Games of 2002 - ranked by preference

Release Date: November 17, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Retro Studios
Genre: Shooter - First-Person

I got Metroid Prime for free with my Gamecube due to a deal Nintendo was doing at the time. I didn't want to play it. At that time I hadn't played a first-person shooter that I enjoyed...Or a first-person game of any kind that I enjoyed, for that matter. Instead, I let a curious friend play it who was a fan of first-person shooters while I watched. Simply watching the game in action made me want to play it...And shortly after he left, I popped it in and started my own save for it...And I ended up loving every minute of it. It's the Metroid formula successfully done in first-person 3D, and it's easily one of my favorite games that I've ever played.

Release Date: July 11, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: KCET
Genre: RPG

I love Suikoden II...I think it might be the best game in the series...But, when it comes to preference, Suikoden III is my favorite. It's odd because I wasn't much of a fan of Suikoden III when I first played it...But each time I played it, I enjoyed it more and more and learned to appreciate it more and more. From the art direction to the soundtrack to the five-way story arc (technically six if you count wandering around as a dog as another arc)...even to the neat concept of occasionally running into an enemy much stronger than you are...I just really, really love this game. If you haven't played it yet, you need to see a quack....Literally. There's ducks in this game. Play it and see them. Thank me later.

Release Date: October 27, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: Rockstar North
Genre: Action

With the massive success of Grand Theft Auto III, Rockstar thought it would be best to follow it up with a game based in Vice City, a parody of 80's Miami. I can't really argue with that decision. This was the Grand Theft Auto formula that took the gaming world by storm, with the dingy colors of III traded for the pastel hues of the 80's. Add in one of the nicest soundtracks in the history of gaming, the ability to drive motorcycles, and a few other little touches and tweaks, improving the overall gameplay, and you've got a fantastic prequel that any fan of sandbox-style games will love.

Release Date: November 28, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Compilation

This nifty compilation of Ocarina of Time and the more difficult Master Quest was given away as a freebie for anyone who reserved Wind Waker. As a new Gamecube owner, I jumped on the opportunity to get a free game in the collection. I'm glad I did. Having Ocarina of Time on the disk is great in itself...But having the Master Quest version on the disk as well, which changes up the dungeons, making them more challenging, is like adding frosting to that delicious cake known as satisfaction. If you've beaten Ocarina of Time countless times, getting this and playing Master Quest might be worth obtaining a Gamecube for alone.

Release Date: December 13, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Adventure

Say what you want about the cel-shaded graphics, cartoon-like antics, and child-friendly approach to Wind Waker...But at its core, this is still a Legend of Zelda game and the quality of this title is what you'd expect from the franchise. I, personally, found the art style that they went with to be a refreshing take on the series...And, quite frankly, everything looked absolutely beautiful. Yeah, everyone wanted to play as an adult Link when this came out...But honestly, Nintendo proved with Wind Waker that playing as a child Link can be just as fun.

Release Date: November 17, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Genre: Action

I remember really, really looking forward to this title...And I'll admit it, I was a little disappointed by it. I wanted a game like Super Metroid, where you could explore around in order to figure out how to advance...Instead, Metroid Fusion is much, much more linear and it almost holds your hand through each area of the game. However, those complaints aside, this is still a great game. The basic gameplay is fun, the story is interesting, and the graphics and audio are very good as well...If not for the hand-holding, linear story/gameplay progression, this probably would have been my favorite game on the Game Boy Advance. But as it is, it's still near the top of the heap.

Release Date: March 28, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Squaresoft
Developer: Squaresoft
Genre: RPG - Action

Oh man, prior to playing it for a bit recently to nab screenshots for this list, I haven't played Kingdom Hearts in about a decade. Once I got to Traverse Town and heard the background music, it felt like I had just played it yesterday. The nostalgia here hits certain folks like myself on two levels - remembering all the Disney cartoons I watched as a kid, and remembering all of the Squaresoft games I played as a teen. Nostalgia aside, which admittedly is a big reason why I love this game, Kingdom Hearts isn't perfect - platforming can sometimes be a nightmare due to a not-always-cooperative camera and the Gummi ship sequences (which I don't really mind) seem to infuriate some folks...But there's much more good here than bad. I guess simple and clean is the way that this game makes me feel....Sorry, I'll show myself out.

