Best Video Games of 2002

Samus Aran's most personal and story-driven adventure brought Metroid to the Game Boy Advance with a haunting atmosphere, terrifying SA-X antagonist, and a narrative that finally gave the series' silent protagonist a genuine voice. Metroid Fusion is as close to survival horror as the franchise ever ventured.

The direct sequel and second half of the Golden Sun story — The Lost Age follows Felix's party across a newly traversable world with expanded Psynergy, more summons, and a narrative conclusion that unifies both game's casts.

The ocean-focused counterpart to Pokemon Ruby, featuring Team Aqua's quest to expand the seas and version-exclusive Pokemon including Lotad and Sableye. Pokemon Sapphire's Hoenn region remains beloved for its mix of land and water routes and the aquatic-themed legendaries Kyogre.

The bold third-generation Pokemon leap that introduced Hoenn, double battles, abilities, natures, and 135 new Pokemon. Pokemon Ruby Version built on Gold and Silver's foundations with a more ambitious region design, deeper competitive mechanics, and the memorable storylines of Team Magma's volcanic ambitions.

The darkest Mega Man game — Zero wakes from cryo-sleep to find a dystopian future where humans and Reploids are at war, with brutal difficulty, a ranking system, and a narrative that treats its characters with unusual gravitas.

The second GBA Castlevania — Harmony of Dissonance follows Juste Belmont through two parallel castle sub-dimensions simultaneously, with a furniture decoration system, boss rush mode, and spell book combinations adding depth.

The GBA remake of Kirby's Adventure — updated graphics, new minigames, and four-player capability made this the definitive classic Kirby experience on portable hardware.