Turns out Capcom isn't the only company sprucing up an old fighting game on Xbox Live Arcade. A list of games that'll appear at the Tokyo Game Show next month has been released online, and one delightful surprise it reveals is that SNK's King of Fighters 98 Ultimate Match is set for release over XBLA next year (translation via Siliconera).

Unlike Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, though, Ultimate Match isn't a remake specific to a digital release -- the game came out in Japanese arcades back in March and on the PlayStation 2 in June. Along with the 2009 release on XBLA, the PlayStation 2 version of the game is set for release in North America next year as well. The remake cleans up the graphics, addresses some balance issues, and adds 10 new characters -- bringing the total up to 64.

As for what, if any, new features the XBLA version will get, we'll probably have to wait until TGS to find out. Hopefully SNK will recognize they are releasing a fighting game in the year 2009, and will add the almost-mandatory online feature everyone will be expecting.

Image courtesy of ArcadeFlyers.com.

great!

OK! bring more of those SNK classics and I will enjoy them AHAHAHAHA

A new 98?

Better buy it!  I've always wanted a copy of 98!

yeah

 Animeman  is right it better be online if it's not it's not worth it. Most all games should have online now that are multiplayer.

I'm just glad they're finally releasin SSII

I've been waiting for Samurai Shodown for ages...thank God it's comin this week!!! =)

Animeman

SNK Playmore's XBLA releases (Fatal Fury Special, Metal Slug 3, and starting this week, Samurai Shodown II) all have online play, so if precedence is any guide, you'll get your online play, so there's nothing to worry about.

No Online. No Sale.

Online is now considered mandatory in any fighting game that wants to sell well here.

Pretty!

Time for a spruce up! I've fallen out of favor with KOF, I think it's time I got back into it again.

I have this for the PS2

This game rocks! The games speed is (slightly) faster, graphics are sharper, and not all of the new characters are legal in tourneys (Goentiz, Ult. Rugal, Orochi, Riot Iori, and Orochi Leona). Otherwise, it's putting a little twist to the game with characters that were not in the original 98 version. Can't wait to play people online!

Agreed, this will have online just as Fatal Fury Special did

That said, I'm not a fan of KOF at all... But I'll probably end up buying it anyways just cause it'll be another 2D online fighter, and this game was mad hype when it came out

I don't give a shit what it looks like.

I just want some KOF on my Xbox 360, as soon as they can give it to me. And also, because I know that KOF12 is coming, sometime next year for 360/PS3, and that game looks fuck all awesome. So this will be nice to hold me over for the real deal, since after all, this is a port of an 10 year old game with added characters and new stages and online play I'm sure.

graphics

Maybe I am just being stuck up here.  But going back to playing a game with graphics like KOF 98 after being able to appreciate the beauty of games like Guilty Gear series would be like going from DVD back to VHS.  It's way out of date and lazy on their part.  I realize they will save money this way, by churning out a copy of the game only moderately better in graphics (which will look like crap on my hdtv).....    i may or may not get this game.   It's amazingly fun (especially with the arcade stick), but it just seems like it won't be worth the 800 to 1200 points that i know they will charge for it.

KOF UM

Having played the PS2 one I can already tell you the sprites are the same as the Neo Geo ones. They MAY have cleaned them up some, but it's still low res.

 

Also this isn't like a Dreamcast port here; this is a port of an arcade game, and those have generally had online play on Xbox.

i hope

i hope by clean up the graphics they mean completely overhaul--  i am fine with 2d graphics (i actually prefer 2d fighters) and i don't even need HD, but anything less than 640 x 480 characters sprites is just atrocious 

RE: Kai_Ozu

Agreed. It would be foolish for SNK/Playmore have KOF98UM without online play for XBLA, IMO.

It will have online.

SNK has been putting online in all of there Xbox home versions of there games for last 4 years. Also the XBLA version of fatal fury special on Xbox live right now has online play.

Online?

It's NOT a given that the game will have online play. Namco didn't add online play to the port of the Dreamcast Soulcalibur, so I am interested to know if SNK will ensure we can play KOF online.