Real Bout 2 is pretty great, but there are some things about Real Bout Special I still really like that didnt make it into RB2, like the goofy announcer. Obviously MotW is f*cking great.
With KOF...honestly, they are all great. 95 is great if you like taking 3/4 off a life bar with one simple combo. 94 is the weakest, and 2001 is too damned weird for me...but still amazing in its own f*cked up Eolith way. 97 has a terrific story mode, same with 96. 98 has a great cast and fixes many problems with the earlier games that cast came from. 2000 is boring in one player mode but extremely refined for versus play. 2002 is really cool all around, 99 is maybe the most polished, and 2003 is the easiest ones to get non-SNK people into.
I guess I like 03, 2000, 2002, and 98 best.
Non-Neo KOFs: XI is interesting but I just couldn't get into it. XII is really lame, XIII is absolutely terrific.
Neo Wave is dead to me. R-1 and R-2 are the best portable KOFs we will ever get. Maximum Impact is beautiful but bullshit.