Top 25 Neo-Geo (AES) Games

[digitalpress]

Let's create an "official list" for use on our Rarity Lists (http://www.digitpress.com/lists.htm) page. This topic had started at one time and was lost on our forum crash last September. Housecleaning says we NEED this online, now.

So what are your favorite Neo-Geo (AES) cartridge games? Two nominations get a game on this list - then we'll pare it down to 25 and tweak it over time!

Baseball Stars 2
Blazing Star
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
King of Fighters 2001
King of Fighters '98
Last Blade 2
League Bowling
Magician Lord
Metal Slug
Metal Slug 3
Metal Slug X
Nam '75
Neo Turf Masters
Pulstar
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown 2
Samurai Shodown 4
Shock Troopers 2
Sonic Wings 3
Stakes Winner
Super Baseball 2020
Twinkle Star Sprites
Viewpiont
Windjammers

For the complete list of games (perhaps just to jog your memory), check out the Rarity Lists page here:
http://www.digitpress.com/lists.htm

[thekeepr]

Well....I can only think of one game right now....because.....

1. I just bought my NeoGeo 2 months ago....always wanted one and finally got it at our meet we had a few months back.
2. Seen this game being played at the meet....was the best game I had seen for the system so far, not a fan of "fighters", for which this system is popular for.
3. Have not really checked out all of the games this system has to offer, price excluding said "checking out"...these carts are'nt cheap!!!
4. Should consider the CD version...is cheaper, but slower load rates.
5. Got one game with said above purchase, Magician Lord, so that's my only exposure to gaming on my "Neo" right now...so I guess I could claim that as my second one to Joe's request....the first on being...VIEWPOINT.
What a cool looking game...a blast to play...sorta reminds me of Zaxxon!!!
The Keeper :/ 8-)

[Gamereviewgod]

You gotta have Samurai Showdown 1 and 2. League Bowling, Nam '75, and Mutation Nation are also personal faves.

[Gamereviewgod]

Oh yeah, Magician Lord too....

[digitalpress]

I'll second all of those except for Mutation Nation which I really didn't enjoy, and I'll also nominate:

Metal Slug
Metal Slug 2
Metal Slug 3

Oh, and incidentally, it's Samurai SHODOWN (no "w" in there). I see a lot of people spell it the other way, just thought I'd lend an assist in future nominations :)

[thekeepr]

Sorry Joe...what was I thinking!!(I did just wake up)....The Metal Slug series...yes!!!, those are great games on the NeoGeo, I play them on my NeoGeo pocket all the time...geeez, where was my brain at...must be still laying back in bed!!! The Keeper :D :o :/

[Gamereviewgod]

Metal Slug...duh!!!!! >.< How about Baseball Stars 2? Has to be one of the best arcade style BB games ever made.

[samuraiX]

Metal Slug X
Neo Turf Masters
Samurai Shodown 2
Last Blade 2
Baseball Stars 2
King of Fighters '98
League Bowling
Viewpoint
Garou, Mark of the Wolves
Stakes Winner
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Magician Lord

...those US games

and the following JP games:
Magical Drop 3
Sonic Wings 3
Twinkle Star Sprites
Waku Waku 7

I think that covers most of the good ones

[Kid Fenris]

Nam '75? Seriously? No offense, but that's a pretty mediocre game. The original Cabal is almost better than Nam '75.

Anyway, here are my suggestions:

The King of Fighters '97
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Last Blade 2
Metal Slug X
Metal Slug 3
Super Baseball 2020

And if we're including Japanese releases . . .

Magical Drop 3
Pulstar
Shock Troopers 2nd Squad
Waku Waku 7

[digitalpress]

Nam '75? Seriously? No offense, but that's a pretty mediocre game. The original Cabal is almost better than Nam '75.

The original Cabal isn't on Neo-Geo, though :)

And I AM quite serious. I LOVE NAM '75. That's the game that almost always gets played (and keep in mind that I'm not a hardcore fighting game fan) when the Neo-Geo is out. I crank up the volume and it's WAR, BABY!

