I’m not going to say it was my favorite KOF but it also wasn’t my most hated. Maybe because Young Geese was the boss.
Why did it get as much crap as it did?
I wouldn’t say it was a badgame but it was mostly a complete replica of 2k2 well sprites wise. Plus once I seen that Angel glitch I lost interest in it
to me it’s just another KOF with a really bad presentation and graphics. Loved the different gameplay options though and of course the introduction of other characters besides the 2k2standard’s. Can’t see why it should be a bad game ,it’s just a different 2k2
It’s just a side game really is what it is, and there are people out there like myself and Dune that still play it and like it. I love the Just Defense, many many years later it still offers a lot of gameplay and replay value after it’s been played. I really do not like the original arcade music though, I prefer arranged by far.
If you take in account some of the different gameplay changes that were made, where would you put it among the KOF Dream Match games then?
It’s a cut and paste job of 2K2 with an ugly hud, bland music, bland backgrounds, Garou’s JD system, and Young Geese. Avoid.
Cibernetico, I’d still rank it as the worst amongst the dream matches because it only offers a few new characters and a new boss etc. I like it, but compared to what the other ones offered I’d put NeoWave down there. It only needa a few more things and it could be better. I mean if 2k2 UM had the options NeoWave has (Remove Heat Mode only applicable in very high level play) like Just Defense then there would be little reason to play NeoWave.
Shingo kiiiiiiick
Neowave’s JD system is no where near as overpowering as Garou’s JD system. You can’t cancel JD in Neowave in special or DMs.
As far as I know it doesn’t “freeze” or give frame advantage either, it simply lowers the amount of block stun frames, avoids chip damage, and gains a bit of meter.
Even with all these nerfs, it’s STILL somewhat overpowered with KOF gameplay.
Basically Neowave failed for the following reasons:
–Mostly another 2002, only 2 years after 2002; only few roster tweaks, balance tweaks, and half-assed implementation of “grooves”. It didn’t have enough new stuff to entice the fanbase to get into it, and what new stuff it did over was just didn’t feel complete.
The grooves themselves didn’t feel whole. A lot of characters gained basically nothing from the MAX2 groove.
–Basically made as a cash grab, as SNKP badly needed to roll out the new Atomiswave hardware in order to actually start making again, as piracy for the Neo-Geo was so bad that they couldn’t hope to make any money on any more Neo-Geo releases.
At the same time, they needed a KOF for the new hardware, and since everybody was playing 2002 like mad, the most practical way to make money would be to make a tweaked 2002. So basically the game was a massive RUSHED copy-and-paste 2002.
–I enjoy the soundtrack personally, and the BGs while bland, are leagues better than the hideous abominations in 2002 (I believe Musolini said it best when it called it “old hairy japanese man ass-ugly”). However I will admit that the Neowave BGs and BGMs have nothing to do with KOF, and the presentation is quite awful.
Also the art is pretty despised by the fanbase, as it was done by the Power Instinct/Matrimelee series artist. The artist is pretty good at drawing old people or young girls, but not so good at drawing anyone else. Which is a problem when you have fans who don’t appreciate your interpretations of beloved veteran characters like Terry or Yamazaki.
–Young Geese, you either love him or hate him. Most people hate him. For me, he’s in the top 5, maybe top 3, cheapest KOF bosses ever.
I liked it because it improved a lot of the stuff I didn’t like about 2002. I just didn’t have a chance to play Neowave that much.
Now with 2002UM which improved EVERYTHING, I see no reason to play Neowave or 2002.
You know it kinda sucks how much the JD systems in CvS2 and NeoWave. I liked how in Garou the life you got back after getting JD reflects on what kind of attack it was. In those other games, you hardly get back any kind of life and it seems like there is a bit of timing differences to activate it from what it was in Garou.
And yeah, I agree. The HUD in NeoWave is pretty horrible. It’s as if they saw a Mugen video and liked what they saw.
As for Young Geese, like I said, it’s one of the reasons why I like the game. I think he’s a pretty damn cool boss.
Actually I want to correct myself–JD in Neowave builds a tiny bit of meter, not life. You do not get health back for JDing in Neowave.
Why was Young Geese allowed in Tourneys?
I just don’t get that.
Because playable Young Geese, like other Atomiswave boss characters (Amakusa, Mizuki, etc. in Tenka; Shishioh, Neo-Dio, and Mizuchi in NGBC) is a different character from his CPU version and meant to be played in tournaments?
I actually like Garou’s JD system, I just don’t like the way it was implemented (same with CVS 2). I like the concept of Young Geese, but the sprite is uninteresting, he’s just a guy in a suit with a pony tail and a squeaky voice. He’s also god-tier in that game.
Not trying to knock you, because I agree with just about everything that you said. But I would say that Neowave was part cash grab (obviously) and part test. This was the first time in over a decade that SNK used new hardware, so I think they just wanted to play it safe with their most popular franchise and get their programmers accustomed to Atomiswave. Kinda’ like how 98UM was a test for Taito X2, it was dry run with a sure thing. Only difference is 98UM was badass.
The thing is most of those examples are heavily nerfed from the CPU versions (for example playable Shishioh is mid tier at best) while Young Geese is still strong as hell. He was on just about every team competing in tournaments back then. His super went through just about and punished everything, etc.
I would play Young Geese if I had this game. Anchor only though. So I can be like Dark Geese and do Deadly Rave vs anything that flinches.
“You threw a punch?! DEADLY RAVVEEEEEEEEE AHHH!”
Anyone know if NeoWave was ever put as a backwards compatible game for the 360?
Playable Young Geese is a joke compared to the CPU version. He’s still strong but hardly broken. I wouldn’t necessarily say he is even the best in the game. You still have Choi, Jhun, Saisyu, etc.
Deadly Rave went through about anything but at the same time it couldn’t be comboed and was highly punishable on block meaning it could be baited.
So all the times Dark Geese was throwing it out and it didn’t get punished when blocked was because people didn’t know about it?
Maybe “highly punishable” is an exaggeration. I’m pretty sure it’s at disadvantage on block, moreso with JD. I believe it’s possible to at least grab afterward but then again you can do that before it hits, so…yeah.