The King Of Fighters '99 Evolution (US) for Sega Dreamcast
Complete Extra Striker/Secrets FAQ
By Scott Miller (pac4051@hotmail.com)
Version 2.75

This FAQ is copyright 2001 by Scott Miller and is protected under all 
international copyright laws.  You have my permission to reproduce this 
FAQ without written consent as long as the following conditions are 
observed:

1:  All content, including this copyright notice, and notice of 
authorship, remains intact.

2:  This FAQ may NOT be used for ANY commercial purposes whatsoever.  
This includes, but is not limited to the following:

--posting it with web banners
--selling it, giving it away as a free bonus, or reprinting it in a 
commercial FOR-PROFIT publication, on any storage medium now known or 
later to be invented (for example:  Magazines, pay web sites, floppy 
disk, CD- or DVD-ROMs, etc.) 

Users are permitted to make copies and distribute them freely, provided 
that NO PROFIT is involved (for example, printing it or photocopying it 
for a friend) and the content remains intact.  Users are NOT permitted 
to copy this work and post it, with or without alterations, as their 
own work.  Those who do this will be considered pirates and appropriate 
action will be taken.

To put it bluntly:  Don't steal it and don't sell it.  S'alright?  
S'alright.

Agetec is a trademark of the Agetec company.  SNK, King Of Fighters, 
King Of Fighters Evolution, and all characters therein are the 
trademarked property of SNK Corporation of Japan and are used herein 
without permission.

The current version of this FAQ will always be found at gamefaqs.com.

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Contents:
I.  Version History
II.  Comments
III.  Getting The Extra Strikers
IV.  Fio and Alfred and Syo and Gai
V.  Striker Cost
VI.  Rankings
VII.  Acknowledgements

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I.  Version History

0.1--6/7/01--Started FAQ
0.5--6/10/01--Confirmed existence of Syo and Gai
1.0--6/13/01--Release version (more updates to come)
Final--6/15/01--Fixed several mistakes, added "Rankings" section, 
finished point chart for Level 3 EX Strikers, amended copyright 
statement
2.5--6/15/01--spoke too soon!  Fixed more errors, added info on Syo and 
Gai, changed heading to reflect listing on gamefaqs.com
2.75--6/20/01--corrected more mistakes, added new info on Syo and Gai 
unlock trick

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II.  Comments

The King Of Fighters Evolution is basically the same sort of game that 
King Of Fighters '99 Dream Match was--a port of an already good 2-D 
fighting game to the Dreamcast, with the nice old 2-D backdrops 
replaced by 3-D backdrops, some of which are nice, some of which are 
not.  The enhanced resolution also has a way of making the sprites 
unflattering by showing off their jagged, pixelly edges.

On the other hand, it's otherwise perfect, has no loading times, 
several extras (and the most annoying secret in video game history, at 
least in the US version), Krizalid is immediately selectable and usable 
in all game modes, and it controls very tightly, especially with the 
good old ASCII six-button fighting pad, which, for whatever boneheaded 
reason, was never licensed by any American companies, despite the 
obvious inferiority of all the American six-button pads.

You're welcome to e-mail if you have any questions or contributions.  
There isn't much more to add here, but I'm willing to help if you've 
got any problems or feel I haven't explained something clearly enough.

The next update will probably bring the FAQ up to version 3.0 and will 
include more detailed rankings for each EX Striker, Levels 1-3.  When 
the next version gets released depends entirely on whether or not I 
feel like playing the game again anytime soon.  It'll probably be 
around the end of the month or in the first week or two of July.  At 
that point, the FAQ will be more or less finished.

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III.  Getting The Extra Strikers

In KOF Evolution, just as in every other version of KOF '99, you get 
Battle Ability points, which is this game's equivalent of a running 
score.  However, unlike the other versions, in this version you can use 
the points you earn to buy Extra Strikers.  (No comment on the "get 
points to unlock secrets" craze that has obsessed Japan since Soul 
Calibur came out and forced us all to spend dozens of hours obsessively 
trying to earn points to get secrets that aren't necessarily worth the 
time it took to unlock them.)

