Quick Man's Complete Neo Geo Ratings

[Quick_Man]

So this is a project I did a while ago that took me a handful of years to complete, beating [mostly] and rating every Neo Geo game. One day, I would like to give some of these games actual reviews, but I felt like just posting the raw spreadsheet data that I made here for reference. This was heavily inspired by LordBBH's Neo Rank Masters series.

RATING GUIDE:
0 The Legend of Success Joe.
1 Absolutely worthless in every single way. Game should be set on fire.
2 Terrible waste of cartridge space that shouldn't have been developed. Frankly, it's insulting that they charged money for these.
3 These games are pretty damn bad. There may be the odd thing or two to like about them, but overall, not worth the time of day.
4 Games that are bad but not REALLY bad - maybe there are some serious flaws at play in what is ultimately, something playable.
5 Completely mediocre, 5 out of 10. Games that if you saw on an MVS cabinet, might get a quarter or two at most, but there was probably something way better to spend your money on on there.
6 Solid but unspectacular. These games will be worth taking a shot at - maybe you'll find something I didn't, but they're not going down as all-time legends.
7 Pretty good games! You'll find a decent chunk of Neo Geo titles here and if you see them on an MVS, they're worth a try.
8 Now we get into the real good stuff - games here will almost certainly have a decent fanbase, and for good reason. You may just find some of your future favourite games here.
9 This category is for the all-time greats, the ones you're almost guaranteed to love. Try ALL of these, you'll likely thank me later.
10 The King of Fighters '98, Neo Turf Masters and Samurai Shodown II.

1 The King of Fighters '98 10
2 Neo Turf Masters 10
3 Samurai Shodown 2 10
4 The King of Fighters '97 9.5
5 Super Baseball 2020 9.5
6 Metal Slug X 9.5
7 Garou: Mark of the Wolves 9.5
8 The Last Blade 2 9
9 Puzzle Bobble II 9
10 Windjammers 9
11 Twinkle Star Sprites 9
12 Shock Troopers 9
13 Waku Waku 7 9
14 Metal Slug 8.5
15 Samurai Shodown 5 Special / Perfect 8.5
16 The King of Fighters '95 8.5
17 Puzzle Bobble 8.5
18 Blazing Star 8.5
19 Shock Troopers 2nd Squad 8.5
20 Real Bout Fatal Fury Special 8.5
21 The King of Fighters 2002 8.5
22 The King of Fighters '96 8
23 Dunk Dream 8
24 Neo Drift Out 8
25 Magical Drop III 8
26 Aero Fighters 3 8
27 Fatal Fury Special 8
28 The Last Blade 8
29 The King of Fighters 2001 8
30 The King of Fighters 2000 8
31 Top Hunter 8
32 The King of Fighters 2003 8
33 Fighter's History Dynamite 7.5
34 Matrimelee 7.5
35 Metal Slug 5 7.5
36 Strikers 1945 Plus 7.5
37 Viewpoint 7.5
38 Baseball Stars 2 7.5
39 Breakers Revenge 7.5
40 Samurai Shodown 7.5
41 Last Resort 7.5
42 Magical Drop II 7.5
43 Magician Lord 7.5
44 Art of Fighting 3 7
45 Over Top 7
46 Aero Fighters 2 7
47 Crossed Swords II 7
48 Galaxy Fight 7
49 Kizuna Encounter 7
50 The King of Fighters '99 7
51 Samurai Shodown 5 7
52 NAM-1975 7
53 Real Bout Fatal Fury 2 7
54 Zed Blade 7
55 Rage of the Dragons 7
56 Breakers 7
57 Metal Slug 3 7
58 ZuPaPa 7
59 Double Dragon 6.5
60 Nightmare in the Dark 6.5
61 Real Bout Fatal Fury 6.5
62 Savage Reign 6.5
63 Super Dodge Ball 6.5
64 Thrash Rally 6.5
65 Crossed Swords 6.5
66 Fatal Fury 3 6.5
67 Metal Slug 4 6.5
68 Spinmaster 6.5
69 Ninja Master's 6.5
70 Samurai Shodown 4 6.5
71 King of the Monsters 6.5
72 Art of Fighting 6
73 SvC Chaos - SNK vs Capcom 6
74 The Super Spy 6
75 Neo Bomberman 6
76 Irritating Maze 6
77 Cyber Lip 6
78 Bomberman: Panic Bomber 6
79 Baseball Stars Professional 6
80 Art of Fighting 2 6
81 Iron Clad 6
82 Money Puzzle Exchanger 6
83 Pulstar 6
84 Blue's Journey 6
85 Neo Geo Cup '98 6
86 Samurai Shodown 3 6
87 Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer 6
88 Prehistoric Isle II 6
89 Kabuki Klash 6
90 Fatal Fury 2 6
91 World Heroes Perfect 6
92 Sengoku 2 5.5
93 Sengoku 3 5.5
94 3 Count Bout 5.5
95 Eight Man 5.5
96 Ghost Pilots 5.5
97 Ninja Commando 5.5
98 Pochi and Nyaa 5.5
99 Super Sidekicks 2 5.5
100 The King of Fighters '94 5.5
101 Goal! Goal! Goal! 5.5
102 Metal Slug 2 5.5
103 Aggressors of Dark Kombat 5
104 World Heroes 2 Jet 5
105 League Bowling 5
106 Mutation Nation 5
107 Stakes Winner 2 5
108 Tecmo World Soccer '96 5
109 Andro Dunos 5
110 Ghostlop 5
111 Neo Mr Do! 5
112 The Ultimate 11 5
113 Robo Army 5
114 World Heroes 2 5
115 Ninja Combat 4.5
116 Flip Shot 4.5
117 Captain Tomaday 4.5
118 King of the Monsters II 4.5
119 Super Sidekicks 4
120 Fatal Fury 4
121 Bang Bang Busters 4
122 Burning Fight 4
123 World Heroes 4
124 Alpha Mission II 3.5
125 Pleasure Goal 3.5
126 Bang Bead 3.5
127 Puzzled 3
128 Ragnagard 3
129 Sengoku 3
130 Stakes Winner 3
131 Ganryu 3
132 Soccer Brawl 3
133 Fight Fever 3
134 ZinTrick 2.5
135 Puzzle De Pon / R 2.5
136 Pop'n Bounce 2.5
137 Football Frenzy 2
138 Top Players Golf 2
139 Power Spikes II 1.5
140 Riding Hero 1
141 Gururin 0.5
142 The Legend of Success Joe 0

