The ‘Max Mode’ is activated by pressing ‘B’ (weak kick) + ‘C’ (strong punch) at the same time. There are two ways to activate the ‘Max Mode’. The first is by spending a point on the specials bar in a neutral position. The other is canceling a normal hit, to continue the combo and optimize the damage. Mastering this cancellation is essential, to get the most out of each of the characters in the title.
It should be noted that this is the last game in the franchise to not have any type of difficulty reduction in the execution of the movements, to “expand the audience of the game.” For this reason, players should be aware that the KOF 2002 UM learning curve is slow, difficult, but highly satisfying. Each character, despite the peculiarities and differences in their movements, has the same tools. Among these we highlight the four types of jump, the special high damage movements (DM, SDM and HSDM), movements with ‘counter wire’ properties and the ‘Max Mode’.
The gameplay is what makes The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match great. Thanks to this, KOF 2002 UM has a total of 66 players available to select from. Among these characters we highlight the inclusion of alternate versions of Robert Garcia, Sie Kensou, Takuma, Geese and all the members of the «New Face Team». To access these variants, players must press the “options” button on the character. For this reason this game, like its original version, does not have a canonical story. In this title we can see characters that have died in installments prior to KOF 2002. Like KOF 98 UM, The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match brings together all the characters from past story arcs in KOF history. A dream battle All the final bosses from the first two KOF story arcs are present in 2002 UM. Since its launch in February 2009, in commemoration of the franchise’s 15th anniversary, KOF 2002 UM has been well received by the community. Proof of this was the inclusion of the game in the magazine Arcadia Tougeki – Super Battle Opera 2010 tournament . During this competition – which Oz won – a version of KOF 2002 UM with balance adjustments and bug fixes was used. This version was released on Jfor PlayStation 2 under the name The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match Tougeki Ver.
These games are The King of Fighters 94 Re-Bout (2004), The King of Fighters ’98 Ultimate Match (2008) and The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match.
T he King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match is a remake of The King of Fighters 2002 : Challenge to Ultimate Battle, which debuted on the Neo Geo MVS arcade board. The original KOF 2002 was not developed by SNK, but by the now defunct Korean company called Eolith. This game belongs to a series of ‘remakes’ that SNK Playmore – as the developer was called until 2016 – was releasing for PlaySation 2.