The King of Fighters 2002

"The system 3-on-3 is back, expanding the battle on who will be the next competitor! Se ven fear some fi gu res from King of Fighters '96 to '98 take part in the fights! This year, the dream fight is guaranteed to heat up! The Dream Match is happening again. BE THE FIGHTER!"

-Tagline

The King of Fighters 2002: Challenge to Ultimate Battle is the ninth game in the King of Fighters series, and is the second and final King of Fighters game produced by Eolith. Much like The King of Fighters '98, this game is more of a "Dream Match" for characters from all previous King of Fighters games, including killed-off characters. The series' canon storyline would resume in The King of Fighters 2003 - adapting, however, a character introduced in this game, Kusanagi.

It was later released for the Dreamcast, this time adding two characters absent from the original version, King and Shingo Yabuki. The PlayStation 2 version included Orochi Iori, Goenitz and Geese Howard.

Characters were directly ripped from this game for use in The King of Fighters Neowave, which was a hardware test before the production of The King of Fighters XI.

An upgraded version of The King of Fighters 2002 known as The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match was eventually released in Japan on February 26, 2009. It later released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation Network, Steam, Humble Bundle, GOG and Prime Gaming, worldwide. The PlayStation and GOG versions uses the NeoGeo mode in the remake.

Gameplay

The game brings back the team play composed by three characters each that was a tradition in previous games. The game has also several important changes in the gameplay, like the "Free Cancel System" or "Max Mode System", the "Quick Emergency Evasion" and "Quick MAX Mode Activation", aside from the countless changes in each character's special moves and their properties.

File:KOF 2002hsdmoroyashirovsralf.jpg

Orochi Yashiro using his HSDM against Ralf.

Max Mode compared to the previous games, while it enables Free Cancels (which use up a set duration of the mode), now halves the damage done at a cost for its duration. Normal DM's now no longer use up an extra gauge stock when performed, and now only instantly end Max Mode. SDM's instead use one extra stock while also ending Max Mode as well.

One of the most notable changes is the inclusion of MAX2 Desperation Moves (also known as Hidden Super Desperation Moves), which are DM's that can be used only with 3 stocks and at a certain threshold of low HP.

Another notable changes are the allocations of both normal DM's and SDM's, as not all normal DM's have SDM versions and some SDM inputs may be completely different attacks depending on the character(s). Nearly all SDM commands end with 2 of the respective buttons for their inputs (A+C or B+D) due to the fact that Normal DM's can be used in Max Mode.

Characters

<tabber> Official Team Roster=

K' Team

Japan Team

Fatal Fury Team

Art of Fighting Team

Ikari Warriors Team

Psycho Soldier Team

Women Fighters Team

Korea Justice Team

New Faces Team (A.K.A. Orochi Team)

'97 Special Team

Yagami Team

Agents Team

|-|Hidden/Alternate Team=

Awakened Orochi Team

|-|Mid-Bosses=

NESTS Team

Mid-Boss Solo Character

Kusanagi

|-|Boss=

Omega Rugal

|-|Console Exclusive Characters=

Note: All of these characters can also appear as mid-bosses.

Shingo Yabuki
King
Geese Howard (ripped from SvC Chaos)
Goenitz (ripped from SvC Chaos)
Orochi Iori (ripped from SvC Chaos)

|-|NPC Characters= Characters who accompany the playable characters of the game.

Kogoro Daimon - appears in Daimon's round start intro
Rock Howard - appears in one of Terry's round win poses
Candy Diamond - appears in one of Kula's round win poses and two of her Desperation Moves
Diana - appears in one of Kula's round win poses and two of her Desperation Moves
Foxy - appears in one of Kula's round win poses and two of her Desperation Moves
Antonio - appears in Mary's intro and one of her win poses
Asuka and Maria - appears in one of Athena's intros and in one of her HSDMs

|-|Stage Cameos=

Original Characters

Bao - in China Stage (Day)
Lin - in China Stage (Day)
Jhun Hoon - in Korea Stage
Kang Bae Dal - in Cambodia Stage
Heidern - in Mexico Stage (Day) and Italy Stage
Heavy-D! - in Japan Stage (Day)
Lucky Glauber - in Mexico Stage (Day)
Brian Battler - in Mexico Stage (Day)

Fatal Fury/MOTW series

Geese Howard (Fatal Fury series) - in Japan Stage (Evening)
Jubei Yamada - in Japan Stage (Evening)
Marco Rodriguez (Garou: MOTW) - in Japan Stage (Evening)
Tung Fu Rue (Fatal Fury series) - in China Stage
Jin Chonshu (Fatal Fury series) - in China Stage (Day)
Jin Chonrei (Fatal Fury series) - in China Stage (Day)
Li Xiangfei (RBFF 2) - in China Stage
Hon-Fu (Fatal Fury series) - in China Stage (Evening and Night)
Cheng Sinzan - in China Stage
Kim Jae Hoon - in Korea Stage
Sokaku Mochizuki - in Holland Stage (Day)
Bob Wilson - in Mexico Stage (Day)
Duck King - in Mexico Stage (Day)
Tizoc - in Mexico Stage (Day)
Ryuji Yamazaki (Fatal Fury series) - in Mexico Stage, on a wanted poster
Wolfgang Krauser - in Italy Stage

Art of Fighting series

Eiji Kisaragi - in Japan Stage (Evening); he also appears in the special intro Billy vs. Iori, and one of Billy win poses
Ryuhaku Todoh - in Japan Stage (Day and Evening)
Kasumi Todoh - in Japan Stage (Day and Evening)
Lee Pai Long (AOF series) - in China Stage (Evening and Night)
Wang Koh-San - in Holland Stage (Day)
King - in Mexico Stage (Day), only in Arcade version
Mr. Big - in Italy stage

Savage Reign series

Kim Sue-il - in Cambodia stage

</tabber>

Stages

Note 1: In the PS2 and Xbox versions, the stages have been remodeled in 3D, although it is still possible to play with the 2D versions via the option menu. In all other versions, they are only available in their 2D forms.

