Pocket-sized Rawkit Lawnchair
I’m going to cover this news even though they didn’t include Leona in the promotional shot. Harumph.
SNK has released Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 on Nintendo Switch. The retro compilation is now available to download from the Nintendo eShop for around $40, which is less than these titles would cost you if you picked them up today in their original form.
The compilation brings together great titles from SNK excellent but ill-fated handheld from the early ’00s. Included in the package are the previously released Samurai Shodown! 2, King of Fighters R-2, SNK Gals’ Fighters, Fatal Fury: First Contact, The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny, and the brilliant SNK vs Capcom: Match of the Millennium. New to this compilation are cutesy golf sim Big Tournament Golf, RPG Dark Arms: Beast Buster, and both Metal Slug: 1st Mission and Metal Slug: 2nd Mission.
Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 includes 3D models of each game’s original packaging and cartridge, and players also have the option of displaying the Neo Geo Pocket titles with their original monochromatic visuals. I’m very happy to see all of these games archived for future generations, given the increasing rarity of some of the releases.
While the NGPC console was most certainly under-played and under-purchased at launch, it’s heartening to see these great games return for some deserved time in the spotlight. Good stuff.