Best KoF graphically?

soundnvision · Mar 17, 2004

So, tell me which King Of Fighters LOOKS the best,
including characters, animations and background graphics?
Also if you can explain why, then errr please do! thanks

Spike Spiegel · Mar 17, 2004

Without a doubt 2k3 and 99. Art style wise I love 2k as well.

Spike

daybona · Mar 17, 2004

KOF 99.

England.

Nuff said.

Spike Spiegel · Mar 17, 2004

daybona said:
KOF 99.

England.

Nuff said.

Yeah, it's good, but.... there's some in my mind that are just as good. KOF2k3's train stage? Wow, badass. 98's middle age team and (again) train stage. 96's boss stage destroyed and Japan Team's stage.

As much as I say that I love 2k2, that's one thing that sucks about it... lame BGs. MUCH better than 2k1, but then again, that's not saying much.

I think 2k3 wins the BG match. 99 has some great art and pretty good BGs (with some, IMO, sucking as well), but 99 does look more solid in the graphic dept than others. Last year to keep animation frames before they got chopped up in 2k.

Hell, each KOF (well, besides 2k1) looks good to me in one way or another to be honest. But KOF was never about graphics. It was about great fighters and great gameplay... and for a while, great music, too.

Spike

Phoenix Down · Mar 17, 2004

2001

Seriously though it's gotta be '99 for me hands down, both graphically and musically. Just the look and presentation made the game feel 'darker' than its predecessors. The storyline wasn't all that but the graphics definitely captured the mood of it.

Korigama · Mar 17, 2004

2000 and 2003.

Spike Spiegel · Mar 17, 2004

Phoenix Down said:
2001

Seriously though it's gotta be '99 for me hands down, both graphically and musically. Just the look and presentation made the game feel 'darker' than its predecessors. The storyline wasn't all that but the graphics definitely captured the mood of it.

Too bad it played so poorly. I like what 99 looks like, but again... play control wasn't so hot for me. I didn't really mind the strikers, but they were used so much better in later games, and the play control to me was still slugish.

But back to graphics. Nice, solid looking, and very good BGs for the most part. Also I love the pictures and art style in 99. That is about all the good things I can say about it.

But still, 2k3 is the best in my opinion. 99 is very good, however.
Spike

Mushiki · Mar 17, 2004

I would say 2003 or 99, very hard to decide.

EMAGDNIM · Mar 17, 2004

I say it's KoF 2003 with 99 being CLOSE behind

krakov · Mar 18, 2004

99

99 hands down i would say, thought i haven´t played 2003.

Many, MANY characters were redrawn for 99 and most of them have the best looking version of their moves. Terry for example has his big power wave. Also some moves seems to have lost some animation in latter outings.
The Background are awesome and change between rounds. The Sewer/elevator-stage is one of the slickest stages even in KOF, just plain amazing.
The presentation is tops as well, for example the "how-to-play" really pumps you up

To bad the intro isn´t that awesome...

SonGohan · Mar 18, 2004

Graphically, I think 2k3.

KOF 99 has the rain stage, but 2k3 has the rooftop with the Neo Geo logo, which brings me back to the mid 90s where that kind of shit was aparent in a lot of Neo Geo games. So 2k3 rooftop > 99 rain stage (which is the stage almost everybody quotes as the best KOF stage).

Spike Spiegel · Mar 18, 2004

Re: 99

krakov said:
Many, MANY characters were redrawn for 99

Besides Athena who is redrawn every year and shouldn't count. I know Ralf and Clark, but they were just do overs (and use the same body anyhow). Kyo was redrawn, of course. But who else? 4 is not what I would call "many many".

Spike

Dogg Thang · Mar 18, 2004

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned '96. The characters weren't great but the backgrounds were superb. They may not have been as detailed as some later ones but the design work and layout were top notch. And the nods to the SNK games that the teams came from really made them mean so much more than some grass with rain on it (which admittedly was pretty) or a plane with heat haze. One of the main reasons this was better, in my opinion, was that they enhanced the personalities of the teams you were fighting against, as oppossed to being totally unrelated. More thought seemed to go into the overall design package.

