The King of Fighters series is one of the longest running fighting game franchises ever in video game history. It has been monumentally successful in the East, especially Japan, yet somehow it has never managed to catch on in terms of widespread popularity here in the States.
Because of that, there are a large number of gamers out there that have either missed parts of the series, or never gotten the chance to play it at all. What follows is a guide for both types of gamers; if you’ve missed a game here or there, check out it’s story and gameplay to see what you missed, while if you’ve never played it at all, see what's happened with it since the start, all the way to the present. This guide covers the 9 main games released so far in the series (meaning this does not include the various spin-off titles, many that never even saw a Stateside release).
Because the story is such an integral part of the series, and they all run together (there have been 3 main plots, divided among 7 different games), it’s easiest to just give the stories their own separate section. So, settle back, get comfortable, find some rations, and go to the bathroom now if you have to. When ready, begin...
One of the most surprising parts of the King of Fighters series’ history is that it, in fact, did not actually start with the first game in the series (KOF 94).
The “King of Fighters” tournament was actually being fought back when you were pumping quarters into a game called “Fatal Fury.” KOF had been created by the criminal mastermind of Southtown Geese Howard for both underground gambling and murdering any fighters that looked to be strong enough to be a potential threat to Geese, who was himself a powerful man. Long story short, the son of a man Geese had murdered long ago joined the contest and knocked the criminal out of the top story window of his office building (something which has happened to Geese nearly 70 times since). The man who defeated him was Terry Bogard. The next year, an even more powerful person known as Wolfgang Krauser took control of the KOF tournament to find the man strong enough to beat Geese and challenge him. Another long story short, Krauser was also trounced by Terry.
With the exception of KOF 94, the entire KOF series has focused almost entirely on two separate storylines: the Orochi storyline (from 95 to 97) and the NESTS Cartel (from 99 to 2001 (and still going)). There have also been two “dream” matches (98 & 2002), where basically almost all of the characters from the previous titles are brought back in one massive game with no real story to it. Rugal, a classic KOF villain (as you’ll soon find out) has been the boss for these two games.
What follows is a description of the main plots the KOF series has gone through. Keep in mind that there ARE spoilers in here, so if you don’t want to know what happens in a certain game, avoid reading it.
KOF 94
94 was the unofficial continuation of the storyline being played out in the “Fatal Fury” series, as described above. After the defeat of Krauser, a new individual took over the KOF tournament, whose name was Rugal Bernstein, a big player in the black market and an incredibly powerful fighter. However, instead of the same old KOF, he changed the rules so that, instead of one-on-one competitions, teams of three had to enter the contest. Each person on a team would get to fight one round, and if they lost, the next person would fight, and so on. When each person on the team lost, they were out of the competition.
Surprisingly, it was not Terry Bogard’s Italy Team, but the Japan Team that won the tournament. Japan’s Team was made up of three new faces: Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikkaido and Goro Daimon. Kyo is the descendant of the Kusanagi Clan, who is well known for being able to wield crimson flames (although he must wear special gloves to control them). The KOF champions were brought aboard Rugal’s ship, the Black Noah, where they were challenged by Rugal to a fight. As it turns out, Rugal was a “collector” of famous fighters; everybody that he defeated he had encased in steel and stored in his boat as a statue. Without much of a choice, Kyo and company accepted his challenge…and were thoroughly smacked around. Then, Kyo noticed that one of the statues in Rugal’s collection was his father, Saisyu Kusanagi. Becoming just slightly upset, Kyo got back up and beat the tar out of Rugal. The crime lord, knowing he was finished, set off a self-destruct device in the Black Noah. Team Japan just barely managed to escape from the ship as it blew up and sank into the ocean, apparently taking Rugal with it.
The Orochi Story: Prelude
It’s a bit easier to understand the Orochi storyline (which starts in KOF 95) if you have a background of what happened in the past, long before the KOF tournament was formed. It also helps understand why two of KOF’s main characters, Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami, hate each other so much.
