The King of Fighters 2001
Eighth KOF entry, first after original SNK's closure, with continued SNK involvement through Playmore.
The King of Fighters 2001, often called KOF 2001, is a fighting game that came out in 2001. It was made by Eolith and BrezzaSoft, with SNK publishing it for the Neo Geo in arcades and at home. This is the eighth game in The King of Fighters series. It was the first one released after the original SNK shut down, and it was also the last game to have the original SNK involved before the company's bankruptcy, though SNK (now Playmore) continued to be involved in later titles like The King of Fighters 2002. The game wraps up the "NESTS Chronicles" story arc. It keeps the NESTS team system but adds a new feature: players can choose to make three of their four team members either fighters or assistants, which changes how combos work.
The story is the third and final chapter of the "NESTS Chronicles." The NESTS organization runs its own King of Fighters tournament, with its agents trying to start a worldwide revolution. The game's character roster shows the influence of Korean money coming into the series. In 2002, the game was ported to the Dreamcast only in Japan, and later to the PlayStation 2. A standalone PlayStation 2 version came out in North America, and in Europe it was sold as a two-in-one pack with the previous game, The King of Fighters 2000. Later ports appeared on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Two novelizations were written by Akihiko Ureshino. Critics gave the game mixed reviews. They liked how the Striker system was handled and the diverse, balanced roster. But the sound and graphics got more negative feedback than earlier games. Eolith also made the next game, The King of Fighters 2002, which had no new story because the NESTS arc was over, and they removed the Striker System due to bad reactions.
**Gameplay**
The King of Fighters 2001 is a 2D fighting game where teams of four characters fight other teams using combos and special moves. Like the previous game, battles are between teams of four. New here is a "Wire Damage" feature with two forms: Critical Wire for attacking and Counter Wire for defending. A Wire Damage attack knocks the opponent to the far side of the screen, then bounces them back toward the attacker, leaving them open to more hits and combos. Super Attack moves can create big, fast effects when Wire Damage is used. Instead of a strict setup of three fighters and one striker, this game introduces the Tactical
- Developer
- Eolith and BrezzaSoft
- Publisher
- SNK
- Platform
- Neo Geo arcade and home, later Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Release Year
- 2001
- Genre
- Fighting game
- Series
- The King of Fighters
- Notable Feature
- Tactical Order System with flexible striker/fighter assignments
Lore & Background
The King of Fighters 2001 continues the NESTS Chronicles story, set one year after the destruction of South Town in The King of Fighters 2000. The NESTS cartel hosts its own tournament, and after the winners are decided, agent Zero attempts to destroy them from his massive battleship/airship platform called the 'Zero Cannon', not a spaceship disguised as a blimp. Following Zero's defeat, Igniz, who kills the current NESTS CEO (not explicitly his father in canon), challenges the finalists, seeking to become a god. His fate after defeat is ambiguous and not depicted as a deliberate self-destruction attack, leading the remaining agents to make peace and start new lives.
Reader's Guide
The King of Fighters 2001 marks a transitional period for the series, being the first game developed after SNK's bankruptcy and the last with SNK's involvement. Its significance lies in the introduction of the Tactical Order System, which replaced the strict three-fighter-one-striker format with flexible team compositions of one to four fighters and zero to three strikers, affecting Power Gauge length and stock capacity. The game also introduced the Wire Damage feature, with Critical Wire and Counter Wire mechanics that knock opponents across the screen. Critical reception was mixed, with praise for the Striker system and balanced roster but criticism of the audiovisual presentation. The game concluded the NESTS Chronicles story arc, and its sequel, The King of Fighters 2002, removed the Striker System due to negative feedback. New characters include K9999, Ángel, May Lee Jinju, and bosses Zero and Igniz. The game was ported to Dreamcast and PlayStation 2, with a North American release in 2003 and a European two-in-one bundle with The King of Fighters 2000.
Did You Know?
- The game was developed by South Korean studio Eolith after it obtained the franchise from SNK. Despite some claims, the character Ángel was designed by Eolith, not by Mexican company Evoga through a contest.
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