Release Date: May 20, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: DMA Design
Genre: Action

Grand Theft Auto III, as dated as the gameplay is, remains as my favorite game in the franchise to this day. So, eventhough I very, very rarely play PC games, when I found a used copy for $5, I couldn't help but purchase it. I honestly enjoy the console experience more, but the PC ability of customizing aspects of the game was quite nice, too. Behind all the controversy and politician complaints is a great game with a great story...Not to mention a game where it's just plain fun to wander around without doing anything.

Release Date: September 26, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: NEC Interchannel
Developer: NEC Interchannel
Genre: Board

Culdcept is a game that I try not to play often - not because it's bad, but because I have a hard time putting it down once I start. The most basic way I can describe Culdcept is that it's like Monopoly with monster fights. Basically, you roll the dice, move around the board and place creatures on the empty space you land on. If you land on a space that has a creature of one of your opponents on it, you can choose to pay the fee, like in Monopoly when you land on a property, or choose a creature in your deck of cards to do battle and try to take the space over. It's probably not for everyone, but I'm a pretty big fan of the game, personally. If you're a fan of Monopoly, you might get a kick out of playing this variation of the Monopoly formula.

Release Date: November 4, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Genre: Platformer

Much like how I enjoyed the Spyro games over the Crash Bandicoot games on the original Playstation, I enjoy Ratchet & Clank more than Jak & Daxter on the Playstation 2. The humor and personality of the original three Spyro games carries over to Ratchet & Clank, really making it clear that the developers are one and the same. The game also has a lot of explosions, and quite frankly, explosions almost always make things better.

Release Date: November 16, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Midway
Developer: Midway
Genre: Fighting

I was mildly a fan of Mortal Kombat II when I was a kid, so I wasn't too excited about Deadly Alliance...And then I played it and instantly fell in love. The abilities to swap between three fighting styles on the fly during the fight and even lodge weapons in your opponent to make them bleed out and slowly lose health for the rest of the battle were awesome new gameplay mechanics for a fighting game. The Krypt's luck-based way of unlocking stuff kept me playing this game much, much longer than I normally would have and the Konquest mode was a neat addition as well. More recent Mortal Kombat games have improved on the fighting and added better extras and modes, but for its time, Deadly Alliance was a must-have fighting game. It's still quite good today.

Release Date: March 4, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Digital Illusions
Genre: Racing

I'm a sucker for Rally-style racing games...There's just something about racing off-road that I find extremely fun in a video game. Anyway, RalliSport Challenge was Microsoft's attempt at a rally game, and they actually did a very good job with it. There's a decent amount of race types to play, and they're all quite fun to play. I prefer the Dreamcast's Sega Rally Championship to this, but only by a slight margin. It's definitely worth a look if you're into racing games, especially rally racing games.

Release Date: October 31, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Shut Your Mouth was a big step up from Just Bring It in the Smackdown franchise. Not only was the action all improved, but the season mode aspect was a major step up from the one found in Just Bring It. Also, a plethora of new talent invade this game, making potential match-ups feel very fresh. While it's not quite as good as Smackdown 2, in my opinion, Shut Your Mouth was easily the second best game in the franchise when it came out and the best wrestling game on the PS2 until Here Comes the Pain came out.

Release Date: October 10, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Takumi Corporation
Developer: Takumi Corporation
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Night Raid is an enjoyable bullet hell-style, third-person, scrolling shooter that unfortunately, never made it out of Japan. It features some colorful backgrounds and effects which help you look on in awe as a flood of bullets rain towards you and you try to weave your way through them all to stay alive. It's not nearly as difficult as some other scrolling shooters I've played from Japan, but it's still challenging and well worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.

Release Date: October 3, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Natsume
Developer: Punchline
Genre: Adventure

It took five years after its Japanese release before Chulip finally made it to North America...And while it's not the greatest game in the world, for me it was well worth the wait. I absolutely LOVE this game. For those not in the know, Chulip is an adventure game where you're a love-sick boy that wants a girl to love him as much as he loves her. In order to woo her, you must wander around and gain "experience" by kissing random residents of the town. Some you can simply kiss, while others require you to help them in some way, and not always obvious ways, before they'll share a liplock of passion with you. The music alone would make me fall in love with this game...Like the game itself, the melodies you hear are bizarre but downright charming. It's a pretty slow-paced game, and very likely too slow for some, but if you like the bizarre and have patience for a slow game, you'll likely fall in love with this game as well.

