The Orochi Saga - Chapter 2
KOF is once again back and better then ever, with this being where the series started to form into the gameplay style it's known for today. This was my first time actually playing this game all the way through, thanks to this retrospective, and I'm quite glad I did. KOF 96 compared to later entries seems like a rather vanilla and standard game to the average player, and you're probably right for thinking so, but going off of the last two games this entry is a phenomenal step forward in so many aspects.
The gameplay has been massively revamped here. The game speed has tremendously increased, and encourages a much more combo focused and offensive play style. Characters can now run when double tapping forward rather then a simple dash, which is one of my favorite things about the gameplay in this series. Seeing my team members run the length of the entire screen is just so satisfying to me. Short hops are also introduced here rather than having one fixed jump height, and when combined with a running jump forward offers plenty of combo opportunities. Sidestepping has been replaced with dodge rolling, which fits with the heavily movement focused gameplay this entry is going for. Hitting things also seems to just flow much smoother, and to say that this game feels fun to play would be an understatement. The charge meter from the last two games still remains, which feels counterintuitive since the new movement options are about going all out, and I think SNK realized that. This would be the last game in the series to have the charge meter (at default anyway).
This game visually is still good, but I think the stage quality has dipped some from '95. Even so, areas such as Osaka and both versions of the stadium I like very much. The stage quantity here has also decreased, with characters just sharing them (however for some teams the stages will slightly vary). However, the noticable change here is the character sprites. This is where KOF would get it's sprite art style all the way until KOF XI. The amount of detail is still present and they definitely are less goofy looking compared to the last two games.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most important and iconic soundtracks in KOF history. The debut of songs such as "Esaka?", "Arashi no Saxophone 2", and "Fairy" are attributed to this game, and their impact on the series musically is profound. While I obviously prefer the arranged soundtrack, the arcade ost is still absolutely bopping at using the instruments given, definitely listen to both if you can.
The plot of this game is pretty interesting, as many of it's plot threads are spread throughout multiple team stories: Sacred Treasures team, Hero team, and Yagami team. The main ending is the Sacred Treasures one, but the other two endings help add context to the overall narrative. And I have to say, I love this concept! It shows how ambitious SNK was with this series, they put very much work into building the lore and plot threads to make it all come together. I think this also works as it encourages players to play with different teams, maybe it could end up having a character you find really fun to play as!
Before I bring up the final boss, I thought I'd mention the villains team. As the penultimate battle for the sub and final bosses, this stage really feels like an endurance test of everything so far. Instead of having a single theme tying the team together, the three members use their boss themes from the source material, and it's really effective. It's one of the more memorable things in this game for me.
The final boss is a dick, no surprise here. I normally play overly defensive and sweep when I can, but he definitely can cheaply command grab you which does ALOT of damage. Reddish beat the SNK boss by timing it out, what a surprise! I'd say he's easier then the last two but he is still really cheap.
KOF 96 is such an important game to this series, and I can't appreciate it enough for establishing the series standards for the games to come. While it ends up losing identity because of later games doing the same things but better, this is still worth playing- possibly even a good KOF for newcomers. We'll be wrapping up the Orochi Saga in the next review with The King Of Fighters '97.
KOF is once again back and better then ever, with this being where the series started to form into the gameplay style it's known for today. This was my first time actually playing this game all the way through, thanks to this retrospective, and I'm quite glad I did. KOF 96 compared to later entries seems like a rather vanilla and standard game to the average player, and you're probably right for thinking so, but going off of the last two games this entry is a phenomenal step forward in so many aspects.
The gameplay has been massively revamped here. The game speed has tremendously increased, and encourages a much more combo focused and offensive play style. Characters can now run when double tapping forward rather then a simple dash, which is one of my favorite things about the gameplay in this series. Seeing my team members run the length of the entire screen is just so satisfying to me. Short hops are also introduced here rather than having one fixed jump height, and when combined with a running jump forward offers plenty of combo opportunities. Sidestepping has been replaced with dodge rolling, which fits with the heavily movement focused gameplay this entry is going for. Hitting things also seems to just flow much smoother, and to say that this game feels fun to play would be an understatement. The charge meter from the last two games still remains, which feels counterintuitive since the new movement options are about going all out, and I think SNK realized that. This would be the last game in the series to have the charge meter (at default anyway).
