TGDB.net - Game news, cheats, solutions, walkthroughs, trainers, saved games and much more!

The King of Fighters '97 Beginner's Reference v.1.2
-----------------------------------------------------

This Reference is designed to help beginning players learn and
understand the basics of KoF '97 -- how to play, which Mode
of play to choose, and so on. The Guide also features a glossary
of terms commonly associated with KoF '97.

--(*) Contents:--
(I.): What is KoF '97?
(II.): Basics: Buttons, Joystick Motions, and Some Notes
About Special Move Motions in KoF '97
(III.): Advanced Mode vs. Extra Mode
(IV.): Game Mechanics
(V.): Glossary of Commonly Used Terms in KoF '97
(VI.): Credits, Version History

(I.) What is KoF '97?

KoF '97 is the fourth installment of SNK's King of Fighters
fighting game series (which began in 1994 with KoF '94); a
series with several interesting features, not the least of which
is Team Play: instead of paying one credit and simply getting
to play one character, KoF lets you choose a Team of three
different characters to compete against other Teams of three!
This year, the KoF tournament returns with a vengeance,
featuring several new faces and plenty of old favorites. Keep
your eye out for gameplay in two completely different Modes,
each with its own set of options to explore.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(II.) BASICS:

Here is the basic control layout.:

--(*) Joystick Key: (When Your Character is Facing to the Right):--

up-bk up up-fwd

O O O

\ | /

bk O - n - O fwd

/ | \

O O O

dwn-bk dwn dwn-fwd

Buttons: "A," "B," "C," "D"

KoF '97 uses the old Fatal Fury 2 button setup:
A-Light Punch C-Heavy Punch
B-Light Kick D-Heavy Kick
CD-Knockdown Attack
(NOTE: CD's can only be performed while jumping or
while standing up. There is no such thing as a "low CD."
NOTE: Standing CD's are the same, close or far, and
are always bufferable.)
Normal Throw-fwd or bk + C or D
(Special moves performed with A or C [punch buttons]
are often written with a "P" to indicate "Punch button"
[e.g. "qcf + P"]; B or D kick moves are likewise written
with a "K" to indicate "Kick button" [e.g. "hcb + K"].)


Joystick Movement:
"up" or "u" = "up" "dwn" or
"d" = "down"
"fwd" or "f" = "forward" "bk" or
"b" = "back"
"up-fwd" or "uf" = "up-forward" "dwn-bk" or
"db" = "down-back"
"n" = "joystick neutral [centered]"

"qcf" = "quarter circle forward" (dwn, dwn-fwd, fwd)
"qcb" = "quarter circle back" (dwn, dwn-bk, bk)
"hcf" = "half-circle forward" (bk, dwn-bk, dwn, dwn-fwd, fwd)
"hcb" = "half-circle back" (fwd, dwn-fwd, dwn, dwn-bk, bk)
"charge dwn, up" = "hold joystick down briefly, then move up"
(also: "charge d, u")
"charge bk, fwd" = "hold joystick back briefly, then move forwards"
(also: "charge b, f")
"close" = "perform the move near opponent"
"far" = "perform the move far from opponent"
"standing" = "perform the move while your character is standing"
"low" = "perform the move while your character is crouching"
"jump" = "perform the move while your character is jumping"
"high-block" = "move joystick straight back" (used to block
most standing attacks and jumping attacks
"low-block" = "move joystick to dwn-bk" (used to block most
low attacks)

--(*) A Few Notes About Special Move Motions in KoF '97:--

Charge-Moves: A "Charge Move" is one that requires the player to
"charge" the joystick briefly in one direction, then quickly
move the joystick in another direction [usually the opposite]
and press [a] button(s). An example of this is Ralf's
"Gatling Punch," (charge bk, fwd + P).

Note1: KoF '97, like its predecessor KoF '96, sometimes has a
bit of trouble detecting charge-motions -- because of this,
players must be fairly 'precise' about buffering charges.
Make sure that you have charged the move long enough,
or it simply will not come out as such.

Note2: It also seems that charge-moves are more easily detected
when joystick diagonals (dwn-bk especially) are used to
charge, instead of straight directions (joystick bk or dwn).

Note3: In KoF '97, as with KoF '96, a charge-move may not be
'held' at the very start of a round of play. This means
that if you would like to start your round with a charge
move, you may only start charging up the move after the
round begins.

Note4: In KoF'97, as with KoF '96, a charge may not be 'held'
when switching the joystick from the dwn-bk to the bk
position. This means that if you are buffering a charge low
and you find you need to 'block high,' you will lose the
low-charge you have been buffering.

(There are 6 characters in KoF '97 equipped with charge-moves;
they are Leona, Kim Kapwhan, Ralf, Blue Mary, Chang
Koehan and Choi Bounge.)

Manual Moves: A Manual Move is really just any special move
that does not require a Charge to perform. Examples of
this are Ryo's "Kohoh" (fwd, dwn, dwn-fwd + P), and Terry's
"Burn Knuckle" (qcb + P).