The way it works is this:  You go into the Extra Striker menu, and, if 
you've got enough points, you can buy one.  Two are selectable from the 
start of the game; six can be bought as soon as you have enough points; 
two more will be unlocked when the first six appear; and so on and so 
on and etc. until you've got twenty-two new friends.  Aww.  Isn't that 
cute?  Er, sorry.

Anyway, Extra Strikers are the equivalent of the helpers in the first 
Marvel Vs. Capcom--they sit around at the bottom of your team, unable 
to join in the fun, until they are summoned, at which point they 
perform a special attack for you (unless they miss, then they'll taunt 
your opponent instead, wasting one of your striker uses--of course, 
this can be fun, and style counts, too).  The damage ranges from 
"barely adequate" to "equivalent of weak super move," so, yes, they can 
be helpful in battle, and they add a little strategy to already intense 
fights.

In addition, there are two different types for each striker, other than 
Seth and Vanessa.

Everything in this FAQ pertains to the North American version published 
by Agetec.

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IV.  Fio and Alfred and Syo and Gai

The first sixteen strikers can all be bought with Ability points, but 
there are others.  Specifically, four others--one from the Metal Slug 
universe, one from the Fatal Fury series, and two from a NGPC game, 
KOF:  Battle de Paradise (Gai is a character from a wrestling game, 
called Buriki One, and Syo is the original design of Kyo Kusanagi--
thanks to Jess Ragan for the info).

Fio and Alfred--Easy part.  Buying the first six Justice Strikers will 
automatically make the Level One Justice versions of Fio and Alfred 
available, and buying the six Dark Strikers will make Level One Dark 
versions of Fio and Alfred available.

Syo and Gai--Hard.  Harder than anything else in the entire universe.  
Harder than beating the original NES Castlevania without dying (well, 
nothing's that hard).  Actually, it's pretty easy--if you don't mind 
playing for fifty hours.  At least.  (Or if you can download 
OrochiJDP's save game at gamefaqs.com, if it's working properly yet.)

This is the thing that makes me want to hurl rotten vegetables and 
compost at Agetec.  See, in the American version, they thought it would 
be fun to make Syo and Gai time-released characters, and to add an 
absurdly long button press code to that, to enable them.  To unlock the 
most powerful versions of Syo and Gai, it's been said (by others--I 
didn't find this out on my own) that it takes 150 hours.  (NOTE:  This 
information originated with LuvElly, who helpfully explained to people 
on the GameFAQs message board how the trick worked.  However, you don't 
need to let it go to 150 hours, but to 110 hours.)  (FURTHER NOTE:  
LuvElly also believed that the trick could only be done once, and, as 
that was the consensus among other players, I went along with it.  
However, LuvElly was, to be blunt, completely wrong!  Jess Ragan 
explains:  "Actually, I entered the code again after inputting it the 
first time [after fifty hours had passed], and it DID work!"  In fact, 
I can't get it to NOT work now, so perhaps I screwed up the trick when 
I tested the theory before.  Mea culpa.)

Here's the trick, which I first saw at www.orochinagi.com (where it was 
contributed by hebretto):

1)  When the time limit is up, go into any play mode.  I personally 
have found Practice mode to be the best, but I assume it'll work 
anywhere.  It didn't work in the one-player modes, anyway.  Your 
mileage may vary; consult dealer for details.

2)  Highlight Kyo (the real version) and press the Y button 30 times.  
(You have to be fairly quick or it won't work, but go too fast and you 
won't be able to count; I time mine to the beats of the music, as if I 
were playing a dance game.)

3)  Without stopping or slowing down, press up, right x 3, up, left x 
3, up x 2, right x 3, up x 2, left x 3, up, right x 3, up x 2 (this 
should lead you all over the character select menu and up to the Extra 
Striker option), A.

4)  You should now be in the Extra Striker select screen, and, if it 
worked, Syo and Gai will have appeared underneath Alfred.

You can do this trick repeatedly, until you get the versions you want.

50 hours--
Level One Justice versions only.  That's it.  Oh, well.

60 hours--
Level One Justice and Dark versions.  (This was contributed by 
striderhiryu1982.)

100 hours--
Level 3 Justice, Level 2 Dark (NOTE:  I assume that Level 2 Justice 
must therefore be available at 80, 85, 90, or 95 hours, but I never 
checked my save at those points, so I can't say for sure.  If you know 
for certain, I'd appreciate your input.  I know it must happen after 75 
hours have passed, as I got the Level One versions at 75 hours.)

