Growing up, the main 2D fighting games I played were the Street Fighter and King of Fighters series. The KOF series in particular, had a lot more characters on their roster and the ability to fight it out in teams of three.
There are many KOF games that have been released throughout the years, After “KOF ’98”, often praised by the fans as the best installment in the “KOF” series, and “KOF ’98 UM” 10 years later, “KOF ’98” returns now on the GOG in an ultimate and final version with THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’98 ULTIMATE MATCH FINAL EDITION.
What’s new? Well, s thorough overhaul of the game balance, for one. With an overall readjustment of the game balance and every character’s moves, this final edition of “KOF ’98 UM” is definitely the ultimate version to play for every KOF fan for endless and epic battles.
It also features a gorgeous character roster of 64 fighters. In addition to the original roster of “KOF ’98”, awesome KOF characters such as Eiji Kisaragi, Kasumi Todoh, Geese Howard, Mr. Big, and Wolfgang Krauser, join this ultimate tournament.
Furthermore, this final edition offers an alternate version to some characters for endless variations on the 64 different fighters and infinite team possibilities.
New system «ULTIMATE MODE »
The newly added “Ultimate Mode” will allow you to combine the various features of the original “Extra” and “Advanced” game modes in order to create your own one! Moreover, classic “Extra” and “Advanced” 2 game modes have been thoroughly rebalanced for a wider variety of battle strategies.・
There are 2 different online features available:
Choose between “Rank Match”, where your battle results are reflected, and “Player Match”, where you can set your versus battle settings to your liking. Struggle to be the true King of Players in the limelight of the international stage! The world is yours.
Original NEOGEO Ver. of “KOF ’98” included:
The original NEOGEO version of “KOF ’98” has been faithfully ported for the great pleasure of all! Discover or rediscover the quintessence of “KOF” on Steam.
Various game modes:
KOF ’98 UM FE features several game modes for the best game experience ever such as “Endless Mode”, in which you take on CPU-controlled characters in a series of battles, “Challenge Mode” to attempt and clear a total of 30 missions, “Practice Mode” where you can train using all types of moves and combos.
SNK has also dropped a hot new online update into The King Of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition, improving the online experience for all. The team posted very little info about the update itself, but the gist of it is they implemented a ton of changes to the way the online matchmaking and lobby system works so that those looking to get a match on will have an easier time finding people and being able to play matches.
Not to mention having about as good of an online match experience you can have with a game like this using the coding they have at the moment.
So for those of you who were complaining about wasting 30 minutes to get a DNF, that’s hopefully been curbed. Meanwhile, some of the other additions include the standard array of bug fixes and improvements to minor things throughout the title, as well as the addition of the game’s original soundtrack.
Here’s some added info from the team.
THE KING OF FIGHTERS ’98 Receives A Winter Update
Credit: SNK
This update addresses many fans’ wishes for a smoother online experience by implementing rollback netcode. Additionally, the update also includes Online Lobbies that can hold up to nine players, and spectating modes so you can watch your friends fight. A warm thanks to everyone who participated in the 2nd Community Beta test, as the feedback earned was instrumental in its making. Many players expressed their satisfaction during the test, and so we hope this update will make an impact on online play.
The King Of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match Final Edition OST is also featured together with this major update on Steam. It boasts 63 fantastic tracks from the original NeoGeo King Of Fighters ’98 and from those added in King Of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match! The SNK Sound Team have newly remastered each track for your listening enjoyment. The soundtrack comes in 2 file formats, MP3 and FLAC.