The King of Fighters '99

The King of Fighters '99: Millennium Battle is the sixth game in The King of Fighters series. Introducting new elements like the Striker Match and Counter Mode, and increasing the number of characters per team from three to four. The game is the first chapter of a new story arc called the "NESTS Chronicles", which involves a shadowy organization plotting world domination. This part introducing the concept of the Kyo Kusanagi clones and K', the main character in this arc. An enhanced version of the game was released for the Dreamcast under the title The King of Fighters '99: Evolution.

Story
"You are cordially invited to this year's King of Fighters."

The invitation is sent to fighters all over the world. The King of Fighters will take place again this year!

But the circumstances this time around are different. There is not a hint of the hoopla surrounding the entrants like that of the previous tournament which thrilled the whole world. For the skeptical fighters, even the new tournament rules for battles bode ill...

"The method of combat will be 3-on-3 battles. The adoption of Striker Matches, however, has been decided for this tournament...."

"Striker Matches?!" The fighters cannot hide their surprise at this unfamiliar mode of battle.

Meanwhile, Heidern, who sees through the suspicious tournament, dispatches Ralf and Clark to investigate the truth behind this tournament.

Benimaru Nikaido, as well, receives an invitation to KOF and to join the Special Team consisting of other carefully selected fighters.

Among the pre-selected teammates listed appear two names: K' (K-Dash) and Maxima. Benimaru is confused-he's never seen these names listed at any other fighting events; regardless...

Benimaru heads toward the tournament venue, clearly unsettled by the circumstances, and the other entrants are soon to follow.

WHAT IS THE STRIKER MATCH?

What is behind this year's tournament?

With its myriad of mysteries, the King of Fighters gets ready to begin!

Gameplay
Power Gauge & DOA Drubbings= As the fighter performs special moves, the POW Gauge builds up. Being hit by an opponent's attacks may also give you power at a minimal rate. Once the gauge is filled up, you gain a stock of power. For the cost of a stock, you can either use DOA Drubbings, Guard Counters and Guard Cancels any time during the battle. Furthermore, the gauge is able to store up to 3 stocks at a time. Once you reach maximum power, your character is able to gather strength with full gauges by activating one of 2 power-ups as described in the next section. These power-up modes only last for a brief period of time, and the Power Gauge will be deactivated for a short while after each mode ends, so use them wisely!

In addition, keep an eye out on your characters' Life Gauges. When a fighter's life is flashing red and has at least one stock of power stored, all DOA Drubbings are upgraded into MAX DOA Drubbings, which could inflict up to twice the damage of a normal DOA Drubbing. These are critical moments between a decisive victory and a narrow defeat, so watch out!

This power-up costs 3 stocks of the Power Gauge in order to be used. At MAX power, press ABC at a time to wage to activate Counter Mode. The red timer gauge lasts for about 15 seconds. While Counter Mode is active: The Power Gauge is unusable shortly after Counter Mode ends.
 * -|Counter Mode=
 * The damage output of command and special moves increases.
 * Can execute the fighter's DOA Drubbings indefinitely.
 * Can perform Guard Cancels and Guard Escapes infinitely.
 * Move names in red are cancellable into DOA Drubbings.
 * If life is flashing red, MAX DOA Drubbings are unavailable.

This power-up costs 3 stocks of the Power Gauge in order to be used. At MAX power, press BCD at a time to wage to activate Armor Mode. The yellow timer gauge lasts for about 10 seconds. While Armor Mode is active: The Power Gauge is unusable shortly after Armor Mode ends.
 * -|Armor Mode=
 * The damage the player takes from enemy attacks decreases.
 * When struck by the opponent once in the middle of an attack, the player's attack resumes as normal.
 * DOA Drubbings and MAX DOA Drubbings are unavailable.
 * Guard Cancels and Guard Escapes are unavailable.

A new rule in this game is the Striker System. All teams are required to have 3 fighting members and 1 supporting member known as the Striker. As you select the order of fighters during each match, the first 3 serve as your fighting members while the 4th one is deployed as your team's striker for that match. This member can be called into battle for a limited number of times.
 * -|Striker System=

Strikers require one Strike Bomb in order to be called at once. Press BC at a time to wage to summon your Striker.
 * You can only summon the Striker when standing still.
 * Use the Strike Bomb to get Striker to show up and support player.
 * Strikers vary in performance depending on the character.
 * The complete list of Striker attacks can be seen HERE.
 * Default number of Strike Bombs is 3 and the maximum is 5.
 * A Strike Bomb is awarded when a team loses a round.

