Kof2002 Gripe

This is the 3rd time I've bought this game, & I REALLY want to like it, but the horrendously unbalanced/cheap gameplay (especially in the AI) makes it difficult.

The WORST hole in this game for me in the AI (I dont have many players around me) is one move - Roberts Gen' ei Kyaku (f,b,f kick). Just friggin STAND there & do it repeatedly, & 80-90% of the time the opponent JUMPS or WALKS straight into the damn thing. TRY IT.

Oh the good ole Neo days, where you actually had to play WELL for a victory *memories* 'I wonder what the ole' boy is doing right now?'

Lee (garg7)

The old days required you knew a pattern of the comp and abused it. I think that 2k3's AI is even worse, to be honest.

Forget playing the computer, 2k2 is all about human comp.
Spike

In almost all cases, you'll find some little exploit to beat the computer in a fighting game. In a way, there's barely a single one without that ability. Sometimes, it's character specific. Sometimes, It's distance specific. Sometimes, it's a simple rouse. Like taking CvS and seeing one of the only King algorithms in which just whiffing a jab (from across the screen) will always have her (and Beni) jump at you for a free (pick your favorite anti-air) opportunity. Or the way in 2k2 Dreamcast, that it was nice Shingo and King get reintroduced, but not all the CPU AI was recoded to handle King well. Rugal being King's pet. But as the above poster said, it's different with people. While many people succome to the CPU disease in which they came in with a set pattern, others will learn and adapt. Outside something like Virtual Fighter, where it's obvious they keep a full record (like a crazy sports statistic package) of almost every player tendancy per situation, you just aren't going to see that. The best you can expect from the CPU, is usually just a highly effective routine, with some hole ready to be exploited. It's up to the player to find those holes. That's what CPU vs. is all about. It's halfway effective, though. Halfway because it'll help you against those people who are locked-in pattern players.

All KoF engines are like that to be honest. 94 and 95 are a lil trickier due to higher damage and a very unforgiving sprite collision detection but from 96 onwards, KoF AI's are dumb and heavily pattern-based.

IMO, 2k2 has way less abuseable patterns than, say, 94-98. You can still beat the game with a few high-priority moves like Terry's Burn Knuckle or Iori's projectile/dp/jD toolbox alone but overall, CPU opponents >= KoF99 fight less "stationary" and don't always insist on doing a certain move over and over. That's not to say they'd be more clever than the others, just slightly more flexible.

However, the extra offensive factor of difficulty levels > 6 almost ruins most CPU setups in 2k2. A good example would be Kyo, he plays a mixed (and quite efficient) offensive/defensive game at diff levels 4 and 5 but turns into a lame duck on 8, he (and most other charas except the grapplers and Yama) suddenly starts attacking like mad but with a gaping defensive hole, just like K', he dishes out moves left and right but then repeatedly runs straight into simple standing C's.

One thing I do like about 2k2 is the way they recorded some parts of tourney combos (previously done by people) into the character algos. You'll see a couple of the cool ones pulled off by characters like Iori and Leona, at times.

AHA?!?! See there are other people wanting a good fight without the holes in characters, gameplay and animation, oh yeah and cheesy combos.
Albeit, Bushido Blade ain't the best, I'm in love with the concept compared to all other fighting games.