As you all know, The King of Fighters is one of SNK's most loved franchises, and this version doesn't disappoint! In fact, it could very well be one of the best fighters released!
Overview
The only bad part of the game. You probably noticed that in KoF '97, the New Faces team died. Why did they show up in this game after dying, you ask? Simple. This is a dream-match game. Meaning there's not exactly a story in KoF 98. I'm guessing the reason why this game was made was for fanservice, since most of the characters in this game are popular ones from years past. The plot is basically about Rugal coming back to life and hosting KoF to entice a certain fighter. But you know what people say, "Who cares about the story of a fighting game?"
Graphics 10/10
The graphics are very detailed, and the backgrounds have never looked better! From Japan Street and it's rushing traffic to China and the moving raft, every background is detailed and colorful. The character graphics are detailed and aren't pixelated like in most fighting games(coughMvC2cough). Plus, the graphics have the detail SNK is known for. The moves are well-animated, and there looks to be no frames of animation missing. Oh, yeah, and the US Sports Team has never looked better.
Gameplay/Controls 10/10
This game has many moves, and is well balanced and simple to play. Like any other KoF game, you choose three combatants and fight against other teams until you reach the last boss. In terms of versatility, this game has all the options for casual gamers and/or hardcore gamers to pick up the game and start playing. In this version, much like in '97, there are two super bar types: Extra and Advanced. Extra's bar is the one you charge up by pressing and holding A+B+C. When it's fully charged you can execute supers. When your life gets down to a certain point, and the super bar is charged, you can use an SDM, which is a more powerful, flashier version of a DM. Or if the Extra bar is empty, and your life is down, you can keep executing DMs over and over again to gain an advantage. This lets everyone have a fair fight.
The Advanced Bar is more geared towards intermediate/hardcore players. You can charge up three little dots to use for DMs and SDMs. When you get one dot, you can perform a DM. If you get two you can hit HP+HK at the same time you can use that dot to bring up a bar with the word "MAXIMUM" on it. If you have another dot and you perform a DM during this time, it will be an SDM. You can use the dots to your liking, just make sure you have enough to do what you want to do.
There's really not much cheapness in the game. Almost any character has some kind of advantage and disadvantage. For instance, Shingo is good for hitting hard, but has laggy moves. Chris is a fast, small character but has a lower amount of power compared to other fighters.
Any character could be used in this game equally and that is rare in a fighting game these days. This game really depends on your honest-to-goodness skills, and not button-mashing. In other words, if you button-mash, you won't get too far in this game, either against the difficulty or especially against human opponents.
Sound/Music 10/10
This game has one of the best soundtracks in gaming history. From The Japan Team's music to Shingo's music every tune really sticks to your head and makes you want to buy the soundtrack. It's that good. And many of the KoF characters in the game have their own music, like Iori, Shingo, Mary, Billy, etc. so you'll undoubtedly find a few tracks that you like.
The gameplay sounds are great, and every "Kurae, yagare!" is clear and understandable to the human ear. The hit sounds are realistic as ever, and they(sorta) make you feel like you're watching the fight from the location it is taking place in the game.
Replay Value 9/10
There are 38 characters, and many unlockable "EX" characters that are edited versions of the regular characters. Each character has a different fighting style, and you'll find at least one you like. The CPU difficulty really puts up a fight for you guys out there who don't know anyone that can play fighting games. The VS. mode is quite fun also.
Plus, there are six modes: Team Play, Team Play VS., Single Play, Single Play VS., Survivor, and Practice. Meaning there is a lot of replay value to be found. Only bad thing is that there's really no storyline in this game. More on that in the next section.
Overall 10/10
A winner in almost every department! Pick it up; you won't be disappointed!
Pros:
Great detail
Clear sounds
Bitchin' soundtrack
Good replay value
Balanced and easy to play
Cons:
Story
Not too many options in the option menu
- by Dhylec Blade
