I know its not much but Rb2k and crixx should enjoy this
The King of Fighters (or KOF for short) is a Japanese
fighting video game series that started by SNK
in 1994
by combining elements of two of its existing fighting game series in Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting, as well as bringing back characters from games predating the Neo-Geo in and Psycho Soldier. A new game in the series is produced every year. Since the company's collapse in 2000 , the game has been under license by another Japanese company, Playmore.
King of Fighters introduced the 3-on-3 "team battle system" to the fighting game genre, along with various other sub-systems as Attack Deflector (Dodging) and Emergency Escape (Rolling) which would later be adopted by many other fighting games.
Games
The large majority of the series existed as Neo-Geo games that were later ported to the various consoles of the time. Other games with the King of Fighters name were also made for the Gameboy
Versions
, the Game Boy Advance. , and the.
The main KOF series is divided into a three-part story arc and a fourth part known as a "dream match" that has no effect on the storyline, combining popular characters from past storylines as well as the best of the current storyline into one fighting game.
The story of the King of Fighters Tournament for which the series is named after predates the series itself. It was first introduced in Fatal Fury and continued in Fatal Fury 2.
The Orochi Saga
· The King of Fighters '94
Continuing from the series, the King of Fighters tournament resumes its yearly match-ups. Sponsored by Rugal Bernstein, the tournament now adopts team battles of three members each.
· The King of Fighters '95
Teams of three from all over the world battle to fight Rugal Bernstein who tries to utilize the power of Orochi.
· The King of Fighters '96
After the fall of Rugal, the King of Fighters teams return to battle the mysterious Goenitz.
· The King of Fighters '97
The tournament continues as nine teams and two single entry fighters battle to defeat the evil Orochi and his minions.
· The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / The King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends
Separate from the KoF story line, this Special Edition King of Fighters contains fighters and versions from all previous King of Fighters games.
The NESTS Saga
· The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle
After the fall of Orochi and the disappearance of Kyo Kusanagi, the KoF tournament returns, only to be a front for a world domination scheme by the final boss Krizalid. This sequel features a newly introduced fighting system, aptly called the 'striker system'
· The King of Fighters 2000
The tournament is back, this time used as a means to power the infamous Zero Cannon.
· The King of Fighters 2001
New fighters make their entrance while old battlers come back with a vengeance. This was the first KOF game to be developed by an external company "Eolith"
· The King of Fighters 2002 - Challenge to the Ultimate Battle
This update to the game features a return to the classic 3 on 3 battle system, and features teams from past versions. The end-of-game boss is also a familiar face, Rugal Bernstein, albeit with a few powerful modifications.
The continuing saga
· The King of Fighters 2003
Features a new storyline and the return of some old characters.
Other (Non-Canonical) Games
· The King of Fighters '95
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '95 for the Game Boy
, along with a hidden boss character, Nakoruru from the series.
· Nettou The King of Fighters 96
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '96 for the Game Boy, which featured the Orochi awakened versions of Leona and Iori Yagami, as well as a hidden boss: Mr. Karate from Art Of Fighting.
· The King of Fighters R-1
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '97 for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
· The King of Fighters R-2
An adaptation of The King of Fighters '98 for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
· The King of Fighters: Battle de Paradise
A KOF-themed board game released for the Neo-Geo Pocket.
· The King of Fighters EX: Neo Blood
An adaptation of The King Of Fighters '99 for the Game Boy Advance. system, with a new character named Moe Habana, and Geese Howard as the final boss.
· The King of Fighters EX2: Howling Blood
An adaptation of The King Of Fighters '2000 for the Game Boy Advance system, which included four new playable characters and an all new boss.
· The King of Fighters Kyo
An RPG of sorts on the Playstation, released only in Japan. Follows Kyo shortly before the events of the `97 edition, as he gathers members for his team.
Related Games
These games are not part of the King of Fighters series, but do feature KOF characters:
· Capcom Vs. SNK - Millennium Fight 2000
· Capcom Vs. SNK 2 - Mark of the Millennium 2001
· SNK Gals' Fighters
A spinoff game for the Neo-Geo Pocket involving female characters from various SNK games trying to win a tournament, named "The Queen of Fighters" from a mysterious Miss X (who is really Iori Yagami dressed as a woman).
· SNK Vs. Capcom - Match of the Millennium
· SVC Chaos - SNK Vs. Capcom
Characters
The King of Fighters contains many characters, some of which are from other SNK
fighting games, and some of which have appeared in other games. Here's a list of characters that have appeared in a fighting capacity from its original incarnation in 1994, including both King of Fighters EX games:
· Characters from Fatal Fury Andy Bogard In the fictional world portrayed in the "Fatal Fury" series of video games by SNK Playmore, Andy Bogard is the adopted brother of the main character and SNK Playmore's mascot, Terry Bogard.
