Neo Geo Reviews T-V

It may not look spectacular, but Thrash Rally offers a nice change of pace from the one-on-one fighters that dominate the system. At its core, this is a simple overhead racer in the spirit of Auto Racing (Intellivision, 1980). The screen scrolls every which way as you adjust your direction to keep your car on the road. The cars are tiny, and the low-resolution visuals look like something from the Genesis. In addition to a selection of cars, you can drive a motorcycle, dune buggy, or a truck.

The courses wind both on and off-road, and they tend to be ideal in length (read: short). You'll cruise through a number of scenic locations including Italy, Finland, and Kenya. It's fun to peel through shallow streams and jump over sand dunes. The screen zooms out a bit when you "catch air", giving the game a slight Bump N Jump (1982) flavor. You'll be tempted to slow down and gawk at the colorful scenery, but there's no time for that. There are plenty of cars on the road, but the weird collision detection will have you running over more cars than you bump into. This glitch inadvertently makes the game more fun because it's easier to maintain your momentum.

The controls take a while to get used to, and even on straightaways you'll find yourself making constant slight adjustments. Thrash Rally includes two modes: World Rally and Paris Dakar Rally. I became obsessed with the Dakar Rally which is one long track that's tough to finish before the timer expires. When I finally made it, there was exactly zero seconds remaining! Thrash Rally may not be a showcase title for the Neo Geo, but it's certainly no slouch in the fun department. © Copyright 2012 The Video Game Critic.

This late-arriving Neo Geo side-scroller threw a lot of ideas against the wall, but very few stuck. One that did was having a choice of four stages with the themes earth, fire, wind, and ice. Each is exquisitely detailed and just brimming with activity. Top Hunter's cartoonish style is comparable to Metal Slug (SNK, 1994), with a primary boss who looks like M. Bison of Street Fighter II (SNES, 1992) fame.

The action takes place on two planes that you can leap between at the push of a button. The problem is, characters and objects don't scale, making it really hard to discern which plane they are on. Often there are rings hanging from the top of the screen to pull, but you'll find yourself jumping all over the place trying to figure out how to position yourself underneath them.

The three-button control scheme is not especially intuitive. The A button punches, unless you hold it in which causes your arms to stretch. The B button lets you jump on your current plane, and the C leaps you over to the opposite side, often applying a hit to an enemy in the process.

I'm not a fan of your character's ability to extend his arms to grab enemies (to throw) and pull levers. Your instinct is to tap buttons in order to punch and shoot enemies. It's simply not satisfying to hold in the button and wait for your arm to extend, especially when you could just be smacking the hell out of everybody.

Top Hunter offers eye candy to spare, along with fun bosses like a screaming giant yeti. It's an ideal CD title since it only needs to load between stages and won't interrupt your flow. The ability to pick up weapons and commandeer mechs lets you inflict widespread destruction. There's even a two player co-op, although this only serves to exacerbate the aforementioned issues.

Top Hunter is just a bewildering experience. With so much going on your instinct is to take a slow, measured approach. But how can you when there's a freaking timer!? This game is a classic example of a whole feeling significantly less than the sum of its parts. © Copyright 2022 The Video Game Critic.

Top Players would be a respectable golf game on most platforms, but on the Neo Geo this is just not cutting it. You can tell this was an early title from the opening cut-scene with its low-resolution scenery and cartoonish golfers. Two fictional courses are available, each with an imaginative set of holes that allow for multiple approaches. Too bad you never get a decent view!

The user interface is a nightmare. Selecting the "course" button lets you toggle between several views of the course, one more unhelpful than the next. The one-press swing meter doesn't really make much sense with the fade and draw areas near the top of the meter. You won't know the distance to the pin unless you ask your "caddy" who looks more like a bubbly 12-year-old girl. When consulted, she exclaims "Take my advice - if you dare! Or make your own choice! It's up to you!!" *Cringe*.

When you hit the ball it looks as big as a softball flying through the air. Sometimes it only travels half the distance for no apparent reason. The graphics are cheesy and the water looks heinous. The best aspect of the game is its relaxing piano music, which sounds like something out of a Peanuts cartoon. Top Players Golf is playable once you get a feel for it, but you tend to expect more from a Neo Geo sports game. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.

This late-release Neo Geo CD title is a hidden gem. I've played my share of puzzle games and thought I'd seen every variation imaginable. I was wrong. Treasure of the Caribbean has an intriguing twist along with an appealing swashbuckling theme. You select from a group of vaguely pirate-like characters, each equipped with a unique power-up. Two players (or one with CPU) play simultaneously, stacking pairs of oddly-shaped objects. What the hell are those things anyway?

The columns are staggered a bit so you can't get clean rows across. That turns out to be a good thing, as it makes it much easier to get four continuous objects of the same color to explode. You can even create a group of objects that snake through the entire wall. Chain reactions send "ghosts" over to your opponent, causing gravestones to fall and muck up his business in a big way.

