King of Fighters is one of those series that no matter how badly it gets trashed in its twilight years, its early stages of existence will always hold a special place in my heart. How could you not hold dear the series that introduced the concept of Tag Teams, series cross-over elements, and stretched the word ‘cameo’ as far as it could go?

All characters were re-drawn from their previous incarnations, so that there would be a universal look to the line-up. Beautiful special effects, gorgeous and surprisingly well animated, lively backgrounds help support the character animations. To this day I am still partial to SNK’s old school style of flame and water animation over more modern techniques. Several of the players also carry hidden animations which would only be triggered when fighting a particular person. Sie’s ‘choke-on-the-rice-ball’ intro that appears randomly is probably my all-time favorite.

Combo set-ups and attack patterns were standard fare for the time, meaning the game can be picked up instantly if you even have the slightest knowledge of the genre. Quarter circle motions, charge attacks, and ‘uppercut’ button commands are the norm. A POW meter allows for a Super Move to be performed, usually requiring double the controller input and twice the button presses to be executed.

Options include Team 3 on 3, Single on Single, Single Battle Royal (where you take on all 24 individually), and several game options. Included is the ability to assign your special moves to the PlayStation shoulder buttons.  

Bringing together characters from Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, Psycho Soldier, Ikari Warriors, 24 total combatants take the stage in a world fighting tournament hosted by a mysterious figure known as Rugal. To the victor go the spoils, the game ending, and your name in the credits.

• Trivia
•  This was the first SNK game to be converted over to the Playstation.



• -          Although released in a superior version on the Japanese Saturn using Ram Cart technologies, Sony of America took SNK under its publishing wing to make sure all US releases were PSX exclusive.



•  Like Samurai Shodown 3, King of Fighters ’95 was tweaked when it came to America. The Western version features better load times and several minor bug fixes.



• Was the first game in the King of Fighters series to offer a Team Edit function, where you were allowed to choose your three team members.



• PS2 ‘Fast Load’ option helps this game immensely.



• The instruction manual’s back page features an ad for Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood and Real Bout: Fatal Fury. The latter was never released stateside.



•  There are many cameo appearances made throughout the game, including other characters from the Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting games.



• One of the earliest (and few) 2D fighting games on the PlayStation to feature large amounts of foreground animations. Examples include the camp fire level's grass, Italy's water splashing, and the Psycho Soldier team's waterfall.



• Rugal, the game's end boss, has two secretaries that update him on the tournament during in-game cinemas. These two characters would go on to join Iori as playable characters in KoF '96. They are Mature and Vice. Saisyu is the game's only new original character. The other additions were from previously existing games.



• King of Fighters '95 is also available on the GameBoy, Neo-Geo, and Neo-Geo CD.



• Thanks to the Team Edit function, there are 2000+ team variations possible. Upon release, featured the most playable characters in a 2D fighting game.