[ManekiNeko]

I'd say replace one of the Metal Slugs or King of Fighters '98 with Twinkle Star Sprites. It's one of the most original games on the system, a vertically scrolling shooter you play against an opponent. Anything you blow up is transported to the other player's side of the screen, and you can set up chain reactions that keep you safe and leave your rival swimming in enemies. You can even sic a boss on them if you're good enough! Twinkle Star Sprites is a fun, overlooked title that's worthy of inclusion on this list.

JR

[ubersaurus]

Yes, replace KOF 97 with twinkle star sprites. KOF 98 did everything 97 did and more. All 97 had was a storyline, and lets face it, storylines are insignifigant in a fighter.

[K3V]

What, no Blazing Star?

[Captain Wrong]

So far, I can't argue with that list too much.

I'd add Sonic Wings 3, Pulstar, and I think you're good to go (that is if we're keeping it just to AES carts :))

BTW, warms my heart to see so much support for Twinkle Star Sprites! God, I love that game in all it's fruity Engrish glory!

[jaydubnb]

Oh man, where to begin? So many good N*G games....hmmmm let's see...

King of the Fighters 98
Garou, Mark of the Wolves
Baseball Stars 2
Super Baseball 2020
Metal Slug X
Metal Slug 3
Last Blade
Samurai Shodown 2
ShockTroopers 2

edit: forgot to add Viewpoint!

[buttasuperb]

Replace Real Bout Special with Real Bout 2
Replace Samurai Shodown 1 with Samurai Shodown 4

Blazing Star and Pulstar both need to be on that list. And if we are including MVS only releases, Neo Drift Out as well.

[ubersaurus]

And if you want to get into Japan, Magical Drop 3 is the best puzzle game on the console, bar none.

[samuraiX]

Real Bout Special kicks the shizat outta RB2. Both are good but Special is better.

Oh, and I forgot Blazing Star, that's a must. Pulstar is good but given both I would say BS is better.

The Samurai Shodown series I would say 2 is the best of the bunch, followed closely by 4. The first is a classic but the others improved on the original. The 4th installment was awesome but the computer AI was a little off. Thus 2 gets my vote for the list.

and common people! Stakes Winner is the bomb diggity! Quirky horse racing at it's finest! Uh... yeah, so play that, you'll like it.

[Kid Fenris]

I think we need at least one "real" King of Fighters game on the list, so I suggest '97, 2000, or 2001 in addition to '98.

KoF '98 may have all the fighters and competitively balanced gameplay, but it's lacking in the style, aesthetic cohesion, and, well . . . the soul that made the KoF series great.

Picking '98 and only '98 is like taking a "Greatest Hits" collection of your favorite band and leaving behind their best studio album. Sure, Whitesnake's 20th Century Masters anthology may have all of their most successful songs, but is listening to it really the same as popping in their self-titled 1987 release and losing yourself in "Crying in the Rain"?

Hmm . . . perhaps I should have chosen a better example. But you get the idea.

[samuraiX]

Yeah, if I had to pick another KoF game then I would say either 2001 or 2002. A newer version of the game would be the best compliment to the list.

[Nescollector]

I know people will think I'm crazy, but I love Sengoku. It would be in my top 20:)

[ubersaurus]

If you want another KOF I say for with 96. It's different enough gameplay wise from 98, and its got a neat story, and it's got Geese.

[Achika]

I'll second SS4

Oh, Windjammers needs to get some glory too.

[AB Positive]

I'm a bit more partial to KoF2000 as a second KoF, I love the gameplay and King is teh sexy in it.

Also, I can't tell you how many hours of my life I lost to Money Puzzle Exchanger.