Release Date: August 18, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Double Helix Games
Genre: Action

I'll admit it, I loved the film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," but I never really watched or got into the television series. If this game is any indication, I think I would have enjoyed it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of those rare, really well-done games based on a license. Mixing brawler-style action with some decent puzzles, a decent story, and plenty of humor and personality, Buffy the Vampire Slayer easily stands out as one of the better action games on the Xbox. If you're into the television series, or just into good games period, then Buffy is really worth a look.

Release Date: November 27, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Infogrames
Developer: Monster Games Inc.
Genre: Racing

I have friends that are obsessed with NASCAR. I gave it a try and just plain am not a fan. That said, I really enjoy Dirt to Daytona. My friends claim that it's the best NASCAR game of all-time...And I fully agree. I'll even say that it's one of the best racing games that I've played as well. Everything here is done really well. Fans of NASCAR will love what this game has to offer and folks, like myself, will also enjoy it if they just like a well-made game. If you enjoy racing games and come across Dirt to Daytona, get it. You'll be glad you did.

Release Date: April 25, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami
Genre: Music

A friend of mine once said that Dance Dance Revolution: Konamix was everything that the original North American release of Dance Dance Revolution should have been. While I can't really argue since the North American releases seemed to be behind the times in what Japan was offering, I don't feel that Konamix was that drastic of a step up from Dance Dance Revolution. However, it did offer up enough to be well worth purchasing, even if you played the first DDR to death.

Release Date: January 1, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Sammy Studios
Developer: Marvelous
Genre: Fighting

If you're looking for a solid fighting game on the Game Boy Advance with some challenge, look no further than NeoBlood. This 3-on-3 fighting extravaganza is one of the better fighters not just on the Game Boy Advance, but on any handheld, in my opinion. It may not play quite as smooth as, say, a Street Fighter game, but it's dang close. And as I mentioned, there's some challenge here. You won't just mow through the game your first attempt at doing so. The game's final boss is also deceptively hard to beat, as you walk into the fight with a 3-on-1 situation. The catch is that you have to beat him three times to win...So, essentially, you're facing a team of three of the most difficult opponent in the game. All that said, NeoBlood is a great addition to the King of Fighters franchise and a fantastic fighter for on-the-go fighting.

Release Date: July 18, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Action

I was a huge fan of the original Ape Escape on Playstation One. There really wasn't anything else like it before, and the analog control scheme was something new and it worked well. Ape Escape 2 continues on with the ape-catching goodness of the original, but some magic is lost the second time around. First off, the gameplay idea and control scheme wasn't new or innovative anymore. Sure, it's still fun, but it still feels like more of the same. There are some new ideas here, like boss fights and new gadgets, but if you'd caught your fill of apes in the original, there might not be much here to have brought you back for more. If you'd never played the original, Ape Escape 2 was a nice place to start.

Release Date: November 10, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sonic Team
Genre: Compilation

Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine alone was enough to make me want to purchase this title. Toss in the first three Sonic games and a few other goodies and you've got a compilation that for its time couldn't be matched. This compilation was an upgrade from the Saturn's Sonic Jam, which was in itself a great compilation. The oddest part was that it was a Sonic compilation on a Nintendo system...I still remember seeing the Nintendo Seal of Quality by Sonic's foot and thinking how weird that looked. Sega has since released compilations better than this one, but if you want mostly Sonic games, this isn't a bad choice to go with.

Release Date: September 27, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Crawfish Interactive
Genre: Fighting

This handheld version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 doesn't have all the modes and pretty graphics (though, it still looks very good) of the console versions but it's still a solid fighting game. In fact, if you spent the majority of your time on the console versions playing Arcade mode, then this handheld version is like a dream come true. If you preferred to spend time leveling up in World Tour mode, then you might be disappointed to find that the mode isn't in this handheld version of the game. That said, this is still an incredible fighter, but for a better SFA3 experience, I'd stick with Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX on the PSP.

Release Date: November 22, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Bandai
Developer: Aki
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

Made before Def Jame Vendetta, Ultimate Muscle has even more over-the-top action. It's also more of a fighting game than a wrestling game, as your goal is to knock your opponent out rather than go for a three count. With about 20 playable characters, and each one being unique and with a different moveset, and a different story, there's plenty of replay value to be found here. It's got enough wrestling action to appeal to wrestling fans, and it's enough like a non-wrestling fighting game to appeal to fans of fighting games...It's right in that sweet spot, making it a game that fans of both genres should try.

