Retro Reviews
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...
Review Aero Fighters 3 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Another fun shmup for Switch
Having recently announced it will be adding Video System titles to its Arcade Archives series, it seems likely that HAMSTER will make the original Aero Fighters available on Switch at some point. Before then we have Aero Fighters 3, offering similar shooting action to the excellent (and already available) second title...
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...
Review Magical Drop III (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Simple, frantic fun with balloons
The lineup of retro offerings on Switch may largely be comprised of fighting games and shmups, but other genres feature too, such as platformers, sports titles and - in the case of Magical Drop III - a highly enjoyable puzzle games. With the second game in the series already receiving the ACA Neo Geo treatment,...
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...
Review World Heroes 2 (Switch eShop)
An improvement over the first game, but it's not Perfect
Of the many one-on-one fighters released on Neo Geo (and now filling up the Switch eShop), World Heroes was far from top of the pile. It could still entertain however, and its colourful cast of characters inspired by historical figures helped it stand out. World Heroes 2 provides the same best...
Review Pokémon Crystal (3DS eShop / GBC)
Crystal clear
Akin to Pokémon Yellow's existence to Pokémon Red and Blue, Pokémon Crystal is the next critter-catching adventure to round-off a generation of main series, handheld Pokémon games – that being Pokémon Gold and Silver. But what could Crysta
Review Power Spikes II (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Underpowered volleyball action
In among the Neo Geo library of games there are a number of titles (some already on Switch) that take a sport and rework it into a simple, quick-to-play arcade experience. The latest arrival on the eShop is Video System’s Power Spikes II, a volleyball game that gives you a choice of eight four-person teams and then...
Review Art Of Fighting 2 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Like before, but a bit better
After bringing the first Art Of Fighting game to Switch, HAMSTER made the typically HAMSTER move of skipping ahead to Art Of Fighting 3: The Path Of The Warrior. That instalment offered a different, but more accomplished fighting experience and now the gap between those two is plugged with Art Of Fighting 2 which...
Review King Of The Monsters (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Fun for a few rounds
Thanks to HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series there are plenty of options for Switch owners looking to engage in some virtual fisticuffs. SNK’s King Of The Monsters offers something a bit different to the other choices however, as it is essentially a wrestling game, albeit a wrestling game with giant monsters duking it out and...
Review The King Of Fighters '96 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Or, the one with Geese Howard
Much like the first two instalments, The King Of Fighters '96 gives you a diverse roster of 2D fighters to pick from as you assemble a team of three to punch, kick, throw and brag your way to victory. The third instalment in the series also sees the sprites of old discarded for an instantly familiar hand-drawn...
Review Pulstar (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Not just a pretty face
The lush pre-rendered visuals of Donkey Kong Country certainly impressed in 1994, so it seemed inevitable that other companies would employ the technique in an attempt to draw admiring glances. So it was that Aicom released Pulstar the following year on Neo Geo. The end results was both visually impressive and lots of fun...
Review The Last Blade (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
The king of fighters?
Kaede is fighting Yuki and weapons slash quickly as the two leap about the screen. Quick strikes from both, the action is fast as each looks to string together a series of moves to end the battle. Another day, another fight between Kaede and Yuki, but this time things are playing out differently. This time the combatants have...
Review Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
An action-packed multi-plane adventure
Travelling to different planets, the stretchy-armed Roddy and Cathy move left to right employing a variety of skills as they bash the bad guys. Available to tackle alone or co-operatively with a friend, Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy includes some neat features that add to the fun of the action across nine...
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...
Review Soccer Brawl (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Super violent kicks
Playing SNK’s Soccer Brawl feels a lot like playing SNK’s Super Sidekicks (also available on the eShop). Both take the game of football (soccer, if you prefer) and tweak it into a simple quick pick-up-and-play arcade experience that ditches the likes of formations, squad selections, half time and injury time. Soccer Brawl...
Review Karnov's Revenge (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Yes it's another Neo Geo one-on-one fighter...
Hamster has done a good job of providing a variety of genres with its ACA Neo Geo series, but SNK's machine had a lot of one-on-one brawlers and consequently Switch owners are not exactly short of options when browsing the eShop. Here's another one, this time from the Fighter's History series...
Review Street Hoop (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Short on options, big on fun
While some of the games have not been strictly necessary (being outclassed by later updates/instalments in their series) and there’s been the odd dud, but HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series has been a continued source of classic arcade thrills on the Switch, almost making up for the lack of a Virtual Console on the system...
Review Art of Fighting 3: The Path of the Warrior (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Impressive fighting finale
HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series has brought a number of one-on-one brawlers to the Switch, and now here’s another one. The first Art of Fighting game may have been visually impressive for its time, but it was lacking in the gameplay department meaning there was little reason to pick it up on Switch. Laughing in the face...
Review Mutation Nation (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Rad dudes
The Neo Geo was not exactly short on choice for fighting games, with many-a-series of one-on-one brawlers available; though they were not as numerous, there were also some sidescrolling beat ‘em ups to pick from too. Several have already arrived on the Switch’s eShop and now HAMSTER brings another in the form of Mutation Nation. Like...
Review Robo Army (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Little known, but lots of fun
Neo-Detroit has been invaded by a legion of robots; their leader instructs them to seize the population and use their brains to clone themselves. Wait, what? Use their knowledge to build more of their number perhaps? Maybe the human brains are being scooped out for use in the robots? Whatever’s going on, it isn’t...
Review The King of Fighters '95 (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Unneeded fighter?
Having already given us the ‘98, ’94, ‘99 and 2000 editions (in that order), HAMSTER now jumps back in time to give us The King of Fighters ‘95. As only the second entry in the series it lacks some of the features of later games, but the aim remains the same: pick a team and defeat a bunch of others on your way to a...
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...
Review Burning Fight (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
A dying flame
Scrolling beat ‘em ups are simple games that provide a lot of fun as you (sometimes with the help of a friend) wander through a number of stages giving gangs of reprobates a good kicking, before facing off against a more powerful end of stage thug; rinse and repeat. Burning Fight comes courtesy of SNK and whilst Sengoku (another...
Review Pokémon Gold And Silver (3DS eShop / GBC)
Golden oldies
Pokémon Gold and Silver are the second generation instalments in the Pokémon series; released at the turn of the millennium, the games arrived just a few short years after their predecessors, Pokémon Red and Blue. Boasting a whole new world to explore, 100 new monsters (bringing the total to 251), and an entirely new cast of...
Every McCloud has a silver lining
It's hard to believe that sat here in 2017, we're actually getting the chance to review Star Fox 2. The Super FX-powered SNES swan-song has gone down in gaming folklore as a perfect example of Nintendo's ruthless approach to the video game business. When faced with the possibility that it could be compared...
Review Art of Fighting (Switch eShop / Neo Geo)
Pretty but poor
Street Fighter II took the arcades by storm in 1991, leading to a slew of one-on-one brawlers in the months and years that followed. SNK would develop a number of fighting series in the hope of tempting players away from Capcom’s game, samples of which have already arrived on Switch via HAMSTER’s ACA Neo Geo series. Now Art of...
