The King of Fighters 2003

"The King of Fighters 2003 begins. As usual, matches are 3-on-3... But this time, you can look forward to some new rules. We welcome all oncomers! The battle stage opens as new participants enter the fray."

-Intro

Now, the portal to a new punchfest opens.

-Tagline

2003, a new saga starts! Fresh flames flare up on the KOF Stage!

-Arcade Tagline

The King of Fighters 2003 is the tenth game in The King of Fighters series.

It is the last game of the series to be based on the Neo-Geo MVS hardware, and the first game in the series that was developed and published under the SNK Playmore custody. It is also the first chapter of the "Tales of Ash" story arc.

Story
As indicated by the game's name, it takes place two years after the last canon King of Fighters game, The King of Fighters 2001. According to the game's storyline, a new King of Fighters tournament is organized by an unknown host. The several new rules are instituted, including a whole new team system, based in Tag Team, which allows you to change character at the time of the fight. Only in console mode, there is a fighting option without this mode.

At the end of the tournament, depending on how players defeat the midgame boss, Kusanagi, the players will either face Adelheid Bernstein or learn that the tournament organizer is Chizuru Kagura and that a group known as "His Distant Land" is working in a secretive plot. After defeating the mysterious stone fighter known as Mukai, Ash Crimson appears before Chizuru, attacks her in her weakened state and steals her powers. Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami come to Chizuru's aid as Ash tells Iori that he's his next target.

Gameplay
King of Fighters 2003 returns again with its 3 vs. 3 team battles. For the first time ever in the series, matches are taken place in a single 3-on-3 round, unlike the 3-5 round matches of previous installments. This due to the new Tag Shift mechanic, where fighters can switch out with other members during a match, similar to the Marvel vs. Capcom series. By pressing either BC or CD, players can switch place with any standby team members, with BC switching out with the second member and CD switching out with the third member. Because of this, CD Attacks do not appear in this game.

It should also be noted that KOF 2003 also feature the traditional 3-on-3 team matches as well as singles fights in the console ports.

Another mechanic is the Leader System, where one member of your team becomes a "Leader". The leader will always be the first character you choose when picking your team, and during the match, the leader will be highlighted by a blue life bar, unlike the members, whose life bars are orange. The leader gains access to a 2 stock super, known as Leader Desperation Move.

Critical Reception
The game got a 7.1 score by Famitsu. DefunctGames gave it a B+ praising the new gameplay style gave the series a major change. New character Tizoc was noted by Kotaku for appealing South American fans based on him being wrestler. Eurogamer was negative believing, previous SNK fighting game like The King of Fighters 2002 offered a better cast and that the new gameplay system would confuse newcomers.

Nevertheless, the reviewer commented that the new Garou: Mark of the Wolves fighters introduced in 2003 would also appeal to players similar to Kotaku. HardcoreGaming101 believed the new gameplay features, cast and artwork were interesting but the sequel, The King of Fighters XI, easily fixed most of its issues.

Characters
The new characters added to the roster (between original and of other franchises) are:
 * Ash Crimson, a mysterious young man and leader of the new "Hero Team" (with quotation marks), is the new protagonist of the series. He enters in the KOF tournament with unknown intentions;


 * Duo Lon, one of the members of the "Hero Team", is a ninja who is part of the Hizoku assassin clan, and is son of Ron, the traitor of the clan. He decides to hunt him;


 * Shen Woo, the last member of the "Hero Team", is a street boxer raised in Shanghai. Like Duo Lon, he enters the tournament at the invitation of Ash;


 * Tizoc (A.K.A. The Griffon), from Garou: Mark of The Wolves, is the new member of the Fatal Fury Team. He enters to the KOF tournament in order to gain his passion for the ring and to hopefully find the mystery man who defeated him;


 * Gato, another character from MOTW. He enters the KOF tournament at the request of Geese Howard and to prevent his probable sister, Hotaru Futaba, from being harmed;


 * Malin, member of the High School Girls Team, is an enigmatic Japanese girl from an unknown organization that specializes in gathering intelligence;


 * Kusanagi, the mid-boss of the game, is other creation of Chizuru. He also appears in the two versions of KOF 2002 (a non-canonical game) as an experiment of NESTS cartel;


 * Maki Kagura, one of the sub-bosses of the game, is the dead elder twin sister of Chizuru Kagura. She appears in the tournament as an illusion created by the Mirror of Yata, the clan's artifact;


 * Adelheid Bernstein, one of the final bosses of the game, is Rugal Bernstein's son, who lives with his sister Rose Bernstein in the Sky Noah, one of the old homes of his father;


 * Mukai, the true final boss of the game, is one of the members of an organization known as Those from the Past. He is ordered to not directly intervene with this tournament, only making an appearance to test the winning team to see if they will survive "the new age".