What exactly the Orochi is is a bit of a mystery. Some say that it is a messenger of the gods meant to purify the world of humankind, while others simply say it is a demon out to destroy the world. For whatever purpose, the Orochi definitely has enough strength to complete its goal.
The Orochi first appeared in the world 1800 years ago, causing much death and destruction. Two powerful clans, the Kusanagi and Yagami (both of which wielded crimson flames), worked together and managed to defeat Orochi. While it couldn’t be killed, it was sealed away by the Clan of the Yata, who was from then on responsible for guarding the seal.
However, the Orochi power, despite being sealed, was slowly corrupting the Yagami clan, who was always considered weaker than the Kusanagi. 1140 years after Orochi was sealed away, they made a pact with the ancient power and were given the Orochi blood, which increased their strength and made their crimson flames turn purple, in the hopes that they would now be the most powerful clan. The Kusanagi, outraged at the Yagami’s betrayal of the old alliance, declared them enemies, and have been at war with each other ever since.
Fast forward to 1986… One of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Orochi, masters of the Orochi power which have mastered one of the four elements (wind, fire, lightning and earth), known as Goenitz, attacks the seal the Orochi is under and kills its protector. Although the Orochi is now free, it is still weak and needs to gather energy to fully awaken. Goenitz knows this will be difficult to do alone, so he seeks out old Orochi members to aid him. His search brings him to a small village made up of former Orochi members, now living quietly in peace. Goenitz attempts to enlist their help in reawakening the Orochi, but the village leader refuses. Goenitz swears revenge on the village for betraying the Orochi bloodline and leaves.
That night, a young girl in the village, Leona, falls ill and begins coughing up blood. Before anyone in the village can figure out what’s wrong with her, she enters what is called the Riot of the Blood, a state caused by the power of the Orochi that drives a person mad, making them more animal than human. In this form, Leona brutally kills everyone in the village. Goenitz then reappears, places his hand on the young girl’s head, and tells her to go back to sleep, knowing that when she reawakens, she’ll be in good company. With that, Goenitz leaves, and the young girl is left with no memory of her past or what she had done…
KOF 95
Fast forward again, this time to 1995. Invitations are sent out once more for a new KOF tournament, apparently being held again by Rugal, who was thought to be dead. Almost all of the teams from the previous year return, with one very important new addition: Iori Yagami’s team, made up of Iori, Billy Kane and Eiji Kisaragi. Iori, who is the latest descendant of the Yagami Clan, has joined the tournament to find and kill Kyo Kusanagi, winner of the previous year’s KOF.
Iori is unable to beat Kyo, and once again Team Japan wins the tournament. However, besides just having to face Rugal, who has lost his right eye since 94, they also have to deal with Saisyu Kusanagi, Kyo’s father, who was apparently not encased in steel after all. Saisyu has been brainwashed by Rugal and is ordered to attack Kyo. Unable to fight his father, Benimaru and Daimon fight the elder Kusanagi for him, and win. Before Saisyu loses consciousness, he begs his son to defeat Rugal. Kyo, once again slightly peeved, takes on Rugal. Kyo can’t seem to beat Rugal this time, though, as he is wielding some kind of immense power. During the fight, this power becomes so intense that it actually destroys Rugal in a blinding pillar of light that erupts from his body, saving Kyo and his friends.
KOF 96
Another year passes. One day, a mysterious man appears before Kyo Kusanagi and challenges him to a fight, to see the power of the Kusanagi Clan. Kyo accepts, but loses badly, being injured during the battle. The man simply laughs and tells Kyo to build his strength before their next encounter, then disappears.
