What Are Your "Essential" KOF Games?

[douglas]

I was looking at my KOF 97 the other day and thought, “this game is great, but not really necessary to the KOF experience”. So that got me thinking: what are the KOF games that I consider essential? I don't necessarily mean the BEST games or my favorite games, just the ones that I would recommend to someone who wants to get into KOF and get the full experience; the games that best sum up the franchise as a whole. For example, I'd probably consider 2k2 to be my favorite KOF, but I don't think it stands out enough to be “essential”. Here's my list:

KOF 94 - Outdated, but where it all started.

KOF 96 - My pick for the best of the Orochi saga. The first KOF to truly feel GOOD to play, and not suffer from that early fighter jenk.

KOF 98 - Duh

KOF 2000 - Despite the relative unfinishedness and rough-around-the-edges feel this one has, I think the striker system peaked here, and is of course the last KOF made by the OG team.

KOF 2002 UM - The sheer amount of characters, stages, and SNK cameos in this one makes it a must play for sure.

KOF 13 - Not much to say about this that hasn't already been said. Sprite work and animation in a league of its own, likely never to be seen again. The best of the Ash saga.

KOF 15 - The best of the what I consider “modern” KOF. Pretty much makes 14 irrelevant.

 

[BeefJerky]

For myself? 95, first Neo cart I ever owned (21 years ago, holy moly). 99, first KoF I ever played (thank you, Dreamcast). If I wasn't able to get all the KoF carts I'd settle for those two.

What I'd recommend for someone that has never played a KoF? 97 or 98 for obvious reasons.

Still haven't played any KoF more recent than 2k3. I can't say if any of those are worth it. Been thinking about picking up an Atomiswave mobo to give KoF XI a whirl though.

 

[Tw3ek]

98 or 02, if someone's never played, the "dream match" style rosters are a good place to start. Alternatively, if you don't really care for them, you could recommend 01 or XI.

 

[terry.330]

Been thinking about picking up an Atomiswave mobo to give KoF XI a whirl though.

Don't do that, just get the AW games on Dreamcast or PS2.

AW is a pain in the ass with its 5 button layout.

 

[HornheaDD]

Im a fan of 97 and 98. I also like 95, but mainly because of nostalgia. There was a single slot conversion in the vestibule at a walmart I worked at and it had 95 in it (this was in 1998, btw) and that's where I discovered that I liked Iori. Played it through my lunch hours all the time, or when I left work and I'd just play for a while.

I think if anything, essential would be 97 and 98. To me (to me) those are the most polished of the OG Neo releases.

 

[wataru330]

XI
2002
94 team edit edition

 

[city41]

someone who wants to get into KOF and get the full experience

I think a huge piece of the experience is lost to time. KOF94 was a pretty groundbreaking game. Cross over characters like that, at that scale, had never really been done before. Kyo wasn't even focused on much, Iori wasn't in it. It was all about Fatal Fury versus Art of Fighting with other SNK characters thrown in. I mean the Ikari warriors in a fighting game? That's honestly pretty wild.

I didn't play KOF94 until 1997. I imagine SNK fans who had put hours into FF and AOF up to that point must have shit a brick when they saw KOF94's intro.

So for sure, KOF94 has to be included in the essentials. And then probably 98, 13, and 15. Although I do hesitate to include anything made from SNKP on.

 

[wataru330]

I imagine SNK fans who had put hours into FF and AOF up to that point must have shit a brick when they saw KOF94's intro.

We most certainly did!

 

[HellioN]

We most certainly did!

It's how I built my house.

 

[LoneSage]

Every KOF released on Neo-Geo is essential.

 

[fake]

97
02
XI
XIII

 

[Ralfakick]

95 - My friend and I rented it for PS1 at the game store I worked at. We ate wings, played kof, watched Monday night football, then played more KOF. I asked for it for Christmas that year. First KOF I played. 94 was my first Neo Geo cart but I had played the PlayStation version of 95 a lot before that.

I liked 96 but wouldn’t make it on my essential list. I did have fond memories playing it at the Christiana Mall in Delaware.

