A trip back to 2002 in gaming history (Part 3)

You might think that there's not much else to name apart from Morrowind and Warcraft III which I already covered in the previous parts. I thought so as well, but it turns out that I was wrong.
So looks like it's finally time to finish the 2002 post with all that the year had to offer.

I've been away on a work trip to Athens this week and last weekend, so apologies for the hold up here.

Before I carry on with this I'd like to note that it'd be really cool if you reading this would share your thoughts and opinions on the games I highlighted below as I (and probably most other people) am not well familiar with all of them and might have totally missed the awesomeness of some or even generally missed to mention some cool games released that year.

Some other years I already covered, be sure to open them up in a new tab while reading this one.

A trip back to 2002 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 2002 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 2001 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 2001 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 2000 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 2000 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1999 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1999 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1998 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1998 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1997 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1997 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1996 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1993 in gaming history
A trip back to 1991 in gaming history 

Having that out of the way, let's get going!

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

Only a year apart from GTA III, Rockstar gave us another one to enjoy. Yet PC and Xbox gamers still had to wait until 2003 to play it. I think I know what the answer will most likely be, but what is your favorite GTA of all time?

 

Gothic II

Said to be Morrowind's main competitor, but let's face it - anything from 2002 could hardly compete with Morrowind. However still quite a delightful game as I remember it, which is backed by its 2003 PC Gamer Use's "Best Realigning Game" award.
I dare you - imagine yourself back in 2002, what would you pick up off a shelf: Morrowind or Gothic?

 

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

The first Tony Hawk game to kind of merge the free-skate and career mode, allowing you to explore levels and complete objectives taking as much time as you want. Tony Hawk games in their prime, what a time! I already asked this in one of the older posts, but if you haven't told us there - that's your favorite THPS?

 

Age of Mythology

An RTS developed by Ensemble Studios, a spin-off of the "Age of Empires" series, sharing a lot of its gameplay mechanics.

 

 

 

 

Deadly Dozen: Pacific Theater

There's another WWII themed FPS for you in 2002. A sequel to the 2001 "Deadly Dozen".

 

 

 

 

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly

A new and quite sad installment of Spyro. (I personally love the series, especially the first 3!)
Released for the PS2 and GameCube it was also planned to reach Windows and Xbox, yet that never happened.
The game received a lot of heat from gamers and critics for its bugs, glitches, short story and overall rushed release. What do you think was the best Spyro game?

Ratchet & Clank

A really nice platform game as I was told, sadly I've never actually played it, so it would be amazing if you could tell us a little about it.

 

 

 

Arx Fatalis

An RPG released by a French studio - Arkane Studios. One cool feature there was that you had to use different mouse gestures to cast spells, if you consider that cool of course...
Anyway, ever played this game?

 

 

 

O.R.B: Off-World Resource Base

A space strategy game that seems similar to Homeworld and Homeworld 2 - Did you play this one? What would be your pick: O.R.B or Homeworld?

 

 

 

Robin Hood: The Legend of Sherwood

A real-time tactics game with an emphasis on stealth elements, developed by Spellbound Studios.

 

 

 

 

Shinobi

An action-adventure game, originally planned for the Dreamcast console, but we all know how that went. So was eventually released for the PS2. Looks like an awesome game, so if you have something to share with us, please do so!

 

 

 

NBA Live 2003

Well, NBA is NBA...

 

 

 

 

 

Mechassault

One of the first games to feature the ability to play online on the Xbox Live service.

 

 

 

 

 

Haegemonia: Legions of Iron

A space RTS developed by Digital Reality. I would not have much to say here, so feel free to do so if you feel like it.

 

 

 

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

You all know what it is! First game to start the famous series. The game utilizes the Unreal 2 engine like many games from the same year. Its success inspired a series of novels.
The game originally started development as a sci-fi, James Bond type of game and might have remained that way in a parallel universe, but luckily not here! GameSpot's Greg Kasavin called Splinter Cell "hands down the best lighting effects seen in any game to date."

 

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance

The first MK game to be released exclusively for home consoles.

 

 

 

 

 

Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast

Build upon the Quake III engine, this game primarily is all about melee combat. My favorite Star Wars game to this day is the criminally underrated "Jedi Academy", what's your favorite one?

 

 

 

Post Mortem

A mystery adventure game that uses a point and click interface.

 

 

 

 

 

James Bond 007: Nightfire

Nothing will beat Goldeneye for me though.

 

 

 

 

 

Hearts of Iron

A grand strategy game by Paradox Development Studio and guess what? Like a lot of titles released in 2002 - it is WWII themed.

 

 

 

Divine Divinity

An action RPG that I personally never played, but it gave birth to one of my favorite RPGs "Divinity: Original Sin" so this must have been a kick-ass game. Divine Divinity was in development since 1999 and changed several working titled during that time. What do you think of the two recent installments of "Divinity: Original Sin"?

 

 

This is all I have for 2002. The first post to take up 3 parts, looking at the progression in which new games were released, I feel that this might not be the last 3-part post. As usual it would mean a lot for the other readers and me too if you would take a moment to share your thoughts and opinions on the games featured here. As well as that feel free to comment on what layout you like more - the older one with bigger screenshots or the new one with screenshots on the side.

A trip back to 2002 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 2002 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 2001 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 2001 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 2000 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 2000 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1999 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1999 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1998 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1998 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1997 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1997 in gaming history (Part 2)
A trip back to 1996 in gaming history (Part 1)
A trip back to 1993 in gaming history
A trip back to 1991 in gaming history 

Thanks again for your time, peace out!