[DrLitch]

Amazing list, it is astonishing you played this many titles for it. I have played probably 15 Neo Geo games in my life. I will probably have to check out emulation again.

beating [mostly] and rating every Neo Geo game.

Many Neo Geo games were designed with quarter munching in mind, kudos to beating most the games.

[jon]

I had no idea you played the Neo Geo so much. It certainly seems like it would take several years of exclusively playing these games. Did you play them on an emulator?

One thing that I find important is spending time on the later levels of these games. I always joke that most people never even get to the later levels.

I also think if it’s at all possible, to play the games on actual hardware. Whether it’s AES carts which obviously are expensive, MVS carts which are much more reasonable, or a flash cart like the Neo Geo AES SD I have.

It’s absolutely crucial to have an AES. I don’t think any reviewer can be fully trusted who doesn’t play the game on an AES or a CMVS. I’ve mentioned it before subconsciously it’s not the same not playing on actual hardware. That’s the way to go, getting the AES, a flash cart with every game, and then splurge for several AES carts here or there. Also getting MVS games and a converter is crucial.

Edit: the thing that makes no sense to me is people saying they can’t afford the Neo Geo. Granted getting 50 or so MVS cards and 10 AES games isn’t cheap. But the consumer chooses to spend a ton of money on the Switch 2, or PS5, and buys every Zelda or Madden game, and repeats it every generation.

If they only got Neo Games and hardware they’d afford it. If I had to make that decision I’d only get Neo Geo games. It’s a pathetic excuse.

[jon]

I was wondering, Quick_Man, is the Neo Geo your favorite system? If not, which ones do you have rated higher?

[Retro STrife]

Thanks for sharing, this is an awesome list. I have an MVS cabinet and mostly play with a 161-in-1 multicart, so I'm always looking for new games to try. I've played most of the games on the top end of your list, but Turf Masters was one exception that caught my eye. I'm a fan of sports games, including golf, and you gave it a 10, so I gave it a shot this weekend. Started it up and played 18 holes. Very first hole I shot an Eagle.. talk about beginner's luck! The front 9 were a pretty good time, but it got just plain punishing on the back 9. I went from vying for 1st, to barely surviving. It's a fun game, but my initial impression was closer to the C that the Critic gave it, rather than the 10. Curious- what is it about Turf Masters that has you rate it so high in the NG library? I'm willing to try it again if I'm missing something.

Next up, I plan to try Baseball Stars 2, based on jon's recent post about it. Jon considered it as the best baseball game ever, so I figure I have to give it a shot. You have Super Baseball 2020 ranked a lot higher, so I'll try that one too. VGC has them both tied, with an A- for each.

