''KOF: Maximum Impact 2 (KOFMI2)'', released in North America as ''The King of Fighters 2006 (KOF 2006, or KOF '06)'', is a 3D fighting game produced by

SNK Playmore is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

and released for the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...

in 2006. It was also released for the arcade under the title ''The King of Fighters 2006: Regulation A''. It is the sequel to '' KOF: Maximum Impact'', which itself was a spinoff of ''

The King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of ''The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main plat ...

'' series.

Gameplay

Plot

Many contended that the illegal fighting tournament in Southtown was sponsored by the gangland syndicate "Mephistopheles" to achieve the annihilation of their rivals and procure some operating capital. After its "King," Duke, suffered defeat at the hands of Alba Meira in the finals, he and his organization vanished from Southtown. Meanwhile, the media, firmly under Duke's control, released a fusillade of sensational exposés based on information from confidential sources regarding their former oppressors. In spite of this new torrent of "information," almost no one knew that an even larger entity had been pulling Mephistopheles' puppet strings. The truth behind the Addes organization name was only known throughout the dark recesses of the underworld. No one really had an inkling as to what this organization truly entailed. Now, another of Addes was to reveal a new battle royale. Invitations in white envelopes were sent to the world's mightiest, who will find the call to the battle by Addes irresistible. As stated in Alba Meira's private novel by Akihiko Ureshino on the official ''KOF Maximum Impact 2'' site (which serves as an official follow up to the story of ''KOF Maximum Impact 2''), Alba was in fact the one who defeated Jivatma and Luise. Soiree was kidnapped as a result of that and Alba has not seen him since then.

Characters

The game features 24 initially selectable characters, as well as 14 secret characters (including the final boss), for a total of 38 playable characters. Returning Characters: *

Alba Meira This is a list of characters from '' The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact'' series that play their own roles in the overall ''The King of Fighters'' story. Because these games occur in an alternate universe separate from their 2D counterparts, ...

* Soiree Meira *

Kyo Kusanagi is a fictional character in SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games. The character was first introduced in the 1994 video game ''The King of Fighters '94'' as the leader of the Japanese team from the series' title tournament. Ky ...

(with new outfit) *

Iori Yagami is a fictional character from SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' video game series. The character first appeared in ''The King of Fighters '95'' as the leader of the Rivals Team, as the initial enemy and later rival of Kyo Kusanagi. Iori is the he ...

Terry Bogard is a Player character, video game character created by SNK as the protagonist of their ''Fatal Fury'' series. Introduced in ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tourn ...

Rock Howard is a video game character appearing in various games from SNK. Rock makes his first appearance as a playable character in the fighting game '' Garou: Mark of the Wolves'', the last chapter in the ''Fatal Fury'' series, as the new lead character ...

Ryo Sakazaki is a video game character developed for the 1992 fighting game ''Art of Fighting'' from SNK. His name is most often written in kana, although in some games, kanji is used to write parts of his name. In the series, Ryo is a skilled martial arti ...

* Yuri Sakazaki * Mignon Beart *

Leona Heidern , who is also known as is a fictional character from SNK's ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting video games. Leona is Heidern's adopted daughter, who is introduced in ''The King of Fighters '96''; she replaces him because he accepts a mor ...

Ralf Jones is a video game character created by SNK. Ralf has made appearance in several games from the company, premiering in ''TNK III'' as a military tank driver. The ''Ikari Warriors'' series also emphasized Ralf's role as a soldier with him becoming t ...

* Clark Still *

K′ , is a video game character from ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK. He debuted as the leader of the Hero Team in ''The King of Fighters '99'', released in 1999. He often stars as the reluctant hero. K′ is a you ...

* Maxima *

Mai Shiranui (alternatively written しらぬいまい) is a fictional character in the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games by SNK. She has also appeared in other media of these franchises and in a number of other games since ...

* Athena Asamiya * Chae Lim * Lien Neville *

Seth Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

New Characters: *

Luise Meyrink ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fightin ...

