SNK has had their ups and downs over the years, but they've bounced back in a huge way with several solid releases over the past year. Now they're ready to grace King of Fighters fans with yet another classic compilation, and this time it looks to be including two of the better fighting game titles, King of Fighters 2002 and 2003.

King of Fighters has been third fiddle to Street Fighter and Guilty Gear in the 2D realm, but that doesn't mean SNK has been slacking. Hardcore fighting game fans know just how good the KoF series is, and 2002 was one of the best titles in the series with a return to the old school style of play.

The striker system and 4-on-4 gameplay of previous KoF titles has been removed from 2002 in favor of the 3-on-3 system of old and max charges on super attacks. These two changes cater heavily to the hardcore KoF fans, and while not everyone will like this system, it definitely makes for a more offensive play style with less turtling involved. The character roster has also been shifted around a bit, with favorites such as Geese Howard missing in action, but it's still a healthy roster of fighters.

A new change introduced in King of Fighters 2002 is the super cancel system that Capcom fans may already be familiar with. You can basically take any special attack (think fireballs or dragon punches), and cancel them into super combos to create some spectacular and massively damaging combos.

The second disc in the compilation includes King of Fighters 2003, which has the same offensive focus as 2002. While the striker system is still missing (which is a good thing), instead of the standard 3-on-3 system, SNK opted for a tag team approach similar to Capcom's Vs. series of games. Before each match you'll choose one leader for your team. The leader will be the only member of your team capable of dishing out mega damage with their most power super attacks. When coupled with the sped up gameplay of 2003, this makes the game extremely offensive, even more than KoF 2002.

One other thing to note about King of Fighters 2002/2003 is the graphical presentation. Obviously both games are going to look a bit dated when compared to the newer 2D fighters. However, SNK has included an option to smooth out some of the pixilation present in both titles. The fallback is that you'll see some odd lines in the backgrounds, but the characters look so much better it's almost worth the moderate lines in the background.

There's also a severe lack of online play, but in SNK's defense here, how popular are older games like these going to be when compared to Guity Gear XX #Reload or some of the online 3D fighters? It would've been nice to see these online, but it's understandable why SNK opted to leave the option out.

All in all, if you're a diehard King of Fighters fan, or you're just looking for a new 2D fighter to take up some of your time, SNK's upcoming compilation is certainly worth the money from the looks of our preview build. King of Fighters 2002/2003 is set for release in just a few short weeks.