Release Date: February 22, 2002 (EU)
Publisher: Eidos
Developer: CORE Design
Genre: Adventure

Herdy Gerdy, at the time, had visuals that made most gamers of the time go "Oooh!" and "Aaah!" It's a gorgeous game with an equally gorgeous soundtrack...I remember some comparing the aesthetics to that of a Disney film. Even now, over ten years later, the game looks great when you take into consideration the hardware that it's on. I'd like to say that the gameplay is on the same level, but unfortunately, it's not quite. The basic concept of the game is to herd animals, some being much easier to herd than others. The herding is a lot of fun at first, but by the end, it begins to feel very repetitive. But, if it sounds even a teeny bit interesting to you, it's worth giving a shot. It's not a great game, but it's still pretty solid, and not like anything else on the PS2.

Release Date: November 22, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Tecmo
Genre: Adventure - Horror

When I was younger, I used to get creeped out so much by video games that I couldn't handle playing games like Silent Hill for more than 30 minutes at a time. Those days are long gone, however, and I rarely get creeped out by anything that happens in a game these days. The Fatal Frame series is one of the very few games that can still make me feel uneasy when I play. I adore it for that fact. The original Fatal Frame isn't the best horror game that I've played, and the sequel greatly surpasses it in terms of quality, but it's not bad at all for its time. Unlike most survival horror games, you're not equipped with a gun. You're equipped with a camera, which is the only way to get rid of the evil ghosts that try to kill you. It sounds kind of lame when you think of it, but when you play it, it works pretty well. As I said, later games in the franchise improve upon this game, but the original Fatal Frame is still no slouch, especially if you base a game on how much it can give you the willies.

Release Date: May 8, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Metro Graphics
Genre: Music

I'll be totally honest with you - I thought that this game would be absolutely terrible. I was wrong. Not only is it not terrible, it's actually pretty good. The rhythm-based dance-off concept is fun while playing alone, but a blast when playing with others. Fans of Britney Spears will be rewarded with "backstage passes" that allow you to watch interactive videos, were you can pan the camera around kind of like if you were watching a show from backstage. Unfortunately, aside from that, there's not a ton else to do here. If there were more modes, I would have given it a higher score, since the lack of modes does significantly decrease replayability, but for what it is, it's a surprisingly solid music game for the Playstation 2 library of any fan of the genre and/or Ms. Spears.

Release Date: September 16, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Genre: Extreme Sports - Surfing

When Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was at its peak, Activision did what it likes to do when it has a successful franchise - overload the market with similar products so nobody wants it anymore. Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer was victim of this - a solid surfing game, possibly the best game dedicated to surfing that I've ever played, but in an over-saturated market of Tony Hawk-style games, this one was largely ignored. But, like I said, I don't think I've ever played a better surfing game, so if surfing is your thing, or if you just want to play something a little different, this is a pretty good game to try to acquire.

Release Date: July 18, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: KCEO
Genre: Sports - Soccer

Disney Sports Soccer is a surprisingly good soccer game. Or maybe not so surprisingly, given that the folks that made the critically acclaimed International Superstar Soccer series also made this game. Purists may not like the cartoony "magic" aspects of the game, but those can be turned off, and you can pretty much have a traditional game of soccer with Disney cartoon players if you'd like. The lack of a Season mode kind of derails this game from being better, but there's a couple of tournaments that you can compete in aside from your basic exhibition, so the gameplay options aren't completely barren. If you like soccer, Disney Sports Soccer is very much a worthwhile game to purchase, but you may be left wanting some game modes with a deeper experience.

Release Date: March 28, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Namco
Developer: Namco
Genre: Fighting

I was never a big fan of Tekken 4. It's an okay game, don't get me wrong, but after playing a ton of Tekken 2, Tekken 3, and Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken 4 just didn't wow me. It's not a bad game by any stretch of the imagination, but with the awesome Virtua Fighter 4 being released just a month or two before this game, it almost felt like Namco slacked off when developing Tekken 4, just adding minor improvements to the already established fighting game franchise, where as Virtua Fighter 4 blew everyone away with an absolutely amazing fighting game in comparison. Tekken 4 isn't bad, but I'd go with one of the other PS2 games in the franchise if you want to enter the King of Iron Fist tournament on your Playstation 2.

