The King of Fighters '98
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest/Dream Match Never Ends | |
---|---|
Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 (XBLA), PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows | |
Release | 23 July 1998
|
Taito Type X2 (UMFE) |
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest, known in Japan as The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends (KOF '98), is a
KOF '98 was also released for the Neo Geo CD in 1998 and for the PlayStation in Japan in 1999. An updated Dreamcast version titled The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 was released in 1999, featuring remade 3D backgrounds. Another updated version was also made for the Taito Type X arcade system and home consoles as The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (KOF '98UM), which expands the number of playable characters, further tweaks the gameplay and features a third fighting style option. A third updated version titled The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match Final Edition (KOF '98UMFE) was released in 2011.
Gameplay
The gameplay does not differ much from the previous game, KOF '97. Like in KOF '97, the player has a choice between two playing styles: Advance and Extra, with a few slight modifications to Advanced mode (unlike in KOF '97, the character will resume to normal if the player performs a Super Special Move in MAX state). This time when one character loses a round, the losing team is given a handicap in its favor. In Advanced mode, this means that the player's stock capacity for Power Gauges is increased by one. In Extra mode, the time it takes to charge one's power gauge to maximum level is shortened, and the maximum remaining health requirement for a MAX Super Special Move is increased.[3]
Characters
All the regular characters from the previous game return, along with several characters from preceding installments such as
|
|
|
|
Development
In The King of Fighters '96, several moves from Kyo Kusanagi were changed in order to adapt him to the new game system. However, the original moveset was still popular among gamers and as such, an alternative version of Kyo was added to The King of Fighters '97.[4] The introduction of this version was noted to be "a hit" within gamers, the staff kept adding new alternative versions of other characters in KOF '98.[5] Since this game did not have a storyline, the SNK staff decided to return Rugal Bernstein as the boss character noting that "he's the only character who truly represents the ultimate KOF boss." Additionally, some of his special moves were redesigned, which the staff found to have made him the strongest version of Rugal as well as one of their favorites.[6]
Release
Ports
KOF '98 was originally released for arcades on July 23, 1998.
Emulated versions
An emulated version of the game was released as part of The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga in 2008 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii (the game was not included in the Japanese Orochi Hen compilation).[7] The Neo Geo AES version was added via emulation to the Wii Virtual Console in Japan on October 23, 2012, in North America on March 7, 2013 and in the PAL region on May 30, 2013. Another emulated version was released for iOS and Android in 2014. The arcade version was emulated and released as part of the ACA Neo Geo series for the Nintendo Switch on March 3, 2017 with releases for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One following afterwards.
Dream Match 1999
An updated Dreamcast version was released on June 24, 1999, under the title The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999, reflecting the year the version was released.[8] It came out in North America on October 16, 1999.[9] It features remade 3D backdrops and runs at 60 frames per second. This version also featured its own anime style intro, produced by the studio Digimation K.K., before it merged to become part of the studio Gonzo a few years later.
Ultimate Match
KOF '98 was updated under a standalone title of The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match (KOF '98UM) released in 2008, ten years after the original game's release. It was released in Japan as an
Ultimate Match includes additional characters not featured in the original version of the game, such as
Ultimate Match FE
An updated version titled The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match Final Edition, featuring balance changes for most characters, was released for arcades on January 24, 2011. It was released for Microsoft Windows on Steam on December 16, 2014,[2] and on GOG.com on June 1, 2018.[14] This version came to the PlayStation 4 on June 21, 2022.
