The maximum number of gauges stored, and each gauge's charge rate, are determined by how many Fighters they have access to. When a fighter is defeated, the progress of the current gauge is lost, but all stored gauges are kept. When a player fills the gauge up, it is stored and, if the player has less than their maximum number of gauges stored, a new gauge replaces it. The gauge is charged mainly by performing special moves, but is also charged at a slower pace by both giving and receiving damage.
The game includes two team-based modes (which can be switched by the arcade operator or in the home version): Most of the gameplay remains the same as its predecessor, with some new additions and changes (including updated movelists for all characters). The King of Fighters 2001 plays like a traditional 2D fighting game, using four buttons (Light Punch, Light Kick, Strong Punch, and Strong Kick).
THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2001 SERIES
A new worldwide King of Fighters tournament (as much of a spectacle as the 1997 tournament) is hosted by the NESTS syndicate themselves, bringing their mysterious plans involving the series protagonists ( Kyo Kusanagi and K') and their rivals ( Iori Yagami and Kula Diamond) into fruition. The final part of the "NESTS Saga" arc, the game's story takes place a year after the destruction of the Zero Cannon (which had decimated most of the city of South Town). The game also revamps the Striker system to use the Power Gauge instead, and adds the "Wire Whip": a technique that bounces enemies off the side of the screen for additional juggling. The eighth installment of the King of Fighters series, the sequel to The King of Fighters 2000, and the first in the series developed after SNK's bankruptcy, King of Fighters 2001 introduces the "Tactical Order System": a revamp of the "Striker" mechanic that allows players to form any combination of both Fighters and Strikers with their four-man team (including a safe four-Fighter team with limited tech and a risky one-Fighter team with additional tech). It was subsequently released for the Neo Geo AES (by SUN in Japan and by Eolith outside of Japan) on March 14, 2002. The King of Fighters 2001 is a 2D tag-team fighting game developed by Eolith (in conjunction with BrezzaSoft) and released by Playmore (under the SNK brand, and released by Eolith outside of Japan) for arcades (running Neo Geo MVS hardware) on November 15, 2001.