The King of Fighters 231546 225680586 2008-07-14T21:38:15Z 201.13.209.190 /* General */ '''''The King of Fighters''''' (ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ, Za Kingu obu Faitāzu), officially abbreviated '''''KOF''''', is a series of [[fighting game]]s by [[SNK Playmore]], formerly SNK. The series was originally [[video game developer|developed]] for SNK's [[Neo Geo (console)|Neo-Geo MVS]] arcade hardware, which served as the main platform for the series until [[2004]], when SNK retired the MVS in favor of the [[Atomiswave]] arcade board and will move the series to the [[Taito Type X|Taito Type X<sup>2</sup>]] with the release of ''[[The King of Fighters XII]]''. [[Porting|Ports]] of the [[arcade game]]s and original ''The King of Fighters'' games have been released for the [[Neo Geo CD]], [[Neo Geo Pocket]], [[Game Boy]] and [[Game Boy Advance]], [[N-Gage]], [[Sega Saturn]] and [[Dreamcast|Sega Dreamcast]], [[PlayStation]] and [[PlayStation 2]], and [[Xbox]]. The most recent game in the series, ''[[The King of Fighters XI]]'', was released on [[October 26]], [[2005]]. == Overview == {{further|[[List of The King of Fighters games]]}} <!-- Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:The King of Fighters - Cast2.jpg|thumb|400px|''The King of Fighters'' is known for the large number of fighters it has had throughout the series.|{{deletable image-caption|1=Sunday, 4 November 2007}}]] --> The first game in the series, ''[[The King of Fighters '94]]'' was released by SNK in [[1994]]. The game was originally designed to be a dream match of characters from the company's various arcade titles, particularly ''[[Fatal Fury]]'', ''[[Art of Fighting]]'', ''[[Ikari Warriors]]'' and ''[[Psycho Soldier]]''. The success of the game lead to SNK to release yearly installments of the series and numbered the games for the year they were released. However, this naming system posed problems similar to those with [[sports game]]s named by year: once the new yearly edition debuts, consumers often perceive the previous year's edition as outdated and less desirable to own. In order to combat this, SNK frequently rotates which characters take part in the current year's edition, encouraging fans of omitted characters to buy and play older editions. Additionally, SNK could not always release its console version of the arcade game in the same year for which it was titled. By 2004, SNK abandoned yearly releases of the series and numbered future games in a more traditional manner; the first main series game released as such was ''The King of Fighters XI''. In 2004, SNK produced the first [[3D computer graphics|3D]] installment of the series, ''[[KOF: Maximum Impact]]''. The game and its two [[sequel]]s revises much of the backstory for characters and settings from previous games. The producer of the ''Maximum Impact'' series, [[Falcoon]], stated that the ''Maximum Impact'' games are in a different [[Canon (fiction)|canon]] from the original series of games.<ref name="micanon">{{cite web | url=http://ffl.sakura.ne.jp/topic/nikki_h17-m04.htm | title=SNKプレイモア&FALCOON氏 独占インタビュー記事 | work=[http://ffl.sakura.ne.jp/index.htm 格闘ゲーム総合サイト FFL ~Fighters Front Line] | accessmonthday= February 27 | accessyear=2008 |language=Japanese}}</ref> The King of Fighters tournament, the namesake of this series, actually originated in ''Fatal Fury'', a classic SNK fighting game that predated the ''KOF'' series. ''[[Fatal Fury 2]]'' and ''[[Art of Fighting|Art of Fighting 2]]'' also revisited the tournament before SNK released ''KOF '94''. ''The King of Fighters'' games have had a number of villains as their individual end bosses. The first of these was [[Rugal|Rugal Bernstein]] in ''KOF '94'' who had a tendency to submerge his defeated foes in liquid metal, turning them into grisly trophies commemorating his victories. During the Orochi saga (1995-1997), [[Orochi (The King of Fighters)|Orochi]] is introduced as an ominous demonic force from ancient times, seeking revenge on those who imprisoned it and that it's aided by his four heralds. In the NESTS Chronicles (1999-2001), a mysterious organization called NESTS attempts to [[kidnapping|kidnap]] and succeeds in cloning [[Kyo Kusanagi]] in hopes of using his power to take over the world. The leader of NESTS, who called himself [[List of NESTS agents#Igniz|Igniz]] hoped to amass enough power to become a god. Other villains in the series include [[Geese Howard]], [[Leopold Goenitz]], and [[List of characters in The King of Fighters series#Ash Crimson|Ash Crimson]]. Other villains in later games include [[Mukai]] and "Those From the Past" that he affiliates himself with, including [[Magaki]], as well as the Mephistopheles group. == Other Media == === Manhua === A [[manhua]] adaptation of ''KOF'' titled ''The King of Fighters: Zillion'' was created by [[Andy Seto]]. Hong Kong artists, Wing Yang and King Tung produced further manhua for the games, starting in ''The King of Fighters 2001'' through ''2003'' along with the ''Maximum Impact'' series.