In Latin América we have a huge obsession with KoF 2002 og and 98 og. Every Block you could always find an Arcade machine with KoF 2002 or 98(latter being rarer) They still host Tournaments for KoF 2002 every once in a while lol XD
Original kof 2002 for me is the best fighting game ever made...the 2002 um is good but they screwed up angel and may lee...kof 2002 the original one if you know how to play it you cant put another game in first position
I have no words. This is one of the best videos on KOF I have ever seen on this platform. I was about to lose my mind when you said 98 came in 2nd instead of first. but i can tell that you know what you are talking about. I tested so many friendships with 98. I am now looking for 2002 UM. Thank you.
I just wanna show some love for KOF XI as I know most people might not have played it. It has one of the most fluid, smooth and addictive gameplays of the series, if not the most ever. The roster was refreshing and the tag system was so well implemented and dynamic. Soundtrack was great and the stages looked ravishing. To me, it is one of the best entries in the series. Play it if you have a chance!
KOF XI is the only one that has a roster done right! Because of all the hidden fighters, it is what all other KOF games were lacking: Fan-service character requests that aren't on the roster but still playable!
kof 13 was the final nail in the coffin. If I had to guess. They put most their money and resources on that game. Even though they weren't good financially.
Absolutely wonderful ❤️ I agree 110% with your list. I personally love kof 98 and 2002um the most, so to see them so high on the list, brought back nostalgia. And I am so glad you pointed out that kof 96 had the best soundtrack, absol-freakin-lutely! Keep up the great work. ☺️
I personally disagree with 96 music-wise. I think composition-wise, of course! It has some amazing tunes, but the instrument choice is KOF's worst on the non-arranged soundtrack.
I can’t decide which is my favorite between 96 and 97. Back in the day I remember holding mini tournaments with friends on the Saturn for Alpha 2, X-men vs Street Fighter, and KOF 96 and 97. Advanced mode, killer soundtrack and Yamazaki. Those were some fun times.
I am in the same boat as you I can’t decide which one I like better either. 96 has a sentimental value to me because I was a kid when I Played. 97 was much more polished in terms of combo and fighting ability so I played it the most. Difficult to say which one I like better because I like them both in their own unique ways
It's the first time ever, that I totally agree with a ranking on Internet. KOF is the best fighting game! KOF XIV as you said is a great game, and people exagerated on the graphics as the game doesn't look bad. Kof XI is unfortunately not the most famous episode, even if it is one of the best KOF game. Thanks for reminding all that!
Well I remember when we were getting more teasers of this game and everyone in a forum used to compare it to PS2/GameCube IPs back then. Still considering they had been towing back and FORTH between 3D and 2D styles, I ignored the graphics aspect. It did look serviceable at best.
People DO exagerate I mean, people enjoy 2002 and the like with those sprites full of chainsaws that no ammount of anti-alyasing could ever fix, but suddenly, they are all about "muh graphics" when it comes to 14
To me, this was less of a list of top KoF games and more of a quick history lesson of each KoF game. It was really enjoyable to listen to you describe each game and what you did and didn't like about them. While I play XIII the most because of how fun Kensou is in that game, I tend to rotate between games like 14 and 2002 UM to get a feel of the others every now and then. Just goes to show that each game in the series can be fun in their own ways giving you a different experience each time.
I have played them all. KOF 97 is 2nd and KOF 2000 is 1st for me. Nothing can match KOF 2000 because you can make your own combo with any striker. It has endless possibilities
@Shaman Xeed What does that make you then? I played and beaten most games. I love the series as a whole. You are nothing but childish wanna be that only cares about graphics.
still don't get people's gripe with dated sprites in KOF games post-13 tbh like for something that does look dated, it actually still feels fresher and arguably more charming as years go by than other older fighting games , it's what made KoF XI felt severely underrated (though ofc that has something to do with its limited marketing as well, and we don't talk about the arcade version of that iteration lol)
KOF 2003 is my favorite, actually liked how they innovated the sounds, tag team systems just like in MVC series instead of rounds, new characters introduced etc
2003 is the game that got me into KOF, and personally one I always come back to. I wish it was so much higher, since imo it blows stuff like 96, 97, and some of the NESTS saga games out of the water
I love KOF 2003 too. I actually liked the sound effects I thought they were good. It has my favourite arcade/story mode in any KOF game with the amount of bosses. The multi shift system was really fun and the soundtrack was really good. Lastly the roster was a great diversion from the Orochi and Nests arcs.
I love KOF XI. The roster, the gameplay, the story, the amazing soundtrack, everything is perfect. Have some great memories playing on the PS2 with my little brother, trying to unlock all the extra content. It's the game that introduced me to the series, and the game that made me a KOF fan.
As someone who never owned a gaming console, I went to the arcades to casually play KoF. The very first version of Kyo I played was 96, and every now and then, I would have the opportunity to play older titles depending on their availability in the arcade stations. So, when I got to play 95, I was surprised that he threw fireballs instead of fiery punches 😅 looking back, they're not the best titles in the series, but they bring a lot of nostalgia.
Kof 94 and 95 are treasures and were AMAZING during that period. King Of Fighters 94, 95, Samsho 1 and 2 were the titles that unseated Capcom as the 2D fighting king during that period. SNK ran the show until Capcom regrouped with the CPS 2 hardware.
For me it was 97’ that I discovered KOF. It was at a coin laundry that I found it and funny enough that same day I watched a guy beat it with relatively ease with a team comprised of Terry, Ralf, and Yamasaki.
@@ShoryuGame OK ok, you're not old (we are probably the same age ! :p) I discovered the serie with the 95' edition, like you... I was young and easily impressionable :D But it took my breath away !! Stunning... And the Fatal Fury stage and music... I always have goosebumps looking at it ! I'm surprised to notice this one so low in the ranking... and the XI so high, to be honest ! but overall, I agree with you (except the XIII made me a better feeling than the XIV...) Thanks again for the good job on this video !
I'm actually pretty down with this ordering. I pretty much agree. I guess 2002UM and 98UM are kinda interchangeable for me personally. I like both for different reasons. I slightly lean more towards 98's simpler combo structure though.
Although I'm not the experienced KOF player type of persons but I loved 97' so much for its art style and inclusive gameplay that helped me start understanding the mechanics of fighting games and it was satisfying to achieve supers in it Not mentioning of course the Orochi dark element in it, it was perfect combination for me which is why I still prefer it over the 98' version Graphically speaking 2002 was a game that I was looking at jealously since I couldn't master none of my favourite characters nor the cool looking new comers
KOF XI is one of the greatest fighting games I ever play. Sick combos, not hard to learn and a lot of content to discover without wasting money. Just great!
That game had so many secret unlockable characters, it was super fun to unlock them. I really miss that sort of stuff. One of the best games in the series for sure
@@oogabooga6943 Im curious as to why you say it's terrible? Arguably the best imo if you consider that it did everything well while suffering from little. People like to shit talk about magaki but Shion is probably the best boss character in the franchise and Magaki isn't even that cheap if you actually truly think about the rest of the bosses. At least you could play him and not be broken unlike some of the other bosses in the franchise lol.
@@venomtang So maybe you can explain what is lacking or what the game did wrong. I'm genuinely ready to believe that it's a bad KoF but I'm looking for a real and technical explanation on why it's ass. I mean even if it's ass it still has some good shit in it, like the addition of some other series characters that were actually pretty sick.
Pretty much the list I would've said, awesome video as always! 2002 UM is an absolute blast to play and I think another reason many have never played it as because it never had an arcade release and was only released initially on the PS2 in Japan, until it was ported as a digital version for the xbox 360 afew years later and its most recent release was for the PC, where most people probably discovered it. Its my absolute favourite KOF game! :)
KoF 2003 is what got me into the series so it breaks my heart to see it so low on this list. Then I remember the control scheme wouldn't read my inputs to do Yamazaki's leadership desperation move, so I can allow it.