98
2000
2002
13

Guilty Pleasure: 2006/MI2/MI Reg A

 

[SouthtownKid]

My essential KoF games are 2002 and... that's pretty much it.

In terms of overall looks, background design, sprite style, sound effects and whatnot, my favorite is '94. But not to play.

Everyone loves '98 (and '97, which makes no sense to me at all), but for me, most of the interesting KoF characters got introduced after that. KoF without later characters like Vanessa, Ramon, Angel, I have close to zero interest in. Characters like Kyo, Benimaru, Goro, Iori, bore me to fucking tears. NESTS > Orochi, and suck it.

That being said, I own all the Neo KoFs on MVS other than '03 anyway. Why, I don't know, because 2002 was the only one I went back to regularly.

In terms of the King of Fighters tournament in general, I'm much more of Fatal Fury 2/Special, RBFF/RBS, RB2 fan than any KoF. I'd rather play even AoF2 over most KoFs. And other than AoF2, original Fatal Fury and MotW are probably the only King of Fighters tournament games I wouldn't instantly choose over playing any KoF. I'd definitely take 2002 over MotW.

 

[Neo Alec]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1812905541473063023

 

[Fygee]

For me, 97, 99, 03, XI, and 13.

Guess I have a thing for the odd numbered entries.

99's dumped beta, which was pretty much the completed game, was my introduction to KOF via ye olde NeoRage X so it holds a very special place in my heart. Doesn't hurt that it's the best looking and sounding entry on the Neo along with a great roster and very solid gameplay.

97 I liked a lot because it's very story heavy, has a really fun presentation with the fake TV news coverage and the lack of standard character music makes it feel oddly more immersive, epic mid/final boss fights and stages, and generally rougher edges compared to 98. Call me crazy but those all appealed to me quite a bit.

03 just feels really damn good in the gameplay department. There's a flow to it that previous entries didn't have. Also liked the roster and some real banger tunes. It felt like SNKP was finally getting past the post Aruze development rust and returning to form, even though it still very much looked, sounded, and felt like an SNKP game.

XI took 03 to 11 (pardon the pun) on everything and is just a really great game. Loved all the guest characters from SNK's more obscure fighting games as well. Fuck that Comic Sans font though...

13, do I even really need to say anything?

 

[douglas]

For me, 97, 99, 03, XI, and 13.

Guess I have a thing for the odd numbered entries.

99's dumped beta, which was pretty much the completed game, was my introduction to KOF via ye olde NeoRage X so it holds a very special place in my heart. Doesn't hurt that it's the best looking and sounding entry on the Neo along with a great roster and very solid gameplay.

97 I liked a lot because it's very story heavy, has a really fun presentation with the fake TV news coverage and the lack of standard character music makes it feel oddly more immersive, epic mid/final boss fights and stages, and generally rougher edges compared to 98. Call me crazy but those all appealed to me quite a bit.

03 just feels really damn good in the gameplay department. There's a flow to it that previous entries didn't have. Also liked the roster and some real banger tunes. It felt like SNKP was finally getting past the post Aruze development rust and returning to form, even though it still very much looked, sounded, and felt like an SNKP game.

XI took 03 to 11 (pardon the pun) on everything and is just a really great game. Loved all the guest characters from SNK's more obscure fighting games as well. Fuck that Comic Sans font though...

13, do I even really need to say anything?

crazy... you pretty much picked the opposite of what I picked outside of 13. Really shows the range of appeal that the series has.

 

[Fygee]

Indeed, especially since there's so many of them.

They're all good to fantastic games (except maybe Neo-Wave and 12 IMO) so you can't really go wrong if you gravitate towards certain ones versus the others.

 

[RBjakeSpecial]

95, 98, 2002 (98 UM and 2002 UM)

Kof '95 is what put me over the edge from Neo Geo enjoyer to fan. The music, Iori, background levels, game design - all of it was awesome and seemed like a cool alternative to Street Fighter Alpha and Super Turbo. The Playstation version had the cool arranged sound track and damn.. it was awesome. I have fond memories of playing this on a tiny TV in my room every day after school trying to get farther and farther in the single player mode.