<ref name="kofanivmanhua">{{cite web |last=Shiroi | first= Eiji | url=http://kofaniv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/comment/remember_kof.php?num=6| title=''Remembrances of KOF: An Interview with Eiji'' | work=[http://kofaniv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/index.html King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website] | accessmonthday= January 18 | accessyear=2008 | language=English}}</ref> === Film and Animation === During [[August 2005]], a short [[anime]] series based upon ''KOF'' entitled ''[[The King of Fighters: Another Day]]'' was announced. It debuted at the year's [[Tokyo Game Show]] about a month later. [[Production I.G]] produced the title as an [[Original Net Animation|original net animation]]. There are a total of four episodes, each about 10 minutes in length (but considerably less, when accounting for the end credits). It has since been released as a bonus DVD, packaged with ''KOF: Maximum Impact 2'' (''The King of Fighters 2006'' in the [[United States|US]]). A live-action movie of ''The King of Fighters'' will begin shooting in the first quarter of 2008.<ref name="movie1">{{cite web |last=Plunkett |first=Luke | url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/nobody-ever-learns/gordon-chan-directing-king-of-fighters-flick-262022.php | title=Nobody Ever Learns ~ Gordon Chan Directing King Of Fighters Flick | work=[http://kotaku.com/ Kotaku, the Gamer's Guide] | accessmonthday= February 27 | accessyear=2008 |language=English}}</ref><ref name="movie2">{{cite web |last=Frater |first=Patrick | url=http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=Cannes2007&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1117965243&cs=1 | title=Chan takes on 'King of Fighters' | work=[http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=cannes2007 Cannes Film Festival by Variety.] | accessmonthday= February 27 | accessyear=2008 |language=English}}</ref> The movie will be directed by action director Gordan Chan (''[[The Medallion]]'', ''[[Fist of Legend]]''). Production is by Axis Entertainment's Joseph Chou (currently producing upcoming ''[[Appleseed Ex Machina]]'') and Tim Kwok of [[Los Angeles, California|LA]]-based Convergence Entertainment (''Wicked City'') and will be jointly financed by Japanese production and rights management group Micott & Basara and Australian-U.S. sales agent Arclight/Easternlight. The screenplay is being written by ''[[Fearless (2006 film)|Fearless]]'' scriptor Chris Chow. === Card Game === In December 2006, [[Sabertooth Games]] released a ''King of Fighters 2006'' collectable card game set along with ''[[Samurai Shodown V]]'' for it's [[Universal Fighting System]] (UFS) game. Other games like ''[[Street Fighter (series)|Street Fighter]]'' and ''[[Soulcalibur III]]'' are also included into the series. Character starter packs were released for [[Terry Bogard]] and [[Mai Shiranui]]. == See also == * [[List of characters in The King of Fighters series|List of characters in ''The King of Fighters'' series]] * [[List of The King of Fighters teams|List of ''The King of Fighters'' teams]] * ''[[KOF: Maximum Impact]]'' * ''[[SNK vs. Capcom (series)|SNK vs. Capcom]]'' series * ''[[Days of Memories]]'' ==References== ===General=== ===Inline=== <references/> ==External links== ===Official websites=== *[http://kofaniv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/index.html The King of Fighters 10th Anniversary Official Website] ===General=== *[http://snk.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page SNK Wikia] *[http://kingoffighters.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page The King of Fighters Wikia] {{King of Fighters games}} {{King of Fighters Characters}} [[Category:Video game franchises|King of Fighters, The]] [[Category:The King of Fighters]] [[de:The King of Fighters]] [[es:The King of Fighters]] [[fr:The King of Fighters]] [[ko:더 킹 오브 파이터즈]] [[it:The King of Fighters]] [[he:מלך הלוחמים]] [[nl:King of Fighters]] [[ja:ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ]] [[pt:The King of Fighters]] [[th:เดอะ คิง ออฟ ไฟท์เตอร์]] [[tr:King of Fighters]] [[zh:拳皇]]