Well, this certainly makes me feel old. I was just scrolling through my Twitter feed, and I stumbled upon an interesting tweet by the great @Gameiversary account that mentioned that The King of Fighters ’97 released 20 years ago today. The SNK developed fighting game didn’t make its way to the original PlayStation until 1998 (and that version didn’t even see a western release), but it’s still a huge milestone for what is a beloved installment in the series (even if it isn’t ’98).
https://twitter.com/Gameiversary/status/891042056478617600
It also reminded me that I wrote a huge history piece on The King of Fighters series prior to The King of Fighters XIV releasing on PlayStation 4. So, I figured I’d share that again while it’s timely. Here’s what I wrote about ’97:
Sadly, the Japan exclusive PlayStation versions of KOF games became a trend with The King of Fighters ’97. The big addition here was allowing players to choose between two different playing styles: advanced and extra. The advanced option played more like KOF ’96 while extra was a throwback to the first two games. It was the best of both worlds, and allowed every part of the split fanbase to enjoy it.
Check out the full slideshow below for a quick trip through KoF history:
If the anniversary has you thinking about playing some King of Fighters, you’ll be glad to know that The King of Fighters XIV is current on-sale for 50% off. So, for only $29.99 you can pick up that installment. View other PSN sales from this week here.
Feel free to share your memories of The King of Fighters ’97 in the comments below!
The King of Fighters
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The King of Fighters Returns
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The King of Fighters '94
The original KOF game was billed as a crossover fighting game that featured characters from all of SNK's fighting games coming together. It was a big success for SNK, but its only home console release at the time was on Neo Geo and Neo Geo CD, as SNK was still pushing their very expensive home console. It actually wouldn't be released on a PlayStation console until 2010, when the Neo Geo version released on the PlayStation Network.
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The King of Fighters '95
The King of Fighters '95 was the first game in the series to get released on the PlayStation, albeit arriving one year later in 1996. While it wasn't an amazing port (it suffered from horrendously long loading times), it was the first time that many fighting game fans could play the series outside of the arcade.
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The King of Fighters '96
Despite KOF '95 seeing a worldwide release on PlayStation, The King of Fighters '96 would only receive a Japanese version. That's too bad since the 1996 installment had some interesting changes including a new deflection technique that replaced the dodge. It also had redrawn sprites, and was a much better looking game than its predecessors.
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The King of Fighters '97
Sadly, the Japan exclusive PlayStation versions of KOF games became a trend with The King of Fighters '97. The big addition here was allowing players to choose between two different playing styles: advanced and extra. The advanced option played more like KOF '96 while extra was a throwback to the first two games. It was the best of both worlds, and allowed every part of the split fanbase to enjoy it.
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The King of Fighters '98
The King of Fighters '98 is a legendary installment, and is the peak of the series as far as I'm concerned. While the PlayStation version of the game was once again exclusive to Japan, an enhanced version of the game was released for the Dreamcast in North America. What makes KOF '98 so great was due to it being the most balanced entry in the series, and foregoing storyline to provide an all-star battle of characters past and present.
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The King of Fighters '99
KOF '99 finally broke the streak of PlayStation versions not seeing a North American release, even if it took until 2001 to come out. Due to this timing, and the PS2 already being out, it wasn't a success from a sales perspective. It was a solid port, and the big addition was allowing players to choose a fourth character for their team — called a striker. This character could be summoned during the match and would use their specials, it was very similar to Marvel vs. Capcom's tag system.
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The King of Fighters 2000
The King of Fighters 2000 was the first game in the series to release on PlayStation 2, but it also ended up being Japan only for the time. It was actually bundled with The King of Fighters 2001 on PS2, so North American fans didn't full miss out. 2000 doubles down on the striker system and builds upon that mechanic. It's also worth noting that the PS2 version of the game is now available as a PS2 on PS4 title, so you can now gain trophies in it!
