The 25 best games for Neo Geo

 Neo-Geo was a platform that enjoyed many excellent games both in its Arcade (MVS) and domestic (AES) versions. Every arcade game fan knows that the Neo Geo was one of the best consoles to quench our gamer's thirst. From Metal Slug 3 to Neo Drift Out, discover 25 of the best games ever released for the Neo Geo!

Metal Slug 3

After the excellent Metal Slug 1 and 2, the third installment was an advance in several areas. Metal Slug 3 is a run-and-shoot game whose strengths are the repertoire of weapons and vehicles, as well as the introduction of alternative paths. It was a fairly replayable game that invited the player not only to improve himself in each game but also to discover all the possibilities.

The Last Blade 2

Neo Geo had a good number of fighting games, which was perfect for fans of the genre. Among all of them, The Last Blade 2 is one of the most impressive. It caught many players due to the aesthetics of the characters, the well-differentiated fighting styles, and the fierce combats with weapons as the main protagonist. It is a must in the Neo Geo catalog!

The King of Fighters '98

After a few annual deliveries of the saga, The King of Fighters '98 was a high point for it. It delighted us with good graphics, solid gameplay, and a diverse and extensive roster of characters. For fans of fighting games, The King of Fighters '98 was a safe bet to spend afternoons fighting non-stop.

Garou: Mark of the Wolves

Despite having a different name, Garou was the last and, in our opinion, the best installment in the Fatal Fury series. The combat system is incredible since it is a more technical game in which you have to know when to attack and when to defend. It introduced Rock Howard, a character now known as The King of Fighters, and he is joined by sensational characters like Terry Bogard.

Samurai Shodown II

On the other hand, Samurai Shodown was a great game for the Neo Geo; Samurai Shodown was spectacular in every way! It added more characters and perfected the gameplay mechanics of its predecessor. The movements, the animations, and the graphic section, everything visual was improved to give us one of the most memorable classic fighting games.

Blazing Star

We take a break from fighting games and make way for Blazing Star, an iconic Neo Geo that shoots 'em up. It allowed us to choose a ship from among several and launch ourselves into combat against endless enemies. The strong points of Blazing Star were the design of the final bosses and the graphic quality. It was easier than other games like Pulstar, but that didn't stop us from having fun day and night!

Windjammers

Windjammers was one of the best-known names in Arcade and Neo Geo arcade games. Not surprising! His proposal was simple, and highly addictive: score points by throwing a puck to the opposite end. The six characters that we could choose from were differentiated by their attributes and special casts. With these ingredients, Windjammers became one of the best Neo Geo sports games.

Sengoku 3

Sengoku 3, the end of the great beat'em up the trilogy, invited us to fight against quite a few undead enemies. With multiple characters to manage and fierce villains continually challenging your skill, you had a good time hitting left and right! While Sengoku 1 and 2 are good installments, we consider Sengoku 3 to be Neo Geo's best beat 'em up.

Magician Lord

Magician Lord was one of the best Neo Geo action platformer games. It put us in the shoes of Elta, a magician whose mission was to recover the magical tomes and defeat an evil sorcerer. It combined linear phases with others in which we had to explore and discover our way to the end of the level. As icing on the cake, Magician Lord let us transform into powerful beings!

Street Hoop (Street Slam)

Street Hoop took street basketball as its inspiration, moving away from realism and going for the Arcade experience. It was possible to choose between a dozen teams, each with its strengths and weaknesses. The best thing about the game was the dunks or dunks that we could do in a match and the agility in handling the players.

Fatal Fury Special

Fatal Fury Special was an improved and expanded version of Fatal Fury 2. The roster of characters was expanded from the previous version, exceeding a dozen combatants. Another aspect in which changes were made was in the playable mechanics. On this occasion, the combats are faster and it allowed us to combine attacks. A highly recommended fighting game!

Spinmaster

A yo-yo as a weapon? That's how it is! Spinmaster made us happy for several days with its interesting proposal, accompanied by a striking and nice aesthetic. It was a platform where we had to attack enemies with yo-yos, but it wasn't the only weapon! We were able to obtain new weapons that helped us to face stronger enemies. As a final point, Spinmaster was a great game to play cooperatively.

