Trying to get into KOF

I'd play 96 first...not quite as complicated as later games and a bit more refined than 94 or 95. I'd also emulate, either mame or the hamster/neo geo station releases

>>3858031
Just emulate the games bro.

I'd say skip 1994 as well. that game was ass.

Doesn't matter which you pick though. They all got insanely tough last bosses.

>>3858031
I don't know much about fighting games but I think the current online-thing is fightcade.
If you're going to play a fighting game you ought to play against other people.

>>3858031
98UM and 02UM are on steam, but if you want to play them with actual people just get fightcade

98

Don't waste your time on the ports (with the exception of 98UM/2002UM on Steam), download Fightcade and netplay the games instead

2002UM is by far the best and most cherished of KoF games. It is a little too tech-y for my taste, though, so I prefer 98 because you still get a solid fighting game with many of the characters being more balanced without all that MAX-2 bull

>>3858031
Check if you have a local KOF scene and if so ask them. Learning from people in person will be easier than trying to understand 98 while getting trashed on FC.

>>3858465
If he's in an English-speaking country chances are 99% that he doesn't have a local KOF scene let alone one that plays anything older than KOF13, I'd say go straight to FC and use IRC for matchmaking/asking gameplay questions

>>3858471
> mexican meme

what does that have to do with whether or not they have a local scene? quit hiding behind dumb internet biases and just be honest.

>>3858505
the kof scene is very dead outside of south america and east asia, not sure who told you that was a meme

When they added the "striker", KoF was ruined.
'96 and '98 are the cherished ones.

don't waste your time with anything but 98 and 02, these dumbfucks telling you to play anything else are retarded

get fightcade. play online with huehues.

98 is my personal favorite.

>>3858031
Don't listen to people who say '96. Good OST, on par with '97 to 2000, but the input system is very strict even for old standards.

Start with '98 on Fightcade. This and 2002 are the most played and for a reason.

>>3858678
>Start with '98 on Fightcade

he'll get bodied by BRs and mexicans who tell him to kill himself

source happened until I got gud

also op, get a fightstick. don't bother trying to play with a controller. and learn your characters' moves and combos before going online if you don't want to be a total disgrace.

>>3858505
It's not about the Mexican meme, KOF was tiny in the US until it had its fifteen minutes of fame with KOF13 then faded again

It sucks since I love 98 but players for SNK games really are spread paper thin outside of the biggest cities here

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>>3858710
>happened until I got gud
That's how you get good.


I agree with not bothering with '96. It's a good game to be sure, but there's no reason to start learning it when you're not going to stick with it. Go by whether you think '98 or '02 has the cooler cast and just work at it.

>>3858031
Long time KoF player here. First and foremost, start from watching this great tutorial: https://youtu.be/r75Lz1Drp8g
Basically, if you want the best KoF has to offer, you have 2 best choices: KoF'98 and 2002, with their "Ultimate Match" versions; the latter are updated and extended editions of the original games, ported to everywhere from Steam to current gen. If you really don't want retro, you can jump straight into XIII/XIV, but be warned that these games require long-ass combos if you want to get over beginner level.
What makes these games the best ones? They contain your classic, so called "vanilla" KoF gameplay, with a great deal of polish and balance. They also have the biggest selection of characters in the series.
What about the rest of KoF, you'll say? They are good too, but not for a place to start. The older ones are too rough around the edges (pre-'98), and probably should be played only for plot/atmosphere. The rest were kinda "experimental", they strained from "vanilla" KoF formula (with strikers, tag team and such), so you'd rather want to get the hang of the series basics first.

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>>3859014
>>3859014
This guy is on the money. I still have a soft spot for 2000 and 2001 (not so much 99 though it's pretty) but if you're just trying to get into the series there's not a lot of reason to focus on them.

>>3859014
>UM

nobody plays. fightcade rooms for vanilla 98 and 02 push 100 players everydayon the other hand

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>tfw I play iori/kyo/chizuru in 98 and brazilian monkeys and beaners start chimping out on fightcade because I'm using the best characters in the game

LOL you fucking subhumans. Aoi Hana + invincible DP, git fucking bueno and learn to block and stomp jumping in you spic apes.

