PS2

The King of Fighters 2003

FightingArcade

Time to beat: about 0.9 hours

Overview

The King of Fighters 2003 (KOF 2003, or KOF '03) is a 2003 fighting video game developed and published by SNK Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is the tenth game in The King of Fighters series, and the last entry released for the Neo Geo, which had served as the primary platform for the series since The King of Fighters '94. It was ported to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and was released on both consoles in North America in a two-in-one bundle with the preceding game in the series, The King of Fighters 2002. Character designs and artwork were handled by artist Falcoon.

The game uses a 3-versus-3 "tag battle" format that allows players to change characters in the middle of a fight, which was designed to make the game more accessible than previous installments. Each team has one leader with access to a "leader super special move". The story follows a tournament being held by "R" with two parallel bosses serving as final bosses. The game introduces the story arc of newcomer Ash Crimson, titled "Tales of Ash." It differs from previous story arcs by featuring an ambiguous protagonist who is an apparent villain with a new organization seeking the power of the demon Yamata no Orochi.

The King of Fighters 2003 received mixed reviews, with critics divided on its story, graphics, and new gameplay features. However, the speed of the gameplay was seen as a major improvement. It was followed by the spinoff KOF: Maximum Impact (2004) and the sequel The King of Fighters XI (2005), which continued the series' three story arc. The game was ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2019, and to Windows in 2022.