honestly I didn't really like Street Fighter 3's music (I'm referring to the "Third Strike" version here), while not bad in itself, it felt very corny and not memorable or epic at all... the whole game felt really corny and weird too though
I place all three SF3 games' soundtracks in my top 10 best game soundtracks ever. Lots of great tunes IMO; one of the few games with a soundtrack I actually listen to.
well thanks of your concern, I had read your GAF thread... I already have this game though, and yes it is excellent, probably my favorite game of 2006 so far, although I'm sure that either Zelda or Final Fantasy XII will outshine it in the end 
Ah, okay, carry on then, my work is done here!
i did try Neo Geo Battle Coliseum too, and you're right she does look like Ling Xiaoyu... I found it entertaining, however it didn't hold my interest for very long honestly... and then of course there's the interminable load times, although I know they're far less worse in some mode that I forgot...
Yeah, the load times are incredibly short (like 3-5 seconds) in the survival/challenge mode. Makes no sense whatsoever. But seeing as how a large number of the characters are in KOF XI, and KOF XI plays better, AND KOF XI has three-on-three tag instead of two-on-two, AND KOF XI has shorter load times than even the arcade version, yeah, there's not too much of a reason to go back to NGBC, other than those few exclusive characters. That said, the game still is very good and I'd play it a lot more if the load times were better; SS Tenka and KOF XI have spoiled me I guess.
I didn't like the first King of Fighters Maximum Impact, so I don't think I'll get the 2006 version. I'll wait until SNK releases a next-gen version on a console like Xbox 360 or PS3. Those 3D fighters just don't feel allright, although the gameplay is decent.
MI2, is much, much, MUCH better than the original! They fixed a lot of the problems that plagued MI, plus the new parry system adds a lot more depth. It's also got a HUGE single player mode and a ton of fan service, with outfits and BGMs from a host of different games, some not even from SNK. I've seen outfits that are clearly from Gundam, Urusei Yatsura, Evangelion, Guilty Gear, and Street Fighter.
Here's the post I made on the game:
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---The King Of Fighters Maximum Impact 2---
---Playstation 2 DVD-------------------------------
---#Of Players 1-2-------------------------------
---Price: 6800 Yen-------------------------------
---Available: Now (Japan), TBA (U.S.)---------
---Online Play Using KDDI Service-------------
-----------------------------------------------------
Maximum Impact 2, which will be called "KOF 2006" (why god why) for the U.S. release, is a big improvement over the original game. The roster size has almost doubled with 38 playable characters, although a few of the hidden characters are just variations on regular fighters (Billy Kane -> Lilly Kane, Terry Bogard -> Wild Wolf), with some slightly different moves and combos, a la the Tekken games.
The biggest change to the game play is the new parry attack, which is done with a button press, and works just like the parry system in the Last Blade games. Couple this the rolling/dodging system from the original, as well as guard crushes, and MI2 now offers a number of defensive options over the original game. Game play has also been slightly sped down, which works in MI2's favor, as the stylish combos are easier to counter, and punishing ground-abuse tactics, a major problem in the original game should a player miss a roll and land on his/her back, are now no longer as much of a problem.
MI2's single player options are rather vast as well. The challenge mode has been expanded, and now includes survival, time attack, and 200 challenge missions, which can be extremely difficult. Finally, the extra bonus missions offer four bonus games that harken back to the SF2 days of crushing the car or breaking the barrels: You get a "destroy the SUV" challenge, a "create a Moa head (destroy stones)" challenge, a challenge in which you have to knock a steamroller (driven by Todoh) off a cliff, and finally, a game in which you have to destroy the Metal Slug tank. Each of these missions has five difficulty types, with the time limit getting lower, and mines/homing lasers growing in number on the stage floors as you increase them. Beating challenge missions unlocks characters, outfits (each fighter has a total of 16 outfits), music, and stages (of which I still am missing six; stages are tough to get!).
There is a lot of fan service in MI2 as well, from various outfit styles (based on other SNK characters from various games or even anime; check the Mai picture below-- it's Lum), stage cameos, and bonus characters (Fio from Metal Slug and Hanzo Hattori from Samurai Shodown are playable)
The complete roster is as follows. (Characters in bold text are new.)
From the Start:
Kyo Kusanagi (new design)
Iori Yagami
Terry Bogard
Seth
Mai Shiranui
Lien Neville
Luise Meyrink Yuri Sakazaki
Ryo Sakazaki
Billy KaneAlba Meira
Soiree Meira
Athena Asamiya (new design)
Mignon Beart
NagaseRalf Jones (slight new design)
Clark Still (slight new design)
Kula DiamondChae Lim
Leona (slight new design)
K'
Maxima (ditto)
Rock Howard
Duke
Secret Characters:
Kim KaphwanB. Jenet (she can do the breaking moves from Garou; I'm sure Wild Wolf can too)
Ninon Beart (Mignon's sister?)
Hanzo Hattori (From Samurai Shodown)
Nightmare GeeseWild Wolf (MOTW Terry; has no rising tackle, but gains the power stream SDM)
Armor Ralf Mr. KarateRichard Meyer (the Pao Pao cafe owner; he's the Capoeira guy from Fatal Fury 1)
Kyo Kusanagi Classic (KOF '95 style; has his old outfits)
Fio (from Metal Slug)
Lilly Kane (Billy's little sister)
Hyena (the goofy looking announcer guy from MI1)
Jivatma (final boss)
As a nice bonus, every copy of Maximum Impact 2 (first printings only) comes with a DVD containing all four "KOF Another Day" anime episodes. While very short (about five-seven minutes each), these episodes were animated by Production I.G., the same company that did the Ghost In The Shell TV series, among others, and contain enough action to keep KOF fans happy.
The new parry --------- Fio takes on the Metal Slug in the bonus game
MI2 gives you 38 playable characters. Here Leona looks like Heidern; Hanzo is Galford ---------- Armor Ralf vs. Billy Kane's little sister Lilly.
Wild Wolf (Garou Terry) vs. B. Jenet ---------- B. Jenet vs. Hanzo
Lien snaps Maxima's neck ---------- Mai strikes a pose. You can see Tizoc/The Griffon in the background.
Billy Kane vs. Richard Meyer ---------- Newcomers Nagase and Luise
Alba vs. Soiree ----------- Kyo (in Yuki, from Neo-Geo Battle Coliseum, outfit) with Neo-Geo on his back
Athena does her healing super in front of Rock Howard --------- Nightmare Geese!
Hyena, the goofy announcer from the original game, now playable ---------- Kim Kaphwan vs. Chae Lim
Many of the alternate outfits change character appearance completely; this is Luise ---------- Kula (dressed as Ash, from KOF 2003/XI) vs. K'
Ninon Beart ----------- Yuri slaps Mr. Karate (Ryo)
