Overview
But anyways, this is the second special edition to the excellenet King of Fighters series... with King of Fighters `98 being the first. Some old faces return, like the Orochi Team of Yashiro, Shermie, and Chris, and some things have changed... gone is the useless Striker system (I don't care what you guys think... I found Strikers to be U-S-E-L-E-S-S), and teams are once again composed of three members, just like the good old days! Some characters have disappeared for the better too, like Bao (I STILL can't tell if that's a boy or a girl, but it COULD be a boy...) and Foxy.
There's no real storyline to this one. But then, it really and honestly doesn't have to matter in this case... this is, after all, another special edition of KOF. And a damned good one at that.
Graphics 9/10
All of that great animation is still retained in the latest KOF sequel... while they are fluid, I still kinda wish, somewhere in a corner of my mind, that it was a little more colorful like Real Bout Special and Real Bout 2's animation graphics. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers I guess. Backgrounds are still well detailed and very nice to look at, as well.
Gameplay/Controls 9/10
The gameplay is no longer composed of the 4-member teams that took over since KOF `99. Thus, it;s back to the good old style, which I pretty much preferred... 3 member teams. Those familiar with the KOF series know what to do after you pick your team members... you select who you want to go first, second, and then third,and then prepare to battle. No more Strikers to deal with! Some may think this is a big heel in the gameplay, but that just means you strategists will have to go back to playing it like the old days.
Along with this, a new MAX mode has been implemented into the game system (which you can activate if you have a level in your Power Guage by pressing B and C at the same time). Super Desperation Moves can now be done only in the MAX mode, and Guard Cancels can now take a bit of life away from your enemies.
The gameplay again, has also been tweaked some... the rhythm of the game has been sped up, and the recovery times for whenever you hit your opponent with a light attack has been reduced, to make things a tad more intense. Throws are now easier to break out of, and they can do a little more damage. The mid-air guard has been taken out (crap!), which may make things a bit more difficult.
Other than this, there are also hidden SDMs that each character possesses. And when you find them and pull them off, what happens next is badass--your character will lay some serious smackdown on the opponent with a blue beam in the background! Sweet.
As far as I can tell, the control is the smoothest out there right now. It's all pretty good and responsive, and you're not going to have too much of a problem controlling the action.
Sound/Music 9/10
The sound, overall, is better than KOF 2001's now, as SNK has fixed some things and the music this time is also better. Which I am happy with! So some of those who might've been displeased with the sound in the last KOF might be a little more satisfied with this one's.
Replay Value 7/10
Weither its changed for the better of for the worst, KOF 2002 still deserves quarters. Fans of fighting games and the KOF series wouldn't miss out on this one for the world, no matter how bad it could be. And its still pretty fun to play, so it deserves a good amount of replay value.
Overall 9/10
You never quite know what is going to change between each of the KOFs... but after playing it a lot, you recognize those changes... especially the changes you can't quite notice too well (like the gameplay during an intense battle, for example). But when they do, they always come with good and bad points... anyways, if you're a true KOF and fighting game fan, seek this out in your arcade!
- by Reynaldo
