NEOGEO STATION AWAKENS FIGHTING GAME NOSTALGIA

The NEOGEO Station, featuring many classic SNK arcade games from the 90's, became available to the PSN this month. Being the martial arts media freak that I am, I immediately grabbed up all the fighting games it offered at launch. This includes Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Samurai Shodown, and King of Fighters '94. Check out the official trailer below:

MEMORIES OF THE LONE WOLF

NEOGEO Station Fatal Fury screenshot,
from Gamefaqs.com

I remember playing Fatal Fury in an arcade or two way back in the early 90's. Since I was a little kid back then and couldn't do any special moves or reasonable fighting game tactics, I sucked hard and couldn't even get past the first stage. Still, the game looked pretty back then and its re-release on the PSN awakened a ton of irresistible fighting game nostalgia in me.

Fatal Fury was the only one I played in its original form in the arcades back then. I only ever played the sequels of Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters that were ported onto the PS1 and 2, and I've literally never played an Art of Fighting game until now. Still, they're all a treat to play and I'm glad that they're now all in my PS3 so that I can revisit them any time.

NEOGEO Station King of Fighters '94 screenshot,
from Gamefaqs.com

Out of those four, I have to say that Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters are my favorites. I personally feel that Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting haven't aged well at all, though they do keep some of their old charm. Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters, for me, feel like timeless classics.

SURPRISE SHOOTER

Oddly enough, though, my favorite, by far, among all of the games I bought was the enigmatic fifth one, Metal Slug! I also remember playing this in the arcades and some of its sequels in console form. It's pretty odd that I'd pick this one over the rest, seeing as how I should have predictably felt more overjoyed about one of the martial arts - based ones. But, no, Metal Slug's simple side-scrolling Rambo gameplay and amazing 2D graphics (which honestly still look pretty great to me even now!) captured me like no other.It's definitely one of my best buys this Christmas.

FINAL THOUGHTS

NEOGEO Station Metal Slug screenshot,

from Gamefaqs.com

Here's a more in-depth review of the NEOGEO Station and the other classic games that come with it. Make no mistake that it only includes the five I write about here. It also includes such greats as Magician Lord, Baseball Stars Professional, Super Sidekicks, Alpha Mission II, and League Bowling. I didn't grab those up because I don't carry any sort of nostalgia for them, plus, they're just not my cup of tea. But, they might be yours, so check them out if you have the chance!

Happy holidays, SNK Playmore, and thanks for allowing me to revisit these astounding classics!

Did you buy any of the games from the NEOGEO Station? Which ones do you like or dislike? Share your thoughts and leve a comment below!