The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga has been released today for Wii, PS2 and PSP by developer Ignition Entertainment and publisher SNK Playmore.
The collection will bring together all the King of Fighters games in the “Orochi Saga”, which took place between KOF ’94 through ’98. King of Fighters, in case you aren’t aware, was originally established by SNK to pit characters from their various fighting game franchises (The Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury) against each other.
“For fans of the KOF series and fighting games in general, this collection is something to look forward to.” says Peter Rollinson, Product Manager, Ignition Entertainment Ltd. “These titles were the foundation to a franchise that is still going strong today.”
Features of the King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga are:
* Contains 5 The King of Fighters releases: The King of Fighters ’94, The King of Fighters ’95, The King of Fighters ’96, The King of Fighters ’97 and The King of Fighters ’98
* Choose from over 60 playable characters across the titles
* Classic 2D Arcade fighting action
* Personalize your favorite character with the ‘Color Edit Mode’
Here is the story of the Orochi Saga according to each game:
The King of Fighters ’94
The year is 1994. Invitations to the King of Fighters tournament have been sent to the world’s greatest warriors. However, the patron of this little party remains unknown. It cannot be Geese, nor can it be Krauser. So who could they be from…? Among all the hopes and doubts, the legendary superstars of the fighting world begin to form their mighty teams. The intensity of the fan’s excitement reaches a fevered pitch as the tournament finally approaches its beginning.
The King of Fighers ’96
It’s 1995, and again invitations to the King of Fighters tournament have found their way to the world’s most powerful fighters. The invitations have been signed with only the letter ‘R’. Could the ‘R’ be that of Rugal, who reportedly died 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 had beaten, and now replaced, the American Team. But what is Billy planning? What ambitions does Kisaragi hold? And what evil designs for his old foe Kyo Kusanagi spurs Iori Yagami on?
The King of Fighters ‘96
Unlike the mystery surrounding previous KOF competitions, KOF ’96 has become a major international event sponsored by a number of huge corporations. Preliminary contests have been held in various areas throughout the world. This time, however, there is a team among them who cannot fail to raise eyebrows, composed of Geese Howard, Wolfgang Krauser, and Mr. BIG. The three who once attempted to conquer the world are now but mere contestants in this tournament. Is their object, perhaps, to do away with the Bogard brothers or the disciples of Kyokugen karate? If that weren’t enough to surprise…Iori Yagami appears once again, teamed up with a pair of mysterious women. How will the rivalry between Iori and Kyo Kusanagi that has cursed their two families since ancient time play out this time around? This is KOF ’96, held as an official recognized sporting event, over which dark clouds have already started to gather….
KOF ’96 tournament drew to a close with an incident that occurred right after the tournament’s end. The incident itself and the subsequent accident it caused were officially reported as the result of terrorist activity by an unknown group, but the details concerning the identity, motives, and subsequent whereabouts of the terrorists remained a mystery.
The King of Fighters ’97
In spite of this incident, however, the KOF ’96 tournament was an overwhelming worldwide commercial success. A few months after, the event triggered a fighting craze and various large corporations, expressing interest, offered to sponsor subsequent tournaments, leading to a demand for an eagerly awaited KOF ’97. Word of the tournament came through all forms of the media, and fans from far and wide gathered to witness the white-hot preliminary battles. Concomitant to the preliminary matches, came the construction of various KOF stadiums throughout the world. What team will win the tournament that the eyes of the whole world will look on and wear the KOF crown of victory? And does an incident similar to the unexpected accident of last year’s tournament threaten to mar the festivities? All of the world’s attention is focused on this year’s tournament. KOF ’97 is here!
The King of Fighters ‘98
Known as a “Dream Match” KOF 98 contains the greatest fighters up to this point in the KOF history. A total of 38 characters making up 12 teams plus bonus and hidden characters.