@@hrgrhrhhr Most Of The People That Complain About 2003 Are The Latin American "Fans", The Game Has Many Problems But So Did the Og 2002 ( The Only KOF Game They Play ), Most Of The Problems Related To Gameplay Where Fixed In XI And None Of Then Cared To Play That
Its thanks to this channel i got into kof. I find these videos to be some of the best and most interesting videos on this channel. So thank you for educating me on this series.
KOF XII: Never played it. KOF '94: I remember once using almost a hundred credits to win the game. It was set at level 8 though. KOF 2001: I do like it. I still play it every now and then. I also do like its soundtrack: Big pain, My whip, The Queen of Fighters, NESTS Theme and Original Zero Theme are some of my favorites themes. KOF 2003: I have played it a few times, but not more than KOF 2001. Love that Chizuru is in there! KOF '95: Same as KOF '94. KOF '99: Yeah, I'm with you on your opinion about the "weird step back and forth". KOF '96: Yes, I love this soundtrack! Goenitz Theme is amazing, and I wonder why it didn't make it to the King of Soundtracks. KOF 2000: One word: Kula ♥ KOF '97: Second KOF game I ever won. Yes, one of the best. KOF 2002: First KOF game I ever won. Yes, one of the best. KOF XI: I don't know why I don't like this game very much, but I don't. Sorry. KOF XIII: Love it! Probably my favorite one. It has a great story, it has a great OST, it is visually great, its playability is also great! They even brought Mature and Vice back from the dead! Iori's new move set... great! Don't know what more can I say about it. KOF XIV: Haven't played it yet. KOF 98: Not a personal favorite, but I do love Masters Team. Haven't played 98 UM. KOF 2002 UM: Haven't played it neither.
NGL, XI is either my favorite or second-favorite ('02 UM is toe-to-toe with it, tbh); and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a UM redux of that one. But I think they're going forward, and if they've already made XI UM; they're gonna shelf it until they need capital again. Or they're confident they're never going to need it. :/
@@TonyTheTGR I wish there was a proper dream match game for the ash saga that used that used the tag system. Where every character from 2003, XI and XIII were in it. And the soundtrack wold have remixed versions of themes from 2003, XI and XIII. And the bosses chizuru and maki would be before mukai, shion before magaki and saiki before dark ash. That would be awesome. And I wouldnt even mind if they used the graphic style from 2003 and XI.
95 was the first one I discovered too - this after YEARS of SFII, and MK devotion. It was interesting because while I played most of the SNK fighters prior, brining them together like KOF did really made me appreciate all of the franchises on their own as well.
#15 KOF XII was awful, it's one of the few KOF games I dropped almost immediately #14 Where it all began, this game was tough but fun if you could master it. #13 KOF 2001.....wow just wow. This game looked bad but played alright the only thing that really stands out are couple of the awesome tracks otherwise it's pretty forgettable. #12 KOF 2003 was meh. this game was meant more for the competitive scene than it's single player playthrough #11 KOF 95 is easily in the top 4 for me. memorable soundtrack and good combat (for the time). I wasted SO MANY QUARTERS playing this game. #10 KOF 99 had a good soundtrack and decent combat this entry is truly in the middle for me. #9 KOF 96 took a huge risk by changing the way a lot of the characters played and it worked out well an overall solid game. #8 KOF 2000 was near the bottom for me, the game was overall decent but something about just didn't click with me. #7 KOF 97 has the most memorable sub and final bosses in the series. #6 KOF 2002 was a good game, solid combat and a fun competitive game as well. #5 KOF 2011 was really fun but weird at the same time it's the hidden gem in the series. #4 KOF 13 was insanely good it blew sleep fighter 4 out of the water. #3 KOF 14 was a good game, it did take a step back from a looks stand point but still spanks sleep fighter 5. #2 KOF 98 An epic game with a competitive scene that still plays this entry religiously even today. #1 KOF 2002 everything 98 was and more this game is yet another underappreciated fighting game.
Your top two are actually my favourites, I can't get enough of 98 and 02, hopefully XV takes everything that was good about XIV and improves on it. So far the XV development looks pretty good and I'm really happy they brought back Shermie.
I’ve played all, it started in 94. I agree mostly with this list but just the order the top 5 are placed. I wouldn’t dare rating any iteration above the 98 vanilla even if that’s my beloved Xiii. I regret not playing 2002um to the extent it deserved! I rate: 1) 98 2) Xiii 3) 2002um 4) 2000 5) 95
@@akubaku2797 try anyone from my top 5 list. I guess 95 and 2000 are not compatible with the latest consoles but 2002um has got a roll back net code and online is pretty impressive.
@@oogabooga6943 once you give it a shot, a real shot, it kicks in. Plus the roster isn't bad at all. I didn't play with usual K, nameless, kula and Kasumi. But found my King, Takuma, Beni, Bao and Ryo to be equally potent against these top tiers.
KoF 98 is bar none my favorite KoF game and honestly, one of my favorite fighting games of all time. I spent countless hours playing around with different team combinations, learning combos, and challenging myself in the arcade mode time and time again. While I admit that 2002UM is vastly superior in almost every way, 98 was, and always will be the most fun fighting game that I’ve ever played.
KOF 01 is my guilty pleasure The intro of the arcade version is one of my favorites. 4:48 Ha! That made me laugh 😆 K9999 is my favorite character from the NESTS saga.
My first KOF game was 99, later I played 98, XI and XII. I loved them all, 98 had those great bosses Rugal, Orochi and Goenitz, XII introduced a new style and I enjoyed it too. All those were great!
Great list! I'll have to give KOF 14 a fair shot. '95 was my introduction to the series, too, and its style and gameplay won me over instantly. And, yeah, I remember how utterly disappointed I was with KOF XII...such a terrible game, but XIII made up for it and then some.
XII's graphics were amazing , but apart form that the game was fkn terrible , there was no storyline , theres no default teams , the A.I is ridicolously easy to beat , the english dub is horrible , the input style is garbage and they excluded k and kula(which is a big no no)
The KoF series is the reason why I love fighting games. Back when I was a kid, me and my older brother would hang out for hours in video arcades watching better players get down on games like this. Then when consoles became good we would go at it for days on games like KoF, Street Fighter, Tekken and Mk. Now we're I'm pushing 40 and it feels great to fight people online. I mostly play Mk and Tekken because I'm on Xbox. But man, this a great trip down memory lane because I played most of these games against my asshole older brother, who now lives far away and I never talk to.
2000 was my first one, to see it actually do decently on this list makes my heart soar. Also, I'm surprised that XIV did so well on this list, I to this day still see so many mixed reactions.
The mixed reactions are from 2 groups. The older fans that prefer the sprites and the Americans or newcomers that only liked 13. 14 is good but it does have its flaws
This list is so brave of you that I’m upvoting before I even watch the video. In some countries, telling people they love the wrong KOF is worse than telling them that they don’t really understand football, or that their mom cooks things the wrong way.
I was up early for school every morning solely because of this franchise. I'd get to the local store and wake the owner every 2nd day along with my sis and cousin. Can't forget the anticipation watching flip the switch on the machine cos we only really had 30-45 minutes of play before she had to chase us off to school. I'd then hustle for coins at school so I can get back there after school. Made lots of friends there too. She would give me a few coins whenever the next one came out...I was nostalgically looking up ryo sakazaki and came upon your videos bro, haven't seen many who love kof as much as I do...me and my sis still game together now because of this game even though our lives are so different ❤
Thanks for this very informative video, I still play KOF to this day and Kyo Kusanagi is my man, I can't remember which KOF I first started out but I remember playing 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 all at the same time because they're all available in the arcades when I was young, like you I was surprised and amazed at the number of characters you can choose to play the game, I thought what KOF did back then was very revolutionary, I may have yet to do my personal list but I can say right now that my number 1 KOF will always be KOF 97, I fell in love with the story of this game, the moments leading up to the final boss where you meet the New Faces Team in Orochi mode to finally fighting Orochi himself is the best for me, especially if you get to the final stage using the Three Sacred Treasures characters Kyo, Iori & Kagura 😊
Great list! 13 and 14 are tied for me as my favorites in the series, and from the looks of it 15 seems like it will blow all the others out of the water. Edit: I absolutely LOVE KOF 15 and it's hands down my #1 KOF, with 14 being #2 and 13 being #3.
