Mature's FAQ for KoF '98

Mature's FAQ for KoF '98
v. 1.0
2/20/00
"Good night. Forever. Have a million sweet dreams."

by AquaWarlock
([email protected])

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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0. WHY?
I. INTRODUCTION
II. MATURE'S STORYLINE IN KoF
III. KoF '98 BASICS
IV. MOVES + reviews
a. regulars
b. specials
c. desperations (DM/SDM)
V. COMBOS
VI. STRATEGIES
VII. TIDBITS
VIII. CREDITS, THANKS & COPYRIGHTS
-----------------------------------------------

0. WHY?
I know this is VERY late for a KoF '98 FAQ, but hey, almost every other
character is mentioned except her (and Chizuru) and I plan to do one for both to
do them justice.

I. INTRODUCTION

Many people neglect to consider Mature in KoF '98. Sure enough, Mature is not
the quickest character, nor is she the strongest, the greatest comboer, nor even
impressive-looking moves. Mature is a blend of all of them. It is very
apparent that they toned Mature down for '98 while putting it little more "umph"
into Vice (and boy did she wreak as a character in '96). However, the "new"
Mature's variety of moves is what makes her a great character to use. She has a
little something for everybody, and is a great character to try out for anyone.
Anyways, I hope this FAQ will give y'all the confidence to test her around a
little and see what you can do with her. Happy gaming y'all

II. MATURE'S STORYLINE IN KoF
Okay... basic, overly-repeated statistics first:
Birthplace: Unknown
Birthdate: April 8, 1969
Height: 1.77 m (5'8")
Weight: 58 kg (126 lbs)
Blood type: O
Hobbies: Playing with machines, Sculpting & Model-building
Favorite food: Poultry (especially chicken)
Favorite sport: Snow boarding
Most valuable: Her legs
Hates the most: Pigeons, the Yata clan (Kagura)
Fighting style: speed-based attacks & slashing (learned from Goenitz and/or
Rugal)

Mature was mainly a supporting character in the KoF series. In the beginning,
she had served alongside Vice as Rugal's secretaries, and helped Rugal delivered
invitations to the individual teams in the first KoF tournament. However, their
underlying motive is to serve as assassins for her true boss... Goenitz, who had
implanted some of the unholy Orochi into Rugal. If Rugal was to ever activate
the Orochi blood within him, Mature and Vice are to kill him before his rage
became out of control.

Sure enough, in KoF '95 Rugal activated his Orochi energy. But before Vice and
Mature had a chance to act, Rugal self-eliminated himself (he just can't handle
the power...). They reported back to Goenitz, who sent them to another mission
soon afterwards. They are to be Iori Yagami's team-mates for the upcoming KoF
'96 tournament (and it such a coincidence that Iori needed those two because he
beated up his last two team-mates, Eiji and Billy Kane).

Mature and Vice met up with Iori in an alley. Vice fought with Iori, and Mature,
after some observations, praised Iori for his skills and made her proposal to
join up with Iori. Iori agreed under the condition that they don't lay a finger
on his lifelong rival, Kyo Kusanagi. They agreed, and the new Yagami team was
formed.

The new Yagami team was superb and literally a "cut" above the rest. Vice's
superhuman strength and cutting kicks made short work out of her opponents,
Mature's fast fingertips slashed out deep lacerations on her adversaries, and
Iori's fighting passion and purple flame blasts left his rivals charred and
demoraled. This powerful team made it to end of the tournament, and after the
defeat of Orochi seal-keeper Chizuru Kagura, they met up with Goenitz, the
Orochi King of the Wind.

Upon learning of Iori's opposition with Goenitz, Vice and Mature had to make a
quick decision, rather to serve their Orochi master... or Iori Yagami, a man
who, in a matter of a few battles, impressed them with their fighting skills.
They sided with Iori, and with their intuitive abilities, they told Iori of
Goenitz's next moves, allowing him to dodge and counter them. Iori (and Kyo)
defeated Goenitz, and before "disappearing", Goenitz cursed his assistants for
their betrayal and promised them that they won't live through the "Riot of the
Blood".

Vice didn't know what he mean, while Mature had heard of this event before but
still stood rather confused. Just then heard Iori screamed and hollered!
Before they had a chance to react, Riot-of-Blood-Iori gouged his claws into
their bodies, and they're supposedly dead. However, in KoF '98 they
mysteriously returned, and alongside the man who had tried to kill them once
before... what does this all mean?

