The
King of Fighters '95
STORY:
It's the year of our Lord, 1995. Once again invitations to
the King of Fighters tournament have found their ways to the world's most
powerful fighters. And their author is none other
than the mysterious "R!" Could the "R" be that of Rugal, who
supposedly blew himself up on his aircraft carrier a year ago? Among
the contestants for this year's tournament is the newly selected team of Billy,
Yagami, and Kisaragi, who sent the American Team packing. But
what in the end is Billy's scheme? What ambitions does Kisaragi cradle? And what
evil designs for his old foe Kyo Kusanagi spur Iori Yagami on? These
new challengers join all of the previous tournament's contestants-except the
American Team, of course-both in battle and the all-consuming intrigue that
forms the core of King of Fighters '95."
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The
King of Fighters '95 character select scren.
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REVIEW:
The King of Fighters '95 reunites
all contenders from The King of Fighters
'94 with the exception of the USA Sports Team (sorry Brian, Lucky, and
Heavy D.). The American Sports Team was replaced by
the new Rival Team consisting of newcomers: Iori Yagami, Eiji Kisaragi and Billy Kane.
KOF '95 is the first game in the series to receive console ports (besides
Neo Geo systems), with PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions arriving in 1996.
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A
picture
perfect flying side kick from Robert.
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The most notable gameplay enhancement of KOF
'95 is the option to edit your team (which became a staple of the series after
this installment). Now, players can team-up any of the
24 characters to make up their own unique team... a novel idea that hasn't been
done in the fighting genre. A few new moves and animations
were added for returning characters; however, the gameplay was practically
unchanged from the prequel.
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"You
guys wanna just play
darts instead?" -Joe
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Visually, The King of Fighters '95 also looks very much like its
predecessor, but features a variety of brand new hand-drawn 2D environments to
fight in (including the now legendary NEOGEO LAND)! In particular, KOF '95's
backgrounds were a pretty big improvement over the prequels, featuring some
memorable locales. Like many other SNK fighting games, the hand-drawn
backgrounds also feature some impressive animations which compliment the action
onscreen.
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The debut of Iori
Yagami... Good Times.
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FUN FACTS:
Early in the game's development, a "Team Samurai Shodown" made up of
Haohmaru, Galford, and Nakoruru was considered for The King of Fighters '95.
Additionally, a boss team consisting of Geese Howard, Wolfgang Krauser, and Mr. Big was also considered for KOF '95.
A third team consisting of Rody Birts from Art
of Fighting 3 along with Billy Kane and Eiji Kisaragi was also planned.
However, none of these potential teams made the cut to KOF '95. However,
these teams did appear in future titles in the series. You can view Concept Artwork of
these canceled KOF '95 teams inside TFG's respective Art Gallery.
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| Page Updated: |
June
20th, 2024 |
| Developer(s): |
SNK
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| Publisher(s): |
SNK
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| Artwork
by: |
Shinkiro
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| Platform(s): |
Neo
Geo, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Game Boy, PSN, Wii Virtual Console
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| Release Date(s): |
July 25th, 1995
 Arcade
Sept. 1st, 1995
Neo Geo
Sept. 29th, 1995
Neo Geo CD
Aug. 31st, 1996
 PlayStation
Apr. 26th, 1996
Game Boy
February 1997 Game Boy
May 30th, 2007
PSN
Dec. 1st, 2009
Wii VC
Apr. 26th, 2010
Wii VC
Apr. 30th, 2010
 Wii VC
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| Characters: |
Iori
Yagami, Kyo Kusanagi,
Benimaru Nikaido, Goro
Daimon,
Andy Bogard,
Terry Bogard,
Joe Higashi,
Ryo Sakazaki,
Robert Garcia,
Takuma Sakazaki,
Mai Shiranui,
King,
Yuri Sakazaki,
Ralf Jones,
Heidern,
Clark Still,
Athena Asamiya, Sie
Kensou,
Chin,
Billy
Kane,
Eiji Kisaragi, Chang Koehan,
Kim Kaphwan,
Choi Bounge,
Saisyu Kusanagi,
Rugal Bernstein, Omega
Rugal
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Featured Video:
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| Related Games: |
The
King of Fighters '94, KOF '94: Re-bout,
KOF '96, KOF '97, KOF
'98, KOF '98 Ultimate Match, 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:
MI Regulation A, KOF: Neowave, KOF
EX Neo Blood,
KOF EX2 Howling Blood,
KOF R1, KOF R2, KOF Collection: Orochi Saga, Savage
Reign, Darkstalkers 2, Fatal
Fury 3, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Street Fighter Alpha, Marvel
Super Heroes, Mortal Kombat 3,
Ultimate MK3, Killer
Instinct 2, Samurai Shodown 3,
WeaponLord |
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Gameplay
Engine
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7.0 / 10
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Story
/ Theme
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8.0 / 10
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Overall
Graphics
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7.5 / 10
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Animation
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6.5 / 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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8.0 / 10
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Customization
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8.0 / 10
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Options / Extras
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6.0 / 10
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Intro / Presentation
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7.0 / 10
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Replayability / Fun
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6.5 / 10
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"Ouch" Factor
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7.5 / 10
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Characters
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7.5 / 10
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BOTTOM LINE
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7.8
/
10
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Review based on Arcade version
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| Final
Words: |
KOF '95 wasn't an entirely different gameplay experience from the first game
(which isn't necessarily a bad thing), but the fact players could customize their own
teams definitely added significant replay value to those who enjoyed the original! As I already stated in the review, the charismatic and colorful new backgrounds of KOF '95 made a huge improvement in the overall visuals, especially when compared to KOF '94.
While not quite as "fluid" or solid as other 2D fighting games of 1995-1996, KOF '95
retained the look, feel, and innovation of the first installment, further cementing SNK's new
series in the genre. Future installments and new characters would take the series to new heights in the near future! KOF '95 also marks the debut of KOF icon, Iori Yagami.
(And he hasn't missed a KOF since.)
~TFG
Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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