15 is amazing, especially since it was one of the few that had a MASSIVE imrpovement in graphics and playstyle. I think I'd be upset if the community didnt think it top tier (im not saying the rest are bad. I love all of them, but playing Kof xv felt so new and improved, I was actually flabberghasted at what it had compared to others.)
@@معاويةابنعبدالوهاب im 16, kof 2002um was my first kof and I loved it. I enjoy older games more than newer ones but when I played 14 and 15, I felt immersed. its called preference
@@lo_ueyn i played first kof in 94 but the best kof is 98 and kof 2002 not UM and 15 14 are the worse kof no new system bring back dead character in story mode like MCU movies what's this garbage game
KOF '94 was my first game in the series, i remember stumbling upon it at a Brookshires grocery store back in 1994 when i was 8 years old. Man the game blew my mind, it was crazy being able to pick a TEAM of fighters instead of just one. Something like that had never been seen before at the time. The only SNK game i had previously played was Fatal Fury 2, so when i recognized Terry, Andy, and Joe in KOF '94 i immediately picked them. '94 holds a special place in my heart for introducing me to my favorite fighting game series of all time. Nostalgia aside tho it's definitely a little rough around the edges gameplay wise and not being able to pick custom teams sucks, but still not a bad game at all tho, it was the beginning of something great. My top 5 would be: 1. KOF 2002 UM 2. KOF '98 UM 3. KOF 13 4. KOF 11 5. KOF '95
Well. Honestly I only got into KOF thanks to Terry being in Smash and Maximillian dood. But seeing Terry in smash is what made me try the games out. So far I have the vanilla version of KOF 98 which is titled “The Dream Match Never Ends.”. But thanks to his list I might try the other games as well.
That's hard to choose, but one thing wrong: KOF 2003 is where SNK messed up the franchise's evolution. They should've focused on the 4 games of the *Maximum Impact Saga* first with the 3D graphics, and then start on the 4 games of the *Tales of Ash Saga* next with the fluid and highly-detailed XII and XIII graphics. In terms of music: KOF '94 had the best soundtrack. That franchise should've stuck to hip-hop. The rock genre SNK always uses is more of Fatal Fury's thing, but hip-hop beats in KOF would've actually made the franchise grow even more popular worldwide than it already is.
Your list was pretty much on spot. I disagreed at first with some of them, until you gave your thoughts and I was like "well, yeah, he's right". Loved the video.
KOF XIII is hands down my favorite game, it has the best graphics, combos and details in the series. May not be noob-friendly like XIV but that's what I love about it :) Doing a full or near full bar combo is so damn satisfying
As a child I used to go to the arcade to get the crap beat out of me in every match and stilled loved this game to death. As an adult I was lucky enough to find myself surrounded by co workers that enjoyed the same game and we got ourselves an arcade emulator. As long as we worked together we would spend every weekend drinking and playing this amazing series but more so 98 and 97 just to re live our childhoods. Thank you for this amazing video!
It's amazing how you nailed this list perfectly. I am not a pro player but I am a huge fan of KOF since the beginning. I love the list and agreed 100% !!!
I had the KOF 2000&2001 compilation for PS2 as a kid I played them both and interms of gameplay and mechanics KOF 2001 is a much better game. I like that can choose the amount of strikers u want and that leading to more longer and more damaging combo possibilities. I like dat it's more quicker and intuitive. Compare that to 2000 it is still great but the best thing about the striker mechanic was that u can choose an alternate striker for each individual striker character.
With a few exceptions, I largely agree with the placement of this list. My top 5 KOF games are: 1. KOF UM 02 2. KOF UM 98 3. KOF 97 4. KOF 14 5. KOF 99
@@ericstiles9492 I know I'm responding to your comment kind of late but out of all the KOF games with a storyline, 97 is my absolute favorite of all time.
XII and 2002 UM (along with 98 UM) were all released really closely for a very specific reason. Getting money to finish XIII (which is what XII was supposed to be all along).
Yess! 2002UM is definately my favorite KOF, it has all my favorite characters in it. When traveling back home to Hong Kong, many arcades still rock KOF2002UM, so I'm glad I can still play it in the arcade too sometimes.
I’m actually not mad at all with your list, especially the Top 5. Though I would probably bring KOF XI higher than KOF XIII and KOF XIV since it introduced some very unique but lovable characters/teams in the roster that were never seen before in KOF. (I personally think KOF XIV just brought a lot of oddball characters like Sylvie Paula Paula and Xanadu)
I like your list and I agree with your top two for sure but did you include King of Fighters 2006 or Maximum Impact or Maximum Impact maniax? I thought those were all pretty good as well but the last two which are kof 98 ultimate match and kof 2002 unlimited match are both great games I agree!
Great commentary! I knew you are moroccan by the accent! KOF is very popular in Morocco, especially KOF '97/'98 and '99. Still played a lot in the video arcades, i saw lot of strong players in Casablanca.
I'm more of a "story" guy, so 97 is my number 1 pick. Then 2001 for nostalgic reasons, it was the first KOF I played. I haven't had the chance to play XIV, but I eager to do it!
0:03 Arashi No Saxophone 2 ( Yagami team theme ) 7:01 Arashi No Saxophone ( Rivals team theme ) 20:07 Saxophone Under The Moon ( Yagami team theme ) 24:05 Tranquilizer ( Yagami team theme ) Man u love soo much my themes :D
I love this vid but my only issue is '02 UM getting a separate slot. My favorite was XI. It's not the first one I played but things started to click more there for me.
I'm a lifelong KOF fan; used to play a MVS 4 slot at my shopping mall arcade during the mid to late 90s and they had most of the earlier titles, among games like Metal Slug 2, Samsho 1-3, and many others. But anyhow, my first KOF was 95 also and I mostly agreed with your order. Excellent video :)
Faidou ever played BBTAG? Take Yu and Susan into training room. Use 236BC with Yu, then immediately DHC into Susan. Then, when the Ziodyne ends, time Susan’s 214C to hit the opponent as soon as possible. If done correctly, Susan will move very slowly until Yu leaves the screen. God Press also has a bunch of jank with active switch. It’s a very funny move you’ll never land.
A great list. I don’t agree with the order, completely, but it is mostly in line with what I feel. I’d put KOF XIII as top spot, KOF 2002 in 2nd, KOF XV, then KOF ‘98. Which brings a question; where would you put KOF XV, since it’s been released after this video was made?
97 & 02 are my favourites not counting the UMs. And whilst 96 has a great soundtrack (except Geese's theme, my favourite SNK theme didn't fare well in there) 02 UM has the best, I think.
