King of Fighters R-21999

King of Fighters R-2

1999 SNK Corporation70Good

Playtime

BriefTypically 1.5 hours

Playable on

Available on

Details

Launch
March 19, 1999
Themes
Action
Genres
Fighting

Overview

Mix it up in COLOR with King Of Fighters R-2 now on NEOGEO Pocket Color! Get SKILLS in the MAKING Mode and create your very own custom-made character! You can also play two-player VS. MODE battles and trade SKILLS using the NEOGEO Pocket Link Cable! 14 characters to choose from including 2 new characters make King Of Fighters R-2 H-O-T!

Screenshots

Screenshot for King of Fighters R-2
Screenshot for King of Fighters R-2
Screenshot for King of Fighters R-2
Screenshot for King of Fighters R-2
Screenshot for King of Fighters R-2

Reception

Fighting games have come a long way since 1999 and this portable fighter is fun but King of Fighters R-2 can't help but feel dated.

At $7.99 this is the perfect “time-waster” game, or something to let the younger gamers out there play on a road trip or something to that effect.

While I think I liked Samurai Shodown 2 a bit less than the other two Neo Geo Pocket fighters I’ve looked at, I like there is a wide range of characters with two different styles and collecting the cards adds a good amount of replay value here. I don’t think it controls quite as well as the other title, and the fight against Gandara is just plain annoying....

Though the Neo Geo Pocket lacks the overall power of the base Neo Geo MVS and AES Hardware, it was a pretty potent little handheld that had a solid library, and seeing these games ported to the Nintendo Switch to open up access to people that never got to experience it for a very low cost of entry is awesome. The lack of a micro-switch joystick might...

While I'm certainly hoping to see further Neo Geo Pocket Color games eventually come to the Nintendo Switch, maybe pick from a different genre for the next release. KING OF FIGHTERS R-2 is still decent for what it is, but only big fans of 2D fighters need to experience it on the Switch.