"It all began in '94. Kept on rolling in '95. This is where it plays in 96', and it came to an end in '97. And now we come to, here we go, KOF is here again. Nothing's going to stop it, it's 1998!"
Overview
One of the most popular installments and considered by many fans to be the best of the King of Fighters series. For those looking for another installment of the great story of the KOF series, well, you'll be disappointed. King of Fighters '98 is what's called a "Dream Match". A game which features no real connection to the main story and features many returning characters that could've died, mysteriously disappeared, or somehow or another, just couldn't fit in without a massive storyline explination. This was intended to "look back" on what KOF was like in the beginning and how it evolved over the 5 years since it first came out.
Graphics 8/10
Like King of Fighters '97. The graphics are pretty average compared to other MVS titles. However, many of the graphical problems in '97 are nonexistant in '98. The intro is nicely done with cool TV interference effects. The character portraits look a great deal better than 97'. And stage design is a step above 97's somewhat overall bland design as well. '98 also marks the return of character win dialog, that was strangely absent in '97. The slowdown from most of the supers are also improved (there's a great deal less than '97).
Gameplay/Controls 10/10
The gameplay is solid. Just like King of Fighters '97, you can choose between two modes. Both of which have their distinct advantages and differences. One is Advanced, which lets a character run by double-tapping Forward. You can also dodge roll backwards and forwards to avoid enemy attacks. And performing attacks and special moves fills up a gauge where you can fill up 3 stocks. You can use the stocks as single Lv1 Supers (or DMs as referred by most KoF guides) or you can use a stock by pressing the A, B, and C buttons where a small time gauge appears on screen , and in this time, your attack strength increases and use any extra stocks to perform Lv 3 Supers (also known as SDMs). On the other side you've got Extra. A completely different style of gameplay where your character can perform a dash instead of run, perform a sidestep and counter instead of roll, and you also have a different kind of super meter whereas you use the A, B, and C buttons to charge (in almost "Dragonball Z-esque" fashion) and perform a DM when your gauge is fully charged. You can also perform unlimited DMs when your life bar is low and is flashing or perform a SDM when your gauge is charged AND your life is low.
Even moreso than '97, KoF '98 has an insanely large roster that was more than likely unprecedented at the time. 38 selectable characters that ranges up to around 50 with secret characters and "alternate" characters that features gameplay based on older games.
The computer A.I. is true SNK. Hardcore expert players may find it a little on the easy side, but to most casual players (like myself) the AI fits this game nicely. Smart computer opponents can easily recognize your attack patterns and have their own pre-designed patterns that can be easily effective. However, it's not too cheap and can easily be figured out by a human player. Additionally, if one IS having trouble, SNK introduced a wonderful system called the "Continue Service". This allows a player to give themselves a distinct advantage when continuing such as Infinite Super Meter, or giving opponents 1/3 of their normal life gauge. It prevents KOF from being "too hard" no matter what your skill level is.
Sound/Music 10/10
The music is a definite highlight here. Character and "team" themes are back from their abscense in '97. All greatly done, catchy, and fun to listen to. Noteworthy examples include Billy Kane's theme which is a fast heavy metal theme with catchy lyrics as, "Push it! Shout it! Make him cry about it!" or something along those lines. Lucky Galuber's theme has a rather fitting American hip-hop theme with a "Check it out!" yelled occaisionally in the background. And then you have the more mellow themes like Blue Mary's theme which somehow ironically (and very much a pun) is a blues piece. And then the Fatal Fury team has the classic theme from Fatal Fury which is a jazzy upbeat theme with plenty of rythym.
While the sound effects are mediocre and okay. The voice work truely shines. There's not only the typical battle cries and moves, but there's a lot of interesting character interaction with full spoken dialog. I particualry like Shingo's reaction to fighting Kyo Kusanagi and Joe encountering King. It's all done to add a nice "Party" feeling to the game, which couldn't be more perfect.
Replay Value 8/10
Being a Dreammatch, there reaslly isn't much of a story that unfolds here. But still, this is a game that's really fun to play both in Arcade Mode and with friends alike. There really isn't much you can go wrong with here in terms of enjoyment, but if you don't have many friends who play fighters with you, then playing it by yourself does get old. The one assurance is that when you beat the game, you get a group of pictures as the credits roll that's always different and chosen at random. There's also a "congratualtions" picture that can be unique if you beat the game using a specific selection of characters.
Overall 10/10
I'll be perfectly honest here. I first played Capcom vs SNK 2, without ever playing any SNK game before. I loved CVS2, but I wanted to see where most of the SNK characters came from. And King of Fighters 98 was the first KoF game I played. I was blown away and have been a huge KoF fan ever since. If you're in a similar instance as me, you'll want to pick up this game too. This is overall, one of the best KoF games you could ever start with especially if you've played CvS2 (as the S and N grooves were derived from here). The King of Fighters '98 is a marvelous addition to any fighting game fan's collection.
- Cain Highwind
