Mammoth roster, no features
Retro publishers Hamster don’t seem to be taking a break this festive season, already announcing the first of this week’s classic titles making their return to modern platforms. Tomorrow, it’s SNK’s great scrapper The King of Fighters 2002, which will be made available on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Originally released on the Neo Geo platform as a sort of “full-stop” to the franchise’ yawnsome NESTS saga, KoF 2002 is another “Dream Match” title; a non-canonical brawl-for-all featuring past and current fighters. To date, KoF 2002 boasts arguably the best roster the series has ever had, as characters come from all corners of the globe to catch hands.
Unfortunately, this release has been seriously superseded by The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match, which launched on PS2, Xbox 360, PC and PS3 last generation, featuring more characters, improved artwork, balance changes and a host of side-features. Thanks to Unlimited Match, this original arcade ROM of KoF 2002 is a little vanilla, but is still a very worthy 2D fighter and a fantastic entry in the franchise.
The King of Fighters 2002 is available tomorrow on PS4 in Japan and Xbox One and Nintendo Switch worldwide, priced at around $8.