NeoGeo Battle Coliseum

"So close in almost being the perfect SNK game"

It is rare to have a game like Neo Geo Battle Coliseum (NBC) come along and absolutely blow you away. If you been a fan of SNK/Neo Geo games, then this is the perfect game for you. With characters from a wide span of SNK games, they come together for the first time and they are in your control. Mix your favorite characters from different games or put them together and battle new faces and old familiar faces.

Now this game has only been released so far for the Japanese PS2, meaning if you own an American PS2 console, you won't be able to play this game unless you get a mod chip for it. Because myself cannot read Japanese, the storyline to me is unknown, but hey, it's a fighting game and from the looks of it, it doesn't really have a story.

When the game starts up, you are introduced to a lovely intro. The intro shows the characters from each game they are from. A few games worthy of mentioning is the SNK's #1 hit, King of Fighters. You then have Samurai showdown, Last Blade, the legendary game; World Heroes and even Metal slug. Now since we are talking about characters, the roster to me is not very great. There are some that I felt didn't need to be in the game. There are also some characters that are just dominate over others. It is very unbalance, especially when you fight the bosses of the game. But for a huge game like this, it is impossible to have every single character out there, so this isn't really a problem with the game at all.

Now the game play is very different. You are to choose two characters, you can choose any two together since there is no real story like I mentioned in the beginning and you battle other teams of two. Now this is the part where things get pretty crazy. If you beat one opponent or lose one round, the game is over. Yes, you read right, there is no round 2 or round 3 in this game. Once one of your character's is defeated, it's game over. Of course you can continue but again, the loading time is horrible!

During the fights of each match, there is a timer that goes down. Basically you try to defeat as many opponents as you can before the time runs out. Also remember don't lose, but this is the home version so at least you don't have to worry about inserting more coins. After the timer hits zero, no matter what fight you are in, the match ends and you get a cut scene. You are introduced to one of the cheesiest (unfair) bosses in an SNK game. However, he isn't as hard as the last boss in KOFXI, so that is a good thing.

Beating the boss nets you a cut scene, some dialogue which I can't read and the game is over. "What happened to the ending"? Well, there really isn't one. Once you beat the game and enter your three letter initials, you are back to the main screen. You however head over to the gallery section and choose "Endings" There you will find a picture of the characters you beat the game with and when you click on their picture, more dialogue come up and at the end a special picture. It isn't the best thing there is, but the art is beautiful, so it is pretty worth it.

The graphics for this game to me isn't that great. It still seems so far away from other 2D fighting games like Street Fighter and Guilty Gear. The characters seem stiff and this is an ongoing problem for SNK. However, the background is very good and detailed. Although they did try to animate some characters more, like Mai Shiranui by giving her movement, she still seems very stiff. I do have to mention that the lighting and the special animations are done really well.

For an SNK game, the controls are very very smooth. It plays like KOFXI and the movement is very comfortable compared to other SNK games like Last Blade and Samurai Showdown. The controls are so smooth, that you can almost button smash and go crazy with the controls and it will score you some four to five hit combos. One last mention is that the controls are very easy to pick up. If you ever played any King of Fighters game, the controls are the exact same thing, especially KOF 2003 and KOFXI where you can switch partners in and out.

One disappointment is the music for this game. There aren't any tunes I can say is worth remembering. For a game this massive, they should of had each characters music in the game remixed showing the fans that they appreciate us. It's the least they can do.

So in closing, a perfect fighting game if you like SNK characters but the loading killed the perfect score. If you own a Japanese PS2 console or has your system modded, this is highly recommended. The price isn't too steep either, I was able to get it for $34.00 (no tax) and because it was released as a "SNK's Best" it shouldn't go over $45.00 most.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/26/07