Oof!
Neo Geo support hasn’t been brilliant on the Virtual Console up to now but fans of the machine will be pleased to hear that three more titles have been earmarked for release. Predictably they’re all fighting games; as we know full well the Neo-Geo certainly had its fair share of those.
Burning Fight is your typical Final Fight clone, with three characters that bear more than a passing resemblance to Cody, Guy and Haggar. Still, it’s easy to forgive this painfully unoriginal game because it happens to be very playable and in many ways it betters Capcom’s seminal scrolling fighter.
Ninja Combat is another scrolling fighter, which, as you might guess from the title, features ninjas in various combat situations. This one isn’t really a classic and showcases some amazingly goofy visuals but still entertains regardless; it even manages to bring a few neat ideas to the table at the same time.
The final game in the trio is Art of Fighting 2. If you liked the original then this will be right down your street as its fundamentally more of the same with a little more polish; personally speaking we weren’t that amazed with this when it was first released as the gameplay is still a little too clunky to really compete with the likes of Street Fighter 2, but it’s nevertheless gone down as a bit of a fan-favourite with SNK fans so it will represent another worthy addition to the Virtual Console line-up.
We may not be getting the cream of the Neo Geo crop just yet but these three games are still decent enough to consider downloading, despite being some of the first titles to be released on SNK’s legendary superconsole. They’ve all been rated by the Australian OFLC and that means we’ll be getting them at some point in the near future, so start stockpiling those Wii points.
1. konkerdoodle
11 Apr 2008, 14:58 BST
I was never a big fan of fighting games, so I'll probably shy away from the Neo Geo in general.
2. Bass X0
11 Apr 2008, 15:47 BST
Come on Waku Waku 7 and King of Fighters '95 (actually I want KoF96 but they have to get KoF95 out the way first).
3. Jay 11 Apr 2008, 16:20 BST
Neo Geo support is really dire on VC eh?
4. Tony
11 Apr 2008, 16:23 BST
I was beginnning to think the Neo Geo was forgetten. Anyway I love Streets of Rage style beat em ups. I bet all three of these games will be out before the end of 2008
5. Herandar
11 Apr 2008, 17:12 BST
@ Damo: How does Burning Fight "in many ways it betters Capcom’s seminal scrolling fighter."? There is no commentary like this on the game's page.
The only Neo Geo games I want are Samurai Shodown.
6. MrPoo6321
11 Apr 2008, 17:12 BST
i don't know if i'll ever really download anything from the neo geo.... i remember playing some of the NG games at the arcades like Art of Fighting and Blue's Journey, but I don't feel like any of them are worth 1200 Wii Points... they should be cheaper, IMO. What are the heavy-hitting games for this system? Should I have any reason to look forward for releases on the Neo Geo?
7. slangman
11 Apr 2008, 17:26 BST
Mr Poo 1200? correct me if i am wrong but aren't NEO GEO games 900 points each?
Oh and i hope the fatal fury series come up real soon. Me want Mark Of The Wolves.
8. Jay 11 Apr 2008, 17:28 BST
The first Fatal Fury game is already up.
9. That Guy from Faxanadu
11 Apr 2008, 21:20 BST
Hey, this is GOOD news! I´d almost given up hope on seing more Neo Geo games! I´ll probably get Art of Fighting 2 (skipped the first since it´s too few playable characters) and perhaps all three if they make it here!
And hopefully they´ll release Samurai Shodown it here too one day ^^
10. IDreamInSound
11 Apr 2008, 21:23 BST
It's been a while since the Neo Geo has gotten some more additions to its small VC library. I hope for better and more popular titles in the future...
11. TheLuigiDude
11 Apr 2008, 21:28 BST
@Bass XO
Totally want Waku Waku 7, since I haven't been able to get my hands on the Saturn version! Love that game, but they are releasing a KOF 94-98 collection on the Wii on a disc (at least in the US) so that's a better deal. Though what about that Super Dogdeball game on the Neo Geo? I heard that was a good game...
12. Serpent
11 Apr 2008, 21:47 BST
I want King of Fighters '95 and above the most.
imo KOF > Street Figter
13. JJ
11 Apr 2008, 23:46 BST
I hope there is an ESRB update sometime soon.
14. Viral
12 Apr 2008, 07:56 BST
The Luigi Dude, isn't that Mr. L? LOL AWESOME
15. OrionPax
12 Apr 2008, 11:40 BST
Great to see some Neo Geo additions, but is it too much to ask for some "Slug" or "Showdown" to be sent our way in the near future?
