Last week, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:SNK released two more Neo Geo Pocket ports on the Nintendo eShop for Switch out of the blue. Consisting of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Samurai Shodown! 2 and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The King of Fighters R-2, they both offer the first chance to own these games without having to seek out the Neo Geo Pocket hardware first. A relatively niche device that many have never even held, it's a solid win for video game preservation and a great way to experience a bit o♏f SNK's history.
I was given the chance to take a look at both titles and there's not much more to mention that wasn't already stated in my 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:SNK Gals' Fighters post. These are not quick, cheap, lazy ports, but very considered conversions that take most of the Switch's unique quirks into account. Hell, you can play multiplayer on the same sy🌳stem in both handheld and docked modes.
Starting with Samurai Shodown! 2, this is probably the overall weakest game of the trio currently available. I don't necessarily think any of these games are bad, but Samurai Shodown severely suffers from the transition to a portable device. With only two buttons to work with, it becomes hard to pull off specific moves and the game doesn't offer any means of easier o🧸peration. You’ll have to input those patented SNK half-circles to do specials and supers, which is aggravating on the Switch joy-con.
At least in terms of content, the game is on par with other Samurai Shodown games of the game. You have a total of 17 characters and each has an alternate 🍌mode available (Bust and Slash). This basically doubles the roster, but it's more like stat changes than a truly different playstyle. What gives this game a unique twist is a card system that lets you power-up your fighter or unlocks different special moves, though that requires grinding through the single-player to achieve.
Honestly, this would have been an amazing game back in 1999. It's rather robust for a portable title and even has a very charming graphical style. The only issue nowadays is that practically every other Samurai Shodown game is available on Switch. You can even nab last year's excellent reboot to take with you on the go. In some ways, this version is redundant, but it's also better than some of the later installments (namely Samurai Shodown VI).
The same can be said of King of Fighters R-2, though this one makes a much stronger impression. Essentially a cut-down version of King of Fighters 98, you'll participate in three-on-three or one-on-one battles with your opponents to determine who the winner is. All manner of special moves are available at your disposal, as is a cast of 14 fighters. It has less overall content than Samurai Shodown! 2, but i📖t makes up for it in the playability factor.
For this particular game, an "Easy" operation mode is offered. This removes most of the half-circle movements and replaces them with Capcom style quarter-circle moves. With this, pulling off specials aꦇnd finishers is far simpler to do, especially on the joy-con. No more flicking your thumb around hopelessly𓂃 trying to perform an uppercut.
A rather interesting "Journey" mode is playable that takes the form of a single-player campaign. It's not exactly in-depth, but you can power up your favorit꧅e fighter and then absolutely decimate opponents in mere seconds. It's an exciting power trip and nearly makes the $7.99 asking꧋ price worth it.
Again, the only thing holding back this particular game is that other, better King of Fighters titles are available on the Switch eShop. I understand that SNK is offering these as a means for collectors to have the best playing versions of some Neo Geo Pocket title🐼ജs, but I do find the prices a little steep. At the same time, $8 is hardly bad and none of the games have any major flaws.
The Switch's uniqu𒉰e features even make multiplayer a far easier prospect. You won't have to fish out two copies of the game, get two consoles, and some antiquated link cable. You can play in the really cool split-screen mode that presents the game like it was being played on a cocktail c⛦abinet or like a traditional fighter in docked mode. Talk about better accessibility.
I suppose the lack of online is something to note, but I wouldn't want to play these fighters 🅠online anyway. The sometimes frustrating inputs of the joy-con would make any extra latency feel like an absolute crutch to performance. I guess me struggling to come up with drawbac😼ks should be a really good sign for these ports.
Maybe they don't serve much purpose in 2020 where SNK's back catalog is more readily available, but I honestly can't stay mad at Samurai Shodown! 2 or King of Fighters R-2. Both games are quality titles that made the best of their hard🅰ware limitations over 20 years ago. Their strong design shines through in these Switch iterations, even if you can just grab a better sequel from the eShop.
Switch copies of Samurai Shodown! 2 and The King of Fighters R-2 were provided to TheGamer for this review. Samurai Shodown! 2 and The King of Fighters R-2 is available now for Nintendo Switch.