The King of Fighters '98
A dream match with no story, only combat.
The King of Fighters '98: The Slugfest, released in Japan as The King of Fighters '98: Dream Match Never Ends, is a 1998 fighting game from SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home systems. It is the fifth installment in The King of Fighters series and brings back most characters from the previous four games, covering The King of Fighters '94 through '97. Unlike earlier entries, this game has no storyline; players simply pick a three-character team and fight through a tournament, culminating in a battle against Rugal Bernstein—despite that character having died in The King of Fighters '95. Players can choose between two fighting styles, and some characters have alternate versions that use their classic moves from older games.
SNK initially released nearly every character who had ever appeared in KOF, then repeatedly debated which ones to keep. The developers also considered fan feedback during this process. Rugal was included because the original creator was passionate about him. After its arcade release, the game was ported to the PlayStation in Japan, and an updated Dreamcast port called The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999 came out in 1999, featuring original 2D backgrounds (the 3D backgrounds were introduced later in the PlayStation 2 port 'KOF '98 Ultimate Match').
The game was well received by critics and fans, often regarded as one of the best KOF games ever and among the greatest fighting games of all time, thanks to its large roster and balanced gameplay. It sold over 100,000 copies in Japan. A novelization was written by Akihiko Ureshino. The next year, The King of Fighters '99 followed, starting the NESTS story arc with new lead K'. SNK also produced multiple spin-offs centered on Kyo Kusanagi. The game was later remade as The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match in 2008.
**Gameplay**
Like previous KOF games, The King of Fighters '98 is a 2D fighting game where players form a team of three characters, using special moves and combos to defeat opposing teams controlled by AI or other players. The team that keeps the most members at the end wins. Gameplay is very similar to The King of Fighters '97. As in that game, players choose between two styles: Advance and Extra, with minor tweaks to Advanced mode. This time, when a character loses a round, the losing team gets a handicap. In Advanced mode, the player's stock capacity for Power Gauges increases
- Release year
- 1998
- Developer
- SNK
- Publisher
- SNK
- Platform
- Neo Geo arcade and home systems
- Genre
- Fighting game
- Director
- Toyohisa Tanabe
- Notable for
- Large roster, no storyline, two fighting styles
Lore & Background
The King of Fighters '98 was directed by Toyohisa Tanabe, who had previously created the battle system and directed The King of Fighters '97. Following the end of the Orochi story arc in KOF '97, SNK wanted to give the series a different nature. The game lacks a storyline, instead bringing back nearly all characters from previous installments. The developers took user opinions into consideration, especially from Neo Geo Freak magazine. Rugal Bernstein was included due to the original creator's passion for him, and his special moves were redesigned to make him the strongest version of Rugal.
Reader's Guide
The King of Fighters '98 is often considered one of the best The King of Fighters games ever, as well as one of the best fighting games of all time due to its large number of playable characters and proper balance. It sold over 100,000 copies in Japan. The game was remade as The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match in 2008. Its Dreamcast port, titled The King of Fighters: Dream Match 1999, featured remade 3D backgrounds and ran at 60 frames per second. The game's lack of a story was noted by critics, but its gameplay and character roster were widely praised. It was followed next year by The King of Fighters '99 with the new lead K' in the NESTS story arc.
Did You Know?
- The game provides no storyline in contrast to the previous installments.
- Rugal Bernstein returns as a boss even though the character dies in The King of Fighters '95.
- The Dreamcast port can be linked to the spin-off game King of Fighters R-2 to unlock new content.
- The game sold over 100,000 copies in Japan.
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