Note1: In the previous game, KoF '96, there was a troublesome
problem with move-detection: moves that were performed
using quarter-circles (i.e. qcf / qcb) came out easily
enough, while moves performed with half-circles
(i.e. hcf / hcb) would often "not come out." This year the
converse seems to be true: half-circle motions are extremely
easy to do, while quarter-circle motions seem less reliable.

Note2: In order to deal with this problem, many KoF players
from around the world have sought out 'shortcuts;' easier,
more reliable ways to do quarter- and half- circle motions.
The following is a list of the most currently known shortcuts:

'Formal' Motion Shortcut:
hcf dwn-bk -> fwd
hcb dwn-fwd -> bk
qcf dwn -> dwn-fwd
qcb dwn -> dwn-bk
fwd, dwn, dwn-fwd fwd -> n -> dwn-fwd
qcf, hcb dwn -> dwn-fwd -> bk
qcb, hcf dwn -> dwn-bk -> fwd
hcf x 2 (dwn-bk -> fwd) x 2
hcb x 2 (dwn-fwd -> bk) x 2

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(III.): Advanced Mode vs. Extra Mode

KoF '97 lets players play their teams in one of two Modes:
Advanced Mode and Extra Mode.:

----ADVANCED MODE----
Features:
*Roll Forwards: n + AB or fwd + AB
*Roll Backwards: bk + AB
*Run Forwards:
tap fwd, hold fwd
OR
tap fwd, hold dwn-fwd
*Dash Backwards: tap bk, tap bk / tap bk, hold bk
*Normal Jump: push joystick up-bk / up / up-fwd
*Short Hop Jump: tap joystick up-bk / up / up-fwd
*Super Jump:
push joystick dwn-bk -> push joystick up-fwd /
push joystick dwn -> push joystick up /
push joystick dwn-fwd -> push joystick up-bk
OR
while running forwards -> push joystick up-fwd
*Super Short Hop:
push joystick dwn-bk -> tap joystick up-fwd /
push joystick dwn -> tap joystick up /
push joystick dwn-fwd -> tap joystick up-bk
OR
push joystick qcf, up-fwd -> tap joystick dwn-bk
push joystick qcb, up-bk -> tap joystick dwn-fwd
OR
while running forwards -> tap joystick up-fwd
*Throw Escape: when grabbed by a normal throw,
you may escape from it by quickly pressing
a button (A/B/C/D)
*May Hold up to 3 POW stocks
*POW Explode (go intoMAX): Press ABC (costs 1 stock)
*On MAX: characters deal 25% extra damage
*DM's cost one stock to perform
*SDM: on MAX, perform DM (costs 2 stocks total)
one must be used to POW explode, the other is
used for the DM itself
*Dash-in Special Moves/DM: while dashing forwards,
"cancel" the dashing animation into a special move or
S/DM [one that does not require a charge bk, fwd
motion; or Ryo's hcf + P Punch Dance].
*Dash-in Normal Throw: while dashing forwards,
stop, then immediately throw by:
fwd, hold fwd (to dash) -> n -> bk + C/D OR
fwd, hold fwd (to dash) -> n -> fwd + C/D
*Standard Features:
-MAX roll: with a stock, press AB (costs 1 stock)
-CD Counter: with a stock, press CD (costs 1 stock)
-Roll Recover: when knocked down, immediately
press AB
-Taunt: Press Start (does not affect gameplay)

--Building up POW--
*Advanced Mode has an orange bar called a "POW meter," and
next to it are three 'boxes' that are initially empty. As the
Advanced Mode Player attacks, performs special moves
or defends, the POW meter will begin to fill up. When the
POW meter is full, it will reset to empty, and one of the three
'boxes' will be filled with a green dot, known commonly as a
"POW stock" [or simply a "stock"]. As the player then continues
to attack, perform special moves or defend, the now empty
POW meter will begin to refill; when it does, it will empty out
again, and the player will receive another stock in another box.
Players may accumulate up to three stocks [one in each box].
*With one stock, the player may:
-Perform a "DM," or Desperation Move (also known as a "Super
Move"): Each character has his or her own specific arsenal
of DM's. When a character performs his/her DM, s/he emits
a blue flash, and the entire screen darkens briefly to black.
-"Cancel" his/her block-stun with a "MAX roll": An Advanced
Mode player with a stock may, the next time s/he blocks an
attack, press AB (or fwd + AB) to do MAX roll forwards, or
bk + AB to MAX roll backwards. The player may find this
advantageous, as s/he can use this to break out of block-stun,
to get clear to safety or perhaps set up a counterattack.
Be aware, however, that a MAX roll costs you one POW stock.
-"Cancel" his/her block-stun with a "CD counter": An Advanced
Mode player with a stock, may, the next time s/he blocks an
attack, press CD to do a CD counter -- this is a fast, high
priority counterattack that nearly always knocks the opponent
down. Players should be warned that CD counters will "cost"
one stock, and do very little damage; some players may wish
to conserve stocks for MAX rolls to set up counterattacks
or to perform a far more damaging S/DM later on in the matchup;
though using a CD counter is a good way to break out of a
multi-hitting special move, especially when you are low on life.
-Press ABC to "POW explode": An Advanced Mode player with a
stock may press ABC to POW explode -- after this is done, the