The king of fighters 99 nes8/2/2023 ![]() While it may be a new generation, some things remained the same, including another Summer arcade release on July ‘99. Once again, The King of Fighters 1999 as it would appear on modern consoles. As usual for the beginning of a saga, new characters, graphics, and gameplay graced The King of Fighters, however, like most beginnings, it would take several games for the NESTS saga to find its soul. For the sixth title in the series, a new chapter began in the series, named the NESTS saga. The beginning of a new generation for King of Fighters started in ‘99, following the catchy intros and fun aesthetics of the previous title. With that said… NESTS Saga The (actual) King of Fighters ‘99 The Dreamcast magic would continue with The King Of Fighters: Evolution, the Dreamcast port of The King Of Fighters 1999 which gave ‘99 the same treatment as ‘98. Although short-lived, the improvement of quality from Neo Geo to the Dreamcast would force SNK to take note sooner than later when it came to future hardware. Thus, the authenticity of the arcade gameplay is somewhat marred once players hold The clunky Dreamcast controller in their hands.ĭespite this, not only would 1999 Dream Match be considered as close to “arcade perfect,” it excelled from the arcade versions in several ways. ![]() Anyone who has held a Dreamcast controller can attest to the difficulty of playing 2D fighters on it, with arcade sticks being made for the console yet it was nowhere near as much of a high commodity as they are now. ![]() The major criticism of the Dreamcast version would be the controller itself. The graphics are also upgraded from the arcade version, featuring 3D environments in the background for the first time in the series. Despite this, the load times are very quick, with fights starting and moving in-between rounds seamlessly. There are loading screens, which is to be expected as even the Dreamcast’s GD-ROM hardware was a tad bit slower than loading data from a cartridge. It would take some time before the actual King of Fighters 1999 would release on the Dreamcast, but this certainly confused fans at the time. The menus are touched up with animations and flair, even down to the loading screens. Taking advantage of the upgraded system in comparison to the Neo-Geo, you’re greeted with a fully animated opening cutscene. Given the Dreamcast was the first system of the then-”next generation” of consoles, Dream Match was one of the many fighting games released during the Dreamcast’s short life span that would set the bar for future titles. Speaking on its vanilla release, the original version is still played at arcades and game stores that bear the iconic red Neo Geo stand-up cabinet complete with heated fights and high-stakes tournaments. To this day the game is still wildly played thanks to its Ultimate Match remake on almost every major console currently. The King of Fighters '98 continues to be the "gold standard" for the series today. This differs from other games with large rosters, like Marvel vs Capcom 2, as while there are definitive “top tiers” (like Iori…) the game is fairly balanced to the point where players can build a team to cover their strongest character if they so choose. Gameplay is an improvement of ‘97’s, keeping the same Advanced and Extra gameplay mechanics while the amount of creativity means that no two players are playing the same team or, if the chance they are, not playing the same style. ![]() Rather than reusing stages from previous games, the stages and sprites were all-new, making the game feel less like an anthology and more like a new and complete game. There was something for everyone as team compositions that weren’t possible in previous games were now possible. In 2008, the definitive version, The King of Fighters 98: Ultimate Match, added the remaining roster of characters that were missing, including Eiji and Kasumi, boasting the largest roster in a single KOF at the time. This allowed almost every character that was featured from ‘94 to ‘97 to return in one game. Rather than beginning a new saga, ‘98 had a basic “tournament invitational” story similar to the original ‘94. ‘98 was the first KOF to introduce the concept of a “dream match,” making ‘98 a non-canon game in the series following the aftermath of the Orochi Saga. The King Of Fighters '98 as it appears on modern consoles (In its original form) For a series that has 14 titles, with a fifteenth on the way, the fifth entry in the series remains one of the most important not just for KOF, but for fighting games in general. When players think of King of Fighters, generally speaking, King of Fighters ‘98 is the one game that many refer to as the flagship title in the series. The Summer of 1998 was an important season for King of Fighters as the next game would be one that many who played at the time knew would become a timeless classic. ![]()
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