110 hours--
Level 3 Justice, Level 3 Dark, as hinted at on orochinagi.com's main 
page (see the "Quick!" sidebar)

No, it's not a hoax, as I originally assumed; it does work and works 
consistently and well.  Whether or not it's a reasonable unlocking 
trick is a whole other matter, which I won't go into again.

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V.  Striker Cost

Here's a handy and dependable chart to the costs of the other Extra 
Strikers, including Fio and Alfred, for each level of experience.  It 
may be ugly, due to my non-mastery of ASCII text, but it should be 
easily readable.

Level One
Chara              Cost/Justice version    Cost/Dark version
------------------------------------------------------------
Kyo (SP)           800 points              1000 points
Goro Daimon            "                        "
Chizuru Kagura         "                        "
Athena (SP)            "                        "
Billy Kane             "                        "
Ryuji Yamazaki         "                        "
Fio*               2000 points             2200 points
Alfred*            2000 points             2200 points
*--only available after first six characters have been purchased for 
both Justice and Dark versions
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost:  19,200 Battle Ability points

Level Two
Chara              Cost/Justice ver.       Cost/Dark ver.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Kyo (SP)           1200 points             1500 points
Daimon                  "                       "
Chizuru                 "                       "
Athena (SP)             "                       "
Billy                   "                       "
Yamazaki                "                       "
Fio                2500 points             2700 points
Alfred             2500 points             2700 points
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost:  26,600 Battle Ability points

Level Three
Chara              Cost/Justice            Cost/Dark
-------------------------------------------------------------
Kyo (SP)           1600 points             2000 points
Daimon                  "                      "
Chizuru                 "                      "
Athena (SP)             "                      "
Billy                   "                      "
Yamazaki                "                      "
Fio                 3000 points            3200 points    
Alfred                  "                      "
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total cost:  34,000 Battle Ability points
Total cost of all strikers:  79,800 Battle Ability points (eek!)

--Earning points the quick and dirty way
Set the difficulty to 8 and strikers and power meter to max.  Go into 
either single play mode or team play mode.  If you've got a cheat disc 
like the Xploder or Codebreaker, go to cmgsccc.com and get the infinite 
time code.  Note that you'll definitely get more points with a team, 
especially if you get a straight victory, use the infinite time code to 
inflate your point total slightly (the game will think you slaughtered 
your opponents quickly and it won't mess with the game's internal 
timer, which runs off the Dreamcast's clock), and finish all opponents 
with supers.

In your second match, lose without continuing; you should have 700-900 
points.  I saw this trick on Gamewinners.com (credit where credit is 
due), although I added in the "infinite time code" part here, and it's 
much easier than going through an entire game.  Best high score so far, 
with a team of Joe, Athena, Takuma, and Shingo:  1152 points for one 
match.

Remember:
--Supers are worth a goodly amount of points.
--So are combos.
--Straight victories actually detract from your score!  Much to my 
surprise, using all of your team members (aside from the strikers) 
gives you up to 100 extra points.
--Using the "infinite time" code seems to contribute about 50 points, 
so it's not as much of a help as I had assumed.

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VI.  Rankings

Here's a quick summary of all the Extra Strikers, along with a rating 
based on a five point scale, one being worst and five being best.

Damage ratios change slightly (very slightly, but they do change) 
between levels, but they are always proportionately the same--an Extra 
Striker with low damage will continue to dish out only a pathetic 
amount of punishment on your enemies.