Release Date: April 25, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Agetec
Developer: Irem
Genre: Adventure

Never judge a book by its cover...or a game, for that matter. Disaster Report looks like a horrible, bargain bin game if you just look at the cover. But if you actually give it a chance, it's actually pretty decent. It's not "knock your socks off" great, but it's a decent adventure game where you attempt to survive the aftershocks after a major earthquake destroyed a city. If that sounds interesting to you, then give it a try. You'll likely be pleasantly surprised.

Release Date: April 18, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Klein Computer Entertainment
Genre: Fighting

The Dreamcast version of Capcom vs. SNK is a really good fighting game. The Playstation version falls a bit short in comparison, but is still a decent fighting game. The main issue with it is that this game was released about a year and a half after the Dreamcast version came out - why put out an inferior version on an inferior system (in terms of power, not library quality) when the Playstation 2 is out and you could have easily ported the Dreamcast version in its original quality to Sony's second system. Complaints aside, this still isn't bad. The visuals look good, the game plays fine, and it's an okay fighter to get if you have no way of accessing the Dreamcast original...But if you do have access, I'd set this version aside and enjoy the superior original instead.

Release Date: February 17, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Crave
Developer: DreamFactory
Genre: Fighting - MMA

Those familiar with Ultimate Fighting Championship on the Dreamcast will instantly feel at home with UFC Tapout. It's essentially the same game, just with a few new fighters and such, and on a different system. The gameplay isn't as new or refreshing as it was when the Dreamcast UFC game made its debut, but it's still fun, and a solid MMA title. It's also nice to see the likes of Dan Severn making an appearance as a playable fighter as well. More recent UFC games have gotten more complex, so sometimes it's nice to go back and enjoy the simplicity of a game like Tapout.

Release Date: August 22, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Racing

Auto Modellista is unique in the graphical sense, as it features real cars and realistic racing, but the art style is cel-shaded, which I've always found to be neat. The downside is that there's just not a whole lot of content here to make it much more than a novelty racing game. You can have a garage and do races and the like, but when the original Gran Turismo, released about six years prior, has a much, much deeper experience, it makes the game game feel very shallow in comparison. That's not to say that the game is bad, 'cause it's not by any means, but it almost feels like the developers thought that players would overlook its flaws due to the fancy coat of paint...Well, this player didn't. Decent racing game - not great.

Release Date: October 23, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Vicarious Visions
Genre: Sports - Extreme Sports - Skateboarding

My thoughts on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on the Playstation One carry over to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. It's clear that this version was an afterthought to the version that appeared on other consoles. It's not terrible, but it doesn't match the quality of the other Tony Hawk games on Playstation One. Like with THPS 3, if this is the only version of this game that you can get, you'll still have fun, but if you have access to any of the other versions, I'd go that route instead.

Release Date: December 19, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Majesco
Developer: Hudson
Genre: Action

Bomberman Jetters is okay...But it's often pretty slow-paced and that's not likely what folks used to the multi-player chaos in most standard Bomberman games are gonna want out of this game. That's not to say that the classic, multi-player madness we all know and love isn't here - it's just that it's a side game mode. The "Normal Game" mode is a 3D action game has a nice, cel-shaded look and it has a charm to it despite the slow pacing...If you stick with it, you'll find a decent little experience here. I've got a feeling some folks may give up on it before they discover that, though.

Release Date: February 11, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Anchor
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

WWF Raw is a passable wrestling game that looks way better than it plays. I remember being jealous of Xbox owners when this game first came out because it looked amazing...Then I played it and realized that I wasn't missing much. Then again, the game had Haku in it...I've always been a pretty big Haku mark. But anyway, nice visuals aside, the gameplay in the ring is pretty sloppy and choppy...Hey, that rhymed. Like I said, the game is passable, but only the hardcore wrestling fans (or people who only have an Xbox) will likely find much to love here...Aside from Haku. Everyone should enjoy Haku.

Release Date: March 18, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Eighting/Raizing
Genre: Fighting

Bloody Roar: Primal Fury is a decent fighter. It had been a few years since the original Bloody Roar introduced the concept of transforming into a half-man/half-animal creature in the middle of battle when Primal Fury came out, and as a result the novelty wasn't quite as impressive as it had been several games in the series prior. That said, the game is still solid and fun, but it just didn't seem to hook me like previous games in the series had. If you want a solid fighting game experience on the Gamecube, this is an okay choice, but there are still better options out there on the console.