[vincewy]

Joe, I'll help you on the NG guide later (I'm busy now til end of May), but my top 25 console games

top 13 non-fighters

1. Metal Slug 3
2. Magical Drop 3
3. Blazing Star
4. Neo Turf Masters
5. Metal Slug
6. Pulstar
7. Ultimate 11
8. Baseball Stars 2
9. Windjammers
10. Viewpoint
11. Chibi Maruko Quiz
12. Nam 75
13. Sengoku 3 (Sengoku Denshyo 2001)

top 12 fighters

1. Last Blade 2
2. Art of Fighting 3
3. Ninja Masters
4. Samurai Shodown 2 (it's cheap too)
5. Last Blade
6. Waku Waku 7
7. Real Bout 2
8. Kizuna Encounter
9. Rage of Dragons
10. World Heroes Perfect
11. Breakers
12. Kabuki Klash

Other neo games worth mentioning, not on cartridge consoles though

Super Dodgeball (coinop only)
Neo Driftout (CD and coinop)
Brinkinger (CD only)
Neo Bomberman (coinop only)
Prehistoric Isles 2 (coinop only)
Money Idol Exchanger (coinop only)

Incredibly, more games are coming out, this year alone, there're Matrimelee (May 29th), SNK vs Capcom, Metal SLug 5, and KOF 2003, I'll have more details later



http://www.neo-geo.com/snk/releases/matrimelee/insert-big.jpg

[Videogamerdaryll]

My ''Current"favorites..

League Bowling...........I Bowl and I have thown several 300's perfect game on the game..

2020 Super Baseball
Baseball Stars 2
Real Bout Fatal Fury 2
Savage Reign
Top Hunter
Garou Mark Of The Wolves
Neo Turf Masters......I play this every day
Last Blade.1-2
Metal Slug 3

And my all time favorite..neo Mr. Do

[digitalpress]

Updated.

Just about anything mentioned by two different people should be on the list at this point, and I upped the number from 20 to 25 because I can see we're going to have a problem stopping at 20 (we've got 24 on the list at this moment).

[ubersaurus]

In lieu of how friggin good Samurai Shodown V came out, I'm reviving this topic.
Replace Metal Slug 1 with Sam Sho V. The first slug, though good, just can't hang with the other 2 on the list. Sam Sho V is quite possibly one of the greatest fighting games to come out not only on the neo geo, but in the genre as a whole. Everything about the game-graphics, sound, and especially the gameplay- is top notch. I'm aware that only a handful of people here have played the game, but I'm positive they'll agree.

[ubersaurus]

In lieu of how friggin good Samurai Shodown V came out, I'm reviving this topic.
Replace Metal Slug 1 with Sam Sho V. The first slug, though good, just can't hang with the other 2 on the list. Sam Sho V is quite possibly one of the greatest fighting games to come out not only on the neo geo, but in the genre as a whole. Everything about the game-graphics, sound, and especially the gameplay- is top notch. I'm aware that only a handful of people here have played the game, but I'm positive they'll agree.

[ubersaurus]

In fact, scrub that-remove Sam Sho 4 for V. How 4 even made it on there is a mystery, but V tramples all over it.

[ubersaurus]

In fact, scrub that-remove Sam Sho 4 for V. How 4 even made it on there is a mystery, but V tramples all over it.

[ubersaurus]

Since my I'm bored, and no one ever responded to my mad rants, I'll just go over my reasoning why V should be in over 4.

First off, V looks and sounds, just as good, if not better, then SS4. I'd go so far as to say V is the most graphically impressive game on the whole damn console.

But gameplay is where it truly dominates over 4. SamSho has always had rather damaging maneuvers-being a weapons fighter, simple slashes hurt, and combos hurt more. but combos aren't common in SS. 4 changed that, adding in a combo engine that, essentially allowed someone who was getting beat on to come out and win with one pushthrow or CD combo. You had your 100% combos in the game, to top all that off. The only real 100% combos in SSV come out of enlightenment mode, which requires you to have set up for it throughout the match, and to not get baited and knocked out of it.

Even with the loss of bust/slash mode, V still comes out to having a much better experience overall, and is truly a game that deserves a spot on the top 25 neo games list.