>>3859014
…But for whiny ass faggots, let's take a look at older KoF's in order.
—'94–95: These games are very different from the rest and play basically like SF2. Except with charging super bar, weird sidestepping, and stiff controls. Play only for retro feel.
—'96: That's what I meant by "rough around the edges". Great presentation, great new features, but broken as fuck gameplay. Skip.
—'97: Again broken, but it's basically '98 mechanics-wise. Except rough around the edges, with less characters, weird way music is selected, etc. No reason to pick it over '98.
—'99: Amazing presentation, weird new features and the introduction of notoriously broken strikers. Play if you like beautiful games, skip if you care about actual gameplay.
—2000: Brushed up/balanced '99. Actually good if you accept that strikers are broken.
—2001: Largely considered the worst of mainline KoF. Strikers got broken further, awful presentation, cancerous new characters. Stay away.
—Maximum Impact series: The Shrek. Poor 3D KoF offshoot with Tekken-like gameplay. Stay away even further.
—2003: A step up after 2001, introducing tag team to KoF instead of strikers. However, the presentation is lacking, and the game has the gayest ever main character even by KoF terms.
—XI: An improvement over 2003, and actually a good game… If it was ported anywhere from PS2.
—XII: A failure. A game with barely any single mode, half the characters from previous games, weird new mechanics, the only redeeming quality of which was the new HD sprites. Basically a scrapped KoFXIII beta sold for money.
—XIII: What XII should have been. Reverted to 2002 formula, but with EX moves and HD meter. But, HD combos are long-ass unescapable juggles, and the game is designed in a way that these by far outweigh anything else in damage.
—XIV: Haven't played it myself yet, but at least it has less long combos. The game came out with shit graphics, but they have fixed it with a patch and now it's OK.

>>3859032
Bitching because you lose is weak. But only using top tier because you're afraid of losing is even weaker.

>>3859041
Afraid of losing? Why am I in the wrong for using the best characters? Why would I willingly handicap myself?

Are you one of the nerds that chimps out at my o.sagat or Vism akuma when they get destroyed in fightcade, too?

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>>3858031

>>3859032
KoF'98 in a nutshell

Iori tactics:
—Mad mixup with the best tools in the game
—Did it work?
Yes: Aoi Hana
Of course: Aoi Hana
No.
Just kidding, it did: Aoi Hana

O. Chris tactics:
—Hey ya!
—Hey ya!
—Hey ya!
—Do we have meter?
Yes: Shinde Kudasai
No: Kono!
—Throw your fireball to catch them on wakeup
—start over

Daimon tactics:
—df+C
—Is it a counter?
—Yes: unblockable setup
—No: unblockable setup

Chizuru:
—Spam dash punch
—Did it hit?
Yes: sono to chikara ryujimasu
No: faggot!
—Do we have meter?
Yes: summon second Chizuru and kill
No: you didn't spam dash punch nearly enough

Kyo:
—bodega is unsafe
—RED Kick is unsafe
—dash grab is unsafe
—super is slow
—err
—oh yes, we have the best normals in the game
—hop B/hop d+C/cr.B
—Did we hit?
Yes: kusanagi no ken da!
No: go back to the beginning
—Did we just hit twice??
Yes: lol, dizzy
No: should've picked Iori instead

>>3859021
Okay then, forget UM part.

>>3859045
You're obviously not in the wrong, Iori is one of my most used characters and Kyo and Chizuru are both great as well. But when someone only uses top tier characters it makes them look like kind of a scrub even if they're not. And especially boasting about winning when you use top tiers makes you seem like a tool even if you're actually amazing. It gives the impression that you're using top tiers as a crutch, correct or not.

There will always be loud boasters in figthing games, but he guy who can kick your ass with Shingo, Lucky and Brian and be humble while doing it is the one people respect.

>>3859074
I just like kyo, iori, and chizuru. Their moves and their sprites.

I was just memeing. I also don't use v-akuma in a3 like I was memeing about (lol).

I don't boast, people just get pissed that I use ioredge/kyo/titzuru and start talking shit in chat

>>3859079
That's all good then, but your initial post about it did have a lot of that flavor. For me, when I play SF I oscillate between Dan and Sagat and it's always so much more satisfying to body someone with Dan.

>>3858031
just play 98

94/95 are kind of dumb and play fairly differently from the rest (they're good looking though)
96 is unfinished and bugged (played this the most when starting out), but I like it
97 is really similar to 98 but Terry is OP as shit and has some odd move properties and fewer characters
98 is the most well-loved, not 100% sure if it's the most popular -- it has some issues, but it's a very good game
99 introduces strikers and is kind of jank
2000 is actually okay, but not played that much (also, it still has strikers, and armor mode was a mistake)
2001 is eolith slapping a game together asap (loads of characters and it's still fun, but it's incredibly jank and unpolished and features the dumbest striker bullshit)
2002 is fun, but it's jank as hell (it's the either the most or second most popular KOF, 98 holds the other position), no strikers though
2003 is also unfinished

98 and 2002 are the easiest to find matches online with by far.

