The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match Review

Is SNK's retro 2D fighting remake relevant in the modern gaming world?

King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match is a fun-filled yet slightly flawed release. The problem is not the dated sprite characters or the overall aged feeling of the game, because nostalgia is much of the title’s appeal and genuinely adds to the fun. I even enjoy the fact that rushed translation into English has left much of the fantastic Japanese flavor that mark so much of early video-gaming. No, the true problem with KoF 98 UM is that 2D fighting has been done better than SNK’s latest since BEFORE the original KoF 98. Yes, 11 years ago KoF 98 was a great 2D fighting game, but it was not the king of the hill in the face of competition from the likes of Street Fighter 3 Alpha and others. The question then, is why is this title worth the time and money of the average gamer in 2009 when it was already not quite the top choice in 1998?

 
Don’t get me wrong, KoF 98 UM is fun and challenging. Despite the translation silliness and dated graphics the game’s core is at heart a serious fighter. The controls are tight and responsive, you cannot win by simple button mashing and time with the game awards you with an overall good experience.
 
KoF’s 98, the first version, gave fans of the series the chance to fight with all characters from all previous installments. It removed the storyline for several reasons, primarily because some characters had died in earlier releases and explaining why they had resurrected would be a pain to say the least. Overall the results were good, you could fight just for the fun of it and it was nice to have so many characters available to choose from.
 
The newest version of the title is an improved re-make of the original 1998 release. The interface has been improved, slick 3 Dimensional backgrounds have been cleanly added and new characters have joined the foray. The most important change, however, is the inclusion of a third command mode, not-surprisingly called “Ultimate.” Originally only two were available, Advanced and Extra, but the Ultimate command mode has been added to allow players the ability to select specific commands from the previous two and combine them as they see fit. The result is quite nice, but a little overwhelming. If you take the time to get really into it, as a any fan of the series will, creating your own control style is highly rewarding. If you don’t want to invest the time, however, learning the ins and outs of each style and how they change the way each of the numerous characters play will be nothing but confusing. If that is the case you are much better off picking either Advanced or Extra and sticking with it or simply playing a different game in the same genre.