[dmhawkmoon]

Why is this limited to home carts? I'd like to do one for Neo-Geo games in general since I feel that many of the worthwhile Neo-Geo games are MVS only. Shock Troopers and Super Dodgeball for example.... It's not like the MVS is really a different system....

[jaydubnb]

Uber's right on all points...SSV deserves to be on the list, BIGTIME. Longtime SS fans usually say that II is the best. Well, II has been TRUMPED.

I would dumped IV for V.

[nicokine6]

just have a look at my 'top 25' for the neo geo games : :kiss:


* shoot'em up : * fighting games :

1- view point 12- king of fighters '98
2- pulstar 13- king of fighters '99
3- blazing star 14- king of fighters '00
4- iron clad 15- last blade
5- last resort 16- last blade 2
6- sonic wings 3 17- waku waku 7
18- fatal fury special
19- samourai spirits 2
* beat 'n burn 'em up : 20- samourai spirits 5
21- kabuki klash
7- metal slug x 22- garou mark of the wolves
8- metal slug 3
9- breakers revenge
10- top hunter * sports games :
11- robo army
23- baseball stars 2
24- neo turf master
25- windjammers


enjoy playin' all these great games...
NEO GEO for Eternity

[max 330 mega]

i think cyber-lip and blues journey are two of the greatest games ever, but i know no one is gonna go with me on this. if people would actually bother to memorize which gun to use at which point of the level in cyber-lip they might be able to get over the fact theres no diagonal fire.

as for blues journey , its an amazing platformer, and i think it deserves more credit. it fills a gap in a really small neglected genre of the neo.

[ubersaurus]

i think cyber-lip and blues journey are two of the greatest games ever, but i know no one is gonna go with me on this. if people would actually bother to memorize which gun to use at which point of the level in cyber-lip they might be able to get over the fact theres no diagonal fire.

as for blues journey , its an amazing platformer, and i think it deserves more credit. it fills a gap in a really small neglected genre of the neo.

Cyber Lip is a good game, I agree, but I really don't know if it's as good as all the other games on the list (except sam sho 4, which is totally outclassed by 5, which is in turn totally outclassed by Special, and the exclusion of THAT confuses me more then anything). Cyber Lip's main problems are the fact that the metal slug games exist, and that it has infinite credits, which make it pretty easy. I can't comment on blues journey, having never played it.

Maybe we need a top 30?

[ubersaurus]

Well ok, having looked over it, I can say Real Bout 2 was the better game then Special, and KOF 2k2 was better then 2k1(as much as I love 2k1), simply because the earlier incarnations in the series' in question, having issues with infinites and broken characters that the later incarnations don't. There's some rather indepth information on that over at fierceslash.com and shoryuken.com (though for the latter you really have to dig around), but if you're going for the absolute best neo games, they'd have to be put in over the older versions.

Along with Sam Sho Special, but I've been pretty vocal about that for months.

[it290]

Hmm, I gotta disagree, I prefer Real Bout Special to RB2 overall, although they're both pretty close. I also prefer KOF2001 to 2002 by a small margin. I can't really vouch for whatever infinites and whatnot they might have, though.

As for commentary on the list itself... Shock Troopers 1 is far better than the sequel, but I guess it was never released on AES, so it's kind of ruled out in that department. I think Fatal Fury Special deserves to be on there, though -- although it has been topped by many other fighters on the Neo, it really is a true classic and has its own unique style.

[Ed Oscuro]

What?! No Sengoku 1 or 2? No EIGHTMAN?! ARGH. This is a scandal.

That'd be like putting together a list of the best NGPC titles and leaving off Beast Busters. :(

I also prefer Real Bout Special to 2 - asthetic reasons mostly.

I disagree with Ubersaurus's "measure it by play mechanics" method, though it's valid and I'm more of a non-fighter guy as far as Neo games go - if I was playing tournaments, I'd want to pick a balanced game too! Doesn't mean that I'm about to overlook things like horribly colorized post-3d render graphics and movie clips, for example.