16. slangman
12 Apr 2008, 15:41 BST
OrionPax do you mean Samari Shodown ? that game was rated by the OFLC ages ago and we are due to get that game. Metal Slug should come soon since it came up in a Japan VC update
17. That Guy from Faxanadu
12 Apr 2008, 22:04 BST
Slangman, it´s this "ages ago" that makes me worried. Samurai Shodown should be here by now... feels like someone changet their minds. Hopefully I´m wrong!
I too would rejoice over Waku Waku 7! But I can´t remember seing any Sunsoft games on VC at all, so I´m not holding my breath.
18. TheLuigiDude
13 Apr 2008, 00:41 BST
Yeah I'm not holding my breath either over a vc release of Waku Waku 7 since there hasn't been any Sunsoft games released yet...though I don't think we're going to get SNK's most famous series (KOF, Samurai Showdown, etc.) due to the fact that SNK releases collections all the time and the Wii's getting all the newest ones. Honestly I'm getting those, but I'm more interested in the smaller Neo Geo releases like Waku Waku 7 or Ironclad (though that was a Neo Geo CD exclusive). Hopefully my prayers will be answered.
@Viral, yeah you got the joke. I'm a big Luigi fan, and Mr. L was the best.
19. brooks83
13 Apr 2008, 08:39 BST
TheLuigiDude - I don't think there have been any Sunsoft games released yet, but Super Fantasy Zone has been rated and will probably be released in the next month or so. Sunsoft developed it I believe
20. OrionPax
14 Apr 2008, 03:10 BST
slangman - Yep, I did mean "Shodown". I knew as soon as I hit the "Send Message" I had spelt it incorrectly. Your also right, the fact that Japan has listed Metal Slug, should mean we would get it soon. Then again.....
21. OrionPax
14 Apr 2008, 03:31 BST
slangman - Yep, I did mean "Shodown". I knew as soon as I hit the "Send Message" button I had spelt it incorrectly. Your right too about the fact that if Japan has listed Metal Slug as a future release, we should be getting it soon. Then again here in Australia we still don't have the C64, so it could be a while for us down here.
22. Dazza
14 Apr 2008, 06:57 BST
That's why there is an edit link
23. alvieao
14 Apr 2008, 08:30 BST
For a really good Neo Geo game for Virtual Console, Samurai ShoDown (Samurai Spirits in Japan) is what everyone wants the most. That game has yet to be released in either American or European territory...
24. That Guy from Faxanadu
14 Apr 2008, 21:24 BST
brooks83, you´re right! With Sunsofts Super Fantasy Zone on it´s way chances for Waku Waku 7 may not be zero after all! Really, I think I´ll keep 300 blocks free forever just in case ^^
TheLuigiDude, about famous SNK series: I think we will get a few of them from time to time. The Metal Slug Anthology obviously didn´t stop them from releasing Metal Slug on VC in Japan. Perhaps it´s something they do when the sales on the collections go down or get out of print. Anyway, I still have some hopes for fine Neo Geo games.
25. Adamant
15 Apr 2008, 00:15 BST
Plus, most of these more unknown are from the first few years of the Neo Geo's existance. They'll be exhausted before too long:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronological_list_of_Neo_Geo_games
26. Adamant
15 Apr 2008, 00:21 BST
Plus, most of these more unknown games are from the first few years of the Neo Geo's existance. They'll be exhausted before too long:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronological_list_of_Neo_Geo_games
27. Adamant
15 Apr 2008, 01:17 BST
Plus, most of these more unknown games are from the first few years of the Neo Geo's existance. They'll be exhausted before too long:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronological_list_of_Neo_Geo_games
28. Kidpit
15 Apr 2008, 14:22 BST
You know, I think Neo Geo on the VC is a lost cuase. I mean the Metal Slug games are on the Wii in Metal Slug Anthology, King of Fighter's '95 and '96 are going to be in the Wii game, King of Fighter's: The Orochi Saga,(Read about it in Nintendo Power but it isn't listed in the SNK website) and every Neo Geo game on the VC now is included in the upcomming Wii Game SNK Arcade Classics Vol.1. (http://www.snkplaymoreusa.com/game_ACV_wii.php). Ninja Combat and Art of Fighting 2 are the only games only found on the VC.
29. MasterMario
16 Apr 2008, 02:13 BST
If the OFLC rated these games, does that mean that it won't come to the U.S.?
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