Characters
With the new system of the game, the teams went through several modifications. The new characters added to the roster (between originals and of other franchises) are:


 * K', the new protagonist of the series and leader of the team who bears his name, is a young man who, in the past, is captured by the NESTS, who suppressed his memories and implanted Kyo Kusanagi's DNA in him, making him control fire through a red glove. He is now a fugitive from the cartel, and seeks revenge on him, alongside his partner Maxima;


 * Maxima, K's partner and a member of the K' Team, in the past, was a Canadian soldier who saw his other partner being killed at the hands of NESTS, and sacrificed his old life to take revenge on the cartel, and turns into a cyborg under the hands of Dr. Makishima;


 * Whip, the new Ikari Warriors soldier and team's member, is a clone of Seirah, K's elder sister. She enters to the KOF tournament in search of her "brother" and, for that, infiltrates in NESTS;


 * Bao, the new member of the Psycho Soldier Team, was an abandoned orphan left by his parents in the care of a mountain temple in China and, later, adopted by Chin Gentsai, after  the old master discovering a strange power in the boy;


 * Li Xiangfei, from Fatal Fury series, is a waitress and new member of the Women Fighters Team, enters to the KOF tournament, after fighting with Kasumi Todoh;


 * Jhun Hoon, the new member of Korea Justice Team, is Kim Kaphwan's childhood friend and decides to help him with his Rehabilitation Project;


 * Kyo-1 and Kyo-2, two clones of Kyo Kusanagi created by Dr. Makishima and reactivated by Krizalid. They hate the original Kyo, and wish to kill him;


 * Krizalid, the mid and final boss of the game, was made to be the ultimate Kyo Kusanagi's clone, outfitted with a special suit to feed data of fighters into his body during battle. This was achieved by cloning K' (rather than Kyo directly). As a side effect, he gained some of K's memories and believed Whip to be his sister. He was ordered to activate the thousands of Kyo clones around the world by using his suit. In order to gather the battle data necessary for the activation period, he fights the winning team of the KOF tournament.


 * Note: The new formations of the teams are the following:


 * Benimaru Nikaido and Shingo Yabuki joins with K' and Maxima to search for Kyo;


 * Mai Shiranui joins with the Fatal Fury Team, and Blue Mary takes her place on the Women Fighters Team;


 * Takuma Sakazaki returns to the Art of Fighting Team, after two tournaments off;


 * King takes over the leadership of the Women Fighters Team, and Kasumi returns to fight for the team after two tournaments off;


 * Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami enters to the tournament alone (Iori for the second time solo).

Official Team Roster=

Hero Team

 * K'
 * Maxima
 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Shingo Yabuki

Fatal Fury Team

 * Terry Bogard
 * Andy Bogard
 * Joe Higashi
 * Mai Shiranui

Art of Fighting Team

 * Ryo Sakazaki
 * Robert Garcia
 * Yuri Sakazaki
 * Takuma Sakazaki

Ikari Warriors Team

 * Leona Heidern
 * Ralf Jones
 * Clark Still
 * Whip

Psycho Soldier Team

 * Athena Asamiya
 * Sie Kensou
 * Chin Gentsai
 * Bao

Women Fighters Team

 * King
 * Blue Mary
 * Kasumi Todoh
 * Li Xiangfei

Korea Justice Team

 * Kim Kaphwan
 * Chang Koehan
 * Choi Bounge
 * Jhun Hoon


 * -|Boss=
 * Krizalid


 * -|Single Entries & Special Bosses=
 * Kyo Kusanagi (Hidden Character; only in Arcade Version)
 * Iori Yagami (Hidden Character; only in Arcade Version)
 * Kyo-1
 * Kyo-2

These ending illustrations can only be seen on the Neo Geo CD and PlayStation ports.
 * -|Special Edit Teams=

KOF Generation Team

 * K'
 * Iori Yagami
 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Shingo Yabuki

Whip and Her Servants Team

 * Whip
 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Iori Yagami

Inhumanly Strong Team

 * Maxima
 * Ralf Jones
 * Bao
 * Chang Koehan

Good Looking Team

 * Andy Bogard
 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Jhun Hoon
 * Chang Koehan

Little Kids Team

 * Bao
 * Li Xiangfei
 * Shingo Yabuki
 * Sie Kensou

Masters Team

 * Takuma Sakazaki
 * Chin Gentsai
 * Kim Kaphwan
 * Jhun Hoon

Hat Team

 * Terry Bogard
 * Clark Still
 * Choi Bounge
 * Bao

Short Haired Team

 * Blue Mary
 * Whip
 * King
 * Athena Asamiya

Midriffs Team

 * Benimaru Nikaido
 * Leona Heidern
 * Athena Asamiya
 * Blue Mary

Shingo Servitude Team

 * Kyo Kusanagi
 * Kyo-1
 * Kyo-2
 * Shingo Yabuki

All Fatal Fury Team
Any team composed only of Fatal Fury characters.