>>3858710
all the BRs I played sucked at 98 compared to the rest of the world
got bodied by Argentine players (and one Canadian player with the scariest Mai -- literally got 5-0'd without taking it out once)
and don't fight koreans until you're good

>>3858031
Whatever you do, don't play against the CPU.

Thanks for the answers. Seems most people agree on 98

Apparently the Dreamcast port (called Dream Match 1999) is well made, and I personally like buying Japanese imports. Is it worth it, or is the experience inferior to emulating the real Neo Geo thing?

>>3860369
>emulating the real Neo Geo thing?
>emulating the real thing
Don't emulate. Buy a Neo Geo.

>>3860369
The Steam version is the official release next to the original, Fightcade is the best experience. Dreamcast port is supposedly good. Still kicking kid me for thinking Evolution was an "upgraded" version of Dream Match and passing on picking it up for nothing. Why the 99, SNK?

>>3860369
If you're just playing with clueless friends grab the latest installment you can find.

>>3860369
there is zero reason to have the port when you can play online with hundreds of people all over the world on your computer with fightcade

>>3860369
Neo Geo emulation is near perfect. You can play online with many people on Fightcade. And you get practice mode on emulators too. So there's no reason to play it on consoles, let alone DC, let alone buy it. The only exception is having arranged soundtrack (but it's not a big deal anyway).

Just started with this game on Fightcade, played SF2 and Third Strike before.
Which one should I play if I don't like learning combos and enjoy footsies/mindgames more? Should I go with 2002 because it has more players?
Also which characters should I focus on, this is overwhelming. That Mary chick and Yamazaki seem cool

>>3858710
can i play with a keyboard

>>3862245
I play with it, won several matches on it but alas the lag was bad an I desynched often.
Works good if you get used to it. I use hitbox layout:
ASD for movement
Space for jump
KL:? buttons for ABCD
The last bit is what I found comfortable. You can easily press any button at any given moment, no hand movement needed, only fingers. The only downside is that you press D with your pinky.

How's Capcom vs SNK 2 on the DC? It has plenty of characters from KOF and other franchises

>>3862049
>Which one should I play if I don't like learning combos and enjoy footsies/mindgames more?
I'd say '98, but 2002 is fine too. It's not combo heavy, less so than SFIII3S. Start from watching this, it will clear out most mechanics https://youtu.be/r75Lz1Drp8g
>Should I go with 2002 because it has more players?
Both are fine. But, 2002 is a bit more combo-heavy. On an intermediate level, it's not very noticeable. But on high level, you have MAX mode combos, which are hard to pull off and you need to learn a lot of them. Also, 2002 has some questionable balance at times (Angel/Whip/Billy/etc).
>Also which characters should I focus on, this is overwhelming. That Mary chick and Yamazaki seem cool
The best choices for beginners IMO are: Terry, Ryo, Robert, Benimaru, Joe, Iori. These play close to shotos but have their own twists.
Ones to avoid: Daimon, Chin, Choi, Chang, Leona, Heidern, Lucky, Brian.
Mary and Yamazaki are good but you'll have to learn them a little. Mary is a bit like Cammy, except her moves have grab follow-ups. Use her if you're ready to play a grappler.
Yamazaki is very unique: he has that quick snake fist attack that can be either anti-air, mid or low. Also has a command throw and a counter (if he gets hit, he takes no damage and reverses the attack). His jump is very low though. Play him if you're ready for a bit clunky/slow character.
I can't recommend enough SRK wiki for learning, here http://wiki.shoryuken.com/The_King_of_Fighters_%2798:_The_Slugfest

>>3862305
Thank you very much!
I'll try out Terry and Ryo (alternate universe Ryu, from what I've played?). Is Chin the drunken old guy? He's just wtf
Hopefully I just won't get bodied over and over forever...

>>3863161
Oh yeah, and also, what are Advanced and Extra modes? Which one is more beginner-friendly?