This game visually is still good, but I think the stage quality has dipped some from '95. Even so, areas such as Osaka and both versions of the stadium I like very much. The stage quantity here has also decreased, with characters just sharing them (however for some teams the stages will slightly vary). However, the noticable change here is the character sprites. This is where KOF would get it's sprite art style all the way until KOF XI. The amount of detail is still present and they definitely are less goofy looking compared to the last two games.
This is, without a doubt, one of the most important and iconic soundtracks in KOF history. The debut of songs such as "Esaka?", "Arashi no Saxophone 2", and "Fairy" are attributed to this game, and their impact on the series musically is profound. While I obviously prefer the arranged soundtrack, the arcade ost is still absolutely bopping at using the instruments given, definitely listen to both if you can.
The plot of this game is pretty interesting, as many of it's plot threads are spread throughout multiple team stories: Sacred Treasures team, Hero team, and Yagami team. The main ending is the Sacred Treasures one, but the other two endings help add context to the overall narrative. And I have to say, I love this concept! It shows how ambitious SNK was with this series, they put very much work into building the lore and plot threads to make it all come together. I think this also works as it encourages players to play with different teams, maybe it could end up having a character you find really fun to play as!
Before I bring up the final boss, I thought I'd mention the villains team. As the penultimate battle for the sub and final bosses, this stage really feels like an endurance test of everything so far. Instead of having a single theme tying the team together, the three members use their boss themes from the source material, and it's really effective. It's one of the more memorable things in this game for me.
The final boss is a dick, no surprise here. I normally play overly defensive and sweep when I can, but he definitely can cheaply command grab you which does ALOT of damage. Reddish beat the SNK boss by timing it out, what a surprise! I'd say he's easier then the last two but he is still really cheap.
KOF 96 is such an important game to this series, and I can't appreciate it enough for establishing the series standards for the games to come. While it ends up losing identity because of later games doing the same things but better, this is still worth playing- possibly even a good KOF for newcomers. We'll be wrapping up the Orochi Saga in the next review with The King Of Fighters '97.
Leona my beloved
literally 1996
I can tell this is where SNK began to find its footing with the series, I really appreciated all the changes that made it closer to later games in the series.
Bring back Kyo’s flying spinning kick, you cowards
In all honesty, this is the KoF I remember the least outside of the Goenitz boss fight. Here you start to feel the real improvement in gameplay and the series coming more into its own, however, I am just kind of neutral on 96 overall
first kof game to actually feel like a good kof game
Did you know there's a GameBoy version of this? Bit hard to tell what's happening, and I got my ass comprehensively kicked, but cute sprite work!
King of Fighters '96 marks the start of traditional KOF. Despite that, it's still a lot of fun to play today, and whilst being the first to use the style of gameplay it's sequels would expand upon, it still holds its own very well.
Port wise, the Saturn port is fantastic. It uses the Saturn's RAM Cart, allowing the game to have impressively quick loading times, meaning unlike prior SNK fighting game ports on CD based consoles, you won't be stuck waiting at a loading screen wishing you were playing the game already. The visuals look amazing as well, with not a detail missing. The only thing I can fault it for is being a very bare bones port, no palette editing, no training mode, none of that. You get the most basic modes and some settings to mess around with, however that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows you to get into the game very quickly, which coupled with the games speedy load times, results is a very fast boot-to-play time.
Overall I can't recommend this game enough, whilst it's main formula is expanded upon in '97 and '98, what's here is still incredibly fun and solid, and is worth your time to at the very least try it.
Port wise, the Saturn port is fantastic. It uses the Saturn's RAM Cart, allowing the game to have impressively quick loading times, meaning unlike prior SNK fighting game ports on CD based consoles, you won't be stuck waiting at a loading screen wishing you were playing the game already. The visuals look amazing as well, with not a detail missing. The only thing I can fault it for is being a very bare bones port, no palette editing, no training mode, none of that. You get the most basic modes and some settings to mess around with, however that's not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows you to get into the game very quickly, which coupled with the games speedy load times, results is a very fast boot-to-play time.
Overall I can't recommend this game enough, whilst it's main formula is expanded upon in '97 and '98, what's here is still incredibly fun and solid, and is worth your time to at the very least try it.