I think ideally, most players will go with the game that is probably the most solid when it comes to gameplay and balance. But even though I'm a die-hard King of Fighters fan, it's been a real long time since I really involved myself in the deep mechanics of fighting games. It's just impossible with my daily schedule. So when it comes to King of Fighters series, I pretty much center my perspective on the installment that has the most sentimental value to me. And for me, it's XIII. The amount of effort placed into this game is astounding. Ironically, the development process seems far more nightmarish than making a 3-d fighter. Reportedly, all the character sprites were meticulously hand-drawn. Each one of these characters was just oozing with personality that was never realized visually in previous games. The amount of care put into each of the characters was immaculate. Many people asked back in the day, why didn't this game have more DLC? Well the effort to create these characters to the same quality of the rest of the cast was immense. There were sprites for other characters planned for the game like Chang, Malin, Momoko and Oswald. But obviously, animating such characters would have been a monumental task. What's more, we actually got to see these characters interact with each other for the very first time (for some). And we were exposed to even more aspects of our favorite characters. XIII was the first installment to introduce Kim's desire to take other competitors under his wing as Tae Kwon Do students--which, humorously, made him look like he was recruiting for a cult. We are also shown confirmation that everyone seems to be shipping Kensou with Athena. Mai has her outfit judged by almost everyone in the cast. And apparently, with just the mask, people have a hard time understanding that Mr. Karate is Takuma, because factually, he gives off a powerful aura. What all these well-written dialogues indicate is that, in all these tournaments, each of the competitors is familiar with one another. Even characters who have never had much interaction on screen at all, like Kim and Robert. This creates massive value for any matchups you have personally. In other games, you may not get the same buzz pitting your King against your friend's Kensou as you would pitting Terry against his long-time nemesis Geese. But this changed in XIII. There is value to Kensou fighting King, as King puts it, Athena will be watching his every move, so he'd better put up a good fight. There's a canon for turn out of the fight as well. If King lost? Maybe she held back to make Kensou look good in front of Athena, or Kensou was actually amped at the idea that Athena was watching him and was in the zone. If Kensou lost, well, we can at least say that Kensou fought honorably and gave his all for Athena, or there is actually a significant skill gap between King and Kensou. In XIII, storywise, every battle was its own *rival battle*. And I thought that added so much character and personality to the world of King of Fighters that we've never seen before. Due to the sheer care placed into XIII, King of Fighters XIII is pretty much the best entry in the series--even though it's missing so many of my favorite characters. There's no Jhun Hoon, no Vanessa, no May Lee, no Malin, no Gato, no Luong, no Heavy D!, etc. This is still my favorite installment.
@@ShoryuGame SNK has some pretty decent writers in my opinion. Even in SVC Chaos, the dialogues were quite witty and within character. Like Dan Hibiki complaining about how the entire cast mistakes him for Robert Garcia, only to mistake his own doppelganger for Robert himself. XIV had similar dialogue, but not nearly as much in quality. I can understand that there are limitations due to how massive KOF XIV's cast was, but I really wish they tried to maintain the same level of interaction as they did in XIII. Would have loved to have seen how Luong felt about Choi Bounge.
97 had me skipping school & repeating 4th grade
XDDDDDDDDDD
good times
😆
Worth it!
Lmao worth it!
@@venomtang Totally 🤣🤣🤣
In Latin América we have a huge obsession with KoF 2002 og and 98 og.
Every Block you could always find an Arcade machine with KoF 2002 or 98(latter being rarer)
They still host Tournaments for KoF 2002 every once in a while lol XD
These games never get old.
Original kof 2002 for me is the best fighting game ever made...the 2002 um is good but they screwed up angel and may lee...kof 2002 the original one if you know how to play it you cant put another game in first position
That and BT3 are THE latin american fighting games
In Brazil is just like that
So as Pakistan
Timestamps
1:12 #15 - KOF 12
2:42 #14 - KOF 94
4:04 #13 - KOF 2001
5:22 #12 - KOF 2003
7:00 #11 - KOF 95
8:29 #10 - KOF 99
10:05 #9 - KOF 96
11:27 #8 - KOF 2000
12:58 #7 - KOF 97
14:53 #6 - KOF 2002
16:24 #5 - KOF 11
18:13 #4 - KOF 13
20:06 #3 - KOF 14
22:10 #2 - KOF 98/98UM
24:04 #1 - KOF 2002UM
KOF XV now ahead of KOF 2000 in top 16 Best KOF Game rankings.
I have no words. This is one of the best videos on KOF I have ever seen on this platform. I was about to lose my mind when you said 98 came in 2nd instead of first. but i can tell that you know what you are talking about. I tested so many friendships with 98. I am now looking for 2002 UM. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it.
I just wanna show some love for KOF XI as I know most people might not have played it. It has one of the most fluid, smooth and addictive gameplays of the series, if not the most ever. The roster was refreshing and the tag system was so well implemented and dynamic. Soundtrack was great and the stages looked ravishing. To me, it is one of the best entries in the series. Play it if you have a chance!
KOF XI is the only one that has a roster done right! Because of all the hidden fighters, it is what all other KOF games were lacking: Fan-service character requests that aren't on the roster but still playable!
👍🏻
13:25
>Nicest and most considerate human
>Bashing someone's head with their head while smiling manically
Good ol yamazaki
*casually smashes head*
Yamazaki:"yea I'm a cool guy"
The Theme good do
and carries big knives in his pockets LMAO
@@HassaanALal Don''t forget his pimp coat!
Yamazaki: *I was bad and now I'm good*
Actualy i think the 3d models look better in kof all stars than in 14, not graphic wise but style wise
To bad the camera work in all stars is much worse then kof 14
@@sladejosephwilson2300 the zoom when they're doing desperation moves are so cringy. But the game is still good as hell for mobile platform
Yeah, the art style in 14 isn't really great, all of the characters look like they are drugged up on meth or something
Kyo Looks Like Kyo
@@atastydonut to bad they can get the help from arksys to make the chars look exacly as the do in the endings
XIII is my favorite still. them sprites and hand-drawn animations look amazing, not to mention fancy HD combos
The animations of 13 were god tier. I wish SNK didn't go bankrupt again.
@@sladejosephwilson2300 You have any articles saying SNK went bankrupt as a result of KOF 13? Everyone says that but I can never get a clear source.
kof 13 was the final nail in the coffin. If I had to guess. They put most their money and resources on that game. Even though they weren't good financially.
@@sladejosephwilson2300 i agree
@@sladejosephwilson2300 I guess that explains it's 6 year Hiatus when most believe the KOF series was Dead BS etc.
Absolutely wonderful ❤️
I agree 110% with your list. I personally love kof 98 and 2002um the most, so to see them so high on the list, brought back nostalgia. And I am so glad you pointed out that kof 96 had the best soundtrack, absol-freakin-lutely! Keep up the great work. ☺️
Thank you.
I personally disagree with 96 music-wise. I think composition-wise, of course! It has some amazing tunes, but the instrument choice is KOF's worst on the non-arranged soundtrack.
@@neonthunder3261I'd say the only thing worse was 97's soundtrack. Those stages with no music was super jarring to me...
@@MentalLiberation I mean it had some cool thematic setup but I can agree it makes things feel really dull
I can’t decide which is my favorite between 96 and 97. Back in the day I remember holding mini tournaments with friends on the Saturn for Alpha 2, X-men vs Street Fighter, and KOF 96 and 97. Advanced mode, killer soundtrack and Yamazaki. Those were some fun times.
I am in the same boat as you I can’t decide which one I like better either. 96 has a sentimental value to me because I was a kid when I Played. 97 was much more polished in terms of combo and fighting ability so I played it the most. Difficult to say which one I like better because I like them both in their own unique ways
I'm a simple guy. I like Krauser so the choice for me is obvious lol
It's the first time ever, that I totally agree with a ranking on Internet. KOF is the best fighting game! KOF XIV as you said is a great game, and people exagerated on the graphics as the game doesn't look bad. Kof XI is unfortunately not the most famous episode, even if it is one of the best KOF game. Thanks for reminding all that!
Thanks for watching.
Agreed.
Well I remember when we were getting more teasers of this game and everyone in a forum used to compare it to PS2/GameCube IPs back then. Still considering they had been towing back and FORTH between 3D and 2D styles, I ignored the graphics aspect. It did look serviceable at best.
@@royshaheer I'm surprised nobody brought up X-Box (Original) graphics.
People DO exagerate
I mean, people enjoy 2002 and the like with those sprites full of chainsaws that no ammount of anti-alyasing could ever fix, but suddenly, they are all about "muh graphics" when it comes to 14
" had acc proportions. For the most part"
*SHOWS MAI*
Ngl that was smooth
Dat
To me, this was less of a list of top KoF games and more of a quick history lesson of each KoF game. It was really enjoyable to listen to you describe each game and what you did and didn't like about them.
While I play XIII the most because of how fun Kensou is in that game, I tend to rotate between games like 14 and 2002 UM to get a feel of the others every now and then. Just goes to show that each game in the series can be fun in their own ways giving you a different experience each time.
Thank you for watching.
