When it comes to fighting games, SNK Playmore has easily produced some of the most memorable franchises out there. From the likes of King Of Fighters and Fatal Fury, a lot of the fighting game genre’s most iconic series, characters, techniques, and even gameplay mechanics have come from an SNK title.
And while the King Of Fighters and Fatal Fury franchises are just some landmark series from the hit publisher, there are still some fighting games under their belt that fans and fighting game enthusiasts hail as their best creations. For fighting game fans, just which SNK fighting games are perhaps the best from their slate?
10 Breakers (1996)
Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo, Dreamcast
With the popularity of Street Fighter 2, it makes sense for other publishers to try and catch up with their own fighting game iterations. One would say Breakers in 1996 was one such title, as while it does bear a resemblance to the mechanics of Fatal Fury at the time, there are still noticeable differences. For instance, back-steps and dashes differ from character to character, post-fall standing can accommodate moving, and a power gauge fillable via special actions.
Even the plot seems inspired by Street Fighter 2, this time set at the time of a Fighting Instinct Tournament, or FIST, in which Sho Kamui joins to further improve his strength. He meets various allies and enemies, as well as a rival in the form of Lee Dao-Long. Despite the similar elements from Street Fighter 2 and the unfortunate lack of an engaging plot, Breakers still holds enough prowess to become entertaining given its solid grasp of mechanics.
9 King Of The Monsters (1991)
Platforms: Neo Geo AES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Wii, PS2, PSP
When fans hear the term “fighting game,” they often think of the world’s best fighters duking it out in an arena. However, SNK’s King Of The Monsters already turns this trend on its head, as the entirety of Japan becomes the arena for this crazy fighting game.
At its core, King Of The Monsters is set in a futuristic 1996 Japan, where players take the role of one of six monsters as they duke it out in six cities in order to prove they’re the best among the monsters. A lot of the characters here are based on popular monsters from kaiju and tokusatsu genres, including Geon (similar to Godzilla), Woo (a giant gorilla-like King Kong), and Astro Guy (a large superhero like Ultraman).
8 Art Of Fighting 2 (1994)
Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo, PS2, SNES, Wii, PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Prime Gaming
While the original Art Of Fighting gave fans the likes of Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia that became hit SNK characters, it’s actually Art Of Fighting 2 that introduced more faces such as Yuri that made a mark in the overall SNK landscape. Its story is set a year after the first game, with Geese Howard once again gathering the world’s best fighters in a new “The King Of Fighters” tournament.
Gameplay-wise, Art Of Fighting 2 already follows traditional fighting game conventions, such as two-out-of-three matches, unique fighting styles, and various special techniques. New to the franchise is the Spirit Gauge that is used up while performing special attacks, eventually weakening the player that uses them. Taunting is also a tactical maneuver, wherein using it can further lower the Spirit Gauge of the opponent.
7 Samurai Shodown 2 (1994)
Platforms: Arcade
Despite being released only a year after the first game, Samurai Shodown 2 is a mastercraft of the game’s novel mechanics. Aside from introducing a lot of new characters while retaining the old ones, many improvements had to do with adding more moves, improving response control, and even the option of breaking a character’s weapon temporarily and forcing them to fight unarmed.
The game takes place a year after the first game, where a new threat in the form of vengeful spirit Mizuki Rashojin wants to cause worldwide wanton destruction. Characters from the first game who used to fight against Amakusa will have to join forces against this otherworldly threat.
6 Fatal Fury: King Of Fighters (1991)
Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo, SNES, Sega Genesis, Wii, PS2, PSP, Wii
The first game in the Fatal Fury series, Fatal Fury: King Of Fighters became not just the first title in the aforementioned franchise but also the first to introduce the fictional “King Of Fighters” tournament, which would then become the eponymous fighting tourney for the King Of Fighters series. At its core, the game not only marks the debut of brothers Terry and Andy Bogard, but also the terrifying Geese Howard.
Aside from following typical fighting game rules, Fatal Fury does boast an eight-directional joystick layout, with three attack buttons having different effects depending on both the combo and the direction input. One of the best aspects of Fatal Fury is its two-lane battles, where players can switch between lanes - the foreground and the background - to change the environment of their fights.