Great plot, great roster, and the game feels fun to play as well! This is definitely the start of KOF being a fun game and where it found SNK found its footing in terms of gameplay.
fuck!!! snk control my mind i can’t stop playing KOF
outra melhora se comparado ao jogo anterior, ele acaba superando o 95 em virtualmente tudo
Combate aprimorado, músicas excelentes e aparição de ótimos novos personagens, o jogo mais tranquilo até agora da franquia pra zerar.
foda
Pra mim, nesse jogo a franquia começou a ficar boa. Apesar de não ter jogado muito esse lembro o quão bom ele foi comparado aos anteriores.
I had a Myspace account with Leona as a pfp, I'm not trans I just think she's cool.
Finalmente llegamos, el real punto de partida, el inicio del tramo a las mecánicas que nos harían decir, "Ah si, esto es Kof"
De entrada y por primera vez hablando del Gameplay al inicio de estas reviews, ahora sí SNK comenzó a darle rienda suelta a sus ideas más centradas respecto a mecánicas originales y el enfoque en conectar óptimamente tus combos, es por ello que, en lugar del pequeño salto delantero al presionar rápidamente la flecha direccional hacia adelante ahora todos los personajes iniciaban una carrera continua hasta su rival mientras que el backstep aún se mantenía por su buen funcionamiento.
Un cambio tan minúsculo sin duda distorsiona de sobremanera las estrategias y los convierte en un juego mucho más de ir a la ofensiva, el input de los movimientos baja su rigurosidad y precisión por primera vez y ahora, reemplazando el esquivé que con algunos personajes como Heidern te dejaba muy vendido, ahora se optó por un roll de suelo en ambas direcciones, de nuevo, siendo una mecánica más intuitiva y satisfactoria que en lugar de pausar el ritmo del combate para mejorar tus opciones evasivas representa apenas un mínimo freno momentáneo que incluso puede complementar tus ataques y demás.
La velocidad general del título subió igualmente lo que hace que ahora sientas que lograr esas tan ansiadas cadenas de ataque es más posible que nunca y si bien tu barra pierde cada vez más protagonismo, sigue siendo una herramienta viable y un elemento de tensión cuando se logra llenar por completo.
Es un sistema veloz y que por fin hace sentir una diferencia bien notoria del resto de Fightings contemporáneos, Kof finalmente adoptó una identidad jugable y el cimiento narrativo derivado del nombre de nuestro protagonista también floreció con todo en esta entrega, con el viento azotador siendo no solo uno de esos jefes infames de la saga, sino una puerta al epílogo de esta historia donde se nos ofrecen más matices al linaje Kusanagi, las ambiciones de un culto que desea traer de vuelta a un dios destructor y la deuda de sangre existente entre los clanes Yagami y Kusanagi.
Para esta ocasión desee enfocarme meramente en lo jugable, las concesiones visuales siguen siendo destacables al por mayor y si acaso destacaría la mala emulación de esta entrega en algunos sitios como la compilación Orochi Saga de PS2 pero para nada desmejora los apartados jugables.
Que Goenitz sea un jefe tan cabron se siente, en parte, mitigado por las nuevas herramientas y si bien para nada meteré las manos al fuego por la dificultad del sacerdote, si puedo decir que el sistema en ningún momento te hace sentir totalmente indefenso, esforzarse es la opción siempre con esta franquicia.
Todo se ha ido construyendo poco a poco, The King of Fighters cada vez más es un peso pesado con sus propias cartas en cuanto a lo mecánico, sus personajes como Kusanagi, Yagami y su versión de Athena Asamiya se vuelven fan favorites de una y entre todo, la saga de Orochi se prepará para su tramo final y solo cuelga una interrogante, ¿Cómo será el final de esta épica historia?
De entrada y por primera vez hablando del Gameplay al inicio de estas reviews, ahora sí SNK comenzó a darle rienda suelta a sus ideas más centradas respecto a mecánicas originales y el enfoque en conectar óptimamente tus combos, es por ello que, en lugar del pequeño salto delantero al presionar rápidamente la flecha direccional hacia adelante ahora todos los personajes iniciaban una carrera continua hasta su rival mientras que el backstep aún se mantenía por su buen funcionamiento.
Un cambio tan minúsculo sin duda distorsiona de sobremanera las estrategias y los convierte en un juego mucho más de ir a la ofensiva, el input de los movimientos baja su rigurosidad y precisión por primera vez y ahora, reemplazando el esquivé que con algunos personajes como Heidern te dejaba muy vendido, ahora se optó por un roll de suelo en ambas direcciones, de nuevo, siendo una mecánica más intuitiva y satisfactoria que en lugar de pausar el ritmo del combate para mejorar tus opciones evasivas representa apenas un mínimo freno momentáneo que incluso puede complementar tus ataques y demás.