* Nagase *

Billy Kane is a player character, video game character created by SNK. He makes first appearance in the fighting game ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' as the sub-boss from the game. In the ''Fatal Fury'' series Billy is the right-hand man from Geese Howard, ...

* Kula Diamond * Bonne Jenet: Hidden Character *

Kim Kaphwan Kim Kap-Hwan (, ''Kimu Kaffan'', sometimes written as (''Kim Kap-hwan'')), usually written as Kim Kaphwan, is a fictional character in both the ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series created by SNK. He is credited as the first ever f ...

: Hidden Character * Ninon Beart: Hidden Character *

Hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

: Hidden Character * Richard Meyer: Hidden Character * Nightmare Geese (his Real Bout Fatal Fury Special Incarnation); hidden character *

Lilly Kane ''Veronica Mars'' is an American television series created by Rob Thomas (writer), Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during UPN's last two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Televisi ...

(Billy's sister): Hidden Character * Fiolina Germi (from the

Metal Slug is a Japanese Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters, run and gun video game series originally created by Nazca Corporation before merging with SNK Playmore, SNK in 1996 after the completion of the Metal Slug (1996 video game), first game in the seri ...

series): Hidden Character Alternate Hidden Characters: * Kyo Kusanagi Classic – Kyo Kusanagi with a moveset based on ''KOF '95'', and is wearing his outfit from the Orochi and NESTS saga. * Wild Wolf – Terry Bogard's '' Garou: Mark of the Wolves'' version. * Mr. Karate II – Ryo Sakazaki's ''

Buriki One ''Buriki One: World Grapple Tournament '99 in Tokyo'', otherwise known simply as ''Buriki One'', is a 3D competitive fighting game produced by SNK and released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1999. It is the seventh and final game developed ...

'' version. * Armor Ralf – A version of Ralf who doesn't flinch when hit, and whose attacks do greatly increased guard damage. According to his backstory, he is wearing some experimental armour he was originally hesitant to use. * Hanzo Hattori – From ''

Samurai Shodown ''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a fighting game series by SNK. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat. Plot The stories in the series take place in ...

'', he shares most of his moves (and a special intro) with Nagase. According to his backstory, he met Jivatma once in the past. Final boss *

Jivatma ''Jiva'' ( sa, जीव, IAST: ) is a living being or any entity imbued with a life force in Hinduism and Jainism. The word itself originates from the Sanskrit verb-root ''jīv'', which translates as 'to breathe' or 'to live'. The ''jiva'', as ...

– As Duke lost the match to Alba in the last Tournament, Jivatma runs this Tournament for Addes, but after his defeat in the Tournament by Alba Meira he takes Soiree with him. Story Mode Default Character Stages: • War memorial- Soiree, Mignon, Clark, Maxima • Temple of Ruins - Alba, Nagese, Athena • Hunting Cave - Lien, Ralf, Leona • Sacred Garden - Luise • Tower Festival - Kyo, Billy, Seth, Terry • Catacomb - Mai, Kula, K' • Kyokugen Dojo - Ryo, Yuri, Chae Lim • Feur-De-Lis - Rock, Duke, Iori • Grand Mosque - Jivatma

Revisions

''Regulation A''

An update to ''Maximum Impact 2'', it was released for the

Taito Type X2 The Taito Type X is an arcade system board released in 2004 by game developer and publisher Taito. Based on commodity personal computer hardware architecture, Type X is not a specification for a single set of hardware, but rather a modular platfo ...

arcade system in July 2007. It is the only arcade release made for the ''KOF: MI'' series and includes

Ash Crimson is a video game character in ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series developed by SNK Playmore. His first appearance was in '' The King of Fighters 2003'' as leader of its Hero Team. Ash, a teenager, participates in the series' fighting ...

Blue Mary , better known as , is a fictional character in SNK's ''Fatal Fury'' and ''The King of Fighters'' series. She made her first appearance in '' Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory'' which introduced her as a special agent who investigates two cri ...