>>3863162
Advanced is the traditional KOF style system that debuted in 97 and used exclusively in every KOF aince 99. You get a multi-stock super meter that fills when you attack, A+B makes you roll for dodging attacks and tapping f,f makes you run forward

Extra mode has a single-stock super meter that charges by getting hit or holding A+B+C, pressing A+B makes you sidestep in place which lets you perform a follow-up attack, and tapping f,f performs a forward dash

Dashing is considered an airborne state in KOF so you're allowed to perform midair command normals/specials/supers during a forward or backward dash

>>3863162
Just choose Advanced. It's a kind of redundant feature, which would get axed in all of the following KoF games. You can learn about it if you want, but the 0.5% of players who use it do it for character-specific loops.
>>3863161
Yes, Chin is that Chinese drunken master.
Terry is just simple to use. He 2 has strong DP-style moves, but his projectile is slow on recovery. His normals are good too, fast and long-reaching. For combos, you can use Burn Knuckle (qcb+A), however Power Charge (hcf+B) is a better alternative.
Ryo is very much like Dan, except strong. His "projectile" has limited range, but recovers quickly. He has very fast DP, great st.B kick, an uppercut, and also qcf+K to jump over fireballs, which is relatively safe. You can also hold "start" on character select to pick his old version with an actual projectile.

>>3858450

ive just recently gotten KoF 98 myself and I find it having just the right amount of gameplay mechanics. so many characters though.. i feel guilty gravitating towards characters i know I would typically go for.. Athena, Chizuru.. Yuri (who seems a bit like Ryu or something).. are there any overused characters in terms of when playing "somewhat" competitively? any i should not use?

I live in South Florida and we have tons of immigrants and illegals from Latin America and elsewhere.. i know a bit about games in general so of course I know KoF and Neo Geo... but every time I mention KoF to any of my "latino" amigos, they always light up because they know exactly what i'm talking about

ive even got an ex coworker who i became good friends with (Mexicano, good friend of mine) who has great taste in videos, hes a big into KoF too

>>3863323
The most overused characters in '98 are Iori, Daimon, Orochi Chris, Chizuru and Kyo. These are by far prevalent in most matches.

> any i should not use?
You mean the weak ones?
Yuri, Heavy D, Andy, Billy, Heidern, Brian, Rugal, Lucky

>>3858031
how is this

>>3863323
>>3862049
Many characters are kinda similar. I'll try to divide them into groups, they might overlap a bit and they're not set in stone, but it's good to give newcomers a general idea.
1) Rushdown characters. Kyo, Iori, Terry, Chris, Robert, Mature, Kim, Saisyu, etc. These are a big group and are often associated with "KoF-style gameplay". They have good tools for pressure and/or mixup, but usually have no long-range moves, so they focus close-range melee. Playing them involves getting in the face of opponent with a lot of hopping and air CD attacks, getting them in the corner, and opening them up for big damage.
2) Poking characters. Benimaru, Yashiro, Joe, Ralf, Ryo, Mary, Heavy D. Not that much to say here. They have some long-reaching fast attacks which help keep the opponents at place.
Good choice for beginners.
2) Grapplers. Clark, Daimon, Vice, Orochi Yashiro, Shermie, etc. These all have instant command grabs. You might think these are very hard to play, like Zangief, but this is where KoF is very different from SF. Here, you can combo into throws, and there are no 360 moves in the game. Paired with hopping, running and overall speed, grapplers become quite dangerous when used well.
4) Zoning characters. Mai, Athena, Kensou, Takuma, KoF'94 versions of Ryo (hold start on him to select it). These all have fireballs, but projectile characters don't have it that easy in KoF. Your opponent can hop, roll or even slide under projectiles, so be aware of it when playing them.
There are also characters like Yamazaki and Chang though which can zone characters too with their mid and long-range attacks. Overall, I wouldn't pick them unless you know them well.
5) Bullshit/wtf characters. Choi, Chin, Lucky. Please no

All in all, not many freaks here, like SF's Claw/Twelve and such. Not many chargers too. Grapplers are there, but ones like Clark/Shermie are very player-friendly. So don't expect unplayable characters.

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>>3863323
>are there any overused characters in terms of when playing "somewhat" competitively? any i should not use?

there are the over used characters, but even if you did only ever run Kyo, Iori, Chizuru no one would really care. You'll get ribbed for it, but it's fighting games, you'll get ribber for whatever you do.

I say just pick whoever you think looks or plays coolest to you and go with them. But also don't be afraid to mix it up lots too. That's part of the fun of 3 on 3 battles.
>>3862305
Solid advice

>>3864110
Mostly accurate, though I fully support playing Chin. Chin is great. Chin is life.

And Choi and Lucky too, but just cause it's fun. Some say Choi is bullshit, but I say learning to deal with Choi is part of learning KoF.

I bought the Hamster release of '98 yesterday.
I've never played a KoF game before and I have a lot of trouble with fighting games because I'm not good at remembering inputs.
I'm absolutely loving it. It's at the perfect balance between accessibility and technical skill required for high-level play for me. I'm definitely going to sink some time into this.