Note 2: The NESTS Team/Kusanagi's and Omega Rugal's stages look very different in the PS2 and Xbox versions. The NESTS Team/Kusanagi's stage also appears immediately before the Final Boss in these versions, rather than before the last match against a regular team/character.

Note 3: In this game, the stage are randomly chosen by the game's system.

Warning: The sight of some stages can cause epilepsy.

<tabber> Normal Stages=

KoF 2002 Japan stage 1.gif

Japan Stage (Morning)
KoF 2002 Japan stage 2.gif

Japan Stage (Evening)
KoF 2002 Japan stage 3.gif

Japan Stage (Night)
KoF 2002 Korea stage 1.gif

Korea Stage (Day)
KoF 2002 Korea stage 2.gif

Korea Stage (Evening)
KoF 2002 Korea stage 3.gif

Korea Stage (Night)
Kof 2002 China stage 1.gif

China Stage (Morning)
KoF 2002 China stage 2.gif

China Stage (Day)
KoF 2002 China stage 3.gif

China Stage (Evening)
KoF 2002 China stage 4.gif

China Stage (Night)
KoF 2002 Holland stage 1.gif

Holland Stage (Day)
KoF 2002 Holland stage 2.gif

Holland Stage (Evening)
KoF 2002 Cambodia stage.gif

Cambodia Stage
KoF 2002 Mexico stage 1.gif

Mexico Stage (Day)
KoF 2002 Mexico stage 2.gif

Mexico Stage (Evening)
KoF 2002 Mexico stage 3.gif

Mexico Stage (Night)

Japan: The garden of the Ryoanji Temple, in Kyoto. The fight occurs in a balcony. Can be seen some people cheering, the other side of the temple, trees and shrubs, two geishas, a small lake and two giant fans, one of them with tiger print, a sun umbrella and two flags. The game's name can be spotted on the floor of the temple and on one of the flags.
- Changes: in 1st and 2nd round, it's afternoon; in the 3rd round, sunset; from the 4th round, night of full moon and the stage partially empty.

File:Images.png

Gameplay of Angel vs. Billy in arcade version

Korea: A boat in the front to the 63 Building and the Hangang Railway Bridge, in Seoul. Can be spotted people cheering, a bridge, childs in a binocular, other buildings, flags, seagulls flying over the stage and tires.
- Changes: in 1st and 2nd round, it's afternoon; in the 3rd round, sunset; from the 4th round, night.
China: A ring near the Nanhu Garden and the Quanfu Temple, in the city of Kunshan. Can be seen people cheering and holding plaques with Chin's name, a bridge, a sign with the Athena's name and balciones in the background, a gate next to the courtyard and a big vase in the left, besides the famous logo in the doors.
- Changes: in the 1st round, the gate is closed; in the 2nd round, the gate opens; in the 3rd, it's sunset; from the 4th round, night.
Holland: The village of Zaanse Schans, in the city of Zaandam. In the two first rounds, can be seen windmills, one with the franchise's name, a hot air balloon with the game's name, a man coughing, people cheering and photographing, a fence, giant clogs, sheep with the initials of the game and barns. Also can be seen giant clogs.
- Note: From the 3rd round, it's sunset and the stage is partially empty. The only changes among the 3rd and 4th round is the animals: can be seen dogs and sheep in one, and crows in the other.

File:Kof 2002 ps.jpg

Gameplay of Orochi Iori vs. Chris in the console version.

Cambodia: The fight takes next to the Angkor Wat Temple. Can be seen a tree, shrubs, stones and a electric post. The weather in the stage is cloudy and lightings can be seen in the sky.
Mexico: The Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacan. The fight takes in a ancient building. Can be seen people cheering, a screen with Heidern, plaques with the game's name with the inscription MEXICO-TV by IO-NET, an antenna, the Mexican flag, a river and the Quetzalcoatl Temple, in the background.
- Changes: in two first rounds, it's day; in the 3rd round, it's sunset, the stage is empty and the screen it's off; from the 4th round, it's night and a torch is on.

|-|Mid-Boss & Boss Stages=

KoF 2002 Italy stage 1.gif

Italy Stage 1
KoF 2002 Italy stage 2.gif

Italy Stage 2
KoF 2002 Italy stage 3.gif

Italy Stage 3
KoF 2002 Mid Boss stage.gif

NESTS Stage
KoF 2002 Rugal stage.gif

Omega Rugal's Stage

Italy: An aerial plataform next to the Cathedral and the Tower of Pisa. Can be seen Mr. Big and Krauser, two screens, one showing Heidern, a cameraman and the Italian flag, in the left and in the right. This stage is the last of Team/Single Play mode.
- Changes: from the 2nd round, the plataform rise, and appears a blue flag with game's short name in the tower; from the 4th round, one more rise until the top of the tower, where can be spotted the two villains and a sign FINAL: THE KING OF FIGHTERS.
NESTS — NESTS Team & Kusanagi: In the arcade version, the Italy stage in a dark and empty version. In the PS2 and Xbox versions, the fight takes in a military airplane, next to a helicopter. Can be seen obstacles, a miltary jeep and a war tank. There's a little turbulence and things start to fall.
Unknown — Omega Rugal: In the arcade version, a heap of debris, possibly military aircraft. Can be seen a control panel screen in the background. In the PS2 and Xbox versions, is a version of Sky Noah stage. Can be seen control panels, screens and ladders. Associated with Omega Rugal.