Shortly after this odd encounter, another KOF tournament is announced. It is rumored that a very wealthy business woman is running the tournament this year, and these rumors are backed up by the fact that the KOF tournament is a public, televised event complete with sponsors now (and anyone may join). Many teams from the previous years join again, including Kyo’s team (now known as the Hero Team) and Iori’s team, which is now made up of him and Rugal’s two former secretaries, Vice and Mature (Billy and Eiji weren’t exactly eager to make a team with Iori again since he sort of, y’know, beat them to within an inch of their life after they lost the 95 tournament). Mysteriously, Geese Howard has also entered the tournament, along with Wolfgang Krauser and Mr. Big, apparently in search of the destructive power that Rugal had used the previous year. Also joining that year was Leona (now grown up) with the Ikari Team (which had taken part in all the past KOFs), replacing the team’s old leader, Heidern.
Surprise, surprise, Kyo’s team once again wins, even defeating Geese’s powerful trio. The Hero Team is brought to a large stadium where they meet the woman in charge of the KOF tournament. She introduces herself as Chizuru Kagura, and challenges the team to a fight so she can test their abilities. Despite being surprisingly powerful, Chizuru loses to the KOF champions. She reveals to them that she is actually a member of the Clan of the Yata, responsible for guarding the seal placed over the ancient Orochi power. This was the mysterious power that Rugal had used in the previous tournament, but was ultimately destroyed by since he did not have the Orochi blood. However, Rugal’s death was not the end of the threat, since he had not been the one to break the seal in the first place; that was, in fact, the man that took Rugal’s right eye (known as Goenitz). Chizuru had held the KOF tournament to find Kyo, the famous Kusanagi descendant, and ask for his help in once again resealing the Orochi, as had been done 1800 years ago.
Before Kyo can respond, an extremely powerful wind suddenly destroys the stadium, injuring Chizuru in the process. The man that had defeated Kyo before the tournament appears, introduces himself as Goenitz, and reveals to Kyo’s team that he is the one planning to revive the Orochi. Kyo attempts to defeat Goenitz, but is once again beaten. As Goenitz prepares to finish off Kyo permanently, he is attacked from behind by Iori, who exclaims that Kyo will die by his hand and no one else’s. Chizuru tells Kyo and Iori that they have to work together to defeat Goenitz, so the two rivals join forces and fight their common enemy, eventually beating him. Goenitz, badly wounded, warns the two that, even with his defeat, the war is far from over. Raising a powerful wind, Goenitz takes his own life.
With Goenitz gone, Chizuru begs Kyo and Iori to remain as allies so that they will be able to defeat the coming evil. However, Iori is uninterested, and goes his own way, with Vice and Mature following him. When the three are alone, Iori suddenly cries out in pain and begins coughing up blood. Not knowing what is wrong with their team mate, Vice and Mature ask Iori what is wrong. With a strange scream, Iori enters the Riot of the Blood, viciously attacks his two team mates, and is not seen or heard from again until the following year.
KOF 97
Pleased with the financial success of 96’s tournament (despite the whole Goenitz/Orochi/world-coming-to-an-end thingy, but, well, that’s big business for you) many of the sponsors from the previous year’s KOF came together to hold another tournament in 97. Kyo and his team were once again back, Iori entered the tournament alone, Leona returned again with the Ikari team, and Chizuru also entered with a team. There were also several new entries, most notably the mysterious New Faces team, made up of Yashiro Nanakase, Shermie and Chris, whose reasons for joining the tournament were unknown.
All seemed to be going well until the final days of the tournament, when Iori and Leona were suddenly missing. When they reappeared, they were in the Riot of the Blood, and it took several of the KOF fighters to defeat the enraged pair. When they were finally stopped, the New Faces team appeared before everyone and revealed that they were the remaining three Heavenly Kings of the Orochi, and had entered the tournament to gather energy from the fighting to reawaken Orochi. To gain the little bit more that was required, the three began fighting with the other KOF contestants. Although it was a tough battle, the three Heavenly Kings lost. Unfortunately, it was too late: Orochi had received enough power to revive. Shermie and Yashiro sacrificed themselves to Orochi, which was apparently being carried by Chris. The young man transformed before everyone’s eyes into Orochi, declaring that the world would now return to “nothing.” With little effort, Orochi defeated all the KOF members, including Kyo. Realizing they again had to put aside their difference, Kyo and Iori (who was normal again) teamed up and began fighting Orochi. However, Orochi reawakened the Riot of the Blood in Iori, hoping to turn him against Kyo. To his surprise, Iori actually turned on Orochi and held him long enough for Kyo to unleash a devastating attack on the would-be destroyer of humankind. When the smoke cleared, Kyo, Iori and Orochi were all gone.