[jon]

Baseball Stars 2 to me is one of the signature games on the Neo Geo. When I played it in the arcade it was just incredible. For 1992 it was light years above anything, certainly the other 4th gen consoles.

This is around 1992-1993 when the Neo Geo was in stores and well before the time when they scaled things back for the home market. The Neo Geo games from 1992 made a huge leap in graphics from the earlier games. There was also Viewpoint at the arcades and Super Baseball 2020, which is just about as good as Baseball Stars 2.

Edit: I also think that it’s essential to have the cheat codes for every game. They’re usually going to be extremely hard at first and it makes things a lot easier.

[Quick_Man]

The Neo Geo is definitely one of my favourite systems ever - other systems up there in the toppest of tiers are the Sega Saturn, the PS1, the PS2 and the Xbox 360.

Personally, Neo Turf Masters is about as close to a flawless sports game I've ever played - amazing music, immediate gameplay, endless replayability - it's just an amazing time. Also, if you ever struggled on the regular courses, try the exclusive hidden course on Neo Geo CD: talk about a green Hell. I'm also kind of just a sucker for a good golf game - I spent many hours on games like the PS2 Tiger Woods installments, and the PS4 Everybody's Golf.

I have played most of the games on a cabinet, but for the sake of completion most games I actually beat were emulated, officially or otherwise. I'd say about ninety percent were cleared within three continues like how you're limited to that amount in AES titles - then there were games like Crossed Swords or The Super Spy which were just nightmares. There were also some games that I essentially beat once and immediately moved on while other games like Metal Slug X that I've beaten about a thousand times.

[Retro STrife]

Maybe I'll give Turf Masters one more shot, now that I have the hang of it. I'm a big fan of the Hot Shots Golf / Everybody's Golf series, so I thought I'd like Turf Masters more than I did, but I felt it was far off from those games.

Either way, this list inspired me to look into more MVS games. With that search I learned that a new multicart has been developed within the past few years, which has all the MVS games on it. In the past, even the 161-in-1 was lacking some big names and I had to buy some of them separately. But Shock Troopers, Waku Waku 7, and League Bowling are a few games I've never gotten to play, that I'm looking forward to.

Looking back at your list, a few extra thoughts:
-I really need to play Metal Slug X again. I always default to the original Metal Slug, since the later games feel too bloated and too long. MS3 seems to get chosen often as the best Metal Slug, but I feel like it's way too long for an arcade game, and I see you rated it lower too.
-I'm surprised to see the Super Sidekicks games and their spin-offs rated so low, especially when you were a fan of the other top sports games on the system. Super Sidekicks 3 is probably my favorite soccer game on any system.
-I've tried to see Windjammers as the top-tier game that everyone considers it, but I just can't do it. More of a 6 or 7 for me. But I was surprised to see Flip Shot and Bang Bead so much lower on your list, when they feel pretty close to Windjammers to me.

[Ars Moriendi]

Here are my personal favorites, and of course keep in mind that this is not an objective list. I guess I could make a more impartial list, but then again there's seriously no way that I could make a list that everybody could agree on. Some of these games are far off from a more proper rating, but at least with a list comprised of my picks I can be 100% accurate. After all, this list technically applies only to me, but you people could probably at least find something interesting to try out.

I'm only including the 156 officially released games, so no Digger Man or Jockey Grand Prix or anything like that. Then again, I've played and rated some of those games too so if you people want my ratings for them then let me know.