So I think, when it comes to backgrounds, '96 can't be beaten.

Dogg.

krakov · Mar 18, 2004

Spike > Hmm, i can´t remember... I´f you play KOF 1999 Dream Match for Dreamcast there is a gallery which shows all new sprites and all new charas. I think the following were redrawn:

Ralf
Clark
Robert
Kim
Chin
Kyo
Athena
Kasumi (?)

Ralf and Clark was based upon the same sprite until 99, right?

New charas:

K'
Maxima
Whip
Bao
Jhun
Xiangfei

Also most characters got a bunch of new moves or complete overhauls as well. The thing i wanted to shed light upon was that alot happened between 98 and 99.

Plisken · Mar 18, 2004

graphically, '97 takes the cake, just look at the rediculously high amount of background characters and the absolutely superb colouring of stages like napal and china, and the stadium.

aesthetically, '99 and '2000 .

ajk1080 · Mar 18, 2004

I would have to say 03. That roof top stage with the neogeo logo in the bg is nothing short of amazing. 03 also has some very good animation(although the sprites in this one are a little small).

Atro · Mar 18, 2004

97.

That Bali stage is just awesome.

However, my favorite KOF stages are generally AOF team ones.

94 Pao Pao Café
95 Elevator Stage
96 Canyon Stage
98 Takuma/Heidern/Saisyu Stage

Yuri-chan · Mar 18, 2004

Of the arcade originals, I would have to say '98, '99, 2000, and even 2002. I like how SNK has revamped the graphics from 2D to 3D in some of their ports for the Dreamcast (like KOF Dream Match) and now the PS2 KOF 2000/2001 version. They look really cool.

MSRdude · Mar 18, 2004

i say all the KOF looks good

Orochi Iori Y · Mar 19, 2004

I have to go with 2003 with 99 close behind too... :buttrock:

Stokers · Mar 19, 2004

Im shocked...

Been playin KOF03 for a while now and i think it still looks like shit.
just a marginal improvement on 02.

The backgrounds all seem so blurry, some have alot going on but they either lack colour or have to much. The train stage for example.

I think the backgrounds in 95 (particulary neo geo land) were excellent, the series peaked in 98-99-2000 which all had excellent overall presentation. Another thing what the hell happened to terry in 2003, Gato and Tizoc are both identical sprites to MOTW but Terry has been redrawn and looks awful.

jindo · Mar 19, 2004

KOF 97, 99, and 2001 gets my vote. :cool:

matrimelee99 · Mar 20, 2004

I just got KOF '03 this morning, and I must say that I'm impressed. It ranks as one of my favorites all round. The rooftop stage w/the SNK logo gave me chills, so far it's my favorite. I love it because it reminds me of the roof stage in RB2 (wish it had neon!). Personally I think KOF '00 was the ugliest KOF so far, the aquarium stage is the WORST BG of them all. No offense to those that like 2000.

daybona · Mar 20, 2004

KOF 2003 has very nice BG's but I was suprised at how crappy Terry's sprite looked.

Although overall, 2k3 seems like a breath of fresh air.

MarrymeMai · Mar 21, 2004

I must say that 2K3 is incredible graphically IMO. Also, I think Terry looks pretty badass. That rooftop stage owns all others. I was never impressed with '99 in any category. :annoyed:

Seeing that rooftop stage makes me sad that the Neo is essentially dead.

Best KoF graphically?

Kula's Candy

Onigami Isle Castaway

Juz,

Onigami Isle Castaway

Flagstaff Up,

Ghost of Captain Kidd

Onigami Isle Castaway

flaming petrosexual,

Vice's Love Slave

Armored Scrum Object

Made of Wood

Onigami Isle Castaway

n00b

Armored Scrum Object

Snaaaaaaake!,

Ukyo's Doctor

Who?,

Armored Scrum Object

Super Sidekicks 3

Frenzy Football Player

Geese's Thug

Sakura's Bank Manager

NEST Puppet

Juz,

Frenzy Football Player