Sometimes you'll have a massive number of these gravestones dropped on your side, but don't fret. Treasures of the Caribbean is actually more fun when your back is against the wall. And don't forget to use your one-time special attack, which lets you turn the tables in a hurry.

The controls are terrific but it's kind of cheap how you can rotate a piece in place indefinitely. What's to keep you from doing that for the entire game? The music is a mixed bag. For every song with a swashbuckling vibe, there's one that sounds more like a nursery rhyme. The pirate theme could have been better utilized, but Treasure of the Caribbean is still more enjoyable than I expected. If you own a Neo Geo CD, this is a worthy addition to the collection. © Copyright 2015 The Video Game Critic.

The Neo Geo is not technically capable of rendering real 3D graphics, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell when you witness Viewpoint's amazing textured visuals. As you fly a ship diagonally up a canal, cannons rise up from the ground, metallic creatures emerge from the sides, and floor tiles "flip" to create a dynamic obstacle course. I was pretty blown away by Viewpoint - until I remembered that its spiritual predecessor, Zaxxon, was released ten years prior!

One fundamental difference is that you don't need to worry about adjusting your altitude in Viewpoint because your ship always floats just over the surface. Each canal features a dazzling array of robotic creatures including slinkies, land fish, spinning turtles, laser-shooting flowers, and giant crabs. The animation is smooth, and while slowdown does creep in occasionally, it's hardly a detriment.

You can tap a button to fire rapidly, or hold it in to unleash a charged shot. Side-cannons triple your firepower and pressing B unleashes one of several special weapons. In this case, these weapons really are special. The best is the "wall of flames" which marches up the screen and consumes everything in its path. It's probably the most effective and satisfying weapon I've ever used! The swarming homing missiles are also a visual treat.

Some stages have interactive elements such as levers you need to shoot to open gates. Hazards can rise up from out of the ground and strike you from beneath, and they can seem pretty cheap if you aren't expecting them. In some sections medium-sized characters will linger around for too long, sometimes impervious to attack.

Losing a ship sometimes means you'll need to repeat a long, tedious stretch, and that really sucks. This is a very difficult game, so there's no shame in playing the easy mode. The soundtrack is an eclectic mix of beats with a few hip-hop samples tossed in. Viewpoint is a real Neo Geo standard that helped define the system, so it's a fine addition to the collection if you can afford it. And despite its age, it's still more imaginative and visually appealing than most modern shooters. © Copyright 2010 The Video Game Critic.

Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer is a title I've seen mentioned in Neo Geo circles over the years. This Manga-based one-on-one fighter is rare and expensive to acquire on cartridge. Fortunately the CD works just fine and won't break the bank. There are only two load screens and they are worth the wait!

Gowcaizer makes a terrific first impression. The colorful fighters are positively gigantic, and I love how the camera smoothly scales in and out a la Samurai Shodown (SNK, 1993). A few characters sport a superhero aesthetic that's a refreshing departure from the typical martial arts look.

Gowcaizer is the main character, decked out in a mask and spiky armor. There's also a cheesy superhero named Captain Atlantis, a dude with bat wings that throws electric guitars, and a guy in a white suit that summons ghost monkeys. There's also a steam-powered robot and a pair of hot babes. There are ten playable characters in all.

After selecting your fighter you also select your next opponent, which is pretty sweet. All four buttons are used (two punches, two kicks) and there are plenty of moves to discover. The exciting battles feature devastating attacks that can turn the tide on a dime. Upon defeating a CPU opponent you're given the option of stealing one of his special moves!

The two females in this game look like long-legged fashioned models. Shaia deploys a floating orb, which is kind of cheap as it can deal a lot of nickel-and-dime damage from a distance. Karin can summon a smaller, doll-sized version of herself to pester you during the fight. This game is full of surprises.

The stages have great atmosphere, with layers of detail that will have you surveying the backgrounds for interesting animations. In the city stage you can see a cat digging through a garbage can. In the evil lab stage you see a mad scientist freaking out. Some stages feature funny advertisements.

Gowcaiser takes full advantage of the CD platform, with music that incorporates exuberant Japanese vocals. Some may regard them as cheesy, but they have a feel-good quality. Even the songs with no vocals have a certain clarity (bell sounds for example) you don't normally get from an electric composition.

There are some annoyances, like how the game frequently prompts to save or load your progress. Some characters are armed with cheap projectile weapons, including guns! Marion the robot is the worst. Between him firing bullets along the ground and performing spin attacks in the air, I can't get near him! Finally, some of the voice samples are annoyingly repetitive.

Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer is one of those titles that fell through the cracks but turned out to be a lot of fun. This game has it all: colorful anime characters, interesting stages, and an inspired soundtrack that will have you cheering along. © Copyright 2024 The Video Game Critic.