I have played them all. KOF 97 is 2nd and KOF 2000 is 1st for me. Nothing can match KOF 2000 because you can make your own combo with any striker. It has endless possibilities
14:53 can we just appreciate how well edited this part is
My favorite KOF game is The King Of Fighters' 13. I'm glad that that it was in the top 5, but I'd put it higher than 4th.
Thanks for watching.
The only thing BAD about KOF13 is Mary is not in it :(
@@leoyang887 Eh. To be honest. That's not the only negative thing about KOF 13.
@Rollin. Yes same for me
@Shaman Xeed What does that make you then? I played and beaten most games. I love the series as a whole. You are nothing but childish wanna be that only cares about graphics.
XI is underappreciated as hell. Thanks for showing it some love!
XI is literally just budget kof 2003 , its a terrible game , its barely better than KOF XII
Yea, of course it is 2002 UM. Might as well be called KoF Ultimate. It's that good.
Correct.
still don't get people's gripe with dated sprites in KOF games post-13 tbh like for something that does look dated, it actually still feels fresher and arguably more charming as years go by than other older fighting games , it's what made KoF XI felt severely underrated (though ofc that has something to do with its limited marketing as well, and we don't talk about the arcade version of that iteration lol)
Yes we'll kof 2002 um it has ultimate match in it
98 is better, oficial competitions and pro players don’t lie.
Fr
KOF 2003 is my favorite, actually liked how they innovated the sounds, tag team systems just like in MVC series instead of rounds, new characters introduced etc
KOF 2003 is definitely one of the best , my personal favourite is 99
2003 is the game that got me into KOF, and personally one I always come back to. I wish it was so much higher, since imo it blows stuff like 96, 97, and some of the NESTS saga games out of the water
I love KOF 2003 too. I actually liked the sound effects I thought they were good. It has my favourite arcade/story mode in any KOF game with the amount of bosses. The multi shift system was really fun and the soundtrack was really good. Lastly the roster was a great diversion from the Orochi and Nests arcs.
@@neonthunder3261you should also try Game Boy Advance KOF games like KOF NEO BLOOD. It is also as great as 99 and 2000, yet, better than 2003 and XI.
Same. It had graphics that was innovative and improved difficulty to combos from 2002 that made it even more enjoyable than 2002.
I love KOF XI. The roster, the gameplay, the story, the amazing soundtrack, everything is perfect. Have some great memories playing on the PS2 with my little brother, trying to unlock all the extra content. It's the game that introduced me to the series, and the game that made me a KOF fan.
Magaki is cancer
its def top 1
As someone who never owned a gaming console, I went to the arcades to casually play KoF. The very first version of Kyo I played was 96, and every now and then, I would have the opportunity to play older titles depending on their availability in the arcade stations. So, when I got to play 95, I was surprised that he threw fireballs instead of fiery punches 😅 looking back, they're not the best titles in the series, but they bring a lot of nostalgia.
Even though those games are dated. They have some of the best music, boss characters, artist, and level designs.
'96 is a work of art
Kof 94 and 95 are treasures and were AMAZING during that period. King Of Fighters 94, 95, Samsho 1 and 2 were the titles that unseated Capcom as the 2D fighting king during that period. SNK ran the show until Capcom regrouped with the CPS 2 hardware.
@@fidacuca 96 is indeed a beautiful game. Arguably the best stage designs of the KOF series along with 97.
@@maxmax9615
Only noobs say 96 is good.
It's the worst kof to play.
The gameplay and tier list are all garbage tier.
It's unplayable.
I'm GLAD kofX11 is highly ranked 😂
It was one of my faves
It's very under rated. It's so good minus bullet hell Magaki.
Same. XI is life, XI is love.
And yup, Magaki was annoying though.
And Geese too, he is a pain to unlock. I only have him (and Jazu) left.
Same. The only KOF titles that I mastered most characters. Love it.
20 years later, I STILL go back to 98 all the time. Maybe my favourite fighting game ever. 98UM is just heaven to me
I play 98UM too, chris is hands down kyo and chris are my favorite characters.
@@imnotcool2886 I love playing as Shermie, she's my favourite (those legs and killer thighs always get me)
Youlike better than Kof 13?
@SNES Nes it's getting rollback
kof 98 is so overrated , 99 is a lot better
14:53 Whoah, that synchronization with 2002s Intro and Let's go to Seoul was absolutely perfect, it's almost like they were ment to be together
Did KOF XV has that synchronization back?
For me it was 97’ that I discovered KOF. It was at a coin laundry that I found it and funny enough that same day I watched a guy beat it with relatively ease with a team comprised of Terry, Ralf, and Yamasaki.
97 was my first affair with sweet lady KOF too .
"I'm not old; you're old!"
Moroccan ?
it's RETRO now lol
It's an auto like for me and this channel, love the contents and the way it brings the beauty for this game.
Thank you for the support.
@@ShoryuGame OK ok, you're not old (we are probably the same age ! :p)
I discovered the serie with the 95' edition, like you... I was young and easily impressionable :D But it took my breath away !! Stunning... And the Fatal Fury stage and music... I always have goosebumps looking at it !
I'm surprised to notice this one so low in the ranking... and the XI so high, to be honest ! but overall, I agree with you (except the XIII made me a better feeling than the XIV...) Thanks again for the good job on this video !
I'm actually pretty down with this ordering. I pretty much agree. I guess 2002UM and 98UM are kinda interchangeable for me personally. I like both for different reasons. I slightly lean more towards 98's simpler combo structure though.
98 UM is shit, 98 UM FE is the best KOF ever no question and that's not interchangeable.
'96 is my favourite. Sometimes I used to skip school to play. I was in love with the game.
KOF 95 was what got me into the series as well. I still remember the waterfall and lightning tree stages so vividly after all these years.
The spot for number 1 is expected. Its intro kinda gave it away when he mentioned that 2002 and 2002UM were differentiated.
Glad I skipped the intro. And totally unexpected that #1, I didn't even know about the existence of that game lol I guess I'm too old.
Although I'm not the experienced KOF player type of persons but I loved 97' so much for its art style and inclusive gameplay that helped me start understanding the mechanics of fighting games and it was satisfying to achieve supers in it
Not mentioning of course the Orochi dark element in it, it was perfect combination for me which is why I still prefer it over the 98' version
Graphically speaking 2002 was a game that I was looking at jealously since I couldn't master none of my favourite characters nor the cool looking new comers
man i was waiting for your next upload for days. i need my kof videos in my life. i love the lore of this series
KOF XI is one of the greatest fighting games I ever play. Sick combos, not hard to learn and a lot of content to discover without wasting money. Just great!
That game had so many secret unlockable characters, it was super fun to unlock them. I really miss that sort of stuff.
One of the best games in the series for sure
KOF XI is horrible
@@oogabooga6943 Im curious as to why you say it's terrible? Arguably the best imo if you consider that it did everything well while suffering from little. People like to shit talk about magaki but Shion is probably the best boss character in the franchise and Magaki isn't even that cheap if you actually truly think about the rest of the bosses. At least you could play him and not be broken unlike some of the other bosses in the franchise lol.
LOL, clown comment-- Just look at Fightcade, the only important games are 2002, 98. 2013 is my fave but its not on there cuz it's too new
@@venomtang So maybe you can explain what is lacking or what the game did wrong. I'm genuinely ready to believe that it's a bad KoF but I'm looking for a real and technical explanation on why it's ass. I mean even if it's ass it still has some good shit in it, like the addition of some other series characters that were actually pretty sick.
As much as I got Tekken 7, DBFZ, and GBFV, I always got back to KOF98um/2002um, and UMK3. They just feel more fun, and look so good, its amazing!
Pretty much the list I would've said, awesome video as always! 2002 UM is an absolute blast to play and I think another reason many have never played it as because it never had an arcade release and was only released initially on the PS2 in Japan, until it was ported as a digital version for the xbox 360 afew years later and its most recent release was for the PC, where most people probably discovered it. Its my absolute favourite KOF game! :)
Same here. I play KoF 2002 UM on PC. My favorite KoF after 99, 2000 and XIII. ❤
I love that game. Playing it on my laptop is a dream. It plays so smooth
KoF 2003 is what got me into the series so it breaks my heart to see it so low on this list.
