November2022
Rolling the dice
One of the only real criticisms we levelled at the recent Mega Man Battle & Fighters, a re-release of a Neo Geo Pocket Color title included in this new package, was that nobody had bothered to translate the content from Japanese. It was an issue exacerbated by a fan translation already existing online for those willing to go the...
June2022
Review Biomotor Unitron (Switch) - SNK's Mech-Builder Is Heavy With Arms And Retro Charms
Cool robots and nostalgia can only do so much, though
Biomotor Unitron has a wicked name. We’d forgive you for assuming it refers to an obscure power metal band or maybe the title of a 1990s mech-based anime. In reality, Biomotor Unitron is a mech-building role-playing game originally released for the Neo Geo Pocket Color way back in 1999 –...
January2022
Review SNK VS. Capcom: Card Fighters' Clash (Switch) - An Utterly Essential Card-Battler
Now this is a Brucie bonus
It's a result we had previously only dared to hope for. When SNK Vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium dropped on Switch almost a year ago, the fruits of the two fighting game companies' all-too-brief alliance were once again deemed "potentially in play". But when the labelled "Volume 1" of the wonderful Neo Geo Pocket Color...
March2021
Review Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.1 (Switch) - SNK's Handheld Classics Come To Switch
Bigger, Badder, Better
You’ve got to wonder what on earth SNK is thinking, sometimes. Releasing six individual Neo Geo Pocket Color titles on the Switch eShop was a fine idea, and Samurai Shodown! 2, The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, SNK Gals' Fighters, SNK vs. Capcom: Match of the Millennium,
February2021
Review SNK vs. Capcom: The Match Of The Millennium (Switch) - The Battle Still Rages, 20 Years On
A portable victory
Once upon a time, the battle between Capcom and SNK was real. During the early '90s, the two companies – each dedicated to the evolution of the fighting game – embarked in a tit-for-tat cold war. SNK’s Ryo, an orange gi-wearing approximation of Street Fighter’s Ryu, ended up in Capcom’s official Street Fighter II:...
November2020
Review The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny - A Delightful Fighter That Shows Its Age In Places
The Future was Then
The Last Blade is a fighting game series set in Japan’s Bakumatsu era, a mid-nineteenth century period significant for the opening of Japan to western trade, investment and influence. It’s all a bit historical, but the distinct motifs of the era are what make The Last Blade so aesthetically interesting. First appearing in...
August2020
Review King of Fighters R-2 - A Pocket-Sized Fighter That Still Packs A Punch
Calm down, Star Wars nerds
The Neo Geo Pocket Color is one of the most underrated systems in video game history. Released just a few months after the Game Boy Color, its 16-bit innards meant its games looked significantly better than those on Nintendo’s handheld, and its clicky control stick was a delight too. Ultimately, though, the system was a...
Review Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection - A Strong Lineup Of Brilliant Fighters
Seven Samurai
Although these days most gamers would associate SNK with the King of Fighters or Fatal Fury series, there’s still a sizeable following for the third major string in its fighting game bow, Samurai Shodown. Focusing more on weapons-based combat and less on having all the W’s in its title, the Samurai Shodown series is much loved for...
May2020
Review SNK Gals' Fighters - A Simple Yet Robust Brawler Which Is Perfectly At Home On Switch
Gal power
Fighting games have always had a welcome home on handhelds – even if the genre has served up a fair share of turkeys over the decades – and 20 years ago, Japanese powerhouse SNK was doing wonders with its plucky little Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Color systems. One of those little gems was SNK Gals’ Fighters, a pint-size...
February2020
Review Samurai Shodown - This Blade Is Still As Sharp As Ever
Another 'victoly' for SNK
When Street Fighter II arrived in arcades in the early '90s and turned the one-on-one fighter into the genre of choice for millions of players, it predictably caused a deluge of copycat clones to flood the market, each offering a slightly different take on the concept. Few of these could hold a candle to Capcom's effort,...
September2018
Review SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy - A Sexy Street Fighter That's Perfect For Beginners
Girls aloud
Rest assured, SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy knows exactly what kind of game it is. Which is handy considering it’s being released in 2018, where any sort of game with this much of onus on unrealistic cup sizes and objectification is likely to have the social media mobs banging at the door, pitchforks in hand. Thankfully, it’s a game...
July2018
Review The Super Spy (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Will bore the living daylights out of you
When a factory full of terrorists is discovered by the CIA, they decide to send in a lone agent to put an end to their bomb-building plans. You might expect this person to be a highly skilled operative, able to move quickly and sink into the shadows with ease, or alternatively someone armed to the teeth to...