And so ends the Orochi storyline. The world was saved and Orochi was resealed by Chizuru, but nobody knew what had happened to Kyo and Iori, who remained missing for two years, when suddenly…
KOF 99
…invitations to a new KOF tournament were sent out to fighters around the world. It was unknown who held the tournament this year, but it had changed a bit. It was once again a non-public event (invitation only, no public knowledge of it), and teams of four could be formed, rather than just three. Most of the old fighters once again returned (with a couple of new faces). Since Kyo was still missing, Benimaru decided to form his own team with Shingo Yabuki, a fan of Kyo who was trying to teach himself the Kusanagi fighting style (minus the flames, of course), and two newcomers: K’ (who uses flames suspiciously similar to Kyo’s, and must also wear a glove to control them) and his friend, Maxima. There were also two single entries -- who both looked and fought exactly like Kyo, even using flames.
Benimaru’s team won the tournament and were forced to fight against a man called Krizalid, who apparently had held the tournament. Benimaru’s team fought and beat him easily – a bit too easily (especially for an SNK boss, who are traditionally cheap). Their suspicions were soon proved to be correct as several darkened computer monitors around the room they were in suddenly lit up, showing Kyo Kusanagis in every major city in the world. Apparently, Kyo had been captured by the organization Krizalid worked for (called the NESTS Cartel) after he defeated Orochi, and cloned, although he escaped half-way through the experiment. Two clones were entered into the tournament for testing while others were sent to the world's major cities as part of a plot to conquer the world. Krizalid wore a special suit that had absorbed all the fighting data from the KOF champions, and would send it to the Kyo clones to give them enough power to topple the major cities and governments of the world. Krizalid also reveals that he was not only infused with the powerful Kusanagi’s DNA, but also had a clone of his own made – which was K’. Displeased with the whole conquering of the world concept, Benimaru and company begin fighting with Krizalid again to try and stop him, this time having much more difficulty, though eventually succeeding. Krizalid, with his last ounce of strength, was about to send the data to the Kyo clones when a bright light suddenly shined down from the ceiling, telling Krizalid that he had failed and the Kyo clones were already deactivated. A large chunk of the ceiling then came down on top of Krizalid, crushing him.
As the base begins to crumble around Benimaru’s team, Kyo Kusanagi suddenly appears in the room and stands in the light, demanding to know what the NESTS Cartel’s true intentions are. The light only responds by saying that Kyo must be eliminated, and a door slides shut between Benimaru’s team and Kyo. Realizing they can’t get back in to help Kyo, they escape from the building they are in and save themselves.
In the distance, outside the NESTS building, Iori Yagami watches as it crumbles, swearing to someday find Kyo again and kill him.
KOF 2000
With the threat of the NESTS Cartel now known, Heidern (former leader of the Ikari Team), along with his assistant Ling, decided to hold another KOF tournament in the hopes of attracting K’ and Maxima to it, so that they can capture and question them about the Cartel, since it was learned that they were once members of the mysterious organization. So, invitations were once again sent out. Not only do K’ and Maxima show up (with two new members, Vanessa and Ramon, as their team mates), but so do Kyo and Iori, both entering the tournament alone.
