In 2001, a new company rose from the ashes of SNK. SNK-Playmore wasted no time in keeping the games flowing for the venerable Neo Geo platform, at this point over 11 years old. Purchasing several old second-party developers, a specific "Neo Geo" division was created within SNK-Playmore to handle arcade games and home AES software.
For the truly hardcore, Neo Geo AES releases would keep coming through 2002 and 2003. During this time, SNK-Playmore released KOF 2002/2003, Metal Slug 4/5, and even Samurai Spirits V. For a console that was thirteen years old, still getting first-party support was quite an amazing feat. In addition, many of these games popped up in arcades due to the low cost of MVS carts. Several home ports of these games made it to the PS2 and Xbox around this time. In 2003, it seemed as if the Neo Geo would stay alive and kicking for the time being. However, nothing great can truly last forever.
In the early 2000s, SNK and Capcom produced a series of games featuring characters from both companies. The famous Dreamcast "Capcom vs SNK" games were released to much acclaim. Although SNK-Playmore was a couple of years late to the party, the result was a solid fighter in SVC: Chaos, released to arcades and the AES in 2003. A true swan-song to the platform, SVC: Chaos looked and sounded great. A very valuable collector's item in its home cart form, the game is worth seeking out on the Xbox or PS2, should you not own an AES for some reason.
If SVC: Chaos was the last hurrah of the Neo Geo (at least officially), Samurai Spirits V Special was its last breath. Released in 2004, the game was the last officially released SNK-Playmore title for the system. At 14 years, very few consoles could hope to give the Neo Geo a run for its money in terms of support.
The very idea of the Neo Geo seems antiquated nowadays. With most arcade machines powered by PCs, the idea of a hyper-powered arcade board turned into a console seems ridiculous in 2016. But for nearly every gamer in the 1990s, the Neo Geo was a mythical beast. The watered down Takara ports couldn't even come close to the massive sprites and beautiful music. Long live the Neo Geo.
No comments:
Post a Comment