Which one is better KOF2002 OR KOF2003?

I've been debating on which one is better than which. There have been chances to the most recent one and the story is going further into the whole KOF deal.

I personally prefer King of Fighters 2003, it is pretty broken, but very enjoyable.

I have not gotten a chance to play 2003 (or much of 2002 yet) yet but from what I have seen I am liking 2003 more. 2002 just seemed so "Meh", especially after the mess that 2001 was (yeah, I know the gameplay was tight, but that game was such a pain on the eyes and ears that I wanted to hurl it across the room).
The problem was that the release of kof 2002 suffered from the enormously negative and bad taste that 2001 left behind.

its too bad about that damn tag feature- thats was lame. not neccesarily the idea but how its excecuted - I hope they correct this problem when they bring home the verion on PS2......I played it today and the tagging in lag time waits for the character to do its taunt- and then he/she teammember tags in fustrating.........ARRRGHH....oh well - BROKEN!!!

2003 just for the cosmetic update and new characters (despite how bad they are)........BUT too many glithches and Cheap flaws and a new tag fighting system makes it not as competitive as before -if only the tag feature was executed better, and the Timer is Waaaaay to quick for my liking- The ideas are there but maybe next year theyd get it right-

2002 wins - id choose overall for solid play mechanics..........and the roster of "DREAMMATCH" was much more competitive in the arcades-IMHO.............

2003 by far but only because KOF2002 was such a horrible mess.

vs play/tight gameplay/system/balance = KOF02
graphics/bgs/new characters/story = KOF03

I love 2002, but I haven't had a chance to play 2003 yet, but Yamazaki looks really damn good, like the rest of the graphics. Then again, only a graphics whore would choose 2003 over 2002 based on how it looks, not how it plays.

when i played in arcades i prefered badly kof2k3... but now that i ve finished it at home... i d say 2k2 because of the replay value.

I am not good at all at kof, but i ve finished fingers in the nose 2k3 at level 4 (standard MVS). I can't beat 2k2 at level 4 so easily. Overall i prefer harder games.

That said, that won t prevent me from getting 2k3 when it s out on ps2 or DC (next christmas maybe...).

2k3 is a graphics feast... a lot of details

KOF2002 a mess? What you mean? I dont understand?

Screw them both, they can't touch 2001, even with its shitty looks, ugly ass bg's and headache causeing music, the gameplay beats out 2k2's, but I still need to play more 2k3 to comment on the gameplay.

2k1 = great bg's and tight gameplay mechanics, with team battle edits, love it, I like the bgm

2k2 = ok graphics great bgs great roster, well balanced

2k3= ........................ havent played it yet

Master Giby said:

Screw them both, they can't touch 2001, even with its shitty looks, ugly ass bg's and headache causeing music, the gameplay beats out 2k2's, but I still need to play more 2k3 to comment on the gameplay.

Click to expand...

maybe you find it more enjoyable but 2k1 was not far off broken due to some nasty may lee infinites, foxy crap etc... 2k2 is a much better balanced game.

I need to play 2k3 more, so right now I have to say 2k2.

hey jh read here: oh no!

seems to be the future of kof2k3... hope the experts are wrong..

jerkyerg on the subject

personaly i dont care for either of them im more of a fan of samurai showdown kof isnt a good way to spend your time spen it on the ladies instead.

KOF 2002 is fine in my book. KOF 2003 is probably better when it comes to graphics and the overall glossy polish that makes a game shine. KOF 2002 seems to be a little more fluid than 2003 in my opinion, but I think I am not alone in saying KOF 2001 is better than 2002 or 2003. If I had a choice of buying only KOF 2002 or KOF 2003, I'd pick up KOF 2002. I've had good times with it, and have played it more extensively than KOF 2003. Of course I've spent more time on KOF 2000 and KOF 98 than any other games in the series. KOF 99 probably ranks third in time played, then KOF 96, and between the rest, hell I dunno.

01 stands as my favorite, but I will finally get my 02 kit on monday or tuesday!!!! I'll report back when I get some impressions of it. 03 looks super bad, but I live in Oklahoma, so we won't actually have a copy in this state, until Magnaflux, The_Chosen_One, or I buy it.

2k1, 2k2, and 2k3 are the best in the series....

Yes, I said 2k1, 2k2, and 2k3 are the best in the series.

2k3 being the best, and be sure to test it out dont let all the "broken" talk bother you, that word should be taken lightly.