Near the end of the tournament, in an old warehouse, K’s team is attacked by a young girl named Kula Diamond, who wields the power of ice in much the same way that K’ uses fire. K’ manages to fend her off, but after she is gone, the ceiling above the four fighters opens up and the floor beneath them begins to rise. Soon, they find themselves in a large control room, and in the clutches of Ling, who is holding a gun to Heidern’s head. A man approaches the four and introduces himself as Zero, explaining (as all the villains are kind enough to do) his plan. Ling, it turns out, is actually a clone of Zero in place of Heidern’s assistant. By capturing Heidern, they are able to take control of the Zero Cannon, a space-based laser, which was meant to destroy the NESTS base once K’ told them where it was. Only Zero plans to not only destroy NESTS with it, but conquer the world for himself. After a brief battle, Zero is defeated and attempts to launch the Zero Cannon to still realize his goal. Unfortunately for him, the Cannon does not respond to the fire command, and two NESTS agents appear behind him, saying that he is finished. Kula, the mysterious young girl from before, is standing on top of the Zero Cannon in space, and programs it to fire on Zero’s location. Shortly afterward, she destroys it. As K’ and company are trying to get out of the base, K’ loses consciousness and is carried out by his friend Maxima. As he is unconscious, a vision of a young girl crying enters his mind, and when he wakes up, he finds both Maxima and Whip, a young woman who had been in the KOF tournament this and the previous year, standing over him. He recognizes the crying girl from his vision as Whip, and has a strange feeling that she may be related to him. He gets up, throws off the glove he previously needed to control the flames he wields, and walks off with Whip.
KOF 2001
Another year passes, and another round of invitations are sent out for a new KOF. Surprisingly, the invitations are signed by the NESTS Cartel. Unsure of why exactly the Cartel is openly holding a KOF tournament (this one even on television again), many people join more out of curiosity than to win the tournament, and perhaps get a chance to stop NESTS from whatever they may be up to.
K’ and Maxima are back, this time with Whip at their side and the ninja Lin. Other notable teams include both Iori and Kyo, who each have their own team (Kyo’s is the old Japan team, along with Shingo), and the NESTS team, lead by Kula. Her team mates are Foxy, her friend and NESTS commanding officer, the extremely powerful K9999 (pronounced “K Four Nine”), and a woman called Angel.
Naturally, K’s team become the KOF champs and are taken aboard a blimp for the victory ceremony. They highly doubt this is the true reason for the trip, and they soon discover they are right when the part of the blimp they are in disconnects and blasts into space. As their ship travels, a man with a striking resemblance to Zero enters the room. He explains that he is the true Zero, and that the one they defeated before (along with Ling) were actually his clones that went out of control. Zero, of course, challenges the four to a fight, and eventually gets his butt kicked. The ship they are in docks at a space station, and Zero tells the four to enter it (explaining that it’s NESTS’ HQ) as he activates a self-destruct sequence for their ship. The four make their way into the HQ and are confronted by Igniz, the leader of NESTS. K’ swears to destroy NESTS while Igniz gloats that a genetic defect like him could never destroy the Cartel. He reveals to K’ that he, along with Krizalid, Kula and K9999, were all clones created from Kyo Kusanagi’s DNA, and that the data from all of their fights was being collected and analyzed as an experiment. The purpose of the KOF tournament this year (like Geese Howard did originally) was to find out who the strongest fighters in the world were and kill them, so that none could again foil NESTS plans to conquer the world. He beckons K’ and his team to attack, and they oblige, but are quickly defeated.
Suddenly, Kyo, Iori and several other KOF fighters appear and confront Igniz. Together, they all attack him. They still have trouble until K’ regains his strength and, together with Kyo and Iori, attack Igniz all at once. The ancient fires of the Kusanagi and Yagami are too much for him, and he is defeated. As you could have guessed it, Igniz uses his last ounce of strength to activate a self-destruct sequence. The heroes that stopped him have no way out, but just before the ship explodes, someone teleports them out of the ship and back to Earth.
While the battle with Igniz had been going on, the NESTS team on Earth had begun fighting with each other. K9999, tired of being ordered around all the time, joined up with Angel and murdered fellow team member, Foxy. Kula tried to avenge her friend‘s death, but K9999’s power is too great for her to overcome. Just before K9999 delivered the death blow to Kula, his body began mutating into a deformed shape (think Tetsuo from “Akira“) as his power became too great for even him to control. K’, who was by now back on Earth, stepped between Kula and K9999, prepared to fight him and protect his old enemy. Some helicopters began approaching in the distance, and K9999 worrying it could be NESTS troops out to find him, fled with Angel, swearing to destroy both Kula and K’...
