The King of Fighters '98

Download King of Fighters '98 and experience one of the best fighting games of all time. Choose from a roster of iconic characters and battle it out in intense 3-on-3 team matches. Master each character's unique moves and combos to become the ultimate King of Fighters. Are you ready to face the challenge? Play now!
a game by Sega
Genre: Fighting Games
Platforms: Sega GenesisGenesis, Arcade
Editor Rating: 7/10, based on 2 reviews
User Rating: 6.4/10 - 17 votes
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See also: Download Fighting Games, Retro Games, The King of Fighters Games, King of Dragons Games
The King of Fighters '98
The King of Fighters '98
The King of Fighters '98

The King of Fighters '98 comes in a series of essentially unchanged arcade games that only slightly tweak gameplay to fit modern fighter genre standards. It leaves you wondering why enthusiasts continue to enjoy something that is basically the same each time around? Given they are embedded into arcades, perhaps they don't have much choice.

This new rendition of the increasingly popular fighter enters the fray with not a whole lot of hype except for the idea that it's the new King of Fighters '98. Perhaps this time around, there will be something that will change up the fundamental gameplay just enough to make spending your coins worthwhile?

And We're Back!

Anyone who has dabbled in at least one game in the preceding series will know what to expect with King of Fighters '98. A team-based fighter leverages some colorful characters and intense combat to create one competitive adrenaline-pumped battle arena. Yes, the gameplay works pretty well, but how long does it take before the same old game starts to become bland?

King of Fighters '98 follows the path of its predecessors in offering very little change to the core gameplay. The only differences from others are some tweaks in combat and skill moves and a few more characters from games past. It's basically the same as the '97 version, offering the two playing styles of 'Advanced' and 'Extra,' pending on how intense you want your combat experience to be.

The game, like others, sacrifices any sort of narrative in favor of focusing on the competition. The roster is full of characters and doesn't lack diversity when choosing a team to fit your playing style. It is fun, but the problem is that again we've seen it all before. King of Fighters '98 is inherently the same game as the few titles back.

However, we can't take away from King of Fighters '98 that it is one of the most balanced and satisfying fighters out there. Despite no significant differences from the last game, the tweaks and balances keep refining gameplay to a point where you feel there's no better fighter. The game wins on that front, but you can't help but feel a little disappointed the franchise hasn't seen an exhilarating shake-up in so long.

The King is Dead. Long Live the King.

Even if you are a bit tired of what King of Fighters '98 is offering, there's still a well-rounded game to play that will still leave players satisfied with their experience. It has that allure of being a game that you can pick up and play for a few minutes or even get immersed for hours on end. That being said, other fighters are shaking up the genre to create a magnificent experience.

7

To revolutionize the game, Tekken 3 incorporated minigames, supercharged combat improvements, and a new roster of characters. It's now considered one of the greatest games of all time. It's just something for King of Fighters '98 to look at, really. Sure, players may be content for now, but who knows about the next one?

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • One of the most well-balanced, well-rounded fighters on the market
  • Diverse character roster that adds from previous games
  • Combat is still exciting

Cons:

  • The same, relatively unchanged game
  • Lack of narrative won't hold players for prolonged periods
  • Mainly tailored to existing fans

Download The King of Fighters '98

Genesis

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
  • Game modes: Single game mode

Player controls:

  • Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
  • Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
  • "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
  • "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
  • "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)

Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.

Arcade

System requirements:

  • PC compatible
  • Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP

Game Reviews

SNK has long been known as a company of fighting games. A short time after the height of Street Fighter II, it released a flood of fighting titles that mimicked the feel and look of the SF series, but with its own sense of style (this was helped by the fact that SNK hired away most of the programmers of SFII from Capcom). Games like Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting and Samurai Shodown stuck out above a crowd of clones and carved their own place in the arcade fighting game genre. After that, SNK used an idea arcade players had previously only dreamed of, a combination of some of their most popular titles in one: King of Fighters.

King of Fighters '98 is the fifth in the series, and it shows no sign of slowing down now. This newest incarnation includes at least 36 characters made up of fighters and Bosses from the previously mentioned games, as well as other old-school hits like Ikari Warriors. Not a lot is known about the actual mechanics as of press time, but there is a new kind of power meter for specials, with new and different levels. The teams are broken down into basically what they are: Fleroes, Masters, American Sports (who could forget the cool football and basketball guys from previous games), Fatal Fury, the special team from KoF '97, Art of Fighting, Women Fighters, Ikari Warriors and more. The Orochi team seems to be the heavy hitters of the game; it includes Bosses from previous games, like Rugal from KoF '97.

The amount of strategy in this game is staggering to say the least. The number of characters does not mean that SNK skimped on gameplay, it plays every bit as good as any of their games. Each character has many different regular, special and desperation moves, as well as a new set of specials to choose from. The one bad thing about the game is that you have played as most of these characters before, and they do play pretty much the same as they always have. If you are a huge fan of SNK fighting games, however, there is no doubt this will be your favorite fighting game of the year.

Snapshots and Media

Arcade Screenshots

Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Screenshots