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The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320)
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- Console
- Arcade
- Release
- 1997
- Players
- 2P sim
About The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320)
SNK Neo-Geo MVS cart. published 29 years ago:
The King of Fighters '97 (c) 1997 SNK.
9 teams of 3 and 2 solo entries pump the number of selectable characters up to 29 in a battle to defeat the evil Orochi and those infected with his blood.
- TECHNICAL -
Runs on the SNK "Neo-Geo MVS" hardware. GAME ID: NGM-232
[SNK MVS Neo-Geo Controls] 2 players - 4 buttons per player. [JOYSTICK] 8-way, [A] Weak punch, [B] Weak kick, [C] Strong punch, [D] Strong kick
- TRIVIA -
Released in July 1997.
Yuri has a long record of taking movements from other characters, especially Capcom (see previous KOF entries). In this new opus: Yuri's new special attack 'Hien Rekkou' is a knock off of Ken's Shoryuu Reppa.
Roddy and Cathy from "Top Hunter - Roddy & Cathy" appear in the Kowloon background at the extreme left. Other characters appearing in the Kowloon stage are: Roddy Birts and Lenny Creston from "Art of Fighting 3 - The Path of the Warrior". The American Sports team from "The King of Fighters '94". Lee Pai Long, Tung Fu Rue and Jubei Yamada from "Art of Fighting" and "Fatal Fury Special" and King's Waitresses with Rugal's panther.
The Terry's theme music was originally from "Real Bout Fatal Fury Special". The Ryuji Yamazaki and Mary's Blues theme music was originally from "Real Bout Fatal Fury Special". The Athena Asamiya thene music come from "Psycho Soldier".
Player layout in our catalog: 2P sim.
If you are exploring by feel rather than by title, jump from the tags above into the matching genre rooms, or return to the Arcade hall for the full wall.
Open Play on this page to start The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320). Keyboard, USB/Bluetooth pads, and the on-screen touch gamepad all work inside the emulator bar. Save states and fullscreen live on that same bar so you can pause mid-session and resume later.
The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320) — play guide
What KOF '97 asks
The King of Fighters '97 is SNK’s team fighter peak of the mid-90s: build a three-character order, manage ADVANCED or EXTRA mode gauges, and win by exploiting rolls, hops, and run pressure. Your objective in The King of Fighters '97 is to clear the arcade ladder with a team that covers anti-airs and mix, without blowing all Power stocks on unsafe supers. Order matters—point, mid, and anchor should have jobs.
First minutes in KOF '97
Boot The King of Fighters '97 and pick a simple team (e.g., familiar Special Team or Japan Team tools you can input). Choose ADVANCED or EXTRA knowingly: ADVANCED uses Power stocks and Emergency Evade-style tools; EXTRA plays closer to older charge-and-Desperation habits. Spend a credit on short hops, rolls, and one confirm into a special per character. Do not rotate eight characters—lock three. Practice anti-air with a hop button discipline so you stop whiffing fierce punches as fake anti-airs.
ADVANCE/EXTRA, rolls, and team order
The King of Fighters '97 systems: three fighters per credit side, quick max / power gauge rules depending on mode, rolls that pass through some threats, hops that beat certain fireballs, and Desperation Moves / Super moves that cost gauge. Tagless team play means when a character dies, the next enters—order your anchor as the one who can win depleted situations. Combos often rely on cancellable normals into specials and carefully timed jumps. Guard cancel and evade options (mode-dependent) are survival tools, not fidget buttons. Versus CPU, respect rushdown characters who punish fireball addiction.
Score and stocks in KOF '97
Score in The King of Fighters '97 is secondary to team survival and gauge. Continues while learning Orochi-related late fights are normal; one-credit clears need Power stocks for kill confirms and fewer panic supers on block. Extends help long ladders—play steady. Dying with full gauge on your last character is a strategic failure; spend intelligently when it secures the round.
KOF '97 mistakes
The King of Fighters '97 mistakes: mashing full jumps instead of hops; rolling into throws; spending all stocks on the first fight; wrong team order so your weakest character anchors; and ignoring mode differences between ADVANCED and EXTRA. Players also anti-air late because they wait for big buttons. Fix by drilling hop anti-airs and locking a team order for a week of credits.