Beeing able to play it a lot, i can say i ve never had so much fun with 2k3 than with other kofs since 96. It s nice, fast, music is not bad, combos come out easily for a combo-beginner like me, and you don t get stuck on the final boss like in 2k1~2k2 (i could make my way to the bosses in those games but would loose against them in arcades, and i don t continue+service).

broken ? maybe but i m not good enough to notice. I play for fun, and this one gives me. As for the time out... it was my only way to win against 2k1 and 2k2 bosses, i don t see the problem... it s as annoying as a ringout in virtua fighter and such, just have to get accustomed. It has a verry good point, kusanagi... when you get to fight him you have to rush and attack as hell since you have 60 seconds to finish 3bars out of him and get to kill him with a DM -else you fight adelhein, bouh-

i like it, loads of fun, my girlfriend likes it too, so i m happy

btw, nice lexus neofight

Good to hear at least a couple of people like it.

I think it's bout time, i broke my silence on these forums...

Okay, after going on a KoF binge: 97, 98, 01, 02, 03(just got the MVS kit last Friday) this past weekend, I would have to conclude that 98 & 02 are the dominant KoF's in the end. Considering the fact that i always go for gameplay over anything, i had the most fun with the couple. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of 02 when it first came out. I knew nothing going into it, other than the fact it was the second dreamatch in the series. I enjoyed 98 so much on DC at the time but when i finally played the MVS version, ports for me were a thing of the past.

My first impression of it graphically was, what the hell happened to the awesome bg's of 2000? The same could be said about the ludacris soundtrack. I thought what ugly bg's and lame music. I skipped 01 at the same time hearing all the negative feedback on it. So over a six month period since purchasing 02, I would only play it off and on. That all changed last November. That's when my eyes finally opened up and saw the real beauty that was in the game. The gameplay, that is. Yes, the very same gameplay i fell in love with from 98 was mimicked threw this game.

Now, I'm not a graphics whore or anything, you have to admit that 01 and 02 did have some shitty backgrounds. Those cameos didn't help that much either(Wolfgang, Geese, Mr. Big, Eiji, the list goes on). The graphics style was the initial factor that prevented me from playing 02 for a long time. I just couldn't stand it. I rejected it for a six month span. How shocking how things have changed since then. Now, enter KoF 2003...

Getting the kit last Friday from Robert Wallace, since no arcade up here in Seattle has it, I was trying not to go into it with much hype. I just didn't want to have that same feeling like after watching the Matrix and Star Wars sequels. Common you guys, don't tell me you didn't have that feeling of disappointment when you left the theater or after the DVD? Anyway, I didn't want the same feeling to happen with this game. So i went playing it without expecting too much. Kinda hard when reading all the initial impressions on the forums.

Wow, was my first impression. Booting it up and finally watching the intro in motion(rather than a screenshot on a site)made me realize that the MVS hardware can still put out some real good stuff. Anyway, having played it the most times on Saturday i now realize what all you are talking about(Beezle, Barf, Mushiki, just to name a few). The brokeness, tag-feature needs some work, the awesome graphics, the list goes on. It's far from being the best KoF in terms of gameplay. It does have a pretty face, though.

I will agree that it has the great graphics(Mukai's background is the best IMO) that everyone keeps ranting about. It's very stylish compared to other Kof's. It actually feels as if the characters are entering the tourney threw the new millenium. With all the new clothing in some characters(granted: iori, ikari team, a few others). Love the biker jacket look on a few of them. The whole deal with the character look I just didn't feel threw 02.

The sound feels very SVCish. I think they borrowed heavily from the Chaos. The water splash noises are overly used in a lot of hit detection when hard hits take into effect. The music is bearable except when compared to other fighters, it's just okay. Guess i've just been spoiled by the new stuff that Capcom has been putting out the last couple of years. Anyway, Kusanagi's got Esaka so that's a redeeming factor. To put it simply, 96 & 2000 have the best music in the series period. By the way, i might have found a sound bug this weekend. The music dropped out on me twice with the team of: K', Kyo, Terry. Did a dm move with K' on Kusanagi and sound dropped out. Weird.

Well, this post is getting really long. I should have posted it on an impression thread instead. Anyway, that's my take on the whole, "which is better, 02 or 03."

So in the end, 02 has the gameplay and balance while 03 has the title of best looks of the series. The tag feature is a good idea for those who want change in the series. It just needs to be tweaked a lot more to get it down to be fun. Gameplay is just not as tight as it was in 97 and 98. Barnone, gameplay and the funfactor conquer over anything. 98 and 02 accomplish both ambitiously.

I'll end this post with the quote of SVC, "Not a match, but a Struggle."

In this case, "Not a choice, but more like an impression."

Now, can someone proof read my essay? J/K

I don't care what anyone says, but 98 and 2k2 will always be the best KOFs made. Both have the best rosters ever, out of the series so far.

About as even in tiers, IMHO, as well.
Spike

I prefer the graphics and sound effects in 2003 but the music is better in 2002.

get 2k3
its much more fun to play
the normal switch is bad, just attack switch its safer
and you build meter so fast anyways

KOF 2002

cherry on top and all.