Release Date: May 27, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Acclaim
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

After losing the WWF licence to THQ and after ECW went bankrupt, Acclaim was left without a wrestling promotion to make games for, so they decided to create a game with wrestling legends. They also opted to create a new style of gameplay rather than sticking with their WWF Warzone formula that had aged badly in a short period of time...Unfortunately, the new gameplay style still wasn't very good. In fact, the rest of the game (including the story mode where you travel the territories like in the old days) is well done, but it's the actual in-ring gameplay that holds this back from being a truly good game. Also baffling is how it's a game about the Legends of Wrestling, but instead of being authentic, Acclaim opted to give everyone fancy schmancy new moves - moves that weren't even invented in the heyday of most grapplers in the game. If you're a big wrestling fan, there's enough here for you to appreciate the good and overlook the bad. For everyone else, this is probably a game that you should stay away from.

Release Date: November 11, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: DreamFactory
Genre: Fighting

Kakuto Chojin isn't that bad of a fighter control-wise. It feels pretty smooth during the action and it looks pretty nice...My issue is with the difficulty...Or lack there of. I had to set the game to Extreme, the hardest difficulty the game has to offer, to have any sort of competitive match with the computer. In fact, when on the the two easiest settings, I frequently got "perfects" when not even looking at the screen during the entire fight. When matches are that lop-sided, there's something seriously wrong with your AI. That aside, Kakuto Chojin is so-so. I like a lot of the character and level designs, and overall I want to like this game...But the odd AI and bland gameplay options leave me thinking that this game could have and should have been so much better.

Release Date: July 25, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Aspect
Genre: Platformer

Groove Adventure Rave is a game that I'm going to go back and play and possibly revise on here at a later date...Mainly because I feel like I'm missing something here. From what I've played, this is a neat-looking platformer where you play as (I think) a snowman and you collect popsicles around the levels that, when eaten, give you special abilities for a limited time. It kind of made me think of A Boy and His Blob, except minus the boy and the blob is a snowman. The game looks gorgeous, and the popsicle power sounds fun in theory...But unfortunately the game feels very bland. I'll spend more time with it down the road - maybe it gets better the further you get in the game...But for now, this game goes into the "interesting concept, boring execution" category.

Release Date: June 9, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yuke's
Genre: Fighting - Wrestling

I absolutely hated WWE Wrestlemania X8 when I first played it. In fact, I sold my copy within a few weeks and never bothered to re-add it to my collection until nearly a decade later. However, after recently playing it again, I definitely see plenty of flaws like a shallow combat engine, choppy animation, a poor control scheme, and the fact that it's lacking the themes of several members of the game's roster....But despite the flaws, I don't see why I hated it so much back when it was released. Anyway, it's a passable wrestling experience, but not a whole lot more than that.

Release Date: 2002 (EU)
Publisher: LSP
Developer: Bit Managers
Genre: Sports - Tennis

This European exclusive was a game that I instantly wanted to play - I like video game tennis and Droopy may be my favorite cartoon character of all-time...Combining the two seemed like a good idea to me. The end result isn't bad, but it's not that great, either. It's simply passable. The tennis here is decent, with power-ups that appear on the court to make things interesting. It's not the most smooth or fluid tennis game I've played, but it's still very much passable. If you love tennis or Droopy, this game is worth a play...Otherwise, you might be better off with some of the other tennis games on the GBA.

Release Date: February 12, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Developer: VIS Entertainment
Genre: Action - Brawler

State of Emergency gets very repetitive very quickly....But you've gotta hand it to VIS Entertainment - the number of people and interactive environments in this game was absolutely mind-blowing at the time. Unfortunately, while it was fun at first, it didn't take long for the novelty to wear off and then you were left with a sub-par, 3D brawler. In small doses, State of Emergency can be fun...But anything more than 10-15 minutes of play time would be an overdose.

