In the United States, 2002 was a hangover, the murky morning after the previous year ended with the September 11th attacks. America responded with the hair of the dog, getting into two wars that, for years, seemed like they would never end. As 2002 drew to a close, the War in Afghanistan was just a year into its 20-year span, and the Iraq War was still on the horizon. There was a sound in the air: the sound of an empire gearing up for industrialized violence on a grand scale.
I know that now. In 2002, I was a dumb baby eight year old who just wanted games for Christmas. And games I got. This was the Christmas I found the GameCube wrapped under the tree. Given that I asked for the Dreamcast, which had already been discontinued at this point, this was an exercise in my parents giving me what I actually wanted, rather than what I asked for. They also got me Sonic Adventure 2, which was the whole reason I wanted a Dreamcast in the first place, so no harm no foul.
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At this point, the GameCube, Xbox, and PS2 had all been on the scene for a year or more, so the big three console makers were really cooking. A new GTA, a new Mario, and… another two years before a new Halo. But Xbox was cooking in the meantime, with the console-exclusive release of one of the defining RPGs of the generation.
The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind was the moment a certain kind of RPG went mainstream. Of course, its sequel, Oblivion, was the moment that kind of RPG went even more mainstream, and that game’s sequel, Skyrim, was the moment that kind of RPG went as mainstream as a game can possibly go. But in 2002, when Morrowind came to Xbox, it was bringing the fiddly first-person RPG — then a PC-only genre — to consoles.
It wasn’t the first time — Deus Ex came to PS2 earlier in 2002 — but it was a huge hit for Xbox, and a breakout RPG at a time when the console desperately needed the genre. For such a big game, Morrowind is surprisingly weird. Its alien landscape is populated by huge bugs, giant mushrooms, and cat people. Though Skyrim gets all the glory (and constant ports) these days, Morrowind remains the hipster favorite. If you were one of the kids who found it under the tree, consider yourself cool.
Significant RPGs On Every Platform
Morrowind was just the tip of the spear — 2002 was a killer year for all things numbers go up. RPG fans might also have received Neverwinter Nights, Final Fantasy 11, Icewind Dale 2, Suikoden 3, Arkane’s debut Arx Fatalis, and (if they lived in Japan) Golden Sun: The Lost Age.
Super Mario Sunshine
As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of recreational water. Water parks? Sign me up. Tropical vacations? As long as I can bring my Beyblade book! Speedboat racing game Hydro Thunder? Pass the controller, Aunt Nancy!
Super Mario Sunshine combined all of those interests. A tropical vacation in video game form, Sunshine’s Isle Delfino was essentially one big water park thanks to Mario’s talking jetpack, F.L.U.D.D. It might not seem especially Christmas-y, but if you were afflicted with S.A.D., F.L.U.D.D. was the companion you wanted for the yuletide.
Iconic PlayStation Series Arrive
In 2002, Kingdom Hearts started beating, Ratchet & Clank started clanking, and Sly Cooper started sneaking along rooftops and hanging out with other cool, thieving animals. Sony will never launch this many iconic series in this short a span ever again, but if you were a PS2 kid in 2002, you glimpsed an intense burst of creative energy. Imagine playing three new games on Christmas morning, then getting to follow each as it became a successful series. That’s what the season is all about.
A Double Dose Of Metroid
For the Metroid fans who have waited seven years for a scrap of information on Metroid Prime 4, November 18, 2002 seems downright decadent. On that day, which lives in famy (like infamy, but good), Nintendo double-dipped, launching Metroid Prime on GameCube and Metroid Fusion on Game Boy Advance. Given that fans had been waiting eight years for a follow-up to Super Metroid, this was roughly equivalent to Frank Ocean dropping Endless and Blonde in a two-day period in 2016. Unlike Ocean, Nintendo followed it up with two more Metroid games two years later. Samus’ fans will never eat this good again.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
One of the most important games of all time, sandwiched between one of the most important games of all time and another of the most important games of all time. That’s the magic of the PS2 era: Rockstar was delivering iconic, totemic games every year. Or two years, if it was feeling particularly ambitious with its development goals.
Can you imagine if we’d only had to wait two years for GTA 6?
If you were a) a PS2 kid, who b) only got games at Christmas and c) had cool parents who let you play M-rated games, you were eating good on December 25, 2001, 2002, and 2004. And, if your parents were really cool — too cool, probably — you could be doing some mega violence on Christmas 2003 with your copy of Manhunt. What were the Wise Men doing on the original Christmas if not a Son of Man-hunt?