Must-have KOF's??

hello there, new member speaking here....

I just started collecting AES-games, I'am primarily interested in fighters . I already own a few cool fighters but do not yet own a KOF game.

Which games in the series are the must have's in your opinion en why????

98' trust me, it doesn't dissapoint

Thanks, anybody else got a opinion?

95,97,98,00, 02
these will really make you enjoy the series, for 02 and 00 i hope you have people to play with, competition based for those 2. =)

I have actually played 2002 and 2000 recently, but I think 2000 to be the superior one.....

I also thought that the backgrounds in 2002 lacked spirit and colour....

Just my opinion off course..I haven't had the chance to play 98, I am really interested in that one too....

Every KOF collection MUST have:

*KOF96 (this game made me appreciate the KOF series as I wasn't very fond of KOF94 and KOF95. With 96, SNK seemed to stumble onto a formula where the ideas and concepts just "clicked")

*KOF2k2 (after the horrid Strikers system and other gimmicks, KOF2k2 was a welcome addition as it brought the series back to its roots by leaving out the strikers and focusing on the fighting).

I really love KOF '98, KOF '96, skip KOF '97, IMO it along with '94 are the weakest links in the series. To be honest, I love KOF '99 and KOF 2001. 2001 is a must-have. KOF '99 is really for the gamer who adores the KOF series and SNK in general. Truthfully KOF '99 has oft-times been written off by the haters, but give it a chance and you'll be glad you did.

If you're interested in the plot any, then 96 and 97 are two of the best. Plus, the presentation for 97 was amazing. Each stage has it's own ambience in the background, until it was a main character's turn to fight. Then their music would kick in.. it really helped to add some personality to the game.
98 is the game that everyone seems to like, and rightfully so... but rather than just agree with the rest of the crowd on 98 being godly, i'll just say it's a really, REALLY good game. The lack any of plot is the only thing that brings it down, and unfortunately, KOF is a fighter that puts some effort into making a storyline. Which is why 97 is a must have in my opinion.
Seeing RotB Iori/Leona and the new face team getting all buffed up.. that's a moment in kof history that turned me into a fanatic.

Personally I love 2000. Great music, lots of characters and extra strikers and the extra strikers are awesome.

I agree with Freelancer. If you're a true KOF fan you must own it all.

'98, you will not be disappointed

96 for that still old school, while getting new mixed in. Also, for the boss team and great bgs

97 for the insert. Heh

98 for the ultimate kof. Best roster and music ever. Great BGs, great balance, and some of the most powerful versions of everybody in it. Tons of characters if you count the alt versions of everyone (like 11 or so?)

2k for the art work, characters, and feel.

2k2 because, unlike what everyone thinks, it's great. Great art, no more damn strikers, good feel, great combo system, and pretty damned balanced.

Any/all of these would make a collection very proud.
Spike

96/98/99/02

So far it seems 98, 2000 and 2002 are the favorites and 2001, 2003 are the least favorite...

I was planning myself on getting 2000 first, I am still searching for 98 but i can't seem to find it...

I have read many bad things about 2003 lately, almost nobody seems to like it...that is not a good thing I think, I would hate to see Playmore give up on the AES system...

hold off a bit on the hatred of 2003, a lot of people are claiming it to be hugely broken, but I'll put down money that in three months someone comes up with a strategy to counter the "Duolon madness" and suddenly things even out....

My personal favorite games in order are: '97, 2000, '98, '96, and '99. These five I consider MUST HAVES. While '98 is the best competitively, I am a huge storyline fan and the Dream Match just doesn't cut it. '97 is basically '98 with the lack of 'dead' characters and the addition of storyline. 2000 is the best new KoF, even with the Striker system.


'96 is also great, but it has that weird MAXIMUM system that got included later on as the "Extra" fighting method. I sorta like it but it's an acquired taste.

'99 is... well they tried hard and it's solid but not spectacular.


-AG

98, 2K, 2K2.

That is all.

Personally, I settle for every one of them on AES up to 2000. Those are my must-haves. The latter ones I play on the DC. If I feel the urge later in life I'll bag the AES versions. I bought AES 2k2 on launch last year and wasn't very happy with it.

2001 is quite alright. I've been playing it quite a lot in the only arcade within a 200 mile radius. I might pick up the AES version later this year.

95, great old school fun, seriously one of the best in the series

97, nice gameplay, everything was starting to come together here

98, really should have been called KOF special, nice game, with loads of fun, probably my fav

01, gritty look, but a ridiculous amount of fun to be had

Honorable mention:

94 - the original, nostalgia need only apply

96 - great music and nice BGs, fun game, but missing the "oomph" of 97 and 98.

2k2 - not bad, just doesn't bring much to the table, 3 on 3 classic is back though

Dishonrable mentions:

99 - boring, I don't care if the graphics are nice, the game makes me fall asleep

00 - see 99

the roker said:

Dishonrable mentions:

99 - boring, I don't care if the graphics are nice, the game makes me fall asleep

Click to expand...

I'm LOVING '99 at the moment! It's now my most played KoF, even more than '98. I know most people don't like it so I'm cool with that, I dislike 2K2 which a lot of people like.

I have played 2002 lately and didn't like it much either....

Jor-san said:

I have played 2002 lately and didn't like it much either....

Click to expand...

it's OK, but I'd much rather play 2k1 if I want to play a newer KOF

the roker said:

it's OK, but I'd much rather play 2k1 if I want to play a newer KOF

Click to expand...

I'm playing more and more 2K1 as the weeks go by. I might even end up owning the AES version before long. Great game.

All KoF's are great games IMO - some are better than others, and some just aren't worth $200+

My $0.02. Just an opinion.

The even numbered KOFs tend to be the best ones, starting with KOF'96. The odd numbered ones tend to be the most broken in gameplay terms.

'94 - Easy infinites and re-dizzies

'95 - Rediculous damage and infinites

'96 - Set the tone for every KOF that followed. Included the infamous Boss team in addition to introducing Leona, Vice, Mature, Goenitz, etc. One of the best in the series.

'97 - Horrid, horrid, presentation. The art style used is terrible and the lack of music in almost all of the fights is definitely not a good thing. Not to mention this game has a slew of infinites.

'98 - A much improved version of KOF97. Many gameplay issues have been fixed. The presentation was improved. Brought back Takuma, Heidern, Saisyu, and the Sports Team. THE BEST in the series.

'99 - The only odd numbered game in the series that is actually good in all areas. This game is the only exception to the rule that odd numbered KOFs suck. Great presentation, lush backgrounds, all new soundtrack, and great new characters.

'00 - KOF99 on steroids. Everything was jacked up for this one including the roster, number of strikers, and gameplay. The only thing '99 has over this one are the backgrounds.

'01 - One of the worst in the entire series imo. Gameplay is solid but it does not compensate for the disgusting palette used throughout the game or the horrid art and music.

'02 - The second best game in the series. All of the most popular teams have returned. Comes close to '98 but '98's nostalgia wins.

'03 - Broken. Broken, broken, broken, broken, broken game. So many infinites it ruins the game. Hit velocities have been greatly increased and hit pauses have been reduced. The result is a faster game, but one that does not really feel like the KOFs of old. To its credit the backgrounds are great and the story is interesting but I suspect '04 will crap all over it.

96, 98, 01, 02

You have the three best "classic" KOFs, and then you have the best of the striker generation. You can't go wrong with those four.