Then I remember the control scheme wouldn't read my inputs to do Yamazaki's leadership desperation move, so I can allow it.
I remember giving the game flack for its sound effects. Then I played it through and realized that it was better then I thought. It's good
@Slade Joseph Wilson wait, there are people who don't like 2003's sound design?
@@hrgrhrhhr Most Of The People That Complain About 2003 Are The Latin American "Fans", The Game Has Many Problems But So Did the Og 2002 ( The Only KOF Game They Play ), Most Of The Problems Related To Gameplay Where Fixed In XI And None Of Then Cared To Play That
2003 was also my first game too 😢
@@sladejosephwilson2300 It was the same as SvC Chaos lmaooo
Its thanks to this channel i got into kof.
I find these videos to be some of the best and most interesting videos on this channel.
So thank you for educating me on this series.
fuck your SONIC crap, SEGA shit head, The King of Fighters are way better then all of SEGA's trash
@@kenzonPower that escalatedd quickly
@@kenzonPower what in the fuck?
Thank you. I'm glad this channel was useful to you.
@@kenzonPower Your Idol Neptune Had Mutiple Collabs With Sega, You Better Stay Put
KOF XII: Never played it.
KOF '94: I remember once using almost a hundred credits to win the game. It was set at level 8 though.
KOF 2001: I do like it. I still play it every now and then. I also do like its soundtrack: Big pain, My whip, The Queen of Fighters, NESTS Theme and Original Zero Theme are some of my favorites themes.
KOF 2003: I have played it a few times, but not more than KOF 2001. Love that Chizuru is in there!
KOF '95: Same as KOF '94.
KOF '99: Yeah, I'm with you on your opinion about the "weird step back and forth".
KOF '96: Yes, I love this soundtrack! Goenitz Theme is amazing, and I wonder why it didn't make it to the King of Soundtracks.
KOF 2000: One word: Kula ♥
KOF '97: Second KOF game I ever won. Yes, one of the best.
KOF 2002: First KOF game I ever won. Yes, one of the best.
KOF XI: I don't know why I don't like this game very much, but I don't. Sorry.
KOF XIII: Love it! Probably my favorite one. It has a great story, it has a great OST, it is visually great, its playability is also great! They even brought Mature and Vice back from the dead! Iori's new move set... great! Don't know what more can I say about it.
KOF XIV: Haven't played it yet.
KOF 98: Not a personal favorite, but I do love Masters Team. Haven't played 98 UM.
KOF 2002 UM: Haven't played it neither.
Thanks for sharing your ranking.
KOF 11 is the greatest in the series the tag system was fixed and improved way more from KOF 2003
Seeing KOFXI in your Top 5 is an auto-like on the video from me. That game is so underrated and not many played it but My friends and I loved it.
NGL, XI is either my favorite or second-favorite ('02 UM is toe-to-toe with it, tbh); and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see a UM redux of that one.
But I think they're going forward, and if they've already made XI UM; they're gonna shelf it until they need capital again. Or they're confident they're never going to need it. :/
@@TonyTheTGR I wish there was a proper dream match game for the ash saga that used that used the tag system. Where every character from 2003, XI and XIII were in it. And the soundtrack wold have remixed versions of themes from 2003, XI and XIII. And the bosses chizuru and maki would be before mukai, shion before magaki and saiki before dark ash. That would be awesome. And I wouldnt even mind if they used the graphic style from 2003 and XI.
Just think how important can be your opinion lol
95 was the first one I discovered too - this after YEARS of SFII, and MK devotion. It was interesting because while I played most of the SNK fighters prior, brining them together like KOF did really made me appreciate all of the franchises on their own as well.
95 for me will always be the best. I spent way too much time at the arcade playing 95.
#15 KOF XII was awful, it's one of the few KOF games I dropped almost immediately
#14 Where it all began, this game was tough but fun if you could master it.
#13 KOF 2001.....wow just wow. This game looked bad but played alright the only thing that really stands out are couple of the awesome tracks otherwise it's pretty forgettable.
#12 KOF 2003 was meh. this game was meant more for the competitive scene than it's single player playthrough
#11 KOF 95 is easily in the top 4 for me. memorable soundtrack and good combat (for the time). I wasted SO MANY QUARTERS playing this game.
#10 KOF 99 had a good soundtrack and decent combat this entry is truly in the middle for me.
#9 KOF 96 took a huge risk by changing the way a lot of the characters played and it worked out well an overall solid game.
#8 KOF 2000 was near the bottom for me, the game was overall decent but something about just didn't click with me.
#7 KOF 97 has the most memorable sub and final bosses in the series.
#6 KOF 2002 was a good game, solid combat and a fun competitive game as well.
#5 KOF 2011 was really fun but weird at the same time it's the hidden gem in the series.
#4 KOF 13 was insanely good it blew sleep fighter 4 out of the water.
#3 KOF 14 was a good game, it did take a step back from a looks stand point but still spanks sleep fighter 5.
#2 KOF 98 An epic game with a competitive scene that still plays this entry religiously even today.
#1 KOF 2002 everything 98 was and more this game is yet another underappreciated fighting game.
Your top two are actually my favourites, I can't get enough of 98 and 02, hopefully XV takes everything that was good about XIV and improves on it. So far the XV development looks pretty good and I'm really happy they brought back Shermie.
Thank you so much for making these videos, glad KOF is getting some love:)
My pleasure!
"Nicest and most considerate human being ever, Yamazaki" lmao
it would be kof 13 for me because of the sprites and the stories, but overall it would be kof 2002 um, because of the big roster🤘
I’ve played all, it started in 94. I agree mostly with this list but just the order the top 5 are placed. I wouldn’t dare rating any iteration above the 98 vanilla even if that’s my beloved Xiii. I regret not playing 2002um to the extent it deserved!
I rate:
1) 98
2) Xiii
3) 2002um
4) 2000
5) 95
@@akubaku2797 try anyone from my top 5 list. I guess 95 and 2000 are not compatible with the latest consoles but 2002um has got a roll back net code and online is pretty impressive.
2002 um is so overrated
@@oogabooga6943 once you give it a shot, a real shot, it kicks in. Plus the roster isn't bad at all. I didn't play with usual K, nameless, kula and Kasumi. But found my King, Takuma, Beni, Bao and Ryo to be equally potent against these top tiers.
And now KOFXV is an absolute gem too.
98 um is the best.
KoF 98 is bar none my favorite KoF game and honestly, one of my favorite fighting games of all time. I spent countless hours playing around with different team combinations, learning combos, and challenging myself in the arcade mode time and time again.
While I admit that 2002UM is vastly superior in almost every way, 98 was, and always will be the most fun fighting game that I’ve ever played.
KoF XI being blasted for it's outdated graphics, meanwhile people are losing their mind saying KoF XV has outdated graphics, people are dumb lol
All I needed was XI to make it in the top 5 and it did, thank you sir🤝
KOF 01 is my guilty pleasure
The intro of the arcade version is one of my favorites.
4:48 Ha! That made me laugh 😆
K9999 is my favorite character from the NESTS saga.
My first KOF game was 99, later I played 98, XI and XII.
I loved them all, 98 had those great bosses Rugal, Orochi and Goenitz, XII introduced a new style and I enjoyed it too.
All those were great!
Great list! Thanks for the KOF XI love. My personal fave
Great list! I'll have to give KOF 14 a fair shot. '95 was my introduction to the series, too, and its style and gameplay won me over instantly. And, yeah, I remember how utterly disappointed I was with KOF XII...such a terrible game, but XIII made up for it and then some.
