Faselei!

"Possibly best RPG for NGP"

Even though SNK pulled out of the American and European video game markets, you can still find some good games for the Neo Geo Pocket. Faselei! is among those (and yes, the exclamation point is part of the title :).

The game is set in the late 21st century, in the aftermath of World War III - not a nuclear war (it seems), but a heavily mechanized one. You control Kurosawa Shotarou (Sho), an orphan who was raised by Johnny Brest, a close friend of Sho's father. Captain Brest leads the ''Faselei'' mercenary force, a troop of mecha pilots who are currently fighting to help restore the rightful ruler of Istar to the throne.
The mecha in Faselei are called Toy Soldiers, or TS, and the control interface is unique to mecha games as far as I know - you control your TS by selecting a series of control chips at the beginning of each round, and your TS will carry out those actions. This requires a *lot* of thinking ahead, both in the field and when you're preparing for missions, since you can only carry a certain number of control chips.

Faselei's been described as a role-playing game, but it actually straddles the line between an RPG and a strategy game. There's no exploration element to the game; you just move from battle to battle, but there's a heavier story element (and more focus on individual characters) than in any simulation game I've ever run into. There's also a fair amount of character development: TS pilots (Sho and the others) gain experience in combat and go up in level over the course of the game. If you're reasonably good, Sho's rank will top out before you're halfway through - and you'll need it, since the quality of equipment you can get is linked to your current rank.

Playability: 8
Most of the missions are pretty easy, although you'll probably have to continue at least a couple of times - so save regularly, like just before you go to the Command section (Cmd); that takes you to the next storyline mission, or at least to a cut-scene that helps set up for the next mission. There are a few missions where you can only prepare adequately when you *know* what's ahead, and even then you'll have a rough time on some missions. You can also go into ''secondary'' missions (referred to as the Task mode) on maps of missions you've already beaten, to earn extra cash (I think they use the euro, although that might be different in the Japanese version).

Interface: 9
The battle system takes just a bit of getting used to, but the very first mission starts with Hummer walking you through the process of controlling your TS, directing you to your first target and taking it out. The TIPS (Tactical Intelligent Programming System) interface isn't that hard once you get the hang of it, but you really do have to think ahead.
The base menu in between missions is pretty straightforward, although if you go looking for Captain Brest you'll probably find yourself sent on your next mission without warning. (That happened to me the first time ...) Setting up your TS is fairly straightforward, although you need to remember to refill your inventory if you used any items on the last mission (and you probably did) and if you change weapons, you *have* to associate weapons with control chips before the game will let you leave the dock.

Video and Audio: 8
Nothing terribly special here - but then, it's a handheld game system. The people at Sacnoth get credit for using the Neo Geo Pocket's screen very efficiently; the play area is divided up just right, with the battlefield taking the lion's share of the screen but leaving adequate room for the control chips, weapon status, and radar screen (when applicable). The battlefield display is easy enough to understand, and it plots your TS's (predicted) position and facing as you enter movement commands. It won't predict for another mecha getting in your way or pushing you off course, though (and those can happen!)

Replayability: 7.5
Given what happened with SNK pulling out of the market, linked games of Faselei - where you try your TS and piloting skills out against another player - are a possibility, but not likely a common one in the USA. There are extra missions (Task mode) which you can go on to earn extra money, but these lack the depth of the storyline missions - it's a simple matter of search-and-destroy on one of the battlegrounds you've already been through. And there's nothing to stop you from playing through the storyline of the game again; in fact, you may *want* to do that after you've beaten the game.
Sacnoth *did* give you a reason to play the alternate modes, though: there are supposed to be items you can only pick up in the Task mode (such as the Jetpil weapon, I think), and if you beat your opponent in Versus mode then you can claim your prize ... which can be anything from regular items to your opponent's own TS.

Overall: 9
If you include Faselei!, I think there are only two RPGs out for NeoGeo Pocket - and neither of them is a ''pure'' RPG; Faselei! is a strategy RPG, and the other game, Beast Buster, is more of an action RPG. (There's also the KOF R-2 Making mode, if you count *that* ... for a total of three.)
Faselei! has its minor failings, but it succeeds remarkably well at what it set out to do. Be warned, though, that the game gets *very* difficult at some points.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/23/00, Updated 07/23/00