In KoF '98 (actually in 96 too), Mature is the calm, cool, and collected
influence in the group. She doesn't seem to be influenced much by the Orochi
(maybe she could suppress it, or maybe she doesn't even possess Orochi powers)
unlike Vice & Iori. Mature is also very showy during attacks & win poses... one
does not forget her laugh during Heaven's Gate. All-in-all, Mature likes to
make the best uses of her assets, even if that includes showing a little leg...

III. KoF '98 BASIC CONTROLS

bw - backward
tap bw, bw- back hop (about one-half to two-thirds of screen)
fw - forward
d - down (crouch)
u - up (jump
df - down-forward
db- down-backward
uf- up-forward
ub- up-backward

A- weak punch
B- weak kick
C- strong punch
D- strong kick
CD- Knockdown attack
Start- Taunt (Mature lifts her skirt a little saying "haiyaku" which translates
into "hurry up" in english)
ABC when dizzy- Assist Attack

EXTRA MODE:
*DMs can be made only when POW bar is charged OR when life bar is flashing
(about 1/6)
*POW bar is charged by pressing ABC or by blocking opponent attacks
*SDMS can be made only when POW bar is charged AND when life bar is flashing
little jump- tap u, uf, ub
medium jump- press u, uf, ub
big jump- tap d, then u, uf, ub
tap fw, fw- forward hop
AB- Evade (air & ground)
Any button after Evade- Counterattack
ABC- POW Meter Charge
- Attacks are significantly stronger
Once charged:
AB while blocking: Instant Roll- only when bar is MAXed & depletes bar
CD while blocking: Instant Knockdown- only when bar is MAXED & depletes bar

ADVANCED MODE:
AB- Roll (hold b to roll backwards)
*DMs can be made when one or more green crystals are on your energy bar
*Energy is gained by performing special moves & inflicting damage on opponents
AB while blocking: Instant Roll- depletes one crystal
CD while blocking: Instant Knockdown- depletes one crystal
*ABC- Power-Up (requires 1 crystal)
- All attacks are a bit stronger
- Infinite Instant Rolls & Counters
*SDMs can be performed if you have one crystal and in power-up mode
tap fw, fw- dash (hold fw to continue dashing)
little jump- tap u, uf, ub
medium jump- press u, uf, ub
big jump- tap d, then u, uf, ub or jump during dash

IV MOVES
Usefulness Rating:
(1/5): Promise me you'll only use it in the most desperate times
(2/5): Kinda like drugs... get addicted to 'em and you're screwed
(3/5): Don't rely on these mediocre moves too often, people'll think you're
mediocre
(4/5): Like the Tower of Pisa, good, steady & strong, but push it too much
and...
(5/5): These are God's blessings so use 'em well

