Evolution, gameplay-wise, is identical to the PSOne version (which is titled King of Fighters '99: Millennium Edition) and, to be honest, it's also probably identical in terms of graphics quality. Players must engage in a series of poorly animated hand-to-hand contests, and the one who wins a predetermined set of fights gets to move on and pummel the next guy. This iteration of King of Fighters features a new "Striker System," wherein players can choose a backup brawler to support their champion. Pressing one tirgger on the Dreamcast controller activates a fighter's "striker," who will leap into the fray for a few seconds. Each striker, depending on the character chosen, will aid the main hero either with healing or by attacking the foe.

Fighting here remains up to SNK's usual level of competence. None may fault the fighting engine itself; SNK has crafted a strong fight system that allows for a nice ebb and flow between experienced brawlers. The game holds a series of combination moves, counterstrikes, blocks and throws -- and a wealth of basic movements (dashes and retreats, jumps and fall breaks) allow players to vary their grapplers' movements for maximum efficiency. A power gauge meter hold three separate bars and once all have been filled, it's possible to snap into two different and devastating modes (counter and armor) that can decimate a foe in mere seconds. Smart-minded players will find the game's "emergency escapes" scheme an effective tool to avoid blows, as well as a neat platform from which to launch counterstrikes.

Sadly, though, there's simply not enough here to recommend the game. Dated graphics and limited character animations only serve to remind players that this title very much belongs in the 20th century. In this new, high-tech millennium, however, it's an Edsel in a world of SUVs. Each character uses about four frames of animation, and gameplay suffers from a decided lack of smoothness. It's sad, too, that SNK usually chooses to jiggle a female fighter's mammaries rather than provide fluidity for her feet. With poor graphics and gameplay marred by this herky-jerky movement, King of Fighters must rely heavily on its good name, which simply isn't good enough.

As an interesting side note, the PSOne version of this game holds four modes that are not found in the Dreamcast. Players can access an art gallery full of character illustrations, play the game's ending movies, alter a brawler's costume by changing its color (and then saving it to a memory card) and sample all the title's often incomprehensible voice samples. Call it Turtle Wax on a 1977 Chevrolet Malibu, but call it a joke that this stuff was excluded from the Dreamcast version of the game .

The Bottom Line: This one is king, all right. As in, woof woof.