1. Neo Turf Masters A+
2. Metal Slug 1 A+
3. Metal Slug 3 A
4. Metal Slug 2 A
5. Metal Slug X A
6. Blazing Star A
7. Nightmare in the Dark A
8. Samurai Shodown IV A
9. Super Sidekicks 3 A
10. Neo Geo Cup '98 A
11. Magical Drop III A
12. Twinkle Star Sprites A
13. Breakers Revenge A
14. Puzzle Bobble 2 A
15. Sengoku 3 A
16. Matrimelee A
17. Art of Fighting 3 A
18. Prehistoric Isle 2 A
19. Metal Slug 5 A-
20. Spinmaster A-
21. Neo Drift Out A-
22. SVC Chaos A-
23. Strikers 1945 Plus A-
24. KOF 2000 A-
25. NAM-1975 A-
26. Pop'n Bounce A-
27. Viewpoint A-
28. Real Bout 1 A-
29. Real Bout Special A-
30. Real Bout 2 A-
31. Super Dodge Ball A-
32. Goal! Goal! Goal! A-
33. Zed Blade A-
34. Double Dragon A-
35. Sengoku 2 A-
36. Aero Fighters 3 A-
37. Aero Fighters 2 A-
38. Fatal Fury 1 A-
39. Garou MOTW A-
40. Ultimate 11 A-
41. The Last Blade 2 A-
42. The Last Blade A-
43. KOF '96 A-
44. KOF '97 A-
45. KOF '98 A-
46. KOF 2002 A-
47. KOF '99 A-
48. Shock Troopers 2nd Squad A-
49. Shock Troopers A-
50. Samurai Shodown II A-
51. Samurai Shodown V Special A-
52. Breakers A-
53. Baseball Stars 2 A-
54. Bang Bead A-
55. Crossed Swords II A-
56. Ninja Master's A-
57. Puzzle Bobble A-
58. Pochi and Nyaa B+
59. Rage of the Dragons B+
60. Street Hoop B+
61. Waku Waku 7 B+
62. Fatal Fury 3 B+
63. Fatal Fury Special B+
64. Crossed Swords B+
65. Ghost Pilots B+
66. Pulstar B+
67. League Bowling B+
68. Ironclad B+
69. Samurai Shodown 1 B+
70. Windjammers B+
71. Overtop B+
72. Kabuki Klash B+
73. Battle Flip Shot B+
74. Ganryu B+
75. Karnov's Revenge B+
76. KOF 2003 B+
77. World Heroes 2 B+
78. Art of Fighting 2 B
79. Metal Slug 4 B
80. Mutation Nation B
81. Samurai Shodown III B
82. Samurai Shodown V B
83. Samurai Shodown RPG B
84. Pleasure Goal B
85. The Irritating Maze B
86. Sengoku B
87. Fatal Fury 2 B
88. Neo Geo CD Special B
89. KOF '96 Collection B
90. World Heroes B
91. Galaxy Fight B
92. Super Sidekicks 2 B
93. Tecmo World Soccer '96 B
94. Magical Drop II B
95. ADK World B
96. KOF 2001 B
97. KOF '95 B
98. Zupapa! B
99. Quiz King of Fighters B
100. Neo Mr. Do! B
101. Neo Bomber Man B
102. Magician Lord B
103. 2020 Super Baseball B
104. Thrash Rally B
105. Stakes Winner 2 B-
106. Burning Fight B-
107. Power Spikes II B-
108. Art of Fighting 1 B-
109. Idol Mahjong Final Romance 2 B-
110. Puzzle de Pon! R B-
111. Puzzle de Pon! B-
112. Top Hunter B-
113. Super Sidekicks 1 B-
114. World Heroes Perfect B-
115. World Heroes 2 Jet B-
116. Ninja Commando B-
117. KOF '94 B-
118. Baseball Stars Professional B-
119. Money Puzzle Exchanger B-
120. Captain Tomaday C+
121. Mahjong Kyo Retsuden C+
122. Zintrick C+
123. Kizuna Encounter C+
124. Savage Reign C+
125. Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer C+
126. Quiz Meitantei Neo & Geo C+
127. Quiz Daisousa Sen C+
128. Janshin Densetsu C+
129. 3 Count Bout C
130. Soccer Brawl C
131. Robo Army C
132. Eight Man C
133. Last Resort C
134. Chibi Maruko-chan Deluxe Quiz C-
135. Andro Dunos C-
136. Aggressors of Dark Kombat C-
137. Alpha Mission II C-
138. Football Frenzy C-
139. Stakes Winner C-
140. Master of Shogi C-
141. Minnasan no Okagesama Desu C-
142. Bakatono-sama Mahjong Man'yuki C-
143. Panic Bomber D+
144. Blue's Journey D+
145. Ragnagard D+
146. Riding Hero D
147. Puzzled D
148. Top Player's Golf D-
149. Cyber-Lip D-
150. Gururin F
151. The Super Spy F
152. King of the Monsters F
153. King of the Monsters 2 F
154. Ninja Combat F
155. Legend of Success Joe F
156. Fight Fever F-

[jon]

I really like this last list. I’ve really been upset that apparently some people think the Metal Slug series is overrated and they mentioned others in the genre they like better. Personally I think the Metal Slug games are amazing and would be near the top of my list also, and are better than their contemporaries on other systems, although I haven’t been able to get into Metal Slug 4 or 5. I like Sengoku 3 being up there, which is one of my most prized possessions on MVS. I know Cyber Lip isn’t the best game ever but there’s been times in the 2 player I had a lot of fun with it. In fact one time playing with a friend of mine is maybe the most fun I’ve ever had with a Neo Geo game.