Art of Fighting 2

Art of Fighting 2 was released in 1994. The second installment in the Art of Fighting series series added the "rage gauge"; similar to the "spirit system" of its predecessor, it limited the use and effectiveness of special attacks. This game is also notorious for its difficulty with it being referred in many fighting circles as having some of the toughest opponent A.I. in a fighting game at the time.

Story
A translation of the official story given by SNK is as follows:

Based on Samurai Showdown And Based on Fatal Fury Special

"Mr. Karate, the undefeated martial artist, was revealed as Ryo's missing father, Takuma Sakazaki. 10 years ago, he knew that Ronnet's death was intentionally planned by someone. Fearing that the rest of his family would be targeted if he stayed, he disappeared. However, 10 years after Ronnet's accident, he learned that an organization had targeted his daughter Yuri. Learning that Mr. Big was behind this, Takuma was forced to work with him. However, Mr. Big's ambitions were foiled by Ryo, Robert, and King's revolution, the latter being one of his former subordinates. Yuri and Takuma safely returned home.

''A year after Yuri's kidnapping, while Ryo was training in the mountains, he received a letter. The letter was an invitation for a new tournament in Southtown. Fighters from every corner of the town were gathering there. It was a test to decide who was the "strongest"... a tournament for the chosen and for the real fighters. The strongest of the strong, each aspect applies to the dragon and the tiger. Southtown would be split in twain by their instincts.''

...But, this event was only the beginning for a certain man filled with ambition.

''"King of Fighters"... the birth of a man's legend and the prologue for an even greater story."''

''The game's story is set a year after the original. Geese Howard, a rising star in Southtown's criminal underworld, calls fighters to the city for a new tournament, "The King of Fighters''".

After Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia rescued Ryo’s younger sister Yuri from the mysterious Mr. Karate, she reveals Mr. Karate’s identity as their father Takuma. Takuma explains he was coerced into serving Geese Howard under threats against his family. Meanwhile, Geese returns from his business trip and upon learning the events that transpired in his absence, hosts the first King of Fighters tournament to recruit new men to his cause. Geese invites all fighters from the previous game, except Ryuhaku Todoh, who departed South Town to train in solitude. Ryo, Robert, Takuma and Yuri all enter the tournament to defeat Geese.

Ryo wins the tournament finals against Mr. Big. Ryo is then invited to meet the police comissioner, revealed to be none other than Geese Howard himself. Geese invites Ryo to join him, but Ryo refuses and defeats him in battle. Geese is last seen escaping to Japan, when he learns that his former fellow student Jeff Bogard has been trying to bring him down.

Characters
The new characters added to the roster are:
 * Yuri Sakazaki, younger daughter of Takuma and Ryo's sister. At first, she was scorned by her father at family karate training, but after being kidnapped, Takuma teaches the school's basics for her self-defense;
 * Eiji Kisaragi, a ninja of the feared Kisaragi clan. Sworn to be the strongest under the heavens, he made it his goal to defeat the Kyokugenryu Karate, the only fighting style superior to his;
 * Temjin, a Mongolian worker in South Town docks, he persevered on, earning money for the small school in Mongolia where he dreams of teaching one day;
 * Geese Howard, coming from the Fatal Fury series, in a younger version. He hosts the first known King of Fighters tournament, hoping to gain more men for his cause.

Normal Stages
National Park — Ryo: A stable that also serves as a karate academy. Features a grey horse, wooden pillars, tires, ropes, hay, a lamp, a burlap bag, a sheet, a pitchfork, an overturned wheelbarrow, a saddle and a drum that serves as a punching bag, besides Ryo's motorcycle and leafless trees.

The Garcia House — Robert: The garden of the wealthly family, in a evening. Features the mansion, a leafy tree, a fountain whose waters change color, Robert's convertible car and shrubs, besides some clothes in the car door and next to the mansion roof. Karate Gym — Takuma: The famous Karate Kyokugenryu's gym, in South Town. Features some students watching the fight, some Kanjis, an altar, a drum, a bucket, a bookcase with some trophies and pictures, the destroyed room and the flags of USA and martial arts school. A new version of the stage can be seen in KOF XIII.

Fitness Club — Yuri: The main room of a gym. Features muscular athletes (some showing off, others watching the fight and exercising), gym items (dumbbells and weightlifters), a security guard, vending machines, plant vases, two balconies and two ladders, besides a fitness decoration, a glass window and the buildings, in the background.

