Wow! Now this is a King of Fighters I can see myself playing a lot.

'98 UMFE is way more accessible than 2002UM:
The first thing I noticed was that jump-ins into C or D are actually not too hard. Except that you'll still have to confirm the jump-in (and/or input the super) extremely quickly.
Max Mode is way more comprehensible, being used as a way to end your combos with a buffed super or just as a general increase of damage and pushback. The latter makes it so that combos will be harder, but good pokes, zoning or knockback attacks will yield more reward on hit.
Having step dash (available in Extra or Ultimate Mode) increases your walk speed to 130%, making max mode footsies a lot of fun.

There are some minor inconveniences, like the record function requiring a second input device.

Wow! Now this is a King of Fighters I can see myself playing a lot. '98 UMFE is way more accessible than 2002UM: The first thing I noticed was that jump-ins into C or D are actually not too hard. Except that you'll still have to confirm the jump-in (and/or input the super) [i]extremely[/i] quickly. Max Mode is way more comprehensible, being used as a way to end your combos with a buffed super or just as a general increase of damage and pushback. The latter makes it so that combos will be harder, but good pokes, zoning or knockback attacks will yield more reward on hit. Having step dash (available in Extra or Ultimate Mode) increases your walk speed to 130%, making max mode footsies a lot of fun. There are some minor inconveniences, like the record function requiring a second input device.