| So,
the NeoGeo Pocket Color, in a rather oddly labelled "Pocket
Arcade" blister pack consisting of the console itself
and half a dozen games is back in the shops. Well, in US shops
at least - the rest of the world will have to rely on Ebay...
But we have the GBA now, so why should we care
about a rather obscure little Japanese handheld which isn't even
supported any more?
Chances are that, if you're reading this, you
own or have owned one or more gameboy consoles. I certainly do,
they are, after all, largely synonymous with handheld gaming having
seen off several competitors over their history. The NGPC, or
to the true fanboys simply "The Pocket", is but one
of them and can be added to the Sega Game Gear, Atari Lynx, Bandai's
glorious Wonderswan and even the wonderfully specialist Koei Pasogo
in the annals of Nintendo's fallen rivals...
And yet...
The NGPC has what is arguably the greatest line
up of games released for any console. Ever.
By the way, I am including whatever system it
is that you think is the best use of silicon ever produced when
I say that.
Even including the rather large proportion of,
mercifully Japanese release only, pachinko simulators available
for the NGPC (seven or eight of the buggers last time I looked)
the NGPC games library is of staggeringly high quality. Of the
thirty-odd games released in the west (and another 30 or so which
were Japanese releases only), almost all of them still stand up
to the very best that the, technically superior, Gameboy Advance
has to offer.
(Truth be told, even the pachinko simulators
are pretty good. It's just that simulating pachinko, like simulating
sex, is one of the less worthwhile tasks ever undertaken in the
name of gaming)
Metal Slug, King of Fighters, SNK vs Capcom,
Cardfighters Clash, The Last Blade, Faselei, Ganbare Neo Poke
Kun (um. "Little man what lives in my Neo Geo Pocket"
is the closest I've ever got to translating the title, fortunately
you don't need to read Japanese to play the game) the list goes
on and on. These games are, quite simply, best of breed.
The bundled games are a slightly mixed bunch
ranging from the merely very good through to the absolutely essential.
Pick of the bunch though is The Last Blade, which is a beautifully
animated and extremely playable fighter. SNK vs Capcom:Match of
the Millennium also deserves a mention, not so much for the fighting
aspects (which are solid if a little too quick for my tastes),
but for the "Olympic" mini-games, which are all superb.
Also worth keeping an eye out for are Neo Turf Masters (Golf -
but don't let that put you off), the mighty Metal Slug 1st Adventure
and Sonic Pocket Adventure, which is about as close as you can
get to having classic Sonic in your pocket without investing in
really big pockets and shoving a Megadrive in there.
If you have the chance to pick one of these
up then I urge you to do so. Passing this system by as some kind
of "inferior" GBA replacement would be to deny yourself
some of the finest video games ever produced. And you can play
them on the bog.
Rodent rating: Mitkey Star Mouse!
Pack comes with
Neo Turf Masters
Metal Slug 1st Mission
Puzzle Bobble Mini
Pac-Man
Sonic Pocket Adventure
Fatal Fury First Contact
KOF R2
MOTM
Last Blade
Samurai Showdown 2
Sonic, Last Blade, MOTM & Puzbob being the
default packins, the others being available as an expansion pack.
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