IV a. Regular Moves

Standing A (4/5)
Mature does a quick slapping motion with her hand... tap A and she could do up
to 3 hits on her opponents. This attack is cancellable and has a quick
recovery. The missing point is due to the ridiculously low damage this attack
does.
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Standing B (5/5)
Mature does a quick set of kicks (first low <knee level>, then medium <waist>
height). This is also cancellable & could start off some neat comboes.
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Standing C (3/5)
Mature swings her hand outward, and slashes her opponent once if they get hit by
it. This attack has a slower recovery but does almost as much damage of the 3
weak punches. This attack is also cancellable, but the attack usually send the
opponent a bit away from you, so comboing is more difficult.
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Standing Close C (3/5)
Mature does a closer swing with her arm slicing upwards, and seem to recover
faster. However, the opponent still is pushed off a bit too far for effective
comboing.
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Standing D (2/5)
Mature stands on one hand, and sends her feet towards her opponent at around the
waist-level. This could counter some opponent attacks, but it has a slow
recovery and usually pushes opponent too far out to combo with anything else.
-----------------------------------------------
Standing Close D (4/5)
Mature does a double-kick with some pizazz. I found this move significantly
easier to connect and combo than her regular D attack.
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Standing CD (2/5)
Mature does a spin before extending her leg full length for a powerful kick.
This attack is rather predictable, and only useful as a guard cancel.
-----------------------------------------------
Crouching A (4/5)
Mature does the quick-slap again with pretty much the same recovery, damage, and
combo-ability.
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Crouching B (3/5)
Mature jabs one of her legs to her opponent at ankle-level. Good reach, but
weak damage and not as easy to combo as her standing B.
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Crouching C (3/5)
Mature stands up momentarily as she swings her arm upward. Good for anti-air
move and decent damage, but again, hard to combo and middle-speed recovery.
-----------------------------------------------
Crouching D (3/5)
Unlike '96, this attack actually sweeps the opponent off his/her feet. It is
nearly impossible to combo after this move, but the sweep this move makes does
give you some time to plan.
-----------------------------------------------
Jumping A (2/5)
Mature extends her hand out, doing a mere tap damage. It is hard to connect
unless timed right..
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Jumping B <x2> (5/5)
Mature does a tap kick, followed by another tap kick if you press B again during
her jump. Time right, it could set up some comboes as she has a super-quick
recovery after this move.
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Jumping C (3/5)
Mature swipes her arm diagonally downward... dealing decent damage. Timing is
important if you want to follow-up with combo.
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Jumping D (3/5)
Mature does a high kick... good against opponents air & ground. Also comboe-
able.
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Jumping CD (3/5)
Very slightly less predictable than her standing CD, Mature does an aerial spin
before extending her leg out. You must press the CD at beginning of jump if you
want the kick to come out mid-air & CD at top of your jump arc if you want the
kick to come out as she descends.

IV b. Special Moves

Forward Heel (fw + B) (3/5)
Mature does a 2-hit kick, the 2nd kick lunging quite a bit forward. It adds a
bit of extra damage but I find it hard to combo afterwards as it pushes the
opponent away.
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Death Blow (fw or bw + P) (5/5)
Mature holds up her opponent, then slash them, making them fall quite a bit away
in front of Mature... good for opponents cornering you, good for opponents
you're cornering, and good for buying a bit of time to prepare moves.
-----------------------------------------------
Back Rush (fw or bw + K) (4/5)
Mature holds up her opponent, then slides them on their back next to her.
Because the opponent is closer to Mature, she's has less time to prepare her
moves. However, this attack is good for switching sides.
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Despair (d, df, fw + P) (2/5 for A, 1/5 for C)
This move is horrible! Mature does a short leap and throws out one slash. It
has a short range (hits only when her slash comes out) and a lengthy recovery
time. The A version might be useful anti-air or close-up as its lag time isn't
as long, other than that I don't see a use for this icky move. Avoid!
-----------------------------------------------
Death Downer (d, db, bw + P)x3 (3/5)
Not as effective as the '96 version, this attack does O.K. damage. Mature does
a slash with each d,db,bw + P motion you do. Each slash does a 3-hit damage,
the last slash knocking opponent down if hit. Recovery time is O.K. This is a
good move for ending combos.
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Metal Massacre (d, db, bw + K) (4/5)
Mature charges at her opponent and does a 3-hit slash when she arrives. Again,
not as effective as the '96 version due to its a slight start-up tme and if
blocked or missed, the medium-slow recovery time leaves Mature open for an
attack or two. The damage is, again, O.K. and this 3-hit move should be used to
finish off a combo. The B version has half the range but has almost no start-up
time and less recovery time.
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Sacrilege (f, d, df + P) (3/5)
Mature spins into the air with her hand around her, creating slashes along the
way. This attack can be used to end a combo or to chip damage off a cornered
opponent. The A version has less recovery time, goes a shorter range, and
usually inflicts less hits. However, one benefit is that this move is hard to
evade.
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De Cide (bw, db, d, df, fw + K) (4/5 for B, 3/5 for D)
Mature swipes her hand downward and if it connects, she quickly hurls her
opponent over her to the other side, where he/she'll feel the pain as they hit
the earth. This move comes out fairly quickly and recovery time is pretty fast.
However, don't abuse this move as opponents could easily learn to leap over it.
The D version has a longer start-up and recovery time but a farther range
(however, opponents right next to Mature won't get hit by the D-version of this
move).
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Ebony Tears (d, df, fw, df, d, db, bw + P) (4/5 for A, 3/5 for C)
Mature slashes in the air, creating a slashing projectile that heads toward the
opponent. This projectile is extremely useful (especially the slower A version)
because its hard to jump over, and with practice and good timing, you could slip
in a De Cide/M. Massacre/Heaven's Gate/Nocturnal Lights/or any combo as they
evade/roll the projectile and into your attack.