Well then, about 4,000 words later, it can be safely said that the King of Fighters series has a slightly complex storyline (for a fighter, at least). Truth be told, this is only a glimpse at the full story, as there are several sub-plots between characters going on throughout it as well (old grudges, love stories, etc.) that would end up the size of a dictionary if I went into detail with them here. At any rate, you now know the gist of the main plots that the series has gone through. Let’s take a look now at the games themselves...
The first KOF game, by today’s standards, is nearly unplayable. There’s no real combo system, few special moves, and cheesy sound effects among many other problems.
For the time it was released, though, it was an excellent fighter. First of all, it had the now famous 3-on-3 battles instead of just 1-on-1, and secondly, it had a large cast of characters (24 total, 8 teams) from several different SNK games in it -- it was as exciting to see back then as it was to see Capcom vs. SNK a few years ago. The only complaint that people had was that you couldn’t edit the teams -- you were stuck with the pre-made ones. That problem was rectified by the following year, and has remained that way since.
The controls were also awkward when compared to the way fighting games (even the more current KOF titles) are now. There were still some Fatal Fury-esque moves that required a controller motion to end in an up-left or up-right position, meaning that if you didn’t press a button at the right time, you found yourself jumping when you didn’t want to. One rather neat feature, though, was the ability to sidestep an opponent’s attack by pressing A and B at the same time (this eventually became the roll maneuver). Plus, you had a power meter which slowly built up when you got hit (or you could charge it by pressing A, B and C together and holding them), and when it was filled, you could unleash a super move.
The graphics...are pretty painful to look at now. There aren’t many animations for the characters (they all look sort of stiff) and the backgrounds are pretty boring. The only cool thing to point out for the graphics is that, while fighting, your other two team members could be seen in the background cheering you on -- a feature that remained for several years.
Overall, this was a great game when it came out, but it should really only be played now to see just how much better it has become. The only fun you can get out of this is a bit of nostalgia if you happened to play it when it originally came out.
With the exception of some cast changes (the unpopular USA/Sports team was gone to make way for Iori Yagami’s team), the ability to edit teams and some graphical enhancements, 95 was pretty much the same game as 94 with a new plot. The characters were definitely animated better, and some more animations were added, but it still looks dated. The backgrounds were much more original this time around, and wonderfully detailed, something that KOF games would soon become well-known for.
Ahh, here we go. KOF 96 was really the first “modern” game in the series. The first thing you’ll notice when compared to 94 and 95 are the graphics, which are a LOT better here. The characters have many different animations, a larger arsenal of moves (with better special effects) and some even have new costumes. Backgrounds are also much better; not only in terms of detail, but some of them actually change from round to round (clouds rolling in, day turning into night, etc.) The character list is a also bit bigger in 96 (27 total characters, 9 teams).
The core gameplay of 96 is what remained throughout the rest of the series, with only a few tweaks or changes here and there. Characters move a lot faster and controls are similar to modern fighting games. The sidestep move has been replaced in this edition with the ability to roll forward or backward, and you can now unleash super moves at will when your health bar is almost gone (and flashing red). If you fill up your power meter when your health is low, then you’ll do an even more powerful attack.
And, while it might seem odd to actually go out of one’s way to mention the music in a fighting game, that is precisely what I’m going to do now. KOF 96 was the first game in the series that really had an amazing soundtrack, and it only got better from here. In fact, the KOF series probably has the greatest soundtrack to have ever graced a fighting game.
While KOF 96 was really the first title in the series to enter the modern age of fighting games, it would be completely eclipsed by it’s sequel.
