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Best Neo Geo Games Review

If you have ever lived through the craze of retro gaming, the early 20th century Neo Geo consoles wouldn’t have skipped your mind. Hardcore lovers of retro gaming can still list some of the best Neo Geo games that were hugely popular back then. If not, we would help jog your memory to help you recall at-least the top 10 classic titles.

It is quite amazing how the limitations of graphics and CPU didn’t stop the game developers in the 20th century from coming up with such addictive classics. You could play them for hours at end, and still not get bored. The Neo-Geo game was first presented only as arcade machine cabinets. But the rising popularity soon made it available as home consoles with Neo Geo CD and Neo Geo AES.

Best Neo Geo Games Review

Best Neo Geo Games

Metal Slug

A reminiscent of Contra, Metal Slug is a 2D run and gun game with a total of 6 missions across snowy mountain valleys, canyons, military bases, forests, and garrisoned cities. At the end of every mission, you encounter a boss which is relatively difficult to kill. 

You can shoot your enemies or carry out melee attacks. Through the game, you will acquire a variety of guns with different capabilities. You will also encounter innocent villagers that you can free to gain bonus objects. Again, it’s very similar to Contra which was released a few years back and was a major hit. 

Neo Turf Masters

This golf game may appeal to sports game lovers with its serene music, beautiful courses, and slick presentation. Well, golf is not a game that everyone gets to play. But Neo Turf Masters made it as real as possible with the graphics and technology of the time. They did a good job with the gameplay, the characters, and of course the tight controls. 

Neo Turf Masters can be fun even to those who have no special interest in the sports genre. It has beautiful visuals and a relaxing soundtrack that can be good for de-stressing.

Neo Turf Masters - Best Neo Geo Games

Garou: Mark of the Wolves

There aren’t many retro game lovers who haven’t heard of this game. It’s easily one of the best Neo Geo games in the 2D fighter genre. What made it stand out among the brawling games of the time were the innovative features like customizing the health bar and the superb graphics that were rare among the classics. 

Replacing the simple 2-plane system, this game introduced Tactical Offense Position (TOP). When the life gauge or the health bar reaches the TOP region then the player could use a special T.O.P attack, life recovery, and enhanced damage. 

Succeeding to score at least an AAA rank would let you the chance to fight the boss Kain R. Heinlein. Winning this fight would unlock a special unending. Failing this would result in a fight with a mid-boss and then ‘Grant’ as the final boss. Must check: Best N64 Emulators for PC

Aero Fighters 2

Aero Fighters 2 had become a must-have for the Neo Geo CD system owners. This top-down style shoot’em up was a flawless rendition of the original arcade version. Contrary to other similar style games, Aero Fighters 2 offered plenty of choices to keep the game interesting. You could choose from 8 different pilots and play through 10 levels as you progress. 

You could maintain a steady rate of fire with the triple burst with a single press of the fire button. At the end of every level, you encounter the boss ship that you must defeat to pass the level. Once you have defeated the game by winning all the 10 levels, the game will repeat itself from the first level but with increased difficulty. 

The game also lets you control your firepower of power projectiles, so you can choose for it to cause more damage for a short while or whether for it to last longer at lower firepower shots. You can also throw bombs from a limited stockpile. The tight controls and various shooting options also contributed to the extraordinary success of this game. 

Aero Fighters 2 - Best Neo Geo Games Review

Samurai Shodown II

Back in the day, the Japanese Samurai piqued a lot of interest. Samurai Shodown was another one of those 2D combat games, but instead of focusing on endless combos, this game rewarded the players for throwing the right hit and their impeccable timing. 

Though this series consisted of several parts, the 2nd one was the most acclaimed. The beautiful graphics, silky animation, and the broad range of characters all lead to it soon becoming a huge successful arcade remake for the Neo Geo console

Pulstar

If you are tired of the unending list of 2D fighter games that Neo Geo CD seems to be choked full of, right on cue we bring you a space monster shoot’em up game. Okay, so Neo Geo is abundant in such games, but that’s because all of them were so good and came up with unique elements to allure the players. 

Many developers had attempted to create best-sellers in this genre of gaming, but looking back at those games; Pulstar has managed to land a top position in this area. The game had a difficulty level that measured up as hard enough, even for the seasoned gamers. 

The pre-rendered 3D like graphics went well with the gamers, and the need for strategically advancing in the game all made this an addictive space shooting game of the time. Read more: Best SEGA Master System Games

Pulstar - Best Neo Geo Games Review

Windjammers

If you look at the top 50 Neo Geo games, you will come across plenty of sports games along with 2D combat, and space-shooting games. 

We confess that they did a fine job of creating these sports games like Windjammers, which did fairly well despite the graphical limitations of the time. The Windjammers is essentially an air hockey game, but it rather gives the feel of a fighter game. 

The game features two muscular players who must try their best to get past the other to reach the opponent’s goal. The super-throws from the top-down angle and the impressive graphics and sound quality made this a personal favorite for many gamers at the time.  

Conclusion

Several game titles in the late 20th century had made it big in the arcade gaming systems, but consoles like Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD paved the way for the recreation of such arcade classics to enter every gamer’s home.

Today, we can look back at the impressive collection of such games that have been the love of everyone’s childhood, who had had a Neo Geo system. Each of these classics introduced a unique element into the gaming genres and helped the industry evolve.