December2017

  • Review World Heroes (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)

    Joan of Arc VS. Hulk Hogan. Round 1. Fight!

    Many, many fighting games were released on the Neo Geo and these are slowly but surely filling up the Switch’s eShop. Compared to most of the options available World Heroes and its sequels offer a simpler experience with less depth, but the series can still entertain when its varied cast of fighters...

October2017

  • Review Metal Slug X (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)

    Remixed Vehicle – 001/II

    It remains to be seen how many Neo Geo titles HAMSTER will ultimately bring to the Switch, but there's been no sign of the publisher slowing down in recent times. This has ensured that a good range of titles are available, but it has resulted in some that are surplus to requirements. There’s little reason to download...

September2017

August2017

June2017

May2017

March2017

  • Review Metal Slug 3 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)

    Arcade anarchy

    As we write this we still await the Nintendo Switch Virtual Console, but courtesy of HAMSTER we have the 'ACA' Neo Geo range on Nintendo's latest console. These are essentially faithful ports, designed to emulate the original Neo Geo experience on modern hardware while throwing in a broad range of features and customisation options...

February2013

  • Review Metal Slug 4 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Fourth time a charm?

    If there's one thing that can be said with any degree of certainty, it's that SNK's Metal Slug series always remained fairly consistent over the course of their releases. The gameplay remained pretty much the same, with little more than a few tweaks here and there for good measure. Metal Slug 4 was developed by Korean firm Mega...

November2012

October2012

August2012

  • Review Metal Slug X (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    X hits the spot

    While Contra has always been the game by which all run and gun titles have been judged, serious fans of the genre will still flash a wide grin at the mere mention of the Metal Slug series, especially Metal Slug X. There's no denying that Metal Slug 2 had all of the makings of an amazing run and gunner, but the rampant slowdown ended...

June2012

  • Review Metal Slug 3 (Wii Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Heavy metal

    Due to the bevy of fighting games released for Neo Geo, it's always a refreshing sight to see a game of a different genre from the format re-released on Virtual Console. We've just about hit the jackpot this time — Metal Slug 3 can easily be considered one of the single best games the system ever got. The first and second games in the...

March2012

  • Review Samurai Shodown IV (Neo Geo)

    Another victoly

    It's only taken 18 months since Samurai Shodown III for the fourth instalment, Samurai Shodown IV, to reach Virtual Console in Europe. As part of something of a Neo Geo resurgence following King of Fighters '97, Sam Sho IV is another strong addition to VC's fighter library. SSIV takes the basic three strengths of slash from its pre

December2010

  • Review Magical Drop II (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    As intense as it is addictive

    We've seen a wealth of "falling object" puzzlers since Tetris hit the scene in the 80's, some better than others. Data East's Magical Drop introduced a few new tricks to introduce a fun puzzler experience into arcades that turned quite a few heads during the time. As a follow-up, the company created two...

March2010

  • Review Fatal Fury Special (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Is it really all that special?

    There's no question that Fatal Fury 2 was quite a step up in quality from the original, but it seems SNK still wasn't completely satisfied with the game and decided to release an upgrade in the form of Fatal Fury Special. Rather than start from scratch, they basically took Fatal Fury 2, added in the ability to play as...

December2009

  • Review Ironclad (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    A rare Neo Geo CD gem comes to the Japanese Virtual Console

    You can be forgiven for not having heard of Chotetsu Brikin'ger (often referred to as Ironclad Brikin'ger on the web) as it's one of a handful of Neo Geo CD titles that was never released in MVS cartridge form for arcades or outside of Japan (though according to message boards this VC...

November2008

  • Review Metal Slug 2 (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    More run and gun fun

    Not many games at the time could go toe-to-toe with Konami's Contra series quite like the Metal Slug titles. Not only did they feature the same run-n-gun arcade action of Contra, but they also took things to new levels of intensity and sported some of the largest and most creative boss encounters ever seen in a game of their...

June2008

  • Review Ninja Combat (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Ninja Combat is a scrolling beat 'em up featuring, as the title suggests, ninjas.

    One of the first releases for SNK’s Neo Geo console, Ninja Combat is unsurprisingly a little rough around the edges. Graphically it’s not really a massive leap up from the likes of the SNES or Megadrive/Genesis (bear in mind that when this game was first published...

December2007

  • Review Zanac (Virtual Console / NES)

    Take control of the state-of-the-art fighter, Zanac, with the objective of destroying the bases of the mechanized enemy forces.

    When you’ve got shooters of the calibre of Gate of Thunder, Soldier Blade and Super Star Soldier to choose from, it’s not unreasonable to question the sanity of downloading a NES blaster; surely anything available on...

  • Review Baseball Stars 2 (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    Lace up your cleats and step onto the diamond with the pros of Baseball Stars 2.

    Are you getting sick of all the sub-par sports games on VC (excluding Kirby's Dream Course, Punch-Out!! and, to some, Ice Hockey)? Yeah? Well, here's Baseball Stars 2 - a game breaks every rule in the book and delivers a completely crazy experience filled to the top...

November2007

  • Review Blue's Journey (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    I'm blue da ba dee da ba daa

    The Neo Geo is known primarily for its fighting games and the occasional shoot-em-up, so it’s good to come across a cutesy platformer on the system. If you are familiar with Super Mario Bros 2 on the NES you’ll have an idea of what to expect from Blue’s Journey. Every good platformer has a gimmick: in this one the...

October2007

  • Review Magician Lord (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    It's magic!

    One of the first games produced for SNK’s arcade system, Magician Lord is a lot like Capcom’s Ghouls ‘n’ Ghosts. You play the titular wizard as he battles to defend his homeland from the evil advances of the absurdly named Gul-Agieze. Considering the age of the game the visuals and sound are both excellent. The sprites...

  • Review World Heroes (Virtual Console / Neo Geo)

    A fighting game released in 1992 featuring eight characters, including Hanzo, Janne and Rasputin, modeled on historical figures from throughout the ages.

    Released when the avalanche of Street Fighter 2 clones hit arcades in the early ‘90s, World Heroes was a minor success that gained a cult following thanks to a combination of impressive graphics,...