Release Date: May 29, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: NewKidCo
Developer: Digital Eclipse
Genre: Pinball

Muppet Pinball Mayhem is a passable pinball game with mildly amusing tables to play on...But strip the Muppet license away and it's nothing special. That said, it surprises me that this is more of a "pure" pinball game, or one that emulates realistic tables, rather than it be more of a video game-y pinball game with Muppets wandering around on the table for the pinball to bounce into. When I think Muppets, I'd imagine a wacky pinball game...Not a realistic simulation. So, if you're a pinball purist and a Muppet fan, you might be in heaven here...But for the rest of us, this is an okay pinball game, but the GBA has better options in the pinball genre.

Release Date: December 6, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Kemco
Developer: Tantalus Interactive
Genre: Action

Kemco wanted another Crazy Castle game made, but no longer had the Bugs Bunny license. What to do? Why get another well-known cartoon character, of course. Unfortunately, Woody Woodpecker was well known a few decades ago and hasn't really been featured a whole lot since that time. That said, Crazy Castle 5 is an okay game. It gives a good effort with Woody gaining special abilities and the like as you play...But the level layouts are very bland and dull, sometimes making it feel like a chore to make your way through each level. It's just shy of passable, in my opinion...Some better level design could have made this a very fun game instead of just a mildly amusing one.

Release Date: February 18, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Acclaim Studios Cheltenham
Genre: Racing

Mix Crazy Taxi with OutRun and you've got 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker....Kind of. I say kind of because both Crazy Taxi and OutRun are fantastic games, so mixing the two should be equally fantastic, right? Well if Crazy Taxi and OutRun are an attractive couple that has a baby, 18 Wheeler is their baby...and he has a forearm growing out of his left nostril as a birth defect. This is nowhere near as fun as the games it seems to be modeled after...Though, in fairness, for its faults, it can be mildly entertaining to play for a few minutes every now and then. I've played worse, but this still isn't very good.

Release Date: January 24, 2002 (JP)
Publisher: Sammy Studios
Developer: Arc System Works
Genre: Fighting

Guilty Gear X Advance Edition is incredibly fun...Until you realize that you've just beaten the game and gotten perfect victories over almost everyone you faced. Turning up the difficulty doesn't help matters - you'll still get plenty of perfects...The fights just last longer because the computer will block more. I really only lost when I TRIED to lose. To nab a "Game Over" screen for this list, I put the difficulty on highest, set the controller down and let the computer try to beat me...Which it didn't do within the time limit. I lost for having less health instead of being knocked out. That's an issue, friends. That major complaint aside, this is still a very fun game when playing against other people...And the gameplay itself can be very fun...But the head-scratching lack of difficulty really hurts this title.

Release Date: December 13, 2002 (EU)
Publisher: Midas Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Kung Fu
Genre: Racing

Well...it looks nice. That's about the only compliment that you'll get from me regarding this Europe and Australia-exclusive racing game. Coming out well after the PS2 was on store shelves, Stock Car Racer was likely overlooked...which is probably for the best. With poor controls, absolutely horrible collision physics, and a lack of modes to play, this is just a really unsatisfying game. If the collision issues were fixed and some modes were tossed in, I might be complimenting this game...but instead it finds its way onto my "worst games of all time" list...though in fairness, there are worse racing games out there...but that doesn't make this any less bad.

Release Date: December 15, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: Loki Entertainment
Developer: Running With Scissors
Genre: Shooter - Third-Person

Postal Plus is the same game as Postal, but with the "Special Delivery" add-on included in the package. So, if you liked the original, Postal Plus has more to love. If you didn't like the game...Well, then it's just more to not like. I found it to be disappointing that a re-release five years after the original release had nothing added to it aside from a single add-on. With how awkward the game feels at times, you'd imagine that some of those issues would have been resolved. But nope, no improvements to the game bring the score down a tad to reflect how the gameplay, which wasn't very good when it was released, had not aged too well.

Release Date: November 23, 2002 (NA)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: 3d6 Games
Genre: Action - Brawler

Altered Beast was an okay game back when it was released, but it also suffered from some poor-feeling controls. A few decades later, and Altered Beast gets itself a sequel on the Game Boy Advance and while the game looks pretty nice, the control issues are still here. The game has other aspects that actually make it feel like a step back from the original Altered Beast...Like how levels seem to last forever before you're able to collect enough orbs to transform into a beast. This VERY basic brawler has no exciting aspects to the gameplay to justify the length of the bland levels...The boss fights are fun, but not fun enough to make the journey to them worthwhile. Want to play Altered Beast? Get the original.