The King of Fighters 2000
Introduction
SNK released The King of Fighters 2000 for the Neo Geo in 2000 as the direct follow-up to The King of Fighters '99. The story continues the NESTS saga, with the mysterious organisation working behind the scenes of a new tournament while K' and his allies try to uncover its plans. Players pick a team of four fighters, choosing three to fight and one to act as a Striker. The Striker system was expanded in this entry, letting each character call in a partner attack that can extend combos, break pressure or catch an opponent off guard, and many characters gained alternate strikers drawn from across SNK's history. Active Striker Mode lets players cancel attacks into a striker call for long combinations. The roster brings back favourites such as Kyo, Iori, Terry and Mai alongside newcomers like Ramon and Vanessa. Detailed backgrounds and smooth animation made it one of the best-looking games on the system.
