King of Fighters 2000 was the last KOF to be created by SNK before the series was handed to Eolith. KOF 2000 added seven new characters and more strikers to help aid in battle. The new characters - Vanessa, Kula (boss), Seth, Ramon, Lin, and Zero – can hold their own, all except for the odd Hinako, a small girl Sumo wannabe. The fight system adds a new Armor Mode and Counter Mode. The Armor Mode lets you take more hits during attack and the Counter Mode lets you cancel and opponent’s super combo.

The fight engine is polished and all the SNK characters retain their traits, with a few new animations per character to change up the attacks. The character voices and updated intro/win poses are top notch as usual. The combo system is fluid, particularly for experts who can chain standard combos with striker attacks. The dodge system can be annoying and AI takes advantage of it frequently.

The translation to PS2 has suffered a bit. The control is a bit less tight than the arcade version. The crisp character sprites from the original arcade version have been replaced by muddled sprites that lack detail. The in-game menus and character select screen are arcade exact and haven't been revamped. The backgrounds are exact and haven’t been re-touched. KOF 2000 didn’t have the best backgrounds and a boost would have helped.

The PS2 KOF 2000 adds a Party (survival) mode and memory mode to unlock and view the introduction movies from every previous KOF title. The game features a new arranged soundtrack that adds more depth to the tunes, and the original soundtrack can be selected in the options menu.

King of Fighters 2001 is the first KOF to be handled by an outside source and it shows. Developer Eolith had a tough act to follow and did not understand the MVS hardware as well as SNK veterans. However a large part of the mishaps have been resolved in the PS2 incarnation.

KOF 2001 introduces four new characters – K9999, Angel, Foxy, and May Lee. K9999 has a great attacks, Angel has a difficult combo system specific to her character, while Foxy and May Lee are adequate in attacks and range.

The biggest change to 2001 is letting players choose the number of strikers and fighters. Player can choose 3 characters/1 striker, 1 character/ 3 strikers, 4 characters/0 strikers - any combination. The new feature adds variety and is similar to the power ratio distribution system in Capcom vs. SNK. The fight system is dependent on the new addition. The more strikers, the shorter the power bar and increased storage you have. Strikers have been tamed down from 2000 to deliver less damage.

The basic fight mechanics are largely the same. Eolith tweaked the system, but left well enough alone leaving a sense of both rehash and comfort. The original character select art, backgrounds, and sound were all horrendous and have been changed in the PS2 version. The character select art is different for every character, the backgrounds are either updated or brand new, and the soundtrack is arranged to greater texture. The mode select screen has been updated, and the sprites have kept the sharp pixels from the arcade.

KOF 2000/2001 is a great package. KOF 2000 port is lackluster compared to 2001’s upgrades, but both titles retain unique fight systems. The two titles are similar in mechanics, but both titles offer the solid gameplay expected from an SNK fighter. There aren’t many extras in each title and the two titles feel dated. But hardcore fight fans get a lot substance for a little cash.