IV c. Desperation Moves

Heaven's Gate (d, db, bw, b, db, d, df, fw + K) (3/5)

DM: Mature charges forward and if it connects, she drags him/her to the very end
of the screen and slams him/her into a grayish energy column with a skull-image
in it, after which she does a back hop. The damage from this DM is rather weak
compared to other DMs, but it executes rather quickly with little-start up time.
However, if blocked or missed, she does have some lag time that allows her
opponent to counter. The B version goes halfway and has almost no difference in
start-up & recovery. This move should be used as a predictable anti-air move,
when opponent is recovering from a move, or as the end of a combo. Unlike the
'96 version, this DM does not evade ANY attacks... so if she runs into anything,
she takes the damage and DM is cancelled.

SDM: About twice the damage is inflicted as Mature slams the opponent into a
bloody skull column of energy. Still, the total damage is still less than half
the lifebar and the SDM doesn't evade any attacks either. Use like the Heaven's
Gate DM.
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Nocturnal Lights (d, df, fw, d, df, fw + P) (2/5)

DM: Mature moves slowly across the screen as she performs a series of 4 slashes.
If connected, the opponent gets caught in the remaining slashes and Mature does
an Ebony Tears on them. One of the weaker DMs in the game. However, its pluses
are that it has almost no start-up lag and a fairly quick recovery lag. In
spite of that, if the opponent manage to jump over her as she's doing this,
he/she either gets miffed by ONE of her slashes or jumps completely over her and
gets a freebie. Recommended for whenever YOU get a freebie or as a counter
(Mature seems to get a moment of invincibility when she initiates this move).

SDM: Same as her DM except that after her fourth slash, she does a Death Downer
(each slash hitting only once, though) followed by a 3-hit Ebony Tear. Like her
other SDM, this takes slightly less than half the lifebar. Recommended like
Nocturnal Lights DM.

V. COMBOS
<I'm not a real combo person in KoF, so if I could manage to execute these, I'm
sure you could too! ^_^ >

Jumping B <x2>, Standing B, Forward Heel (5-6 Hits)
Jumping B <x2>, Standing B, Death Downer (13 Hits Max)
Standing Close D, Metal Massacre /w B (5 Hits)
Standing A <x2>, Death Downer (11 Hits Max)
Standing Close D, Heaven's Gate DM/SDM (3 Hits, even tho it would count as 2)
Standing B, Nocturnal Lights DM/SDM (7 Hits Max for DM, 12 Hits Max for SDM)
Standing A <x3> (3 Hits & ANYONE can do this combo!)
Standing A, Sacrilege (8 Hits Max)
Jumping D, Sacrilege (8 Hits Max)
Jumping B <x2>, Sacrilege (9 Hits Max)

Got More? Send'em to me at [email protected]

VI. STRATEGIES

A. The Big Cheese
(for computers, and some really dumb humans)
Its a rather cheap one. Whenever you're against the computer, throw out your A-
version Ebony Tears like mad. Your CPU opponents will either:
1) Get hit by it
2) Try to jump over it and still get hi 95% of the time
3) Block it
4) Roll/Evade it

If in any chance they use choice 4 (about 20% I'd say), follow-up with a De Cide
or Metal Massacre (Heaven's Gate or Nocturnal's Light if you have the power
to)... this even works against the last boss, Rugal! You might need to practice
the timing but once you master it, this strategy could take quite a bit off...

B. Foolin' Around
(mainly for humans, but may work on computers too)
Human players often hate getting trap, this is where you could take advantage of
Mature's combination of speed and power. Constantly do a variety of jump-kicks
and her Death Downer, Metal Massacre & Sacrilege. This way you not only get to
chip some damage off your opponent but also explore your opponents; defense
strategy, if they have one that is.

C. Foolin' Around with the Big Cheese
(humans)
>From a distance, send out A-version Ebony Tears... usually human players are
more successful in jumping over these (and 85% of the time will do this rather
than rolling/evading). Simply follow through by doing an anti-air move.
Sacrilege is weak but covers a large range and does work. A jump D or CD also
do the trick in knocking your opponent in the air. You might even be able to
sneak in the dreaded despair. Don't use the DMs/SDMs though, Heaven's Gate is
easily cancelled by aerial attacks & Nocturnal Lights isn't effective anti-air
and does EXTREMELY weak damage non-standing, non-crouching opponents.