Review Samurai Shodown V (Switch eShop)
Simpler shodown?
Arriving at a time when the company was having financial difficulties, SNK handed development duties of Samurai Shodown V over to Yuki Enterprise. On the surface, it seemed like they’d crafted a typical sequel with all but one of part IV’s sixteen playable fighters making it across - along with a bunch of new characters and some...
Review The Last Blade 2 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Another contender for Switch fighting champion
There are lots of one-on-one fighters on Switch, many of which have been released as part of HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series. The Last Blade 2 is another one, giving you a selection of fighters to pick from as you engage in a series of best of three-round fights en route to a showdown with an overpowered...
May2018
Review Real Bout Fatal Fury Special (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
The Real McCoy
With a name like Real Bout Fatal Fury Special you might think that the game is an update of something else from the series, much like how Fatal Fury Special was the second game with extra bits. This, however, is its own thing, but although it's not an update of either of the other Real Bout games (and Real Bout 2 actually followed...
Review Samurai Shodown III (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
More samurai action on Switch
The Virtual Console might be dead, but via its Arcade Archives and ACA Neo Geo series, HAMSTER is doing a lot to scratch that retro gaming itch, with a constant stream of re-releases. Like a number of Neo Geo titles (including others from the same series) Samurai Shodown III is a one-on-one fighting game. As always you...
Review Stakes Winner (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
A horse with no name
Unlike most home versions of horse racing games, Stakes Winner doesn't weigh you down with horse breeding or gambling, which makes sense considering this is first and foremost an arcade game. Unsurprisingly, you play as a jockey, choosing your horse from a varied lot with three different skills (speed, strength and...
April2018
Review Ghost Pilots (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Eject! Eject!
SNK may be famous for its fighting games, but in 1991 the Japanese firm decided that it wanted a piece of the 'shmup' pie that Capcom had been munching all to itself thanks its superb 194X series of WW2-themed shooters. Using a 4:3 ratio and replacing the more classic WW2 propeller planes with generic seaplanes, Ghost Pilots...
Review Sengoku 3 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Third time's a charm
SNK’s first two Sengoku games put players in control of a sword-swinging hero, with the neat ability to switch to a different character during play should they wish. Coupled with a variety of enemies to bash they were not essential titles, but could still provide some decent fighting fun. The second game built on the first,...
Review World Heroes 2 Jet (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Woo-oo-oo oo-oo-ooo
Unsurprisingly, World Heroes 2 Jet is a lot like the regular World Heroes 2. Utilising the same two-button setup (one punch, one kick; hold for a stronger attack), the same 14 playable characters return along with two newcomers: the clawed Jack and halberd-wielding Ryofu. There’s also been a speed bump and the addition of...
March2018
Review Real Bout Fatal Fury (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Keeping it real
The third Fatal Fury game may have been subtitled 'Road To The Final Victory' but the Legend of the Hungry Wolf was far from over. The first game to follow that third instalment (released in the same year, in fact) was Real Bout Fatal Fury, a game that feels in part like an upgraded Fatal Fury 3. Using the same three-plane fighting...
Review Sengoku 2 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Test your might
You fight of waves of attackers, warp somewhere to fight some more, then back again where of course you find yet more people trying to end your existence. Along with the nifty ability to switch between characters during play, Sengoku 2 offers similar gameplay to the first title, but some tweaks have been made to offer a more...
February2018
Review Fatal Fury 3: Road To The Final Victory (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Similar, but a bit different fighting thrills
Nintendo Switch is not short of one-on-one fighting games, but here’s another ACA Neo Geo release anyway. Fatal Fury 3: Road To The Final Victory again provides the typical best of three rounds fighting action as you beat up a variety of people en route to an ending. Compared to previous instalment...
Review 2020 Super Baseball (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Baseball with a twist
The Neo Geo sports games that have so far appeared on Switch offer up simple quick-to-play arcade experiences, but 2020 Super Baseball is a bit different. It’s not because it’s predicting some radical rule changes in a couple of years time (we’ve already had futuristic takes on football and volleyball), but because games...
Review Samurai Shodown II (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Sensational samurai
With its weapon-based combat and gameplay that often rewarded patience, Samurai Shodown was a different type of fighting game, but a very good one. SNK thought they could do better however, so went away and came up with Samurai Shodown II, a game similar to its predecessor but with some additions to the lineup and gameplay...