Here they are, in the order in which they appear in the select screen:

Seth
First Appearance:  King Of Fighters 2000
Seth jumps in and does a 2-hit uppercut.  It misses easily, doesn't do 
much damage (only about as much as a weak projectile, like Mai's 
Kachosen), is easy to see coming, and it does the same amount of damage 
whether or not the kick hits as he jumps in.  Mediocre.
Ranking:  2

Vanessa
First Appearance:  King Of Fighters 2000
Vanessa is somewhat more useful than Seth.  She runs in quickly and 
delivers a 3-hit punching combo for better damage, although she still 
misses easily.  Range is up to about 3/4 screen distance.  All in all, 
a good choice, if not one of the best.
Ranking:  3

Goro Daimon
First Appearance:  King Of Fighters '94
Justice:  Daimon, my least favorite KOF character apart from Chang and 
Choi, runs in very, very slowly, and does one of his generic throws to 
your opponent.  The damage is good, but his range is low (only about 
1/4 of the screen) and he's real easy to see coming and counter.
Ranking:  2
Dark:  The "evil" Daimon jumps in, does a 2-hit punch combo as he 
lands, then throws your opponent.  It does just a little bit less 
damage than the Justice version's throw, but it's also less 
predictable, a little harder to counter, and he comes in much faster.  
It's still not all that useful in a fight unless all you want to do is 
disorient your opponent.
Ranking:  2

Billy Kane
First Appearance:  Fatal Fury (Garou Densetsu in Japan)
Justice:  Geese Howard's club-wielding enforcer runs in and does one of 
his club-swinging combos for up to 4 hits.  The damage isn't great but 
the range is about half the screen, which helps.
Ranking:  3
Dark:  This is just ludicrous.  Billy leaps in, and, if he connects 
with your opponent, he'll do his club-shaking throw (where he gets 
someone by the neck and shakes them, giggling away in his fruity 
voice).  The damage is pathetically low but the range is nearly full-
screen, so Dark Billy can show off his worthlessness almost anywhere.
Ranking:  1

Ryuji Yamazaki
First Appearance:  Fatal Fury 3 (Garou Densetsu 3 in Japan)
Justice:  Before we begin, I'd just like to note how ludicrous the 
combination of "Justice" and "Yamazaki" is.  Anyway, the loony hitman 
rushes in and does the uppercut from his counter move.  Again, it's got 
decent range, but the amount of damage done is pathetic.  Not much good 
for anything but knocking persistent jumpers down, and most characters 
have better anti-air moves than this.
Ranking:  1
Dark:  This time he jumps in, grabs your opponent by the throat and 
shakes them.  It has better range than the above, but the dameage is 
just as bad as before.  Throw them yourself and don't waste your helper 
stocks.  No matter which version you pick, Yamazaki is the most 
worthless Extra Striker.
Ranking:  1

Kyo SP
First Appearance:  King Of Fighters '94 (NOTE:  The outfit is one of 
the unused sprite designs which can be seen in the Art Gallery section 
of the PSOne version.)
Justice:  Kyo throws his old projectile (whose name escapes me) and 
then body-slams your opponent.  The damage is good, the speed is fast, 
and the range is full-screen.  One of the most useful EX Strikers 
overall, although it's worthless against jumpers and can be blocked, 
which cuts down on its utility a little bit.
Ranking:  4
Dark:  Kyo will jump in and do two things:  He'll throw his projectile, 
which is the slow weak version here, then attempt to nail your opponent 
with a kick.  The kicks hurt pretty well, but the projectile is 
worthless, and that's all that will connect unless you're at close 
range to your opponent and Dark Kyo doesn't have to travel too far.
Ranking:  2

Chizuru Kagura
First Appearance:  King Of Fighters '97
Justice:  Chizuru glides in and does her uppercut move for a small, 2-
hit juggle and ok damage.  The range is a bit less than half the 
screen, but it will hit jumpers if they're close to you.
Ranking:  3
Dark:  Chizuru comes in with one of her specials, which will connect 
for up to 9 hits but do slightly less damage than the above attack.  
Somewhat low range, but good for starting combos as she pushes your 
opponent back and off-guard.
Ranking:  3

Athena SP
First Appearance:  Athena (an old, obscure NES game)
NOTE:  This version of Athena is wearing her sailor fuku (dress), 
usually seen at the beginning of matches as she transforms into 
whatever outfit she's got for the latest game.
Justice:  Athena appears and does a low-damage Hideaki Anno for only a 
couple of hits.  What's worse, it has very poor range, although the 
sweep at the end often catches opponents off-guard.
Ranking:  2
Dark:  Dark Athena has 2 different attacks, and which one you'll get 
depends on your distance from your opponent.  At close-range, she'll do 
a Psycho Sword which can connect for up to 5 hits and good damage.  At 
any other distance she'll do her reflect, which can also function as a 
projectile for ok damage.  Either way, she's helpful, and I wish SNK 
had seen fit to take the time to extend this idea to the other Extra 
Strikers.  My personal favorite Extra Striker, apart from Fio.
Ranking:  5