Related games
A mobile RPG based on Ultimate Match, called The King of Fighters '98UM OL, was released by Chinese company Ourpalm for the iOS and Android platforms on July 9, 2016.[15] In 2017, King of Fighters '98UM OL grossed ¥9.8 billion ($89.29 million) in Japan.[16]
Reception
Critical reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
GameRankings | SDC: 71%[17] PS2: 77%[18] X360: 74%[19] |
Metacritic | PS2: 73/100[20] X360: 73/100[21] iOS: 78/100[22] NS: 80/100[23] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Famitsu | 30/40 |
IGN | 7.8/10 |
Next Generation | [24] |
TouchArcade | iOS: [25] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed The King of Fighters '98 on their September 1, 1998 issue as being the most-successful arcade game of the month.[26] According to Famitsu, the AES version sold over 22,651 copies in its first week on the market.[27]
During its release week, the Dreamcast version of the game sold 58,354 copies in Japan. As of 2004, the sales increased to 104,049.[28] Famitsu magazine scored the Dreamcast version of KOF '98 a 30 out of 40,[29] and GameRankings gave it a 71% based on a total of 18 reviews.[17]
Various reviewers from video game publications have commented on KOF '98. While reviewing the compilation The King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga, Matt Edwards from
Dream Match 1999
Tom Russo reviewed the Dreamcast version of the game for Next Generation, rating it two stars out of five, and stated that "Not bad, but with so many other high-quality fighters available, this one only makes sense for players nostalgic for old NeoGeo fighting games."[24]
Ultimate Match
GameRankings gave Ultimate Match a 77% based on 14 reviews for the PlayStation 2 version and 74% based on 5 reviews for the Xbox 360 version.
Notes
- Yumekobo
References
- ^ "Sega.com". December 30, 2001. Archived from the original on April 6, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ a b "News - Now Available on Steam - THE KING OF FIGHTERS '98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITION". Steam. Valve. December 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c "The King of Fighters '98 official profile". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on February 20, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
- ^ "94 Kyo official profile". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- ^ "95 Kyo official profile". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on April 10, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- ^ "Omega Rugal official profile". King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ "KOF Collection Orochi Releases dates". GameSpot. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2008.
- SNK Playmore. Archived from the originalon June 30, 2008. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ "Sega.com". December 30, 2001. Archived from the original on April 6, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
- ^ "The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match release dates". GameSpot. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
- ^ "The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match pal version" (in Italian). GameStop. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
- ^ "KOF '98 Ultimate Match Hero cartridge". Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
- ^ "「KOF'98UM」のデキはいかに? ネオジオ博士インタビュー" (in Japanese). GameSpot. September 25, 2007. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
- ^ "Release: THE KING OF FIGHTERS '98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITION & 2002 UNLIMITED MATCH" (1 June 2018). GOG.com. CD Projekt. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ "THE KING OF FIGHTERS '98UM OLの配信日&最新記事まとめ". Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved January 14, 2019.
- ^ "중국진출 일본게임 VS 일본진출 중국게임 실적 분석". Mobile Index (in Korean). June 7, 2018. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon May 16, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon May 27, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archived from the originalon December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on March 8, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- CBS Interactive. Archivedfrom the original on March 9, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ a b Russo, Tom (November 1999). "Finals". Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 3. Imagine Media. p. 114.
- ^ Musgrave, Shaun (July 30, 2014). "'The King Of Fighters 98' Review – The King Of 'King Of Fighters' Arrives". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 571. Amusement Press, Inc. September 1, 1998. p. 21.
- ^ "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Sega Dreamcast Japanese Ranking". Japan Game Charts. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved July 14, 2009.
- ^ ドリームキャスト – ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ DREAM MATCH 1999. Weekly Famitsu. No.915 Pt.2. Pg.49. June 30, 2006.
- ^ Edwards, Matt (December 10, 2008). "The King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
- 1UP.com. Retrieved June 9, 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Dunham, Jeremy (October 25, 1999). "IGN: The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (July 1, 1999). "GameSpot: The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Chien, Andy (July 7, 1999). "Gaming Age: The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 Review". Gaming Age. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Clements, Ryan (March 6, 2009). "IGN: The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Review". IGN. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- 1UP.com. Archived from the originalon July 24, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Hooker, Heather (March 11, 2009). "GameZone: The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 8, 2009.
- ^ Dutka, Ben (April 8, 2009). "PSXextreme.com: The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Review". PSXextreme.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
- ^ Rich Knight, Hanuman Welch, The 30 Best Arcade Video Games of the 1990s Archived August 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Complex.com, August 28, 2013.
- ^ "The 25 Best 2D Fighting Games of All Time". Complex. August 15, 2013. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
- The King of Fighters '98 at GameFAQs
- The King of Fighters '98 at Giant Bomb
- The King of Fighters '98 at Killer List of Videogames
- The King of Fighters '98 at MobyGames