Everything old is Neo again

[Crazy Penguin]

From what I can tell, Hamster have been releasing their Arcade Archives titles on a weekly basis, mainly focusing on the Neo Geo MVS. I have a lot of nostalgic fondness for the Neo Geo (that startup jingle), thanks to annual childhood holidays in Spain, where they were abundant.

Despite this, I'm incredibly unfamiliar with the Neo Geo library. Puzzle Bobble was the one that was everywhere. Literally everywhere that had arcade games had at least one cabinet running Puzzle Bobble. Often more. If it was a classy joint there'd be a Puzzle Bobble 2. This was good for me, because I fucking love the arcade versions of Puzzle Bobble. Only a Metal Slug could pull me away from a Puzzle Bobble.

So what have I been missing out on? Which Arcade Archives are worth the £6.29? Non Neo Geo recommendations are welcome too.

[Dr. BUGMAN]

Magical Drop III is good Puzzle Bobble alternative, at least in esteem. I'm not as well versed in action puzzlers as I'd like on account they're best experienced with human opponents; likewise one-on-one fighters, so the Neo Geo is more or less a wash for me as a system.

I've heard convincing testimonials for Windjammers, which is essentially Pong cranked to eleven. Again, best played with people. Also, like MDIII, by Data East.

The systems standout gem for me has to be Blue's Journey(aka, Raguy) by Alpha Denshi. It's a platform adventure somewhat akin to Wonder Boy II. Charming stuff.

[Jingles]

Neo Turf Masters is generally accepted to be the pinnacle of golfing video games. Much like the actual sport, it is a game of timing, spacial awareness, and factors of distance, wind, and terrain, with no padding or otherwise faffing about like in those Camelot RPGs - you'll be hitting your first ball within 15 seconds of starting the game. The variety of options are a big part of the fun - there are 5 characters to choose from, each with vastly different stats (though all are viable), 4 courses (for a total of 72 holes), and all the standard clubs of the game, usable for any shot (except on the green, though you can certainly putt your way to the green if you so desire). The courses are challenging, the graphics and music are top-of-class (the game was developed by Nazca), and the gameplay is fast, fluid, and endlessly enjoyable. Even if you have no interest in sports games whatsoever, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to own it - especially on a portable console!

As someone who doesn't care about fighting games in the slightest, Waku Waku 7 is pretty fun. The Switch has a decent stick for pulling off the moves, and, as you can redefine the controls however you like, button placement isn't an issue. The game has some cute character designs and music. That's really all I have to say!

I'll second Magical Drop III any day of the week, though do keep in mind that the English version of the game is pretty seriously gimped, losing an entire mode and thoroughly gutting another (the adventure/board game mode, which was supposed to be the main draw of III). The Japanese version is included on the Switch release, but it's still a bit disappointing, especially since the hilarious JP voices are replaced by a single bored-sounding man and woman.