 * Note 1: With the end of Striker System, the return of the formation of trios and the implementation of the Tag Battle system, the new team formations are the following:


 * Tizoc takes over Andy Bogard's place in the Fatal Fury Team. Terry's brother was training his student, Hokutomaru;


 * Takuma Sakazaki leaves the tournament again, and the Art of Fighting Team takes the formation of the '96 tournament;


 * Heidern also leaves the Ikari Warriors Team, passing the leadership back to his daughter Leona;


 * Blue Mary joins with King and Mai Shiranui, of the Women Fighters Team, to investigate the movements of the Those from the Past;


 * Jhun Hoon replaces Choi Bounge in the Korea Justice Team, after being left out of the last tournament for breaking his arm;


 * The criminals Ryuji Yamazaki and Billy Kane reunite again after four tournaments off, at the new request of Geese Howard, and form the new Outlaw Team, together with Gato, who fills Mary's entry for this team;


 * Benimaru Nikaido, Goro Daimon and Shingo Yabuki form the new Japan Team, after Kyo Kusanagi's left of the team;


 * Athena Asamiya leaves the Psycho Soldier Team for a while, and forms the new High School Girls Team, with Hinako Shijou and Malin;


 * Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami and Chizuru Kagura, the Three Sacred Treasures Team, appears alone in this tournament, and Chizuru is, again, the host of KOF. However, they are still a team based on their character select background colors.


 * Note 2: The K' Team remain with the same formation as the previous game, becoming canonical in this game.


 * Note 3: About both sub-bosses and final bosses, there are some considerations:


 * Sub-bosses are exclusive to the True Ending, and fight together as a two members team.


 * Final bosses are NPCs in Arcade mode as Maki Kagura, and Hidden unlockable in home consoles.

Official Team Roster=

"Hero Team"

 * Ash Crimson
 * Duo Lon
 * Shen Woo

Fatal Fury Team

 * Terry Bogard
 * Joe Higashi
 * Tizoc (The Griffon)

Art of Fighting Team

 * Ryo Sakazaki
 * Robert Garcia
 * Yuri Sakazaki

Ikari Warriors Team

 * Leona Heidern
 * Ralf Jones
 * Clark Still

Women Fighters Team

 * King
 * Mai Shiranui
 * Blue Mary

Korea Justice Team

 * Kim Kaphwan
 * Chang Koehan
 * Jhun Hoon

Outlaw Team

 * Ryuji Yamazaki
 * Billy Kane
 * Gato

Japan Team

 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Goro Daimon
 * Shingo Yabuki

High School Girls Team

 * Athena Asamiya
 * Hinako Shijou
 * Malin

K' Team

 * K'
 * Maxima
 * Whip


 * -|Single Entries=


 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Iori Yagami


 * -|Mid-Boss=
 * Kusanagi (Hidden in Arcade version)


 * -|Sub-Bosses=
 * Chizuru Kagura (Hidden in Arcade version)
 * Maki Kagura (NPC in Arcade version)


 * -|Bosses=
 * Adelheid Bernstein (Alternate Ending)
 * Mukai (True Ending)
 * -|NPC Characters=
 * Rose Bernstein
 * Botan
 * -|Original Cameo Characters (only in PS2)=
 * Choi Bounge - in Korea Stage
 * K9999 and Kula Diamond - in Egypt Stage
 * -|Special Edit Teams=

Three Sacred Treasures Team

 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Iori Yagami
 * Chizuru Kagura

Original Japan Team

 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Goro Daimon

'94 Women Fighters Team

 * King
 * Mai Shiranui
 * Yuri Sakazaki

Stages

 * Note 1: In the console versions, depending on the chosen fighting mode (Normal or Arcade), the stages may vary. In normal mode, all stages vary in time and space.


 * Note 2: In this game, the stages are randomly chosen by the game's system.

Normal Stages=


 * Egypt — Kusanagi: The city of Giza. In arcade mode, the fight takes place next to the ruins of the city and the Great Sphinx and the Pyramids can be seen in the background. Spectators and a camel can be seen in the background as well. The first variation takes place at sunset, while the second takes place at night. In the console version, the fight takes place on a boat that passes along the River Nile. The famous monuments of the city and various spectators can be seen in the background.
 * Changes: In the 1st variation of the console version, the fight takes place during daytime. In the 2nd variation, the sun is setting. In the 3rd variation, it's already night.
 * Sky Noah — Adelheid: An airship floating high above ground, featuring the Bernstein family lounging and doing their business. Multiple terminals and high-tech consoles are strewn across the stage. Rose can be seen playing the piano and at her feet rests the black panther of her father, Rugal. In the console version, the structures release vapors.
 * Note: This stage also can be seen in KOF XIII, with some changes.
 * Cave — Chizuru & Maki: A cave. Mirrors and a lava river are seen in the background.
 * Boss Stage: Another cave. in the background is a statue of a snake with a green glowing eye, sparks and chains. In the console version, the snake moves. Associated with Mukai.