South Town Park — King: The fight takes next to a fortunetelling tent. Features pumpkin ballons, a tent with the Halloween theme, trees, a ice cream kiosk, some flags, shrubs and, in the background, a ferris wheel, a giant pumpkin, an air balloon, a carousel, a circus and a rollercoaster. This stage is also available in KOF XV, in a new version. Mac's Bar — Jack: In this game, the fight takes in the front of the bar. Features the buildings, a truck, motorcycles, some members of Jack's gang, a balcony, neon signs and a poster promoting the bar, besides a flaming steel drum and a dark bridge, in the background.

China Town — Pai Long: A neighborhood very similiar to a real-life place in the city of Chicago. The fight takes next to a red bus with the expression THE JAZZ CLUB. Features Kanji plaques, fruit stands, a ladder, a wooden house and courirers dispatching wooden boxes, besides people next to the fruit stands (one of them with a bicycle) and a ricksaw driver taking a break to smoke. Similiar stages can be seen in the sixth and the seventh Fatal Fury installments and in KOF '98 UM.

Boxing Gym — Mickey: The fight takes next to the ring. Features a wooden ladder, wooden boxes, boxers cheering, fabrics, gym cabinets, punching bags, a gym bench, a coach, dumbbells, a bucket, a poster, the grafitti FIGHTING OUT in the wall and the USA flag, besides wooden tarpaulins and the rain in the door, on the left.

Crawley Airfield — John: A shed that serves as a garage for an ultralight plane. The fight takes next to the airplane. Features a wooden house, a pickup, a sunchair, a dog barking, a rope, a toolbox, Ripper and Hopper, Geese's bodyguards, steel drums and a grafitti NO SMOKING, besides a water tank and a windmill.

Port Town Docks — Temjin: The main portyard of South Town. Features port workers cheering, a giant truck of the SOUTH LINE company, cranes, wooden boxes, a port ship, steel drums, full burlap bags, a giant wooden spool and wooden cargo backers.

Airport — Eiji: The South Town Airport, in a evening. The fight takes place in the place of landing and takeoff of planes, next to one of them. Also features the other airplane, a jeep, blinding lights and a fine smoke, besides the control tower and some buildings, in the background. A similiar version of this stage can be seen in KOF '99.

Boss Stages
Parking Garage: A garage of a criminal building. Feature steel sctrutures, a red ladders, bodyguards, wooden bozes, steel drums, two black cars, a old green fabric, a manhole and pipes, besides a mesh fence. Associated with Mr. Big.

Geese Office Block: The main office room of the Howard Connection, in a night. Features the main desk, plant vases, two bodyguards (the same seen in John and Mr, Big stages), a screen showing a project, black armchairs and a piano, besides a glass window with the buildings, in the background. A similiar version can be seen in KOF Neowave. Associated with Geese.

Reception
The game was praised by both GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly for having far better graphics, sound, character selection and gameplay technique than the original Art of Fighting, though three of EGM's four reviewers complained that in single player mode the opponent AI is "incredibly cheap". GamePro gave it ratings (out of 5) of 5 for graphics, 5 for sound, 4.5 for controls, and 4.5 for fun factor.

Electronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers gave it ratings (out of 10) of 8, 8, 6, and 8. Computer and Video Games gave it a 95% score, calling it "easily the best beat-'em up to appear in recent years", comparing it favorably with recent Street Fighter II incarnations but criticizing its high £150-175 cost.

Trivia

 * This is the only game of the series to receive characters from the other franchises, whether from the company itself or from other companies.
 * This makes the game, along with Samurai Shodown (2019), Fatal Fury Special, Metal Slug 6, Metal Slug 7, Metal Slug XX and Metal Slug Defense the only non-crossover games to receive characters from the other franchises
 * Notable is the connection with Fatal Fury Special - both games feature the crossover character as a hidden final boss, fought by defeating all other opponents without losing a round. Unlike that game, Art of Fighting 2’s hidden final boss is part of the game’s plot.
 * Portraits for Ryuhaku Todoh exist in the game’s files, left over from the first game.
 * The english translation changes the original dialogue considerably. One notable addition to the english script are references to Oshkosh, something shared with Fatal Fury 3.