to right: Alba Meira, Kula Diamond, Maxima, K', Athena Asamiya, Luise Meyrink, Ash Crimson, Blue Mary, Nagase, Fio, Leona, Clark Still, Ralf Jones, Soiree Meira.

Second Row from left to right: Kyo Kusanagi, Kyo Kusanagi-C, Mr. Karate, B. Jenet, Wild Wolf, Rock Howard, Xiao Lon, Makoto Mizoguchi, Nightmare Geese, Billy Kane, Lilly Kane, Richard Meyer, Seth, Iori Yagami.

Third Row from left to right: Duke, Hyena, Hanzo Hattori, Chae Lim, Kim, Terry Bogard, Jivatma, Ryo Sakazaki, Yuri Sakazaki, Mai Shiranui, Ninon Beart, Mignon Beart, Lien Neville.

» There are 20 stages to fight upon as follows:

01) WAR MEMORIAL
02) WAR MEMORIAL ver. night game
03) TEMPLE OF RUINS
04) TEMPLE OF RUINS ver. dead of night
05) FLEUR-DE-LIS
06) FLEUR-DE-LIS ver. celebration
07) KYOKUGEN DOJO
08) KYOKUGEN DOJO ver. yozakura
09) HUNTING CAVE
10) HUNTING CAVE ver. mad initiation
11) SACRED GARDEN
12) SACRED GARDEN ver. evening calm
13) GRAND MOSQUE
14) GRAND MOSQUE ver. farewell
15) DRAGON'S LAIR
16) DRAGON'S LAIR ver. gamble night
17) INFERNAL GATE
18) INFERNAL GATE ver. ghost castle
19) DOTONBORI
20) DOTONBORI ver. minami's night

» Only the D-pad is used for movement - the L-Analog does nothing.

» Before each match, players may select four different color schemes for the characters by pressing the four face buttons on the joypad. There's a dark-skinned, blonde-haired color variant for B.Jenet that's pretty radiant on the battlefield with her skull-logo dress flaring around and her fighting skills on full display. Iori as a blonde is also a striking visual...

» Sayings from the announcer include the following: "Ooh, a counter hit," "That's going to leave a bruise," and "Suck it up and get ready for war."

» After selecting your characters, there's roughly 10 seconds of loading time before the stage appears on screen. There's about 6 seconds of loading time between each round and whenever there's a character change. While loading, green diamonds appear on the screen with the KOF MI letters within them.

» The default controls are as follows:

SQUARE / L.PUNCH
TRIANGLE / S.PUNCH
CROSS / L.KICK
CIRCLE / S.KICK
R1-TRIGGER / L.P+L.K
R2-TRIGGER / S.P+S.K
L1-TRIGGER / PROVOCATION
L2-TRIGGER / SABAKI
VIBRATION / OFF

» To view the COMMAND LIST of a fighter, press START during the match and highlight the COMMAND LIST.

» Like the animal he's named after, Hyena can play dead and lie face down on the ground only to rise up and perform a devastating attack.

» Kula Diamond has a wacky spin move where she can go into a rotation and then spin forever if you continue tapping the CIRCLE button. If the opponent makes contact, he'll be blown backwards by the force of Kula's spin. She's also impervious to projectile attacks when spinning.

» The new character Xiao Lon has long draping sleeves in her NORMAL MODE and a long ponytail that reaches down to the floor. In her ANOTHER MODE form, she still has draping sleeves that are somehow even bigger and her hair is now in a compact bun on top of her head. She's also decked out with blue roses on her belt, on her biceps and on her hair for a total of six roses in all. She can perform a spinning evasive maneuver and throws out attacks that have a good amount of reach since she lunges forward when attacking.

» The other new character Makoto Mizoguchi is a thick-bodied bruiser who wears a headband with two trailing lengths of material that fall behind his back. He punches and kicks with power and his provocation move shows him leaning back slightly and throwing a piece of candy into his mouth. Afterwards, he's seemingly energized but there's one occasion when he threw a piece of candy into his mouth and then grabbed his belly as if it was aching. He's like a more muscular version of Ryu of Street Fighter fame and shares the same fireball throwing skills by performing a semi-circle + punch move. He isn't capable of throwing a dragon-punch however. We're guessing Capcom would be knocking on SNK's door if he was able to. One other special skill that Makoto has is a headbutt (R2-TRIGGER) where he juts forward abruptly and knocks anyone in the way backwards. Makoto's ANOTHER MODE strips him of all clothes except for underwear, fore-arm wraps, and wraps on his lower leg. He wears wooden sandals as well.

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