After KOF '97
KOF ’96 is SNK team literacy if KOF ’97’s ADV/EXT mode still feels opaque—re-learn anti-air peeks there first. KOF ’98 keeps SNK dream-match company warm. Fatal Fury Special is SNK once KOF ’97 team honesty finally sticks and you want denser plane stress instead of KOF ’97 boards. Counters drop once panic-mash specials stop mid-bout. Win one careful match before vanity specials return on denser SNK cabinets.
Sources cited below under Further reading.
Cabinet dossier
The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320) is filed in our catalog as a 1997 release.
Player layout on this cabinet: 2P sim.
Genre tags on Classic Arcade Games: Fighter, Arcade.
Screenshots
Next cabinets
Nearby cabinets you may also open from this hall (each on its own play page):The King of Fighters '95 (NGM-084), The King of Fighters '96 (NGM-214), The King of Fighters 2000 (NGM-2570 ~ NGH-2570), The King of Fighters 2001 (NGM-262?), The King of Fighters 2002 (NGM-2650 ~ NGH-2650), The King of Fighters 2003 (NGM-2710, Export), The King of Fighters '94 (NGM-055 ~ NGH-055), The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match HERO (China, V100, 09-08-23), Quiz King of Fighters (SAM-080 ~ SAH-080), The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420), The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510), The King of Fighters 2003 (Japan, JAMMA PCB)
Explore more on this site
Same series
The King of Fighters '95 (NGM-084) · The King of Fighters '96 (NGM-214) · The King of Fighters 2000 (NGM-2570 ~ NGH-2570) · The King of Fighters 2001 (NGM-262?) · The King of Fighters 2002 (NGM-2650 ~ NGH-2650) · The King of Fighters 2003 (NGM-2710, Export) · The King of Fighters '94 (NGM-055 ~ NGH-055) · The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match HERO (China, V100, 09-08-23) · Quiz King of Fighters (SAM-080 ~ SAH-080) · The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420) · The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510) · The King of Fighters 2003 (Japan, JAMMA PCB)
Same genre
The King of Fighters '95 (NGM-084) · The King of Fighters '96 (NGM-214) · The King of Fighters 2000 (NGM-2570 ~ NGH-2570) · The King of Fighters 2001 (NGM-262?) · The King of Fighters 2002 (NGM-2650 ~ NGH-2650) · The King of Fighters 2003 (NGM-2710, Export) · The King of Fighters '94 (NGM-055 ~ NGH-055) · The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match HERO (China, V100, 09-08-23) · Quiz King of Fighters (SAM-080 ~ SAH-080) · The King of Fighters '98 - The Slugfest / King of Fighters '98 - Dream Match Never Ends (NGM-2420) · The King of Fighters '99 - Millennium Battle (NGM-2510) · The King of Fighters 2003 (Japan, JAMMA PCB)
How to play The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320) online
- Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start.
- USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
- On phones, open the on-screen pad from the emulator bar; rotate sits next to fullscreen.
- Save states, load, volume, and fullscreen stay on the emulator bar between credits.
Questions about The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320)
Can I play The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320) free in a browser?
Yes. Classic Arcade Games hosts The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320) as a Arcade cabinet you can start on this page. The emulator loads in the browser; you do not need to install a separate app.
What controls does The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320) support?
Arcade stick feel: Arrow keys for the joystick, X/Z (and nearby keys) for buttons, Enter=Start. USB / Bluetooth pads map cleanly; six-button fighters use the face-button cluster.
Are there other games in the same series as The King of Fighters '97 (NGM-2320)?
Yes — related series cabinets on this site include The King of Fighters '95 (NGM-084), The King of Fighters '96 (NGM-214), The King of Fighters 2000 (NGM-2570 ~ NGH-2570), The King of Fighters 2001 (NGM-262?), The King of Fighters 2002 (NGM-2650 ~ NGH-2650), The King of Fighters 2003 (NGM-2710, Export), The King of Fighters '94 (NGM-055 ~ NGH-055), The King of Fighters '98: Ultimate Match HERO (China, V100, 09-08-23). Each has its own play page with the same browser emulator path.
Further reading
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