NGPC Master List - Writers Needed

[Jagosaurus]

I approve of this project & clicky joysticks!

[Ack]

Hey guys, how goes it? Any progress on these?

[noiseredux]

Hey guys, how goes it? Any progress on these?

Ack, I'll get Baseball Stars write-up to you later today.

And since we still have lots of games unspoken for, I'll volunteer do King Of Fighters R-2 after that.

[alienjesus]

I have Faselei, Gals Fighters and Puzzle Link ready to go, I'll send them when I'm home from work.

Would it be best to post them here so people can critique them for any errors or add anything notable I've missed?

It's been some time since I've played 2nd Mission or Sonic Pocket so I was gonna have a go at them tonight for a refresher before writing those.

[Ack]

Yeah, posting them here in the format I put up earlier would be the best bet. That way the community can see what has been written and make suggestions, edits, or contributions as needed.

[noiseredux]

Yeah, posting them here in the format I put up earlier would be the best bet. That way the community can see what has been written and make suggestions, edits, or contributions as needed.

good point. I think it's important we try to stay within the same non-opinionated voice here, so it's probably best to see what everyone else is writing to get a feel (and perhaps suggest edits) to keep em all unified.

In that spirit, here's the couple I had already completed...


Bust-A-Move Pocket
Taito Corporation/SNK, 1999
Puzzle, Rated E

This Bubble Bobble spin-off known as Puzzle Bobble Mini in Japan is
based on the 1995 arcade title, Bust-A-Move 2. This puzzler revolves
around shooting multicolored bubbles from the bottom of the screen up
above to match and pop clusters of descending bubbles from the
ceiling. The limitations of the NGPC's color pallet means that there
is some extra challenge unintentionally present here, as some colors
can easily be confused for others. The main game features 99 levels
that continually rise in difficulty, and players can save their
fastest completion time for each level. Bonus modes include a survival
mode as well as a campaign where you must compete against eight
computer AI opponents.


Pac-Man
Namco Limited/SNK, 1999
Puzzle, Rated E

The classic 1980 arcade game of navigating mazes, eating pellets and
avoiding (or chasing) ghosts comes to the NGPC via Namco Limited. This
iteration is not a straight port of the arcade game however, with
changes made to both the ghosts' AI as well as changes to accommodate
the hardware. Due to the limited screen real estate, players can
choose to play in two different viewing modes: one where the full
screen is presented just like in the arcade original, or in a zoomed
in view that allows for better detail but results in you not seeing
the entire stage at once. The game also includes a physical ring that
goes over the Neo Geo Pocket Color's joystick to restrict its gate to
four directions for more accurate approximation of the arcade
experience.

[8bit]

Fatal Fury: First Contact
SNK, 1999
Fighting, Rated E

Fatal Fury: First Contact, is the portable iteration of the popular NeoGeo fighting series. The game features eleven playable characters, one of which is an exclusive character to this entry to the series, Lao, playable only in the 2-player versus mode. The game is compatible with the NeoGeo Link Cable for head to head multiplayer. Precise controls and simple fighting mechanics create a very enjoyable fighting experience, however, the game does not have much in the story line department and therefore looses some of it's charm when compared to the other fighters on the console.

[alienjesus]

Faselei
Sacnoth/SNK, 1999
Turn based strategy RPG, Rated ?
Faselei is a turn based strategy RPG where the player must command his mech through battlefields defeating opposing forces. Playing as Sho, part of an elite mercenary group you must help a middle eastern rebel group overthrow their country’s corrupt dictator. Control of your mech is handled by queuing command chips, each of which adds an action to your turn. This can include rotating your facing, moving a square in any direction or using one of your weapons. The number of actions you can take in a turn and the variety of chips you can equip can be expanded as you progress through the game. Rather than alternating turns, enemy units will take their actions at the same time as yours, so predicting their movements is key. The game also features a 2 player versus mode.

Gals Fighters
Yumekobo/SNK, 2000
Fighting, Rated ?
SNK released many fighting games for it’s portable system, including entries in the Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, Last Blade and King of Fighters series. Gals Fighters is another 2D fighting game which features a total of 11 (including 3 unlockable) female combatants from the aforementioned series. The game takes a lighthearted and comical tone, with the characters competing to win the ‘Queen of Fighters’ tournament run by the enigmatic Miss X. Like other fighters on the system, the game uses super-deformed character designs which animate very fluidly. The game also features multiple speed settings and difficulty modes to adjust to your liking. In battle, characters have a wide variety of special moves, including super moves and special ‘pretty burst’ moves with special effects depending on the character who uses them. Items can also be won and then equipped to change elements of battles.

Puzzle Link
Yumekobo/SNK, 1999
Puzzle, Rated E
Puzzle Link is a puzzle game where you must match groups of like coloured blocks to make them disappear. You do this by shooting links up the screen which match the colour of the block you are shooting at. These can be made unlimited in length, and when the link joins two matching coloured blocks (or groups of blocks together) they will disappear. The game features multiple play modes. In Normal mode you must race to match blocks before they reach the bottom of the screen. By matching the two ‘C’ blocks which eventually appear you will complete the stage. Clear mode is a puzzle mode where you must successfully clear all blocks on screen in a limited number of matches. Finally, Battle mode allows 2 players to play head to head with a link cable. The game also includes collectable cards to unlock by beating levels under a set time limit.



Let me know. I had a very hard time describing the play mechanics of Puzzle Link. If anyone knows the age rating for Faselei and Gals Fighters it'd be helpful!

Sonic and Metal Slug to follow.

[noiseredux]

AJ, both are rated E.

And you did a solid job on all those. Thanks!

[alienjesus]

Here's the other 2:

Sonic the Hedgehog Pocket Adventure
SNK/Sega
Platformer, Rated E, 1999
This entry in the well-established Sonic franchise features 6 zones loosely based on stages from Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – whilst they have the same aesthetics, the music and level designs are totally unique. Sonic is the line playable character, and has all of his abilities from Sonic 2, including the famous spin dash. Special stages can be accessed in order to gather all the chaos emeralds for the true ending. In addition to the main gameplay mode, the game has time trial options as well as ‘advanced’ time trials where you must finish with 50 or more rings for it to count. In the games levels there are many hidden puzzle pieces which can be collected in order to build sonic themed jigsaws. The game also features a multiplayer versus mode where player 2 plays as Tails.

Metal Slug: 2nd Mission
Ukiyotei/SNK
Run & gun, rated E
The 2nd handheld entry in the famous arcade run and gun series stars agents Red Eye and Gimlet as they attempt to stop the rebel army and their alien allies from conquering the land. Using a variety of popular Metal Slug weaponry such as the heavy machine gun , the shotgun and the rocket launcher, you must battle your way through the games 38 levels to save the day. Grenades are also available, and unlike in 1st Mission they have been mapped to the Option button for quick use at any time. Unlike the arcade game, your character has a health bar to sustain multiple hits before dying. Stages feature a branching path system, where achieving or failing at certain tasks will cause you to go to a different level to the one you would otherwise. The game features several vehicle based stages where you can ride in the titular Metal Slug or other vehicles such as submarines and planes. The game also includes a rescue list where you can track which of the games 100 hostages you have successfully saved and a time trial mode with 4 stages.



That's as much as I can realistically help on these - the other NGPC games I own have either been finished (Dark Arms, Pocket Tennis), claimed (CardFighters, King of Fighters) or just don't have US releases. I have played some of Neo Geo Cup 98+ but I honestly didn't like it and sold it on fairly quickly. I probably don'thave enough experience with it to do a write up.