[SMB]

1.) Metal Slug
2.) Metal Slug 2
3.) Metal Slug 3
4.) Metal Slug x
5.) Metal Slug 4
6.) Samurai Shodown V
6.) Waku Waku 7
7.) Viewpoint
7.) Neo Bomberman
8.) Neo Puzzle Bobble
9.) King of Fighters '94,'95,'96,'97,'98,'99,'00,'01,'02,'03
10.) Samuari Shodown IV

Top Ten :)

[ubersaurus]

What?! No Sengoku 1 or 2? No EIGHTMAN?! ARGH. This is a scandal.

That'd be like putting together a list of the best NGPC titles and leaving off Beast Busters. :(

I also prefer Real Bout Special to 2 - asthetic reasons mostly.

I disagree with Ubersaurus's "measure it by play mechanics" method, though it's valid and I'm more of a non-fighter guy as far as Neo games go - if I was playing tournaments, I'd want to pick a balanced game too! Doesn't mean that I'm about to overlook things like horribly colorized post-3d render graphics and movie clips, for example.

I'm just anal with fighters :P they an be both pretty and play beautifully though. I finally got to play sam sho 5 special the other day, and it's just one of the most perfect examples of the genre I've ever seen. Simple enough for anyone to play, complex enough that a good player won't get the crap beat out of him by a bad one, no real play mechanics issues, and graphics so gorgeous that, amazingly enough, a number of people asked if this was running on the neo. Sure, the sprites are rehashed from Sam Sho 4, but seriously, that's not a bad thing. Look at the KOF sprites. That's rehashing a crappy sprite. This is rehashing glory.

[Geddon_jt]

First off, V looks and sounds, just as good, if not better, then SS4. I'd go so far as to say V is the most graphically impressive game on the whole damn console.


Thought I'd add my quick 2 cents, for whatever it's worth.
First. Huh? Most graphically impressive? Don't get me wrong, I love SSV as well. But have you ever seen the train stage in Garou: MOTW? Or played the second level in Blazing Star? I think both those games beat SSV *graphically*... personally, I think Last Blade 2 is the best looking game on the system. But, judging a Neo game graphically can be difficult. It's more than just animation frames, but also the way everything "fits" together, etc.

Cyber Lip *is* a great game, especially viewed in light of the other first-gen releases. It's still fun today which is more than can be said for Super Spy, Riding Hero, and most of the other early games.

Sengoku 2 deserves to be on the list. That game is the coolest beat em up on the system and one of the best ever. Sengoku 3 was a massive let down in comparison.

Also, ubersaurus - what console did you play SSV special on? Not sure if you are familiar with the censoring of it. When this game came out there was a huge uproar over the censoring of the fatality moves, but a guy in Europe devised a special BIOS cheat to access the fatalities. Needless to say, they really add a fun touch to the game.

Fatalities aside, SSV Special pretty much eliminates the need to own SSV, unless you have to play as Poppy. The gameplay is tweaked to perfection.

[ubersaurus]

Well, my buddy is getting the Neo cart as soon as he finds one that he likes the price on, but in the meantime, I played it on an xbox emu a guy brought over some weeks back. Although it may not stand up to MOTW or the star games, I love the graphical style that this and last blade used, and the in game artwork is just plain gorgeous. Fatality censoring does kinda suck, but it's not enough to write the entire game off a top games list.

[Beefy Hits]

Nam 75
League Bowling (Try it link up it's especially fun)
Metal Slug
Metal Slug X
Metal Slug 3
Blazing Star
Pulstar
Twinkle Star Sprites
Samurai Shodown 2
Samurai Shodown 4
Samurai Shodown 0 Special
Mark of the Wolves
Last Blade
Fatal Fury Special
Real Bout Special

[omnedon]

I second the above nomination of Samurai Shodown V Special for the top 25 list.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Why does everyone like KoF 2001 so much better than 2000. I thought 2000 was better than 2001 and I think Playmore did a bad job on it. I'd much rather play 2000, but oh well. Anyways I love Metal Slug. And I cannot wait to play Matrimelee at X-Mas!!! :D