Makoto Mizoguchi is a series of fighting games that were produced by Data East during the 1990s. The original ''Fighter's History'' was first released for the arcades in 1993 and ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Two different sequels ...

from

Data East , also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The Am ...

Fighter's History is a series of fighting games that were produced by Data East during the 1990s. The original ''Fighter's History'' was first released for the arcades in 1993 and ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994. Two different sequels ...

series, and newcomer Xiao Lon, who is a Hizoku Assassin like her agnate brother,

Duo Lon ''The King of Fighters'' fighting game series, produced by SNK, includes a wide cast of characters, some of which are taken from other SNK games. The story takes place in a fictional universe in which an annual series of 3-on-3 or 4-on-4 fight ...

, into its character roster. Regulation "A" is a remake of ''Maximum Impact 2'', but with the classic 3-on-3 gameplay from the 2D KOF series added in hopes of winning over the series fanbase as well as new players. Despite the addition of four new characters, Armor Ralf has been removed, as have several stages, as well as the story and challenge modes from ''Maximum Impact 2''. In addition, all of the characters have lost half of their outfits in both normal and alternate types. Some new music has been added, including songs from the original ''Maximum Impact'' and ''Sengoku 3'', in addition to new alternate versions of existing stages and a new stage for Makoto Mizoguchi. The game was also released for the

in Japan, on July 26, 2007. It was planned for release in the U.S. along with ''RA2'', but was cancelled due to the timing of '' KOF XII''.

''Regulation A2''

A sequel to ''KOF: Maximum Impact Regulation "A"'' was announced for the PlayStation 2 and Taito Type X2 at the

Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. The ...

2007. Many believed that the game was put on hold due to the development of ''

The King of Fighters XII (''KOF XII'') is the twelfth installment of ''The King of Fighters'' series of fighting games developed and published by SNK Playmore. The game was originally released in Japan in April 2009 for arcades. Home versions of the title for Xbox 360 an ...

'', but it was later canceled.

''The King of Fighters: Another Day''

'' The King of Fighters: Another Day'' is an animated series based on the popular fighting game series ''

''. It was produced and animated by

Production I.G is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise, founded on December 15, 1987, by Mitsuhisa Ishikawa and headquartered in Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. The letters I and G derive from the names of the company founders: producer Mitsuhisa Ish ...

, and revolves around the plot of '' KOF: Maximum Impact'', along with some touches of the current storyline about Ash Crimson, who joined the MI gang in the arcade game, ''The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact Regulation "A"''. The

ONA Ona or ONA may refer to: Anthropology * Ona people, an indigenous people of southern Argentina and Chile ** Ona language, a language once spoken in Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego * Ona, a pre-Aksumite culture in Sembel, Eritrea Geography * On ...

series was included with the Japanese release of Maximum Impact 2.

Reception

The game was nominated to the "PSXE's 2006 Game of the Year Awards" in the category Best Fighting Game, but it lost to '' Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection''. Greg Kasavin from

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

ranked the game as good, giving it a score of 7.3 over 10. He commented while the game was highly improved from its prequel, it had many issues. Use of 3D graphics, although being praised too for being "good in most cases", did not make changes to fights in comparison to 2D games from the series. However, he praised the variability of playable characters with different moves as well as their alternative costumes. 1Up.com reviewer Richard Li rated the game as B+. He also praised the use of alternative costumes, commenting they "make even the most seasoned fan chuckle." He praised the mechanics from fights by saying they are much better from the first ''Maximum Impact'', allowing the players to use new tactics to defeat his/her opponent. The game sold 56,431 units in Japan.

References

External links

''KOF: Maximum Impact 2''
at the official Japanese website of

''KOF: Maximum Impact Regulation "A"'' official website
{{Authority control 2006 video games 3D fighting games The King of Fighters games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Network games Arcade video games Fighting games Video games developed in Japan SNK Playmore games RenderWare games UTV Ignition Games games Multiplayer and single-player video games