D. The Really Cheesy Big Cheese
(both humans & computers)
Corner your opponent and repeatedly do Sacrilege until you win or times up.
Your opponents have little chance to knock you out of it, and both humans and
CPUs rarely consider a guard cancel. However, this is just plain cheap and
might contribute to wrist problems in the future, not to mention angry human
opponents who'd threaten to do #@!&*% to you. Don't say I didn't warn you...

E. "No-Slash" or "Ninjitsu" Mature
(both humans & computers)
Okay, this kinda ruins the fun of playing Mature, but you can along very well
with her without having to use special attacks. Taking full advantage of her
speedy charges & jumps as well as her quick recovery time, you simply do a
series of jumping and crouching jabs & kicks at your opponent. Kinda like
Ninjitsu, where many weak but fast hits are delivered rather than several strong
but slow hits.

Any more strategies? E-mail me at [email protected]

VII. TIDBITS
Mature's KoF '98 opening:
Mature takes a step forward, says and motions for the opponent to "come over".

KoF '98 opening to Rugal:
Mature bats her eyes, then blows a kiss to Rugal saying something flattering,
I'd bet.

Mature's win pose (button A):
Mature hugs herself in the "Marilyn Monroe" fashion as so many other FAQ writers
have put it.

Mature's win pose (button B):
Mature takes out & opens a compact and applies lipstick, after which she says
something and "Thank You"

Mature's win pose (button C):
Mature does deep bow, holding up her skirt a little and says something.

Mature's win pose (button D):
Mature turns to the side with her hand at her cheek saying "You reek of beasts"

'98 Endings with Mature:
Semi-ending... you see a broken compact with bloodstains on it, and a reflection
of Iori with bloodied fists (he did it again!)

Mature/Vice/Iori...: You see three silhouettes under the moonlight, oh which you
could tell is Iori, Vice & Mature. Each one of them have a glowing eye.

Mature/Vice/Rugal...: Manga-style drawing with Rugal in a business suit & his
secretaries in their usual outfit but with cute faces.

Mature/Vice/Shermie...: Mature & Vice lies on the beach in very skimpy
bikinis... Shermie lies topless with her back towards the screen, showing off
the Orochi symbol on her back.

Mature/King/Shingi...: The three have same birthdate, and the three shows off
their present, Mature got a snowboard (I think), King got wine glasses, and
Shingi got milk.

Personal Mockings:
-.01% of the time, her Nocturnal Lights doesn't fully connect even thought it
hit the opponent on the ground. They manage to block the ending Ebony Tears!!!
-some portraits have Mature's "long" earring on her left ear, others on the
right... on the battle ground itself it changes instantly! ^_^

VIII. CREDITS, THANKS & COPYRIGHTS

This FAQ is ©2000 by AquaWarlock ([email protected]) and I could care less
that you take this material and publish it in some $4.95 strategy magazine
(which I seriously doubt since '99 is already out and '00 is on its way).
Anyways, feel free to take whatcha want, just work my name into the conversation
when you leeched off me to become a millionaire, okay?

Many Thanks To:
*Kao Megura & Joe Palanca (both wrote great FAQs for KoF '98 and inspired me to
do the same)
*R. Leung (he wrote the Vice FAQ, and made ME feel obligated to write one for
Mature... no offense)
*GameFAQs (for supplying the many many FAQs for the many many games I play)
*The local video game arcades (money sharks who probably took well over a
million from me by now... no offense meant by that either ^_^)
*NeoGeo & SNK (for making such wonderful games... can't wait to see more of your
NeoGeo64-version games out in arcades)

Credits:
Okay, if it looked familiar at all to you people, I got it from Kao Megura's KoF
'98 FAQ. Some stuff I edited though...

Also looked at Joe Palanca's FAQ to find out what EXTRA mode does...

Copyrights:
*King Of Fighters 1998 is a trademark of SNK.

Okay, you're another pathetic person who'd like to scroll down here to see what
kind of stuff I have... well I have NOTHING to say except that you're
pathetic... so go away... go! take a shower or something... geez

~AquaWarlock
([email protected])