There is literally no-one on earth who has an interest in arcade gaming that hasn't experienced the Neo Geo MVS in one way, shape or form. It is home to multiple household name famous games and series and there are masses of less appreciated but equally incredible titles. The system had official software support for almost 14 years which is unheard of for an arcade system. What are your favourite games and memories of this all time classic?
I've barely played on in the actual arcades, but I had a NEO CD in 99 right before I left for college. I got it basically to play KoF 98, Slug 2, and Real Bout 2. All some of my favorite all time games. Those games are all closely tied with my feelings about leaving my hometown (never to return). So like, flipping through the KoF 98 image gallery and listening to melancholy music thinking about all the complex relationships between the cast and getting misty eyed. I will probably never own a Neo Geo system again, but I have most everything I treasure from SNK via the various ports. Especially because for me, their arranged soundtracks are some of the best game music of the 90s.
Heck, it‘s hard to choose - KOF 2000/2001 were hugely influential on my in terms of visual style, though ’97 is the one I played the most, just because I got it on Saturn!
Metal Slug 3 influenced me enough to write a feature about how you can't go home again. Money Idol Exchanger was one of the last games by FACE, one of my favorite devs, so that's in there. Crossed Swords and The Super Spy are underrated as weird side-scrolling dungeon crawlers. Some day I'd love to combine that sort of thing with a superscaler, sounds like a hot time.
The Neo Geo wasn't 100% synonymous with quality, but I do feel like it was synonymous with "interesting," and that's all I really need. It might be easier to list the games I'm not interested in than the ones I am! So many of these games tried new things, and it's amazing to see how far the system came across its incredibly long life just by adding ram!
This list will probably feel uninspired, but some of the ones that really stuck out for me were:
Art of Fighting. I remember seeing the attract mode/opening sequence in an arcade, and I couldn‘t say why, but it lodged itself in my brain and has yet to leave. The huge, colorful sprites just completely clicked with me.
Samurai Showdown. I think I even saw this in the same cabinet as Art of Fighting. I want to say this was right before or after I saw Ninja Scroll, so it’s no wonder it struck a chord.
Aero Fighters 2. There were just so many bullets. Everything was huge, intense, and incredibly fun. I think this game is the main reason I still buy and play shmups and bullet hell games even though I'm trash at them.
I didn't realize the massive time range on the hardware support - that's just incredible.
Yeah, the range is huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge, and still supported by hobbyists today!
I had a similar kind of impressed-ness with the hardware when I first saw it. I understand AoF being impressive with those giant sprites, they really were (and are!) huge. For me oddly enough I have a distinct memory of seeing puzzle bobble on an MVS and being super impressed with the fidelity of it and the "shiny" texture within the balls. I guess it was a really long time ago, and I hadn't seen an MVS before, and it just seemed like this leap forward, even though it was just puzzle bobble!