Shock Troopers

Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad was an extremely explosive shooter, and it was perfect to play with friends! It took us through different scenarios, always full of enemies to shoot down both on foot and in vehicles. This second installment was more violent than the first, resulting in more wild and frenetic gameplay.

Art of Fighting 2

Art of Fighting 2 was able to take the basis of the first part and present a better fighting game in every way. The graphics, gameplay mechanics, sound, and character selection were improved and expanded. Still, a very expensive game, Art of Fighting 2 became one of the mainstays of the genre for Neo Geo.

Pulstar

Pulstar, a game that precedes Blazing Star, is another great shoot'em up. We include it in this list for the spectacular nature of the phases, especially the design of the final bosses, as well as for its difficulty. Although frustrating at times, the difficulty was well designed and invited us to repeat phases until we perfected our movements and shots.

Super Sidekicks

Super Sidekicks was a soccer game that opted for simplicity and a style that was more arcade than unrealistic. The formula worked quite well! We could choose between 12 national teams and participate in normal matches or the SNK Cup. It allowed us to play against the AI ​​or other players, and it was a perfect experience for quick matches. The other Super Sidekicks were pretty good too!

Neo Turf Masters

Neo Turf Masters is a golf game that opted for greater simplicity in gameplay. The proposal worked perfectly, as it became one of the best for Neo Geo. We had two game modes to play (solo or multiplayer) and six characters to choose from, each with different attributes. The slopes were varied, and the wind was treacherous!

Aero Fighters 2

In addition to Blazing Star and Pulstar, Aero Fighters 2 launched us fully into the explosive action of ships in twenty levels to overcome. Not only did we have to shoot down enemy ships, but we also had to destroy buildings to load powerful shots. Within the shoot'em up genre, Aero Fighters 2 is one of the easiest, but that doesn't affect its playability.

Neo Bomberman

Neo Bomberman was one of only two games in the series to be released on Neo Geo, and it was awesome! Armed with bombs, we handled two Bomberman intending to blow up monsters and rescue the friends of the protagonists. It allowed us to play solo or with another player, and the labyrinthine maps forced us to take out enemies in clever ways.

Last Resort

Last Resort was a challenging ship game, even too challenging if we wanted to get records. It took a lot of inspiration from the classic R-Type and brought us a pleasant experience for all fans of this genre. It's a well-crafted game across the board, especially with its visual clarity and powerful gameplay. The only but was that, from time to time, some slowdown was appreciated.

World Heroes Perfect

World Heroes Perfect was an outstanding title in several aspects. The graphic finish was quite colorful and striking, differentiating each character very well. Another area where World Heroes Perfect excelled was gameplay. The combats required tactics and the intelligent use of the range of movements of each player. Especially for the fines and counterattacks!

Baseball Stars 2

In sports games for the Neo Geo, Baseball Stars 2 is one of the great representatives. It was equally as accessible as it was challenging, as it introduced two leagues with different difficulty levels. Between that and the great graphics and playability, Baseball Stars 2 was a great game for sports fans.

Puzzle Bobble (Bust-a-Move)

Also known as Bust-a-Move, Puzzle Bobble was one of those addictive games that were hard to get rid of. The premise of the game is quite simple: shoot colored balls to connect them with others of the same color. With more than 30 stages, Puzzle Bobble was a constant challenge for self-improvement. We all wanted to have the highest score!

Twinkle Star Sprites

Don't be fooled by the magical girl aesthetic and theme! Twinkle Star Sprites is an entertaining game in its own right. It combines gameplay elements of a shoot'em up with a competitive puzzle game, where you go head-to-head with a rival. Your performance must always be higher than your opponent's to win; the perfect base to measure your skill against a friend!

Neo Drift Out

We didn't want to close the article without including a racing game! Neo Drift Out was fun, challenging, and exciting whether you were a fan of the genre or not. The task of the game was to complete the races in the shortest time possible, but it was not easy! We had to avoid or go through all kinds of obstacles, which encouraged us to perfect each curve and part of the circuit.