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The King of Fighters 2001
The King of Fighters 2001 was released on PS2 and finally broke the streak of the console versions not coming to North America. This was great news, as it's a solid entry in the series and further refined the striker system. Now players no longer had to choose three fighters and one striker, and could do any combination they wanted. Four fighters? Sure. One fighter and three strikers? Totally possible. This added a whole new area of depth to the game, although it's quite divisive between fans.
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The King of Fighters 2002
As you could've guessed, the striker system got a bit out of hand in 2001. That's why The King of Fighters 2002 took the series back to basics and had 3-on-3 fights. This move was well received by both players and critics, and 2002 is one of the most beloved entries in the series due to its huge roster of almost 50 characters.
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The King of Fighters 2003
The King of Fighters 2003 was the last game in the series designed around the aging Neo Geo arcade hardware. It built upon 2002's 3-on-3 fighting style, but allowed players to change characters during the middle of a fight. It also allowed players to designate one of the fighters as a leader, who would then gain access to a powerful special move.
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The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact
There's no denying that The King of Fighters had gotten old by 2004. It needed a shake-up, and The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact was just that. It was the first 3D fighting game in the series, and no longer had the team mechanic. Instead the game played more like Tekken. Despite a mixed reception (and some really bad voice acting), Maximum Impact was a success for SNK.
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The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout
10 years after it was originally released, SNK put out a remake of KOF '94 on PlayStation 2. Called The King of Fighters '94 Re-Bout, the game added new characters, online play, and additional stages. Sadly, it never managed to come stateside as an Xbox version of the game was cancelled despite being finished.
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The King of Fighters Neowave
The King of Fighters Neowave was the first game developed on Atomiswave arcade hardware, and is a spin-off like Maximum Impact. While it played similar to KOF 2002, it also added new mechanics surrounding the game's Heat gauge. It wasn't enough to make the game feel fresh, though, and it was one of the more disappointing entries in the series.
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The King of Fighters XI
The King of Fighters XI was the first mainline arcade game in the series to be developed since SNK stopped using Neo Geo hardware. As such, it features considerable graphical improvements and went back to 2D sprites. It saw a North American release in 2007, and added a lot of depth by introducing quick shifts and dream cancels to the series. It was the return to form that fans wanted.
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The King of Fighters: Maximum Impact 2
Maximum Impact 2 was the second 3D fighting game in the KOF series, and built upon the original game. It featured a huge roster of 38 characters (which is a lot more than the 20 the original had), and featured improved graphics. Despite these improvements, it still struggled when compared to its 3D competition.
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The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match
In 2008, The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match was released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of KOF '98. It saw a PS2 release, and it added a third fighting style into the fray. The new ultimate mode allowed players to customize their experience and choose features from both the advance and extra styles. Ultimate Match was fun for what it was, but it mostly showed that the series hadn't evolved much since 1998.
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The King of Fighters XII
In 2009, The King of Fighters made its big debut on PlayStation 3. It featured completely new hand drawn sprites (which contributed to the game only having 22 playable characters). Despite solid gameplay, the game didn't have many features and felt like it was rushed out to release. The lack of many modes or a story really hurt the game, as only hardcore fighting game fans could have much fun.
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The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
Another 10 year anniversary remake, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match added 22 new characters into the game, and additional stages. It was a huge game filled with content, and it was released on PS2 in Japan, but on XBLA in North America. It's the best version of what very well might be the best game in the series.
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The King of Fighters XIII
The thirteenth installment of The King of Fighters released in 2010. It was considerably more feature complete than XII was, and received a lot of praise from both consumers and critics. Despite this success, there wouldn't be a follow-up to XIII until 2016.
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The King of Fighters XIV
The King of Fighters XIV is the PlayStation 4 debut for the series and it's a return to form. There's a huge roster of 50 characters, the 3-on-3 gameplay feels fantastic, and it's a feature rich game. A great tutorial and online functionality really help this standout from the crowd.