All Art of Fighting Team
Any team composed only of Art of Fighting characters.

Stages

 * Note 1: In the arcade mode, with the exceptions of the Museum and the Boss Stage, all stages undergo changes of time and space. In the Dreamcast version (KOF '99 Evolution), the stages are in 3D and other changes and stages can be seen.


 * Note 2: The Boss Stage also can be seen in The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match, in both phases.


 * Note 3: Each stage in the Dreamcast version, with the exception of the Boss stage, has two versions, which can be freely selected in Versus Mode.


 * Note 4: In this game, the stage are randomly chosen by the game's system.


 * Warning: The sight of some stages can cause epilepsy.

Available in All Versions of The Game=

Normal Stages

 * Airport: The landing station of an airport. The fight occurs during a sunset. Can be seen two airplanes, a control station, a fence and crates. Until the second round, the fight takes place next to the fence and a crate; from the third round, near the wing and turbines of one of the planes. Similar to Eiji's stage in AOF 2.
 * Note: in the Dreamcast version, depending of the angle, it is possible to fight next to the airplanes or to the crate, and can be seen a truck in one of the versions.
 * Alley (A.K.A. Hong Kong): An alley next to a chinese restaurant. Until the 2nd round, can be seen light flags, some people and children watching the fight and eating, a dog, a bonfire, a graffiti and a wall, in the left; from the 3rd round, the restaurant is closed and the stage is empty. Only what is possible see is the figure of a man chasing a dog, stopping for a few seconds due to fatigue.
 * Note: In the Dreamcast version, this stage is available as in the first and third rounds, in separated versions, under the name Hong Kong.


 * Museum: The pre-historic museum DINOSAUR WORLD. Can be seen panels with skeletons of various dinosaurs and pre-historic creatures, lights, rocks and plants. In some rounds, a sound that simulates thunder can be heard.
 * Note: in one of the versions of this stage in the Dreamcast version, the fight occurs in a balcony next to the original stage.
 * Park: A park next to a neighborhood. In the first round, can be seen a balcony with some benches, an old man feeding some birds along to a dog, a female statue, and a trash can, in the right, children playing, a man watching, a light post and two street-sweepers, in the center, and a building and a picnic table, in the left, besides plants all over the stage; in the second round, the weather is cloudy, some drops of rain begin to fall and the stage is partially empty, being seen only a woman opening an umbrella with your son, a street-sweeper and the dog of the previous round; from the 3rd round, the stage is empty, accompanied by a heavy rain.
 * Note: In the Dreamcast version, this stage is available as in the first and third rounds, in separated versions.

Boss Stages

 * Sewer — Hero Team (under some conditions): A sewer used as an escape route. Can be seen pipes and tubing, one of them spouting polluted water, a power box, lamps a small ladder and scratched toothpicks, characteristic of prison cell walls, besides a light, at the background. Changes in the Team and Single Play mode: in the 2nd round, it's sunset; from the 3rd round, it's night and the ground of the fight turns into a walkway that walks through dark alleys.
 * Note 1: In the Versus modes, the stage continues in the same way as the first round.
 * Note 2: In the Dreamcast version, this stage is available as in the 1st and 2nd rounds; the walkway appears at the end of the second round, when the winner celebrates.


 * Site Vector 70599: An arena built by NESTS, with the objective of reading the data of the fighters of the tournament. Has two phases: in Phase 1, the stage shows a human hologram (presumably a cloning project), in the center, beside red lights passing all over the stage, green walls, ground and two robotic pillars. In Phase 2, the stage is completely golden, the hologram and the pillars disappear and can be seen strong lights in the background. Associated with Krizalid, Kyo, Iori, Kyo-1 & Kyo-2 (the last four in special conditions and always after defeating the boss).
 * Note: in KOF 2002 UM, the stage is called Point 70599.


 * -|Available only in the Dreamcast version (KOF '99 Evolution)=
 * Amusement Park: In one of the versions, the fight occurs next to a carousel, a ferris wheel and a viking boat. In the other, near to the same caurosel, a castle and the entrance of a tunnel of terror. In both versions, can be seen a light post, people and park workers, barracks and fireworks.
 * Cuckoo Clock Tower: In one of the versions, the fight takes in the outside. Can be seen cuckoo dolls, a gargoyle and a mountain, in the background. In the other, the fight takes near to the gears of the clock.