The rest listed are just great for playing with people, online on FightCade, and on Steam for 2k2 UM. Even today I find a lot to enjoy about 2k2 UM - there's so much GAME packed into that one. So many characters and so many cool strategies.

Fygee - THANK YOU for reminding me of the 99 dumpbed beta... I played this on my PC so much (is it ok to mention romz now? I won't be killed... I think so) and wow that brings back memories. I played through the story with my crappy PC game pad and it was so fun. I can't really go back and play 99 (I like 2k2 so much better), but at the time it was really a strange step forward. It was so different from Kof 98 and felt like such a different vibe from what Capcom was doing at the time. The late 90s were a fun time to be a fighting game fan.. we had Tekken 3, SF3, the Vs. series, Vampire Savior, Sam Sho 3 and 4.. Kof 99 really stuck out from the crowd with all of the dark moody stages and character design.

 

[Neo Alec]

I'm sure it's been discussed many times before, but which are the best versions to play of the UM games these days? I imagine the PS2 ones are pretty direct ports of the arcade, but there are newer versions on Xbox Live Arcade, PS4 and Windows. Any input lag?

Seems like people love the new versions with rollback netcode, but want to confirm.

 

[yagamikun]

For me, the five KOF games I have left in my NGH library:

KOF 95: While I did play 94 in the arcade new (and was blown away), it was 95 on PS1 in 1997 that turned me into a rabid SNK fan and steeled my resolve to get a Neo the following year. It took everything 94 did but did it better, imo.

KOF 96: While one of the weaker games in the series in terms of mechanics and flow, the presentation, roster, music, backgrounds are all peak 90's SNK - it's such a good package overall.

KOF 98: What I consider to be the essential KOF experience and would recommend to new players who want to check out the classic series.

KOF 99: A little different, sure, but absolutely beautiful. And that OST!? Like @RBjakeSpecial mentioned, I had the dumped beta before I had the cart and fell in love. Still one of my favorites.

KOF 2000: The final classic SNK KOF. The incredible amount of strikers that pull from the entirety of SNK's past is a real treat. It was a perfect swan-song game for 90's SNK that really celebrated everything they had accomplished up to that point - even if the game was a little broken and unbalanced.

There aren't any KOF games I really dislike, just these are my favorites. KOF XIII gets honorable mention - it's not my cup of tea mechanically, but I get why it's so beloved. The pixel art is still to be topped. I don't think we'll ever see a game that looks like that ever again.

 

[douglas]

I'm sure it's been discussed many times before, but which are the best versions to play of the UM games these days? I imagine the PS2 ones are pretty direct ports of the arcade, but there are newer versions on Xbox Live Arcade, PS4 and Windows. Any input lag?

Seems like people love the new versions with rollback netcode, but want to confirm.

I can only speak for the steam version of 2002 UM, but my experience with it has been great for the most part. Single player works and the multiplayer generally functions well.

 

[HeavyMachineGoob]

2003

Has the tag team system, many fresh new faces, some from Garou MOTW and has the best Athena outfit of them all.

 

[Heinz]

KOF'96

/Thread

 

[Tarma]

An essential KoF, by any standard, is one that was produced between 1994 & 2000 inclusive.

Anything outside of those dates is just bullshit lie.

 

[NeoSeeD]

KOF 95 is an amazing game and the last with the unique characteristics for the FF & AOF teams. The FF guys can crouch walk and the AOF guys had meterless super fireballs and those unique sound FX. Kyo's super has that crackling flame sound and a bit of reverb echo which makes it sound menacing and awesome. It also has my preferred Mai sprite since her updated standing animation from 96 and forward looks stupid. Gameplay is lightning fast and the backgrounds and colorful and well animated. The music (FF stage!) is fantastic. It's also KOF before it became the Dan Hibiki game.

KOF 98 gives you a lot of the 95 characters via a hidden code plus improved versions of the KOF 96/97 characters. It has a huge line up and is just a fun game to play.

KOF 2001 - Yeah, I know there are plenty of people who dislike it, but I do like the juggle/stun physics on some characters and 4 on 4 matches gave you a slightly longer game in the arcade.

KOF 2003 - Finally, tag team option in a KOF game. It makes it feel completely different to earlier games.