The
King of Fighters '97
STORY:
The KOF '96 tournament drew to a close with an
incident that occurred right after the tournament's end. The incident itself
and the subsequent accident it caused were officially reported as the result of
terrorist activity by an unknown group, but the details concerning the
identity, motives, and subsequent whereabouts of the terrorists remained a
mystery.
In spite of this incident, however, the KOF '96
tournament was an overwhelming commercial success. A few months after, the event
triggered a fighting craze and various large corporations, expressing interest
in the fad, offered to sponsor subsequent tournaments, leading to a demand for
an eagerly awaited KOF '97. The fad reached all over the globe and in no time
KOF '97 came into being.
With the decision to hold the tournament,
fighters began to gather at various venues for the preliminary matches and
approached the tournament with various motives, some came to test their
abilities while others entered for wealth and fame. Word of the tournament came
through all forms of the media, and fans from far and wide gathered to witness
the white-hot preliminary battles. Concomitant to the preliminary matches, came
the construction of various KOF stadiums throughout the world. Naturally the
anticipation for the KOF '97 tournament exceeded historical precedent and it
soon became obvious to everyone that the current tournament, as with the
previous one, would reach a remarkable climax.
What team will win the tournament that the eyes
of the whole world will look on and wear the KOF crown of victory? And does an
incident similar to the unexpected accident of last year's tournament threaten
to mar the festivities? All of the world's attention is focused on this year's
tournament. KOF '97 is here!
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KOF
'97 character select screen.
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REVIEW:
Staying competitive in a vibrant line-up of groundbreaking fighting games in the late 90's, The King of Fighters '97 took major strides forward for the series. Along with quite a few new additions to the
roster, the fourth
installment of KOF introduces the "Dual Mode" play system, allowing
players to choose from either the "Advanced" (based on KOF '96) or "Extra"
(based on KOF '94 &
'95) gameplay system. Advanced allows for a faster, offensive play while Extra allows
for a more defensive, special-intensive play. This new gameplay select option, along
with the returning ability to customize teams, enabled players to customize their playstyle and strategies at their will.
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"Welcome back Billy Kane.
Osu!" -Ryo
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Now with more gameplay and team
customization options than ever, KOF '97 was easily the "best" KOF
game to date upon its arrival. On top of new gameplay and character moveset tweaks, the character order
selection, gorgeous versus screen, beautiful brand new 2D stages, and charismatic pre-fight interactions breathed new life into
the series. Colors, backgrounds, and character sprites seem brighter and more vibrant
than in past installments, and the stage designs themselves are some of the most energetic to date (and still look amazing to this day)! Additionally, KOF '97's official character artwork (drawn by the legendary Shinkiro) and hype soundtrack also helped the game to stand out
from the crowd.
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Yaaaay,
we're going to Disney World!
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| Page Updated: |
August
20th, 2022 |
| Developer(s): |
SNK |
| Publisher(s): |
SNK |
| Artwork
by: |
Shinkiro
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| Platform(s): |
Neo
Geo, Neo Geo CD, PS1, PS2
(in KOF: Orochi Saga),
PSN, PS4, PSVita, Sega Saturn, Wii Virtual Console, iOS, Android, Steam
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| Release Date(s): |
July 28th, 1997
 Arcade
Mar. 26th, 1998 Saturn
May 30th, 2007 PSN
Sept. 6th, 2011
Wii VC
Feb. 9th, 2012  Wii VC
Mar. 8th, 2012
 Wii VC
Nov. 13th, 2013
iOS, Android
April 2018 PS4/Vita/Steam - as KOF '97:
Global Match |
| Characters: |
Kyo,
Iori, Benimaru,
Daimon,
Andy,
Terry,
Joe,
Ryo,
Robert,
Mai,
King,
Yuri,
Ralf,
Leona,
Clark,
Athena,
Kensou,
Chin,
Chizuru,
Yashiro,
Shermie,
Chris,
Shingo,
Chang,
Kim,
Choi,
Yamazaki,
Blue
Mary, Billy Kane, Orochi, Orochi
Chris, Orochi Shermie, Orochi
Yashiro |
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
The
King of Fighters '97: Global Match, KOF
R1, KOF '98, KOF '98: Ultimate
Match, KOF '94, KOF '94: Re-bout,
KOF '95,
KOF '96, KOF '99, KOF 2000, KOF 2001, KOF 2002,
KOF 2002: Unlimited Match, KOF
2003,
KOF XI, KOF XII, KOF XIII,
KOF XIV,
KOF XV, KOF:
Maximum Impact, KOF:
Maximum Impact MANIAX, KOF:
Maximum Impact 2, KOF: Maximum Impact
Regulation A, KOF: Neowave, KOF EX Neo Blood,
KOF EX2 Howling Blood, KOF R2, KOF
Collection: Orochi Saga,
Street Fighter III: New Generation,
Street Fighter Alpha 2 |
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Gameplay
Engine
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8.0 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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8.5 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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7.5 / 10
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Animation
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7.0 / 10
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Music
/ Sound Effects
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7.0 / 10
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Innovation
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8.5 / 10
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Art Direction
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9.5 / 10
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Customization
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7.5 / 10
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Options / Extras
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8.0 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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8.0 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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8.0 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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7.0 / 10
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Characters
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8.0 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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8.2
/
10
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Review based on Arcade
version
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| Final
Words: |
KOF '97 was a great step forward for the series. It wasn't the best-looking or flashiest 2D fighting game of 1997-1998, but this SNK classic held its own with charismatic 2D sprites and solid, traditional gameplay.
KOF 97's The large character roster was still one of the main selling points of the series, along with the gameplay / team customization options which added a ton of replayability. KOF '97 was well-received by fans due to the refined gameplay,
improved graphics & animation, and the largest and most colorful cast of characters to date. Little did we know in '97... it would only get better from here!
~TFG
Webmaster |
@Fighters_Gen
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