La velocidad general del título subió igualmente lo que hace que ahora sientas que lograr esas tan ansiadas cadenas de ataque es más posible que nunca y si bien tu barra pierde cada vez más protagonismo, sigue siendo una herramienta viable y un elemento de tensión cuando se logra llenar por completo.
Es un sistema veloz y que por fin hace sentir una diferencia bien notoria del resto de Fightings contemporáneos, Kof finalmente adoptó una identidad jugable y el cimiento narrativo derivado del nombre de nuestro protagonista también floreció con todo en esta entrega, con el viento azotador siendo no solo uno de esos jefes infames de la saga, sino una puerta al epílogo de esta historia donde se nos ofrecen más matices al linaje Kusanagi, las ambiciones de un culto que desea traer de vuelta a un dios destructor y la deuda de sangre existente entre los clanes Yagami y Kusanagi.
Para esta ocasión desee enfocarme meramente en lo jugable, las concesiones visuales siguen siendo destacables al por mayor y si acaso destacaría la mala emulación de esta entrega en algunos sitios como la compilación Orochi Saga de PS2 pero para nada desmejora los apartados jugables.
Que Goenitz sea un jefe tan cabron se siente, en parte, mitigado por las nuevas herramientas y si bien para nada meteré las manos al fuego por la dificultad del sacerdote, si puedo decir que el sistema en ningún momento te hace sentir totalmente indefenso, esforzarse es la opción siempre con esta franquicia.
Todo se ha ido construyendo poco a poco, The King of Fighters cada vez más es un peso pesado con sus propias cartas en cuanto a lo mecánico, sus personajes como Kusanagi, Yagami y su versión de Athena Asamiya se vuelven fan favorites de una y entre todo, la saga de Orochi se prepará para su tramo final y solo cuelga una interrogante, ¿Cómo será el final de esta épica historia?
Goenitz is a fucking pimp, the guy makes an entrance by creating a giant tornado around the stadium he's fighting in and starts slapping you with even more tornadoes.
I didn't approve some of the moveset changes compared to '95, but still a better game due to being more balanced and having a more developed plot.
This game right here is where the KOF series find the full potential of its personality. Fast gameplay, great roster, awesome OST (You can put the cd on a disc player and listen to it), great stage design AND ONE OF THE CHEAPEST FINAL BOSS EVER!
Also plus points for this poster of Kyo with the fire on his hands, Shinkiro art is AWESOME! Go play it, it's a good game.
Also plus points for this poster of Kyo with the fire on his hands, Shinkiro art is AWESOME! Go play it, it's a good game.
I'm a little shocked how this game was far easier than the last two titles. Perhaps it was simply learning the game through the past two titles or the games themselves having easier inputs? Either way, each game after the last really steps up their graphics game, and the backgrounds just look so good. Seriously '95 did a good job, but '96 is absolutely gorgeous. As most fight games go, the latest version tends to be better than the last, and so far that seems to be true for the King of Fighters Series.
This game is incredible! I played through and beat it on my Sega Saturn and the visuals still pop to this day, the characters all control well and fairly differently from each other and the gameplay, while tough, is also completely fair, EXCEPT for the final boss Goenitz, he admittedly felt really cheap and anti player, but this is an old arcade title, that's to be expected!
A bit easier combat. The arcade boss finally shakes the 90's fighting game boss syndrome and is pretty fun. Just like how 95 was a lot better than 94, and this one is just a bit better than 95. Great spritework, character designs, and soundtrack, and just overall feels great, but not crazy good. Also, that intro goes so hard.
Final score: 8/10
Final score: 8/10
Hmm. I don't see much praise for this one. I had almost as much fun as I did with KOF '97 with this one. I wonder what the problem was.
Fun and fast paced 2D fighter. Especially love the new characters and soundtrack.
A evolução de kof para se tornar um dos melhores e mais marcantes jogos de luta começa aqui
Nota: 7,0/10,0
GOAT, boas expectativas para próximo jogo.
GOAT, boas expectativas para próximo jogo.
zika, consertaram mta coisa
Decent
2/4 SMTDR