The Playstation version of SNK's popular team fighting competition meanders into the Japanese gaming scene this week. Just about everyone who wants to play King of Fighters '96 has already done so on the Neo-Geo, Neo-CD and Sega Saturn. But there are those who have abstained from that pleasure, those that have waited patiently for the Playstation version to arrive. They won't be disappointed. Know this, King of Fighters '96 on the Playstation is not a perfect conversion. Those looking for a pixel perfect port will not find it here. What they will find is a stunning fighting game that shows off the best that SNK has to offer on a system with limited ram. Casual fans of the Neo-Geo will find the conversion very good; hardcore fans will find it slightly lacking in the graphic detail though the animation is very good.
Background details are sharp...

One earmark of SNK's recent spate of conversions on the Saturn and Playstation has been the high quality of the titles. King of Fighters 96 is notable because the characters are fairly large on screen though they are smaller than what we saw in the Neo-Geo original. The amount of characters in the game is also substantial but they all load quickly when a bout is started. The loading time on the Playstation (always a valid concern) is very passable and does not drag along thanks to what we suspect are more efficient loading routines. So, the only rough conversion that we have seen on the PS thus far has been the poor Samurai Shodown 3. Fitting that the Saturn version of SS3 was so incredible and gave SNK redemption, at least on Sega's console.
		Backgrounds are also very detailed

		Would I trade in my Neo-Geo cartridge system at this point in console history for a dedicated Saturn or Sonyps to play SNK's games? No, I would not. There is a certain special quality that a Neo-Geo cartridge game has that can only be appropriately matched by a Jamma arcade board. Even the games that aren't very good shine with what I can only term 'True Arcade Quality'. Anyone who visits an arcade sees it, whether it be the crisp graphics, the incredible sound or the dead-on control. The Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn versions of King of Fighters '96 are both very good. I would rate the Saturn version excellent but once you've tasted the Neo version, the ports just can't compare to the overall quality of the original. NCS wholeheartedly recommends KOF'96 to PS owners but to Neo-Geo diehards across the land: Hang on to your cartridge.
Another beautifully detailed background