The King of Fighters 2

The King of Fighters 2, also known as The King of Fighters: The Nests Chapter, is a pachinko-slot game released by SNK for Japan. The official site is here. The game's main attraction is the interactive artwork that occurs during play. This is also one of rare cases where players can see Diana's fighting style.

Overview
The game roughly takes place during the NESTS saga. The player controls K' who is teamed up with Whip and Maxima. Normal reel results will have them stay at the idle stages, one is a room and one is in a junkyard. If certain conditions are met, the player will be rewarded with a roulette sequence from Maxima, Whip, Kula, or Hinako. There are usually four scenarios that will play out: a "Chance" stage for extra points, a win that rewards a chance for the bonus stage, a miss, or a "Versus" stage.

A "Versus" stage can be triggered through a variety of ways: through the roulette system, during the idle stages, through an random invitation, or through the natural slot results. During these stages, players will have to face Diana or Krizalid. Attacks are determined through a reel combo system where the strength of K's attacks is determined by a successful chain of reels. Enemies have the extra ability of blocking or countering some attacks, making the urge to get a high scoring result more important than before. Opponents can also activate their special attacks as well but a special reel during this time can trigger K's stronger desperation attacks, canceling their assault and usually winning the battle if it hits. Players can also risk using the lever at the side of the machine which activates K's "Heat Up" mode, where he lets his flame powers go wild. His attacks will be stronger, but the lever has limited uses and takes time to be "recharged".

Rolling three 7's will begin the game's "Challenge" stage. For the first time in their pachinko series, players will be entreated to an exclusive scenario sequence with fully voiced dialogue. Players can choose to listen to the script or skip it altogether. During these events, K' will have to face either Zero or Igniz (depends on the color of 7's the player rolled). The battle system is the same as the "Versus" stages. Winning or ignoring these stages grants the player a chance to see alternate endings to their game.

Scoring three "RT" icons activates the "RT Dash" event. The three heroes will enter one of NESTS' bases and run through the hallways. Reel results determine what action takes place, with a mini-map at the left side of the screen to show where the player is going. Two possible scenarios can take place: one is where K' and company will fall down a pit, which triggers a miss or the rare replay credit. The other is where the trio come to a door with a random result. The main goal of this sequence is to make it to the end of the hallway and gain a high chance at a replay bonus.

While there are similarities to the first game, the general tone of this game is more off-the-wall and wackier. Some examples include actions that can occur during the idle stage based on the reel results, which can have Whip tangled by her whip, show K' with a burnt afro, or temporarily replace Maxima with Rocky. The secret stage has the trio jumping onto a beach to enjoy their summer. Maxima will use his cybernetics to locate the "sexist girl" in her swimsuit. What follows is the bizarre but hilarious "Moe Contest" where K' will judge how attractive a girl is through the reel results and a "Moe Counter" located at the bottom of the screen. If the Moe bar reaches 0, Whip will interrupt the boys' fun.

Characters

 * K'
 * Maxima
 * Whip
 * Kula Diamond
 * Candy Diamond
 * Diana
 * Hinako Shijou
 * Krizalid
 * Zero
 * Igniz

Cameos

 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Goro Daimon
 * Shingo Yabuki
 * Yuki (KoF)
 * Iori Yagami
 * Chang Koehan and Choi Bounge
 * Mai Shiranui
 * Athena Asamiya
 * Sie Kensou
 * Ryo Sakazaki
 * Yuri Sakazaki
 * Terry Bogard
 * Andy Bogard
 * Joe Higashi
 * Leona Heidern
 * Heidern
 * Li Xiangfei
 * Blue Mary
 * Billy Kane
 * Kasumi Todoh
 * King
 * Shermie
 * Chizuru Kagura
 * Vanessa
 * Athena
 * Nakoruru
 * Rocky
 * Rumi Aikawa
 * Mui Mui