The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match
2009 video game
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The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match[a] is a 2009 fighting video game developed and published by SNK Playmore. It is a remake of 2002 video game The King of Fighters 2002, the ninth main game in The King of Fighters series. The game was released for PlayStation 2 and arcades in Japan, and later internationally released for Xbox 360 in 2010.
| The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match | |
|---|---|
Arcade flyer | |
| Developer | SNK Playmore |
| Publisher | SNK Playmore |
| Series | The King of Fighters |
| Platforms | |
| Release | |
| Genre | Fighting |
| Modes | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Arcade system | System Board Y2 |
Unlimited Match features new characters, bringing the roster to 66 characters in total, making it the series' largest roster to date. New stages, music and artwork were supplemented, with system and roster rebalancing in the gameplay.
A Windows port was released in 2015. It was released for PlayStation 4 in 2021.
Characters
Unlimited Match has 66 characters in total, making it the series' largest roster to date.[1] There are 44 characters from The King of Fighters 2002, 16 characters from the NESTS arc, including King and Shingo, and six hidden characters, including additional characters from the previous console versions with the exception of Orochi Iori and particularly K9999. A new character called Nameless (ネームレス) was designed to take his place in the game.[2]
Several teams have been re-arranged for Unlimited Match to account for the additional characters, as indicated below; characters added to this version are marked in italics.
Art of Fighting Team
- Ryo Sakazaki
- Robert Garcia
- Yuri Sakazaki
Psycho Soldier Team
- Athena Asamiya
- Sie Kensou
- Bao
Women Fighters Team
- King
- Mai Shiranui
- Kasumi Todoh
Masters Team
- Heidern
- Takuma Sakazaki
- Chin Gentsai
NESTS Team
- Kula Diamond
- Ángel
- Foxy
East Asian Triple Alliance Team
- Jhun Hoon
- Shingo Yabuki
- Lin
Pretty Girl Fighters Team
- May Lee Jinju
- Hinako Shijo
- Li Xiangfei
Cloned Kyo Team
- Kusanagi
- Kyo-1
- Kyo-2
Bosses
Single Entry
- Nameless
- Sie Kensou ('99 - 2000 "Psychic Powerless" version)
- Takuma Sakazaki ('99 - 2001 "Classic" version)
- Robert Garcia ('99 - 2000 "Charge" version)
- Nightmare Geese
Release
A remake of KOF 2002, The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match (KOF 2002UM) was released on February 26, 2009 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan, on July 9, 2009 for arcades and on November 3, 2010 for Xbox Live Arcade. The PlayStation 2 version also includes a port of the original The King of Fighters 2002 Neo Geo version.[3] The game was later ported to Steam on February 27, 2015, and PlayStation 4 on February 8, 2021. A physical release was set for late Spring 2021.
In November 2020, the Steam version of the game was updated with rollback netcode, allowing for higher quality online play.[4][5] The PlayStation 4 version was released with this same rollback netcode.[6][7] In January 2022, the PC version was patched with spectating lobbies and additional improvements.
Nameless was created by novelist Akihiko Ureshino who gave his setting to artist Hiroaki Hashimoto to use him in the game.[8]
Reception
During its release week, Unlimited Match sold 19,000 copies in Japan.[15] In Issue 114 from Arcadia, the game was featured at ninth in its Top Ten Video Games list.[16] Critical reception to the game was positive with Eurogamer and PALGN acclaiming large number of playable characters, although mixed opinions were given to its aging graphics.[10][9] In addition, despite lacking a plot, the large interaction between characters was praised for adding depth to the game according to Wired.[11]