Many people consider KOF 97 to be the greatest KOF game ever made, and with very good reason. The graphics have really come into their own here; big, beautiful animations and character sprites, more opening animations (certain characters have a different pre-fight animation if they face someone they know or hate) and massive super moves (a few that nearly fill the entire screen). Although the character list is only up by two at 29 (two characters are individual), there are some more new characters mixed into the regular cast, including the incredibly popular New Faces team, which remains an all-time favorite for many KOF veterans.
The sound is either loved or hated by people who have played 97 before. For all the levels, there is only an ambiance (people cheering, etc.) instead of music, unless one of the few characters in the game that have their own song fight, when it will replace the ambiance with their theme. Some people like the game this way, others completely despise it.
The controls are even better here than in 96, and combos are finally becoming a major part of the gameplay. The controls seem a little bit more responsive here than the previous titles, too, making it easier to pull of those combos. There is also the option of what type of power meter you’d like to use. You can pick between “Extra” and “Advanced.” Extra is the old system the game used, while Advanced is a more Street Fighter-esque system where you can “charge” filled up meters and use them as you’d like. You also are unable to use super moves at will when your health is low in Advanced mode.
Perhaps most importantly, though, 97 was the climax of the Orochi storyline, and there were several different endings to find depending not only on what teams were used, but which character defeated Orochi. Before facing the destroyer of humankind, however, you had to face the New Faces team who had just revealed their true nature to you. The battle with them is, in this writer’s humble opinion, the single greatest moment in fighting game history. As you fight each character, the background gets torn apart by whichever element they are a master of (fire, lightning or earth), while the incredibly powerful song called “Rythmic Hallucination” plays. It’s a very intense (and fun) battle.
For the most part, the KOF vets that don’t think 97 was the best in the series think 98 was (and many claim the greatest fighter ever). It was the first “unofficial” game in the series (meaning there’s no plot, and old characters came back despite the unfortunate handicap of being dead), and had the biggest cast up to that point at 38 (12 teams, 2 independent fighters).
The graphics and gameplay have changed little from 97, although there are a TON of new opening animations, and the backgrounds are all new. The Advanced mode power meter has changed slightly; your first fighter can charge 3 super moves, your second 4 and third 5. Some characters also have new moves, but otherwise it’s the same as its predecessor.
The music in 98 is definitely the best the series has ever seen, even to date. What music plays in a stage is determined by what team you are facing, because they all have their own music now. KOF 98 has a soundtrack worth buying on CD.
And so, despite only a few minor changes to the game, 98’s huge cast, return of old favorites and incredible soundtrack makes this year’s KOF number one among many of the series’ fans.
The story from 97 officially continues in 99, along with the addition of a new main character: K.’ While classics Kyo and Iori are still in the game, they are now hidden characters and must be unlocked with a code.
Graphically, this is one of the best in the series. The character portraits are outstanding and the sprites have all been touched up, flowing much better than they previously have .
The gameplay has also been changed a bit. Instead of teams of three, there are now teams of four (32 total characters, 4 independent), where one character serves as the “Striker.” By pressing B and C together, your Striker character will jump on screen and perform a special move. You can only call your Striker so many times per match. Since you have to be standing completely still to call the Striker, though, this system was more of a diversion than a real strategy at this point, although it was handy for getting out of corners. Perhaps the biggest gripe gamers had with 99‘s gameplay, though, was that you could no longer roll backwards; your character would only go half-way, then hop back forward.
You no longer have an option of picking a power meter setup, as there is only a default one similar to Advanced. Instead of using a charged meter for a super move, though, you can use one to active either a Counter mode or Armor mode (each lasting about 10 - 15 seconds). In Counter mode, you can unleash unlimited super moves and do more damage with general attacks (you will unleash extra powerful super moves if your health is flashing), while in Armor your character will still take damage, but not do any damage “animations,” meaning that you can (ironically) easily counter your enemy’s moves.
The music in the game is good, though not quite as good as in 98.