According to his official biography, Andy was born on August 16, 1974. He stands 1.71 cm (5'6") and weighs 69 kg (152 lbs). His blood type is A. His hobby is practicing martial arts, his favourite food is spaghetti a la natto (fermented soybean), his favourite sport is short track, and his treasured possession is a picture of himself with Hanzo Shiranui. He hates dogs.
. (アンディ・ボガード)
· Billy Kane (ビリー・カーン)
· Blue Mary Ryan (ブルー・マリー)
· Gato (牙刀)
· Geese Howard Geese Howard was the boss of all organized crime in the fictional city of Southtown in SNK Playmore's Fatal Fury video game series.
According to his official biography, Geese was born January 21, 1953. He stood 1.83 m (6') tall and weighed 82 kg (180 lbs). His blood was type B. He had no hobbies, as he tired of things quickly. His favourite food was red fried steak. He had no favourite sports, and considered himself his most important thing.
(ギース・ハワード)
· Joe Higashi (ジョー・ヒガシ)
· Kim Kaphwan (キム・カッファン)
· Li Xiangfei (李 香緋)
· Mai Shiranui (不知火 舞)
· Ryuji Yamazaki (山崎 竜二)
· Terry Bogard (テリー・ボガード)
· Tizoc (グリフォンマスク)
· Wolfgang Krauser (ヴォルフガング・クラウザー)
Characters from Art of Fighting
· Eiji Kisaragi (如月 影二)
· Kasumi Todoh (藤堂 香澄)
· King (キング)
· Mr. Big (ミスター・ビッグ)
· Robert Garcia (ロバート・ガルシア)
· Ryo Sakazaki (リョウ・サカザキ)
· Takuma Sakazaki (タクマ・サカザキ)
· Yuri Sakazaki (ユリ・サカザキ)
Characters from Ikari Warriors
· Clark Steel (クラーク・スティル)
· Heidern (ハイデルン)
· Ralf Jones (ラルフ・ジョーンズ)
Characters from Psycho Soldier
· Athena Asamiya (麻宮 アテナ)
· Sie Kensou (椎 拳崇)
Characters from Samurai Shodown
· Nakoruru (ナコルル)
Characters With Appearances Outside This Series
These are the characters that have appeared in other games, including, but not limited to, the SNK VS. Series.
· Benimaru Nikaido (二階堂 紅丸)
· Chang Koehan (チャン・コーハン)
· Choi Bounge (チョイ・ボンゲ)
· Goenitz (ゲーニッツ)
· Iori Yagami (八神 庵)
· Kyo Kusanagi (草薙 京)
· Leona Heidern (レオナ)
· Rugal Bernstein (ルガール・バーンシュタイン)
· Vice (バイス)
· Whip (ウィップ)
Other Characters
· Adelheid (アーデルハイド)
· Angel (アンヘル)
· Ash Crimson (アッシュ・クリムゾン)
· Bao (包)
· Brian Battler (ブライアン・バトラー)
· Chin Gentsai (鎮 元斎)
· Chizuru Kagura (神楽 ちずる)
· Chris (クリス)
· Duo Lon (デュオロン)
· Goro Daimon (大門 五郎)
· Foxy (フォクシー)
· Heavy D! (ヘヴィ・Ｄ！)
· Hinako Shijou (四条 雛子)
· Igniz (イグニス)
· Jhun Hoon (ジョン・フーン)
· Jun Kagami (華守 純)
· K' (ケイ・ダッシュ)
· K9999 (ケイ・フォーナイン)
· Krizalid (クリザリッド)
· Kula Diamond (クーラ・ダイアモンド)
· Lin (麟)
· Lucky Glauber (ラッキー・グローバー)
· Maki Kagura (神楽 まき)
· Malin (まりん)
· Mature (マチュア)
· Maxima (マキシマ)
· May Lee Jinju (メイ・リー)
· Moe Habana (葉花 萌)
· Miu Kurosaki (黒咲 壬羽)
· Mukai (ムカイ)
· Orochi (オロチ)
· Ramon (ラモン)
· Reiji Oogami (大神 零児)
· Saisyu Kusanagi (草薙 柴舟)
· Seth (セス)
· Shen Woo (シェン・ウー)
· Shermie (シェルミー)
· Shingo Yabuki (矢吹 真吾)
· Shinobu Amou (天羽 忍)
· Vanessa (ヴァネッサ)
· Yashiro Nanakase (七枷 社)
· Zero (ゼロ)