XII's graphics were amazing , but apart form that the game was fkn terrible , there was no storyline , theres no default teams , the A.I is ridicolously easy to beat , the english dub is horrible , the input style is garbage and they excluded k and kula(which is a big no no)
The KoF series is the reason why I love fighting games. Back when I was a kid, me and my older brother would hang out for hours in video arcades watching better players get down on games like this. Then when consoles became good we would go at it for days on games like KoF, Street Fighter, Tekken and Mk. Now we're I'm pushing 40 and it feels great to fight people online. I mostly play Mk and Tekken because I'm on Xbox. But man, this a great trip down memory lane because I played most of these games against my asshole older brother, who now lives far away and I never talk to.
2000 was my first one, to see it actually do decently on this list makes my heart soar. Also, I'm surprised that XIV did so well on this list, I to this day still see so many mixed reactions.
The mixed reactions are from 2 groups. The older fans that prefer the sprites and the Americans or newcomers that only liked 13. 14 is good but it does have its flaws
Same
2000 is probably my 3rd favorite game.
KOF XIV is the worst good kof game imo
KOF 2000 is beyond underrated
This list is so brave of you that I’m upvoting before I even watch the video.
In some countries, telling people they love the wrong KOF is worse than telling them that they don’t really understand football, or that their mom cooks things the wrong way.
haha. Thank you.
hahahaha
Righteous, I love KOF: Maximum Impact.
Every time I hear Shoryuken...I yell SHORYUGAME!!!!!
I agree with the ranking list! When 98 music came on it gave me goosebumps! 2002 UM was super fun.
I was up early for school every morning solely because of this franchise. I'd get to the local store and wake the owner every 2nd day along with my sis and cousin. Can't forget the anticipation watching flip the switch on the machine cos we only really had 30-45 minutes of play before she had to chase us off to school. I'd then hustle for coins at school so I can get back there after school. Made lots of friends there too. She would give me a few coins whenever the next one came out...I was nostalgically looking up ryo sakazaki and came upon your videos bro, haven't seen many who love kof as much as I do...me and my sis still game together now because of this game even though our lives are so different ❤
Perfect list. You are excellent at this. Please consider other franchises as well!
Thank you.
I've played them all since 94 on arcade, but my heart beats most for kof96 💟
Same
“With realistic shapes and proportions . . . for the most part.”
Mei laughs haughtily. Waifus have no need for the laws of physics.
Thanks for this very informative video, I still play KOF to this day and Kyo Kusanagi is my man, I can't remember which KOF I first started out but I remember playing 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 all at the same time because they're all available in the arcades when I was young, like you I was surprised and amazed at the number of characters you can choose to play the game, I thought what KOF did back then was very revolutionary, I may have yet to do my personal list but I can say right now that my number 1 KOF will always be KOF 97, I fell in love with the story of this game, the moments leading up to the final boss where you meet the New Faces Team in Orochi mode to finally fighting Orochi himself is the best for me, especially if you get to the final stage using the Three Sacred Treasures characters Kyo, Iori & Kagura 😊
I think your opinion is well measured, and i actually agree with most of it, and as much of a KOF nerd as i am , you did very well
Thank you! Glad you think so!
Great list! 13 and 14 are tied for me as my favorites in the series, and from the looks of it 15 seems like it will blow all the others out of the water.
Edit: I absolutely LOVE KOF 15 and it's hands down my #1 KOF, with 14 being #2 and 13 being #3.
Kof 14 15 suck
15 is amazing, especially since it was one of the few that had a MASSIVE imrpovement in graphics and playstyle. I think I'd be upset if the community didnt think it top tier (im not saying the rest are bad. I love all of them, but playing Kof xv felt so new and improved, I was actually flabberghasted at what it had compared to others.)
@@lo_ueyn 14 15 suck your 20 years old because of this
What's new is 15 14 nothing 13 better then them
Kof 98 2k2 are the best just noob say are not
@@معاويةابنعبدالوهاب im 16, kof 2002um was my first kof and I loved it. I enjoy older games more than newer ones but when I played 14 and 15, I felt immersed. its called preference
@@lo_ueyn i played first kof in 94 but the best kof is 98 and kof 2002 not UM and 15 14 are the worse kof no new system bring back dead character in story mode like MCU movies what's this garbage game
KOF '94 was my first game in the series, i remember stumbling upon it at a Brookshires grocery store back in 1994 when i was 8 years old. Man the game blew my mind, it was crazy being able to pick a TEAM of fighters instead of just one. Something like that had never been seen before at the time. The only SNK game i had previously played was Fatal Fury 2, so when i recognized Terry, Andy, and Joe in KOF '94 i immediately picked them. '94 holds a special place in my heart for introducing me to my favorite fighting game series of all time. Nostalgia aside tho it's definitely a little rough around the edges gameplay wise and not being able to pick custom teams sucks, but still not a bad game at all tho, it was the beginning of something great. My top 5 would be:
1. KOF 2002 UM
2. KOF '98 UM
3. KOF 13
4. KOF 11
5. KOF '95
Mine isn't much different, though the order of placing the top 3
Well. Honestly I only got into KOF thanks to Terry being in Smash and Maximillian dood. But seeing Terry in smash is what made me try the games out. So far I have the vanilla version of KOF 98 which is titled “The Dream Match Never Ends.”. But thanks to his list I might try the other games as well.
Glad the video was helpful for you.
Great comment my dude, this is what youtube needs nice people on the comment section
Noel LeBaron Thanks ^^
2002 um and kof 11 are also worth trying.
Make sure to play the Orochi arc games (95~97) I think you'll love the soundtracks and plots
That's hard to choose, but one thing wrong:
KOF 2003 is where SNK messed up the franchise's evolution.
They should've focused on the 4 games of the *Maximum Impact Saga* first with the 3D graphics, and then start on the 4 games of the *Tales of Ash Saga* next with the fluid and highly-detailed XII and XIII graphics.
In terms of music:
KOF '94 had the best soundtrack. That franchise should've stuck to hip-hop. The rock genre SNK always uses is more of Fatal Fury's thing, but hip-hop beats in KOF would've actually made the franchise grow even more popular worldwide than it already is.
We all love kof, good video shoryu well done
Your list was pretty much on spot. I disagreed at first with some of them, until you gave your thoughts and I was like "well, yeah, he's right". Loved the video.
"2002UM had everything from 98"
Eeeh... I kinda do miss RB:FF Yamazaki from 98, though. He was fun.
It had "almost"everything. I was bummed that chizuru did not make it into 2002 um.
Getting that Lv. 5 Scream with him is one of the most satisfying things you can ever experience in a fighting game.
I know, right? Not to mention that his Guillotine super is also just fantastic.
@@fakhriapratama6774 hi stadd
And Orochi Leona and Orochi Iori
KOF XIII is hands down my favorite game, it has the best graphics, combos and details in the series. May not be noob-friendly like XIV but that's what I love about it :) Doing a full or near full bar combo is so damn satisfying
I agree it’s arguably the best (only 2002 UM is maybe better) but it’s the game I played the most.
As a child I used to go to the arcade to get the crap beat out of me in every match and stilled loved this game to death. As an adult I was lucky enough to find myself surrounded by co workers that enjoyed the same game and we got ourselves an arcade emulator. As long as we worked together we would spend every weekend drinking and playing this amazing series but more so 98 and 97 just to re live our childhoods. Thank you for this amazing video!
It's amazing how you nailed this list perfectly. I am not a pro player but I am a huge fan of KOF since the beginning. I love the list and agreed 100% !!!
Thank you!
Only 14 are needed for the last places
2001 was the kof i played the most, and i have the foundest memories of lol
I had the KOF 2000&2001 compilation for PS2 as a kid I played them both and interms of gameplay and mechanics KOF 2001 is a much better game. I like that can choose the amount of strikers u want and that leading to more longer and more damaging combo possibilities. I like dat it's more quicker and intuitive. Compare that to 2000 it is still great but the best thing about the striker mechanic was that u can choose an alternate striker for each individual striker character.
same, 2001 was great
With a few exceptions, I largely agree with the placement of this list.
My top 5 KOF games are:
1. KOF UM 02
2. KOF UM 98
3. KOF 97
4. KOF 14
5. KOF 99
mrlaidback83 97 is the best in my opinion
To each their own.
