Some advice on what the best KOF is plz

[Taz]

I was hoping that someone, preferably who has played all or most KOF games, could give me some advice as to wich one is the best. I'm not all that in to KOF but I would like to own just one. Please some guidance as to wich one is the best / I should get.
Maybe to give you some reference, my favorite Neo Geo game of all time is AOF2.


Grtz.

[Kazuya_UK]

I think 90% of people would say 98 is the best all round has has a great roster + great music and backgrounds. I'd have to agree, but I think it is worth playing through the earlier KOF's at least briefly so you can get a feel for and appreciate what has changed over the years, an get used to the characters in there.

99 is also one of my faves (hell I like all of them to some extent), but 98 has to be the best one overall

Kaz

[Taz]

Thanks for the insight   So far I was aiming on kof 99... Hope to get some more opinions so I can make up my mind.
It's a shame Eiji isnt in more kof games, same as Takuma but at least he participates in most, Eiji only in kof 95 if I am not mistaken (most of the info I have is from reading the reviews here).

Grtz.

[Kazuya_UK]

KOF 99 is a very good game, and has arguably the best backgrounds and music of all the KOF's... some people may disagree, but that's the general feeling and something I would agree with. Gameplay wise it introduced strikers which have never been that popular with most fans, and it obviously has a smaller roster than KOF 98 (but does have a few good additions). It's well worth it, but if you really must have only one KOF, 98 is the best one, especially if you plan on playing it in vs mode as well as single player?

I'd find it hard to choose just one though... I know there's so many of them, but I like having them all, so I can play which one I feel like the most at a particular time as they all have their merits. I agree about Eiji though, he does need to make a reappearance, but it doesn't seem likely to ever happen now

Kaz

[Goemon]

I've played them all and i'd say 98 is the best all around for sure. Even not considering the strikers 98 has alot more characters that will provide alot more gameplay then alot of other versions. 2k is also another excellent edition imo, it has the strykers and great music of 99 but with more really good characters.

[Taz]

From what opinions I have read so far, most people find 99 better that 2000 (thats 2k right?).
So anyway, better this or better that, at the end of the day yall say I will be best off buying 98 huh...so far that will be my choice then. Still hope to get some more opinions though. I dont know why (because I dont realy know the kof games) but I had my heart set out for 99.

ps: what does "imo" stand for?


Grtz.

[Kazuya_UK]

imo = in my opinion... or there's imho = in my humble opinion

I'd say that 99 is generally preferred ovcerall to 2k yeah. Hopefully a few others will be around soon to give their opinions.

Hi Goemon

Kaz

[Raiken]

98 is very well designed and feels like the most solid of the KOF's imo. I like them all though.

[Taz]

Thanks for the opinions so far, I apreciate it  

[Goemon]

Kazuya_UK said:

Hi Goemon

Kaz

It's been a while, i still don't have internet so i practically feel like a stranger in these forums with the few times i get to visit.

Without net i've been playing nothing but Neo and other arcade games. Infact i'm creating a list right now of what i think would be the perfect kof dream match that i'm planning on posting soon.

Anyways 99 is your best bet over 2k in music and video quality but 2k has the same characters and then some so it provides more gameplay imo. It just depends what you'd like more Taz.

[darkschneider]

I love 2K so much. And I despise the artwork in 99 bleh

My personal fav. is 96 (Mr Big), but since you like AOF2 I recommend KOF95 (Takuma + Eiji)

Likewise 95 is more similiar to AOF2 in some aspects. for example, you can jump off the walls with eiji a la AOF2. Also like AOF2, the CPU difficulty is amazingly difficult! Enjoy!

And for everyone who says 98 is the best............


2K, 96 and 95 also all have above average stories for KOF IMO

[RoninBuddha]

::::
first, try 98 to get the whole feel of KOF
then try 95-97 to see how hte story and the gameplay evolved
third, try 99-2000 cuz of the better visuals and music, and the gameplay is a bit different withe the striker system,
then try 2002 if you want to get back on the 98 feel,
if you want (but i 'd rather not) try 2001, may say the gameplay is really good here, but it seels kinda cheap and rushed imo,

now before leaving, try 2003, cuz of the "innovations" of SNK here, and to see how this KOF title is the most... DIFFERENT (in a good way), faster gamplay, more unique chars, etc..

now if you like 3D, try KOF-MaxImapct for ps2, a decent game imo, but dont really treat it as KOF persay, its like.. a 3D fighter, NOT a 3d KOF fighter...

lastly, try KOF NeoWave if you want somthing poor na d rehashed, think 2k2 with added features

[Goemon]

I think Buddha has got things exactly right.

[JJg@m3r]

kof 98 is the best kof no more no less  . Iori in 98 is unstopable.  

hard to beat: ryo,Goro,ralf,heidern's team, Lucky,Chizuru and Rugal.  

(Rugal is actualy easy if u know his movements and able to see his patterns.)

[sepiasongs]

well, i'll start by becoming a mainstream whore in thinking '98 is the best. form '95-7 the series in my mind is marked out by being consistently good. but this was consitently great. not a single aspect of it feels rushed, ill-fitting, wrong or pointless. something that's come to tarnish not only kof but most of snk's output since.

in other words, if this was crufts i'd award '98 not just best in breed but best in show too. in fact its actually my favourite fighting game of all time. so there you go.

after that i'd personally go for 2003 since it brought stacks of new life into the series with the first new characters in a long time which wern't shamelessly plagerised but actually quite interesting (duo lon in particular springs to mind) as well as very smooth and balanced gameplay.

but, since you said you like aof 2, i'm guessing you'll be into the old skool kof's which is no bad thing as i personally love '95, that has the best soundtrack in the series and was the game that got me hooked. though there's also the insanely hard difficulty and some disgustingly overpowered moves. but i think they'll serve to make it just your cup of tea.

finally, eiji is overrated*.

_{*that's not an opinion that's a fact. i'm sure its in the dictionary somewhere.}