King of Fighters ’96 and ’97 took the series further away from the traditional Capcom style of play. ‘96’s ideas were, like ’94, a bit rough around the edges, but ’97 refined the new direction. The tweaked rolling system meant rounds were up close and very personal: it’s easy to see where ‘98’s ‘The Slugfest’ caption originated from. Characters we rebalanced in ’97, and SNK went out of their way to sprinkle embellishments over the proceedings with custom endings, win poses and specialised introductions when certain characters fought each other.

’98 is where everything comes together. Billed as a ‘special edition’ because it was non-canonised, there’s a daunting amount of content even today. The roster was expanded to include almost everyone that’s appeared in a KoF game, Rugal was added as a playable character from the start and the new tweaks meant that the losing team was given a slight advantage to their super meter. The Advanced and Extra modes from ’97 returned, although Advanced remained, ironically, the easiest system to use. The Orochi storyline was done away with, giving you constant fighting as soon as you finish picking your team, helping lend credibility to the idea that the series was for hardcore fighting fans.

The games, emulated directly from their arcade versions on this compilation, are an excellent example of the genre. But that goes without saying: the series has endured for fifteen years for a reason, after all. It’s interesting to see The King of Fighters evolve over the iterations, and having an easily accessible version of KoF ’98 on a handheld console is a fantastic idea.

The only downside to the compilation is, unfortunately, pretty serious: the PSP port is abysmal, falling down at every opportunity. The sloppy d-pad and diminutive analog nub ensure controlling the characters is fiddly, especially when trying to pull off intricate supers, and the UMD format means that the poorly optimised emulator code stutters to a complete halt with alarming regularity. The game often pauses to load for five to ten seconds after every single round, going so far as to occasionally halt during the game during play to read the UMD.

It’s a shining example of how not to port a game.

With KoF XII on the imminent horizon, rumours of KoF ’98 hitting XBLA and Street Fighter IV recently released, it’s a good time to be a fan of fighting games. Five iconic fighters on a reasonably priced UMD should have been a sure-fire hit, but the ridiculous technical issues that plague The Orochi Saga make it hard to recommend to anyone. The King of Fighters deserves better than this sloppy port.

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