@@ericstiles9492 I know I'm responding to your comment kind of late but out of all the KOF games with a storyline, 97 is my absolute favorite of all time.
1:23
“...Released one year after Blazblue and SF4...”
Uhh.....in my opinion, XII’s fate was basically set in stone after hearing that
XII and 2002 UM (along with 98 UM) were all released really closely for a very specific reason. Getting money to finish XIII (which is what XII was supposed to be all along).
Thank you for making this list, it was helpful.👍
Glad it was!
Yess! 2002UM is definately my favorite KOF, it has all my favorite characters in it. When traveling back home to Hong Kong, many arcades still rock KOF2002UM, so I'm glad I can still play it in the arcade too sometimes.
I’m actually not mad at all with your list, especially the Top 5.
Though I would probably bring KOF XI higher than KOF XIII and KOF XIV since it introduced some very unique but lovable characters/teams in the roster that were never seen before in KOF. (I personally think KOF XIV just brought a lot of oddball characters like Sylvie Paula Paula and Xanadu)
I agree! The new characters suck
Rekkabites Thirteen I dunno. Hein is a really fun one.
I like your list and I agree with your top two for sure but did you include King of Fighters 2006 or Maximum Impact or Maximum Impact maniax? I thought those were all pretty good as well but the last two which are kof 98 ultimate match and kof 2002 unlimited match are both great games I agree!
I only added mainline games.
I really think this guy knew what he was talking about. I personally love the graphics of kof 13 the best.
Great commentary! I knew you are moroccan by the accent! KOF is very popular in Morocco, especially KOF '97/'98 and '99. Still played a lot in the video arcades, i saw lot of strong players in Casablanca.
I'm more of a "story" guy, so 97 is my number 1 pick. Then 2001 for nostalgic reasons, it was the first KOF I played. I haven't had the chance to play XIV, but I eager to do it!
KOF 97 is terrible , KOF 99 and 2000 have a much better story
Kof 97 was one of the best game.
97, 98 and 99 were the most memorable for me. Good times.
0:03 Arashi No Saxophone 2 ( Yagami team theme )
7:01 Arashi No Saxophone ( Rivals team theme )
20:07 Saxophone Under The Moon ( Yagami team theme )
24:05 Tranquilizer ( Yagami team theme )
Man u love soo much my themes :D
I love this vid but my only issue is '02 UM getting a separate slot.
My favorite was XI. It's not the first one I played but things started to click more there for me.
Yeah. But 2002 um is not the same as 2002. It almost feels like a remake. It's redone
2002 UM has very little of the OG 02. Not one song was reused. They changed everything.
You made a great analisys of the whole kof series thank you!!!
My pleasure!
I'm a lifelong KOF fan; used to play a MVS 4 slot at my shopping mall arcade during the mid to late 90s and they had most of the earlier titles, among games like Metal Slug 2, Samsho 1-3, and many others. But anyhow, my first KOF was 95 also and I mostly agreed with your order. Excellent video :)
I’m lucky, I have an atomiswave with kof XI. Severely underrated
6:42 THAT'S POSSIBLY THE JANKYEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!!
Faidou ever played BBTAG? Take Yu and Susan into training room. Use 236BC with Yu, then immediately DHC into Susan. Then, when the Ziodyne ends, time Susan’s 214C to hit the opponent as soon as possible. If done correctly, Susan will move very slowly until Yu leaves the screen. God Press also has a bunch of jank with active switch. It’s a very funny move you’ll never land.
Adelheid wrecking thots back in '03.
Watch terrific fight.
th-cam.com/video/oobpFuOLD84/w-d-xo.html
Is nice to see that many of us loved KOF 95😁👏👏👌👌👌
Yes we do
A great list. I don’t agree with the order, completely, but it is mostly in line with what I feel. I’d put KOF XIII as top spot, KOF 2002 in 2nd, KOF XV, then KOF ‘98. Which brings a question; where would you put KOF XV, since it’s been released after this video was made?
Beautifull analysis, great stuff, thank you Shoryu.
Glad you liked it!
Hell yeah 2002UM is the best, but it's also the hardest to master
97 & 02 are my favourites not counting the UMs.
And whilst 96 has a great soundtrack (except Geese's theme, my favourite SNK theme didn't fare well in there) 02 UM has the best, I think.
There is actually a KoF11 aracde game near me and i play it all the time it's super fun
I think ideally, most players will go with the game that is probably the most solid when it comes to gameplay and balance. But even though I'm a die-hard King of Fighters fan, it's been a real long time since I really involved myself in the deep mechanics of fighting games. It's just impossible with my daily schedule. So when it comes to King of Fighters series, I pretty much center my perspective on the installment that has the most sentimental value to me. And for me, it's XIII.
The amount of effort placed into this game is astounding. Ironically, the development process seems far more nightmarish than making a 3-d fighter. Reportedly, all the character sprites were meticulously hand-drawn. Each one of these characters was just oozing with personality that was never realized visually in previous games. The amount of care put into each of the characters was immaculate. Many people asked back in the day, why didn't this game have more DLC? Well the effort to create these characters to the same quality of the rest of the cast was immense. There were sprites for other characters planned for the game like Chang, Malin, Momoko and Oswald. But obviously, animating such characters would have been a monumental task.
What's more, we actually got to see these characters interact with each other for the very first time (for some). And we were exposed to even more aspects of our favorite characters. XIII was the first installment to introduce Kim's desire to take other competitors under his wing as Tae Kwon Do students--which, humorously, made him look like he was recruiting for a cult. We are also shown confirmation that everyone seems to be shipping Kensou with Athena. Mai has her outfit judged by almost everyone in the cast. And apparently, with just the mask, people have a hard time understanding that Mr. Karate is Takuma, because factually, he gives off a powerful aura. What all these well-written dialogues indicate is that, in all these tournaments, each of the competitors is familiar with one another. Even characters who have never had much interaction on screen at all, like Kim and Robert.
This creates massive value for any matchups you have personally. In other games, you may not get the same buzz pitting your King against your friend's Kensou as you would pitting Terry against his long-time nemesis Geese. But this changed in XIII. There is value to Kensou fighting King, as King puts it, Athena will be watching his every move, so he'd better put up a good fight. There's a canon for turn out of the fight as well. If King lost? Maybe she held back to make Kensou look good in front of Athena, or Kensou was actually amped at the idea that Athena was watching him and was in the zone. If Kensou lost, well, we can at least say that Kensou fought honorably and gave his all for Athena, or there is actually a significant skill gap between King and Kensou. In XIII, storywise, every battle was its own *rival battle*. And I thought that added so much character and personality to the world of King of Fighters that we've never seen before.
Due to the sheer care placed into XIII, King of Fighters XIII is pretty much the best entry in the series--even though it's missing so many of my favorite characters. There's no Jhun Hoon, no Vanessa, no May Lee, no Malin, no Gato, no Luong, no Heavy D!, etc. This is still my favorite installment.
I loved the characters interactions too. even when they face their own swap color versions, they had funny and interesting things to say.
@@ShoryuGame SNK has some pretty decent writers in my opinion. Even in SVC Chaos, the dialogues were quite witty and within character. Like Dan Hibiki complaining about how the entire cast mistakes him for Robert Garcia, only to mistake his own doppelganger for Robert himself. XIV had similar dialogue, but not nearly as much in quality. I can understand that there are limitations due to how massive KOF XIV's cast was, but I really wish they tried to maintain the same level of interaction as they did in XIII. Would have loved to have seen how Luong felt about Choi Bounge.
Thats the one thing that I really loved from kof 13. Dialogue is very important when it comes to match ups and kof 13 did a fantastic job at it.
Only kyo is too thin, terry is over-pumped, and joe is generally spoiled, but still the game is very good
7:16 Loved "I'm not old your old"
Youth is idolizing KoF 13, adulthood is worshipping 02UM.
Both are great. I prefer um over all because it offers more over all.