5 The Last Blade 2 (1998)
Platforms: Neo Geo, PS4, PS Vita
It’s not all the time that SNK releases a weapons-based fighting game, and The Last Blade 2 doesn’t disappoint. Taking place a year after the first game, The Last Blade talks of the “Messenger from Afar” that helped bridge life and death. The game also talks of how characters will interact with the mysterious Hell’s Gate, previously held by the Sealing Rite, but is now currently open due to Suzaku’s madness from the first game.
This sequel retains a large part of the mechanics from the first game. Characters have two selectable fighting styles: Speed Mode which prioritizes chaining that can end in a Super Move or a Speed Combo, or a Power Mode that exponentially increases damage and access to Super Desperation Moves and Super Cancels. The game also has a deflect system that can leave opponents vulnerable for counters when timed properly.
4 The King Of Fighters 13 (2010)
Platforms: Arcade, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, Android, PC
SNK rode on the hype of The King Of Fighters 12 being a compelling game in new console generations and created The King Of Fighters 13, arguably one of the best KOF entries in newer devices. The game takes place during yet another King Of Fighters tournament, with players soon discovering its organizers being Those From The Promised Land, the shadowy organization that wants to take the power of the sealed demon Orochi. The game also serves as the conclusion of the storyline of Ash Crimson, yet another mysterious flame user.
Gameplay-wise, The King Of Fighters 13 vastly improves upon the mechanics of its predecessors. It introduced a larger roster of characters and reorganized them into three-man teams, adding classic game modes, and introducing new features. These include EX Mode which transforms super moves into Super Special Moves and Hyper Drive Mode which gives players unlimited Drive Cancels that open up new combo opportunities.
3 NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (2005)
Platforms: Arcade, PS2, Xbox Live Arcade, PSN
With a publisher and developer like SNK being known for its fighting games, it’s bound to release an all-out fighting game featuring its best characters - and this is exactly what NeoGeo Battle Coliseum did in 2005. Its official plot is set in the year 2017 when the WAREZ Conglomerate is seeking to rule the NeoGeo World. In the process, it created the NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, where undercover agents Yuki and Ai of the federal government were tasked to infiltrate.
The game itself features popular characters from 11 games such as The King Of Fighters, Fatal Fury, Art Of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, and more. In terms of gameplay, Battle Coliseum is set as a 2-on-2 tag-team system. Instead of being a typical fighting game, players instead act as a survival mode, where players need to eliminate enemy after enemy for as long as they can throughout 300 seconds. By then, the players will have to face a boss based on their performance.
2 The King Of Fighters ‘98 (1998)
Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo, PS2
It’s not all the time that a fighting game always has to have a story, as The King Of Fighters ‘98 doesn’t exactly have something of a plot. Instead, the game is marketed as a “dream match” where players can mix and match teams from all KOF games - including those who actually died - and let players have them fight.
While the game doesn’t differ much from KOF ‘97, The King Of Fighters ‘98 does shine with slight gameplay mechanics and its expanded roster. Aside from including the core ‘97 cast, it also includes various characters from previous games. Gameplay-wise, the game retains much of the ‘97 core rules, such as the choice between fighting styles - the Advance and Extra styles - as well as giving the losing team an advantage whenever one of their characters loses a round.
1 Garou: Mark Of The Wolves (1999)
Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo
Perhaps SNK’s best fighting game is the last installment of the Fatal Fury series, Garou: Mark Of The Wolves. This 1999 game takes place a decade after the death of crime lord Geese Howard, where the city of Southtown was renamed Second Southtown to mark its reformation. However, old habits die hard, and another fighting tournament called "King of Fighters: Maximum Mayhem" takes place in the area, where fighters related to participants of the previous tournaments join. One such participant is Rock Howard, Geese’s son, who also becomes the protege of Terry Bogard, the only returning hero from the previous games.
Aside from the new plot, Garou: Mark Of The Wolves does employ new and invigorating mechanics to its combat system. For instance, while two-lane fighting disappears, the game has a Tactical Offense Position (TOP), which is triggered when characters reach a certain health. The TOP Mode boosts the character’s attack damage, gives a special TOP Attack, and facilitates slight health recovery. In fact, there’s also a Just Defend system that gives players a bit of health and a counter-attack chance if they block an attack just before it hits.