The year was 2002 and online gaming was nowhere near as mainstream as it was soon bound to be. The major consoles competing for recognition were Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox. This was a time when local co-op was all the rage, and friends, siblings, and enemies, basically all sorts of players, used games that utilized local co-op to vent out on each other. The fighting game genre has always been best at putting the might of two individuals to the test. Even back in 2002 fighting games were incredibly fun and engaging and their popularity since then has grown considerably.
With 2022 coming to a close, and many new fighting games, like Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6 officially being announced for the next year, the fighting game genre is once again seeing a surge in popularity. This makes it the best time to look back and reminisce at some of the older fighting games and see how far the genre has come. Here are five classic fighting games released in 2002 that are now officially twenty years old.
5 Rage of the Dragons
The early 2000s was an era of arcade beat-em-up games like Rage of the Dragons. This 2D fighting was developed by Noise Factory and BrezzaSoft and paid homage to the classic Double Dragon game by bringing back characters such as Jimmy, Billy, and Abobo. The total roster consisted of 16 playable characters, however, most of the roaster consisted of fresh new characters.
Rage of the Dragons was a traditional sprite-based 2D brawler that used a tag team mechanic, allowing players to switch between characters at will during a match. The 2D stages were also brimming with style and battle animations were pretty decent for the time. The game was far from perfect, however, as some combo exploits were game-breaking.
4 Soul Calibur 2
Developed by Project Soul, Soul Calibur 2 is the second installment in the Soul Calibur franchise and is set four years after the events of the first game. The warriors were able to defeat the Azure Knight Nightmare but failed to stop the evil soul inside Soul Edge. Four years since then, the fragments of the blade caused evil to grow throughout the world. Driven by the need to either possess or destroy the evil sword the three warriors then embark on their own personal journeys.
Soul Calibur 2 featured a dynamic 3D fighting experience as it utilized motion capture technology for its game animations. The game managed to not only meet expectations but far exceed them with its enhanced gameplay systems and new characters. Soul Calibur 2 also introduced many dynamic stages, a wall mechanic with wall-specific moves, side stepping, and even a clash mechanic where two attacks would cancel each other out. Soul Calibur 2 built upon the success of all its predecessor pushing the fighting genre forward.
3 King of Fighters 2002
King of Fighters 2002 was the 9th installment in the long-running King of Fighters franchise and discarded the 4v4 "Striker Match" combat style with a more traditional 3v3 one. The game was an arcade fighter and did not carry a storyline. While no new characters were introduced in the series, many classic ones made their return in this game, including the likes of Yashiro, Shermie, and Vice.
In addition to improved graphics and new animations, the game's major tweak came in the form of its new Power Gauge system allowing for engaging versatility in every match. Although the game was visually outdated, there is still plenty of charm to be found in its 2D sprites, backgrounds, and animations. King of Fighters 2002 retained a score of 73% on Metacritic for the PlayStation 2.
2 Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
After being absent from the gaming industry for four years, the Mortal Kombat franchise made its violent return with the release of Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance in 2002. The Mortal Kombat series has long been associated with fighting games and for good reason as this franchise changed the genre forever with the release of the first Mortal Kombat game. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance saw the series return with a fresh take on the fighting genre, and introduced a brand-new 3D gameplay system.
This system, like those before it, featured both hand-to-hand and weapon-based combat but in an all-new 3D perspective. The character designs were also more detailed due to the new engine on which the game was developed, while the stages retained the same dark atmospheric vibe the Mortal Kombat franchise is known for. The game also introduced many engaging modes for players to play around with. Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance retained a score of 81% on Metacritic for the GameCube.
1 Guilty Gear XX/X2
Developed by Arc System Works, Guilty Gear XX or X2 was the third installment in the Guilty Gear Franchise and continued the plot of the series, while also introducing three new playable characters. The game was first released for arcades but later got ported to the PlayStation 2. It improved upon the first games in almost every way with the inclusion of better gameplay mechanics, more dynamic stages, tweaked-up music, and new character abilities.
The plot unfolds two weeks after the events of the first game and follows Ky Kiske as he finds the mysterious Post-War Administration Bureau investigating the Gears and fighters from older tournaments. On the gameplay side, a new mechanic called Burst was introduced which allowed players to escape from combo attacks. Though the mechanic became controversial, it has since continued to stay with the franchise. Guilty Gear XX/X2 retained a Metacritic Score of 87% for the PlayStation 2.