Time really flies when you're having fun, and for those who enjoy gaming, 20 years can come and go quickly. Maybe too quickly. Entering the year 2022, it's time to look back on the 2002 slate of gaming. 2002 is often a year brought up as one of gaming's best years loaded with all-time great games, new entries in iconic series, and debuts that would become mainstays in the industry.
Many of these games have received remasters and even remakes. The fact that they have demonstrates just how big of an impression they've made on players and their impact on the industry as a whole. And this is only just scratching the surface of the many great games released in 2002. It's tough to believe these games are turning 20.
10 Tekken 4 Made Its Console Debut For PlayStation 2 in 2002
Tekken 4, released in 2001 for arcades, made its console debut for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. Tekken 4 is often considered by many in the Tekken fandom as the black sheep of the franchise. Much of this distinction was centered around two notable gameplay differences introduced in Tekken 4 but were never brought back. The first was that players were allowed to move around prior to the start of a round. The other was uneven stages, which gives players a need to achieve the high ground.
Tekken 4 also features a more grounded story compared to other entries of the series. Because of this groundedness and the characterization and development that came with it, many fans point to Tekken 4 as having one of the better stories in the series.
9 Kingdom Hearts Introduced The Most Bizzare Mash-Up In Gaming History
Mashing together Disney and Final Fantasy should not have worked. There was little logic to suggest players would latch on to a series where a child teams up with Donald and Goofy, meets up with Final Fantasy characters, and traverses classic Disney worlds. Yet, Square (later known as Square-Enix after a merger shortly after) bet on this concept, and it paid off.
Kingdom Hearts has since grown into a highly successful franchise with multiple follow-ups, some with questionable titles, that has greatly expanded the story and lore. Although, many fans do feel the overarching narrative has grown to become a bit too complex and convoluted.
8 Resident Evil 0 Was A Prequel Set Just Before The Original Resident Evil
The idea of making a prequel to the original Resident Evil was on the minds of Capcom from the very beginning of the series. Originally meant to release for the Nintendo 64 and its failed 64DD peripheral, the game would eventually rise from the dead in 2002 for the Nintendo Gamecube.
Resident Evil 0 was made utilizing the same engine used for the Resident Evil Remake (also a 2002 release) and tells the story of what happened before the events at the Spencer Mansion of the original. The game was widely praised for its beginning train sequence but criticized for its item management. There were no item boxes in the game, and with limited inventory space, players were forced to set items on the ground, increasing the amount of backtracking.
7 Super Mario Sunshine Finally Gave Mario A Vacation, Or So We Thought
2002 also marked the follow-up to the genre-defining platformer Super Mario 64. In Super Mario Sunshine for the Gamecube, Mario, Peach, and company set off for vacation on Isle Delfino. Upon arrival, Mario is framed for vandalizing the island and is forced to clean up the mess he didn't cause.
The way Super Mario Sunshine built upon the 3D platforming and movement foundation set by Super Mario 64 garnered a lot of praise. Though, some Mario fans lamented to use and reliance of the F.L.U.D.D. mechanic. Super Mario Sunshine was later remastered as a part of the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection alongside Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Galaxy.
6 The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Set Sail In Japan At The End Of 2002
While most series, even today, are afraid to deviate from what works, The Legend of Zelda series embraces experimentation. One game that epitomizes that is The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. While most of the 3D formula remained intact, Wind Waker featured a drastically different visual style. At a time when many games went in the direction of dark and realistic, Wind Waker went with bright, colorful, and cartoony. This art style initially received mixed opinions, with some fans avoiding it entirely for that reason.
Wind Waker was eventually remastered for the Nintendo Wii U and featured many quality of life improvements, including faster sailing and a more streamlined version of the infamous Triforce collection quest.
5 Metroid Prime Featured A New Perspective On The Classic Series
Entering the 21st century, the Metroid franchise was dormant. Super Metroid was released in 1994 and the series did not see a release for the Nintendo 64. It wasn't until Samus' inclusion in the original Super Smash Bros. that the series started to gain renewed attention. 2002 marked the return of Samus in both Metroid Fusion and Metroid Prime.
Metroid Prime is notable for taking the series to the first person and is, to date, the highest-rated game in the franchise while also being among the highest-rated games of all time. Metroid Prime, and its two direct sequels, would later be packaged together as the Metroid Prime Trilogy for the Nintendo Wii. A Metroid Prime 4 is currently in development.
4 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Built Upon The Revolutionary Grand Theft Auto III
How do you follow up arguably the most influential game ever created? Simple. By giving players more of that game. Rockstar quickly followed up Grand Theft Auto III with Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Vice City, set in a Miami-inspired city, built upon the foundation of GTA III and gave players an even more enjoyable experience, something that would carry over into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
Vice City would later receive multiple ports, a prequel for the PlayStation Portable, and a remaster as a part of the much-maligned Grand Theft Auto: The Definitive Trilogy.
3 Ratchet & Clank Started A Journey That Continues To This Day
Few franchises have become as synonymous with a video game brand as the Ratchet & Clank franchise has been with PlayStation. The original tale of the Lombax and his intelligent robot companion debuted in 2002. It would launch a series that would become a mainstay on PlayStation consoles even as recently as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which was one of the best-reviewed PlayStation 5 games of 2021.
The original Ratchet & Clank would later receive an animated movie adaptation as well as a remake based on that adaptation in 2016. While the remake was well received, the movie adaptation was critically panned.
2 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Brought The Series To Consoles
The Elder Scrolls is currently one of the most recognizable names in WRPG genre. There's a reason why The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of the most ported games today and why The Elder Scrolls: Online continues to have as large of a player base as it has. For many fans of the series, it was The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind that hooked them. Morrowind was not only the first The Elder Scrolls game to be released on consoles, but it was also the first released for Windows outside of the MS-DOS operating system, and it set the stage for what was to come within the genre.
Morrowind was both a critical and commercial success and would receive two expansions in Tribunal and Bloodmoon. Much of the criticism toward Morrowind, similar to many Bethesda Softworks games that would follow, were technical issues such as bugs and glitches.
1 Pokémon Ruby And Pokémon Sapphire Ushered In The Third Generation Of Pokémon In Japan
Following Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal's massive success and the enduring phenomenon of the franchise, The Pokémon Company and Game Freak set out to continue the franchise into a third generation. Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released in Japan for the Gameboy Advance in 2002 and brought players to the water-filled Hoenn region with 135 new Pokémon to capture. These entries feature many series quality of life improvements, including Pokémon abilities and Pokémon personality values, each of which continues in the series to this day.
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire would later receive remakes in the form of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which was praised for its updated visuals and integration of the sixth generation's Mega Evolutions, but was criticized for its overreliance on HMs and lack of Pokémon Emerald's Battle Frontier.