After over a year’s worth of rumor and speculation, SNK finally went under around the time KOF 2000 came out. The team that made the series for so long broke up after its release, leading many to believe it could very well be the end of the series.
Because it was their last game, the development team tried to go out with a bang, and sadly did not succeed. While the character list is nice and big (34 total, 8 teams of four, 2 independent), the graphics have not improved very much and the backgrounds are dull and uninspired. The option of rolling backwards has again been thrown in, and every character has an extra striker to choose from (doubling the number available to choose -- strikers can also be called while moving now), but these options are lost on players because they’re busy struggling with the controls. While by no means impossible to pull off, super moves are much more difficult to activate now than they have been in a while. The music was also fairly bland and unimpressive in this game.
It was also around this time that, quite frankly, the always outstanding storyline of the series begins to get, er, weird and confusing. It’s still better than the majority of fighters available (many don’t even have a story), but it is nowhere near the caliber of previous titles.
The KOF series was bought and brought back to life in 2001 by Korean company Eolith, and their first effort at a KOF title was admirable, if not overly impressive.
The best part about the game is definitely the graphics. The sprite graphics are the best they have ever been up to this point in the series; they are simply unbelievable. Fluid animation and amazing special effects for super moves abound, as well as quite a few new intro animations (Kyo vs. Iori is especially cool; they do a rip off of “Fist of the North Star“). The graphics overall begin to suffer, however, due to some really messed up character portraits (a few which could actually make your eyes bleed if you looked at them too long) and incredibly stupid backgrounds. The music is also pathetic, even when compared with 2000.
Worst of all, the story is downright confusing by now. I’m sure your head started to hurt when trying to read it above for 2001, and I don’t blame you. My head hurt just trying to put it into words that made some semblance of sense.
Despite all this, the gameplay is so good that the game is pretty fun despite it’s many flaws. Moves are again easy to pull off and bigger combos are available to you since there are certain moves that “bounce” characters off the walls of the stage, allowing you to chain more hits together. Some of the new characters (K9999, May Lee and Angel) have very, very unique controls and moves that add a lot of variety to the fighting genre in general, as well.
Overall, 2001 was really only saved by the in-game sprites and gameplay. Otherwise, it would have been a below average game.
The second official “dream” match, I have a feeling 2002 was done to give Eolith a bit more practice at the series in general while not further butchering the plot, and I can only thank them for taking the break.
Things have definitely improved for the better here. In-game sprites are still amazing, the character portraits are THANKFULLY completely redone and the presentation in general is better overall. Backgrounds have improved and so has the music (some of the songs are even remixes of old KOF tunes), although they aren’t exactly KOF 98 quality.
Surprisingly, the game has gone back to the old three person teams (39 total characters, 13 teams) and some favorites have returned: most importantly Iori’s 96 team and the 97/98 New Faces team (which made more than a few people suddenly fall in love Eolith). The striker system has also been removed, which isn’t really a huge loss. By pressing B and C now, you activate the “Max” mode (lasts for about 10 seconds), which allows you to use extra powerful super moves like you would regular ones. You can also cancel some special moves by pressing A and B at the expense of one charged power bar.
Those are really the main changes in 2002, and although they are few, they are more than welcome. 2002 has officially wiped away the bad memory of 2001 and proven that Eolith can make a decent KOF game.
What does the future hold for KOF? Well, nobody is really certain as of the time of this writing (March, 2003). While there is little doubt that a KOF 2003 will be released, many questions are flying about that Eolith doesn’t seem very eager to answer. Will the plot improve or only get worse? Is the game going to remain the same, or will there be some radical changes to the gameplay? Some even wonder if the next title will still be on the Neo Geo system, which has begun to show its age when compared to other 2D fighting games. There’s a good chance that even Eolith doesn’t know the answer to some of these right now.
It looks like we’ll just have to wait and see. With a lot of work and a bit of luck, maybe Eolith will be able to return the KOF series to its former glory, and even make it more popular here in the States.
And then, there are some that fear KOF peaked a few years ago, and will only go downhill from here.