Alfred
First Appearance:  Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 (hidden boss)
Justice:  Alfred leaps in and does a 4-hit juggle as he dives.  It's 
low range, but does ok damage, and connects without too many problems, 
so it's useful in close combat.
Ranking:  3
Dark:  This time, Alfred runs in and does a different 4-hit juggle 
(based around a kick upper).  Better damage than the above, and better 
range.  Another useful helper.
Ranking:  4

Fio
First Appearance:  Metal Slug
Justice:  Fio parachutes in and lands squarely on your opponent if 
they're in range.  What's more, if the opponent is still close when she 
gets up, she'll smack them again when she runs away.  The damage and 
range are only average, but it's lots of fun to watch.
Ranking:  3
Dark:  Dark Fio drags in a huge object and, if your opponent is close 
enough, smacks them with it for big damage.  However, it's easy to spot 
and fairly predictable, so it's handier for amusement value than 
anything else.
Ranking:  2 1/2

Gai
First Appearance:  Buriki One (a wrestling game; contributed by Jess 
Ragan; found on the Sector:  NGP message boards)
Justice:  Gai (a red-headed kickboxer who bears a vague resemblance to 
Joe Higashi, aside from the not-at-all-similar hairdos) runs in and 
does a 12-hit juggle uppercut.  It's medium range and does very good 
damage, and it connects easily.
Ranking:  4
Dark:  Dark Gai (with purple hair) leaps in wearing a boxer's robe, 
then tries out a move similar to Joe's Slash Kick.  Again, it does good 
damage and has medium range.
Ranking:  4

Syo
First Appearance:  Syo was the original design of Kyo Kusanagi, 
according to Jess Ragan, and is apparently present, along with Gai, in 
a Neo Geo Pocket Color game called King Of Fighters:  Battle de 
Paradise; found on the Sector:  NGP message boards
Justice:  Syo (whose outfit is a combination of Kim's and Kyo's latest 
duds) dives in and does a 5-hit juggle.  The range is good but it has 
some trouble connecting at both close and far range, which limits its 
usefulness.
Ranking:  3
Dark:  Syo rides in on a motorcycle, jumps off, and lets it slide into 
your opponent, where it explodes.  The move is supposed to be 
blockable; the CPU once blocked it in my Practice mode, but took damage 
and remained standing; I haven't been able to replicate this, with the 
block function on, so I assume that it was a minor glitch and not a 
replicable bug.  You shouldn't see this ever happen in a fight.  Hard 
to avoid, does very good damage, and will travel the entire screen.  
Overall, another useful helper.
Ranking:  5

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VII.  Acknowledgements

Gamefaqs.com and CJayC--the best FAQ site on the Internet, so obviously 
the man running it has something to do with it.  Take another vacation.

Striderhiryu1982--for letting me correct the "75 hour" trick with the 
correct time limit.

Jess Ragan (grblitz.overclocked.org)--for more help than any FAQ writer 
deserves!  He's the man behind "The Gameroom Blitz," an excellent 'zine 
and website.  Go there and check out some of the articles (including my 
favorite, "Fighter's Misery," which discusses some of the godawfulest 
fighting games ever made).

Gamewinners.com--For the point-earning trick, which helped me cut way 
down on the time needed to earn all those points.  However, someone 
should tell them that the "EX Character" trick comes from Dream Match 
'99.

Agetec (www.agetec.com)--For releasing the game, but not for the 
mistakes in the manual, or the most irritating unlock trick of all 
time, just ahead of the random Thailand stage in Capcom Vs. SNK, or 
that damn baseball bat that never appeared when I played Earthbound.  
Waiting impatiently for Last Blade 2.

Orochinagi.com (now hosted by PlanetDreamcast.com)--For being a great 
site for KOF goodness, and for posting the Syo and Gai trick on their 
front page in the first place.

My brother Mark--for lending me KOF Evolution in the first place, along 
with the ASCII fighting pad.  

Everyone else--for putting up with me for the last six months.

