5 Neo Geo Games You Forgot Were Awesome, Including One Underrated Fighter

The Neo Geo is an incredible system, delivering big power for its era and near-perfect arcade ports. Of course, that came at a huge cost to fans, as the Neo Geo was also one of the more expensive consoles on the market. Because of that, most players missed the system entirely. After all, dropping $650 on a console and then hundreds of dollars on top of that for each game made it unaffordable for most. Since so many players missed the system, it’s fair to say that a few of its best games have gone under the radar for many. Here are five great Neo Geo games you might’ve missed.

5) The Last Blade 2

The Last Blade series is a spiritual offshoot of SNK’s Samurai Shodown series. That means all three games are weapon-based fighters that look incredible and feature one of the better combo systems on the platform. Some will point to the first game as their favorite of the three, but I’ll put The Last Blade 2 just barely above the original. It came out only a year after the original, so there weren’t too many changes, but it is a visual treat.

Beyond the improved visuals, The Last Blade 2 has three new fighters and a new gameplay mode. It’s also a bit grittier than the original, and more cutscenes helped tell a compelling story throughout the campaign. You’ll also notice that characters have new strengths and weaknesses, letting you better plan your strategy heading into a fight. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to check out on modern hardware thanks to a 2016 re-release on PS4.

4) Street Hoop

Don’t get this confused with the mediocre 2002 game Street Hoops. That PS2 game doesn’t hold a candle to Street Hoop, or as it’s known in Japan, Street Slam. This three-on-three basketball game is a great competitor to the NBA Jam series, delivering some of the best visuals in the genre. You’ll have the choice between ten different teams, which represent US towns in the United States version and various countries in Japan and Europe.

Each team has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, Philadelphia is made up of long-range snipers, while New York plays more like peak Michael Jordan. That gives you plenty of options for strategy when going up against your friends, letting you pick a team that fits your playstyle. It doesn’t quite beat NBA Jam at the arcade basketball game, but it gets closer than most and is worth checking out if you like basketball.

3) Mutation Nation

Mutation Nation is a great beat ’em up from SNK. That’s not exactly a rarity in the ’90s, but this one is a blast because you can pick up various elemental spheres to give you special powers. These super attacks can turn the tide of battle in a second, but don’t worry, you still have access to special attacks even if you don’t have a sphere; it’ll just cost you a bit of your health bar.

I’m probably starting to sound like a broken record here, but Mutation Nation also looks great. It features large, detailed character sprites and inventive enemy design. Sure, it’s not doing too much to innovate in the beat ’em up genre, but that’s not necessarily a knock. Just being a solid beat ’em up that looks great is enough for most players. It is funny to look back at reviews from the era and see critics complain about the Neo Geo port giving players unlimited continues, though.

2) Baseball Stars 2

The Neo Geo is known by many for its excellent beat ’em up and fighting game scene, but it also had quite a few great sports games. These days, most players know about Windjammers, but that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve already mentioned Street Hoop, but Baseball Stars 2 is worth a shoutout as well. Baseball Stars 2 delivered some of the best-looking and playing baseball of the early ’90s.

Players can choose between 18 teams across two leagues. That makes it relatively easy to find a team that suits your playstyle and gives you plenty of opponents to test your might against. It was a huge hit on the Neo Geo and in the arcades, but don’t be tricked into picking up the NES version. That game pales in comparison to the other versions, feeling more like a rehash of the original Baseball Stars than the true upgrade we saw on the Neo Geo.

1) Money Puzzle Exchanger

Money Puzzle Exchanger might be a little too well-known at this point to qualify for this list, but I’m adding it here to make sure everyone reading learns about how great Face’s puzzle game is. Seriously, if you haven’t checked out this stacking puzzler, you need to change that right away. Thankfully, it’s easy to find today, thanks to various re-releases of Neo Geo arcade classics.

Players race to stack coins that are constantly dropping. You need to combine them to score points, but you can also use certain coins to activate special powers. There’s a relatively steep learning curve for Money Puzzle Exchanger, but it’s worth learning all of the game’s gimmicks. This is a crowd-pleaser at parties, though the anime art style might turn off some players. Still, if you consider yourself a fan of the puzzle genre, you owe it to yourself to try Money Puzzle Exchanger.

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10 Best Neo Geo Games, Ranked