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>>3865852
This pic might help.
Most 2D fighters use the same scheme for moves as in Street Fighter.
QCF = quarter-circle forward = down, down-forward, forward
DP = dragon punch move: forward, down, down-forward (like Z-motion)
Most moves in KoF use these quarter-circle and DP inputs.

>>3865920
Yeah, the port I'm playing has a digital manual accessible from the pause menu (As in pausing the emulation and configuring options, they didn't add a pause menu to the arcade game) with move lists for all the characters.
I think what's really appealing to me is that special moves for the most part are simple inputs and there's a lot of carry-over between characters.
I've already settled on some characters that I really like playing.
I'm sticking with Mature, Lucky and that character that's like Ryu but with tits.
I'm pretty terrible at fighting games normally but I'm doing okay in this.
I'm even able to beat the first two stages fairly reliably.

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>>3865852
>>3867751
Good on you, I hope you enjoy it! If you're having trouble with inputs, that's the first thing you should work on. Especially the quarter circle followed by a half circle which is common for desperation moves, but also any the characters you like have. Practice the motions until they're second nature and just thinking about one makes it come out. Once you're there is when you can really start playing.

Hang in there and keep having fun!

>>3858031
Get the ps2 "10 on 1" iso
Includes all titles except 99

>>3863347
>>3864110
>>3865326

thanks guys, great tips! will take these into consideration. very fun game

Should I into this or Third Strike?

>>3871096
Why not both? KOF and 3S have very different styles of play, both games are still very lively on Fightcade so you won't be hurting for players

>>3871096
The one you think has cooler characters.

Which dead game on fightcade should I play

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>>3858031
Just play 02 and 98 on fightcade, learn your shit on the training mode, don't play against the cpu.
Everyone online in 98 uses top tiers so do the same, Kyo, iori, chizuru, benimaru, daimon, etc is your eveyday's cake
Atleast in 2002 you can use more tiers because not too many people like or play top tier in 02.

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>>3871346

>>3871096
It's just bound to preference.
KoF'98 focuses on a more fast and aggressive gameplay, which favors pressure and emphasizes characters' mobility. At the same time, the inputs are a bit easier, there's more leniency, and overall gameplay is somewhat simple yet polished.
SFIII is a more "progressive" fighter. It has more complex mechanics, like parries, EX, unorthodox supers and so on. It also features a cast of characters with a variety of different play styles. Needless to say, the graphics are also a big plus.
I'd just say to each his own. I prefer KoF because it's easier to play, faster, and I've grown accustomed to hopping, jumping and CD attacks. I like SFIII, I just don't exactly like its more unorthodox characters like Urien and the inputs feel strict after KoF.

>>3871365
KoF single mode isn't that bad for beginners. Compared to SFA and Super Turbo, it's way more fair and competent. Just don't stick with it for too long without online, and put the difficulty on max from the start. You need to get muscle memory anyway.

>>3865920
>that flyer
Nice english, mister SNK-sama.

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>>3859035

what about Neowave?

>>3872594
Neowave is not notable in any way, it's a reskin of 2002 with several characters removed, a couple added and some goofy new mechanics with 3 "grooves" a la CvS2

To its credit, it brought us some real classics in the music department: https://youtu.be/OM7dPV4l5js?list=PLmh_oCUlTIUpee84ciiXcfV_qbyK-Vkr6

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>>3872594
Haven't played it, I've heard that it's OK but I don't see much point in it. First, it is only available on PS2/XB and Atomiswave arcade, meaning no online and less convenience overall. Second, it's mostly similar to 2002, with some fine-tunes and changes but also with some omissions. Third, the art direction is questionable, and the jazzy music is either like it or hate it.
It does have some interesting additions though, but they are more for advanced players. If you're interested, basically, it has 3 modes resembling the old '97/'98 system. You have updated analogs of Advanced/Extra, but also one new mode, Guard Crush: it has Just Defend like in Garou, and also unblockable attack which juggles an opponent, costing one stock.
That said, Neowave takes away the maxmode with free cancels like in 2002, which was a pretty big feature that would come to XIII and XIV (albeit with changes). Plus from the matches I've seen, most people all use the new Advanced mode anyway.
So I'd probably just pick 2002 or 2002UM instead of it. With such a low player base it has and the inconvenience of playing it, picking it over the more popular games is just pointless. And the questionable presentation doesn't make it a good single-player KoF experience, like '99.

>>3858031
98 & 2003 are the best of the neogeo kof's by a huge margin.

>>3873889
>2003
Is that a mistype or something? 2003 is good, but it's just not up there with the best. XI was a much needed update.