The King of Fighters 2002

The King of Fighters 2002[lower-alpha 1] is a fighting game produced by Eolith and Playmore for the Neo Geo in 2002. It is the ninth game in The King of Fighters series and the second one to be produced by Eolith and developed by Playmore (formerly Brezzasoft). The game was ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and the Xbox, wherein the PS2 and Xbox versions were released in North America in a two-in-one bundle with the following game in the series, The King of Fighters 2003.

The King of Fighters 2002
Developer(s)Eolith
SNK Playmore (PS2/Xbox)
DotEmu (PC)
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Lee Seon Ho
Producer(s)Chil Suk Choi
Designer(s)Ruyun
Programmer(s)M. Yusuke
S. Fujinuki
T. Hayashi
Artist(s)Chikara Yamasaki
Hiroaki Hashimoto
Masae M.
Composer(s)Masahiko Hataya
Yasuo Yamate
SeriesThe King of Fighters
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Fighting
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

SNK Playmore produced a remake titled The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match for the PlayStation 2, which was released on February 26, 2009 in Japan, and the game later received its first worldwide release on Xbox Live Arcade on November 3, 2010.[1][2] A port of the Xbox Live Arcade release was later released on Steam on February 27, 2015.

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Angel and Maxima.

The King of Fighters 2002 discards the 4-on-4 "Striker Match" format used in the previous three games in the series and returns to the 3-on-3 Battle format originally used in the series up until KOF '98.

The game also revamps the Power Gauge system into a format similar to the one used in The King of Fighters '97. Like the previous games in the series, the Power Gauge is filled as the player attacks the opponent or performs Special Moves during a battle. The number of Power Gauges the player can stock up is increased by one with each member of the team. For example, the first member of the team can stock up to three Power Gauges, while the third member can stock up to five. A single Power Gauge stock can be used to either perform a Counterattack and Evasion technique while guarding an opponent's attack, use a Super Special Move, or initiate the MAX Activation state. The same case also applies to the 1-on-1 format, where the Power Gauge the player can stock up is also increased by one with each round loss. For example, on the first round, the player can stock up to three Power Gauges, while losing two rounds allows the player to stock up to five.

During MAX Activation, the player's offensive and defensive strength is increased for a short period and can cancel any attack into another player. In this state, a Super Special Move can be used without consuming a Power Gauge stock. There are also MAX Super Special Moves, which are Super moves that can only be performed during MAX Activation with one Power Gauge stock, and MAX2 moves that require two stocks while low on health.

Characters
Main article: List of The King of Fighters characters

Just like The King of Fighters '98, the game has no storyline since the NESTS story arc has already concluded in the previous game, The King of Fighters 2001. Instead, a "Dream Match" is included featuring characters from all the previous games in the series. In addition to the recurring teams from the series, including the original Japan Team, the game also features a series of teams representing each of the previous game series from The King of Fighters '96 to The King of Fighters 2001. Omega Rugal returns as the final boss as well. However, not all the characters from the previous games are featured, and series' regulars such as King and Shingo Yabuki are absent from the Neo Geo version for the first time since their first appearance. The Dreamcast version of the game, nevertheless, features King and Shingo, while three additional characters from SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom, namely Geese Howard, Goenitz, and Orochi Iori, are included in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions. Several characters have been redrawn, most notably the New Faces Team, representing The King of Fighters '98.

Japan Team

Fatal Fury Team

Art of Fighting Team

Ikari Team

Psycho Soldier Team

Women Fighters Team

Korea Team

Yagami Team (KOF '96 Team)

Outlaw Team (KOF '97 Team)

New Faces Team (KOF '98 Team)

  • Yashiro Nanakase
  • Shermie
  • Chris

Orochi Team

  • Orochi Yashiro
  • Orochi Shermie
  • Orochi Chris

K' Team (KOF '99 Team)

Agent Team (KOF 2000 Team)

  • Vanessa
  • Seth
  • Ramon

NESTS Team (KOF 2001 Team)

Boss

  • Omega Rugal

Alternate

Console exclusives

  • Shingo Yabuki (Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox versions)
  • King (Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox versions)
  • Geese Howard (PS2, Xbox versions)
  • Goenitz (PS2, Xbox versions)
  • Orochi Iori (PS2, Xbox versions)

Unlimited Match

The Unlimited Match version of the game was released on February 26, 2009 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan and on November 3, 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade. The game was later ported to Steam on February 27, 2015, and a PlayStation 4 version was released digitally on February 8, 2021. A physical release is set for late Spring 2021. Beside new stages and artwork, the game also includes additional characters as well as changes to the team roster, with the number of default teams increased to 18, counting both the regular and alternate versions of the Orochi Team. Moreover, all of the characters featured in the series between The King of Fighters '99 and The King of Fighters 2002 are included with the exception of K9999, which is a character conceived as a pastiche of Tetsuo Shima from the manga Akira. Instead, a new character called Nameless (ネームレス) was designed to take his place in the game and features most of K9999's special techniques with an added touch. In November 2020, the Steam version of the game was updated with rollback netcode, allowing for higher quality online play. The PlayStation 4 version was released with this same rollback netcode.

The game has 66 characters in total, making it the series' largest roster.[3] There are 44 characters from The King of Fighters 2002, 16 characters from the NESTS arc, including King and Shingo, and 6 hidden characters, including additional characters from the previous console versions with the exception of Orochi Iori. The PlayStation 2 version also includes a port of the original The King of Fighters 2002 Neo Geo version.[4]

Reception

During its release week, the game sold 19,000 copies in Japan.[5] In Issue 114 from Arcadia, the game was featured at ninth in its Top Ten Video Games list.[6] Critical reception to the game was positive due to its large number of playable characters, although mixed opinions were given to its aging graphics.[7][8] In addition, despite lacking a plot, the large interaction between characters was praised for adding depth to the game.[9]

Notes
  1. Japanese: ザ・キング・オブ・ファイターズ 2002, Hepburn: Za Kingu Obu Faitāzu 2002

References
  1. "Official The King of Fighters 2002 Ultimate Match Xbox.com page". Xbox.com. 2010-11-03.
  2. Gantayat, Anoop. "SNK Playmore Details Xbox Live Arcade Plans". andriasang. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009. Retrieved December 7, 2009.
  3. Feit, Daniel (2011-10-15). "King of Fighters 2002 Ultimate Match Coming to XBLA on November 3rd". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  4. "NEOGEO MODE". SNK Playmore. Retrieved 2011-08-03.
  5. Magrino, Tom (2009-03-06). "Big in Japan Feb. 23-Mar. 2: Yakuza 3 bloodies PS3 rivals". GameSpot. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
  6. "Arcadia's Top 10 Video Game List". Arcadia (in Japanese) (114). November 2009.
  7. Khan, Jahanzeb (November 28, 2010). "The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match Review". PALGN. Archived from the original on November 30, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  8. Edwards, Matt (November 11, 2010). "The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match – Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  9. Feit, Daniel (November 10, 2010). "Review: King of Fighters 2002 Ultimate Match Delivers Knockout Action". Wired.com. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
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