The Neo Geo CD console is one of the most interesting industry deviations we saw in the 90s. SNK had previously released the Neo Geo AES which basically a home version of their arcade hardware. This allowed arcade perfect ports to be released for it. The problem was that the console, and especially the games, costed an arm and a leg. We’re talking hundreds of dollars for a single cartridge which even back then was unheard of. Eventually SNK came up with a solution, and that was the Neo Geo CD. Compact discs were significantly cheaper to produce than those mammoth sized cartridges, and the games were priced more competitively. Unfortunately it was too little and too late. The CD variation never caught on, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t have some good titles. Today we’re going to highlight the best Neo Geo CD games of all time!
#15. – World Heroes Perfect
World Heroes is a strange series. No one is going to argue that. The story centers around a scientist inventing a time machine. Does he use this to cure the worlds modern ailments? To rewrite history? No. Instead he travels throughout time to gather the worlds strongest fighters throughout all time to participate in a tournament to determine who among them is the best. Yeah it’s cheesy, but you know what I kind of like it. World Heroes Perfect is the fourth installment and combines all of the characters from previous installments into one super package. The fighting engine has been refined with new special moves and rebalancing of others. It’s a pretty decent fighter, and one of my guilty pleasures. This Neo Geo CD version boasts arranged versions of the music and a few new (but basic) modes. Is it worth the loading times? In my opinion yes.
#14. – Crossed Swords II
This is the first Neo Geo CD exclusive title on the list. The first Crossed Swords was a third person arcade style action game using swordplay and is vaguely similar to Punch-Out in execution. I know, none of those elements seem like they should work but somehow it all came together. In Crossed Swords II you begin by selecting from one of three characters each with their own strengths and weaknesses. There are new RPG elements in place wherein you gain experience points to gain levels and become stronger, and a store where you can purchase new equipment. There are a host of new abilities such as a dash or jump which makes gameplay more variable. Crossed Swords II gets special props here for being an exclusive release on this version of the console. This is a list of the best Neo Geo CD games, after all.
#13. – Riding Hero
Here is one of the few Neo Geo games that was different in the arcade version when compared to the home console release. At its core this is a behind the character motorcycle racing game. The first thing you’ll notice is that, for its time, the scrolling is incredibly smooth. Seriously this looks like something that just wasn’t possible at the time on home consoles. Gameplay is fast and furious, and the racing itself is quite fun despite the skinny roads and high difficulty level. The home console version features the main arcade mode as well as a makeshift RPG option of sorts. Here you travel across a map challenging other racers to earn money to upgrade your bike. It’s a seriously cool addition in my opinion. Unfortunately there aren’t really any enhancements in this Neo Geo CD version. Aside from that much lower price that is.
#12. – Twinkle Star Sprites
To my credit I tried to leave this one off the list. I’ve already talked about Twinkle Star Sprites at large in many of my other lists. Fortunately it’s just such a good game that it deserves a spot on just about every one. Twinkle Star Sprites is a very strange combination of shoot ’em up and puzzle game. On the surface it looks like a typical top down shmup. You move your character around the screen blasting away at foes and collecting power-ups. Thing is the screen is split into two with another player competing against you. Defeating enemies in combinations unleashes hazards against the enemy. Despite the cutesy graphics the gameplay is fantastic. Twinkle Star Spirits is quite unique compared to both shmups and puzzle titles, and the mixing of genres has amazing results here.
#11. – Real Bout Fatal Fury
Real Bout is to Fatal Fury what the Alpha series was to Street Fighter. That is to say it’s a reboot of the franchise by altering the gameplay in some fairly big ways. Real Bout Fatal Fury does away with the previous control methods by reducing attacks to just three buttons. You have a punch, kick, and a strong attack with can be either one based on the character themselves. Personally I think this is an upgrade from Fatal Fury 3. You also have new super moves which are a fantastic addition to the franchise and fits with what other fighters at the time were also doing. Ring outs are another new feature but I’m not as big a fan of these. Honestly the graphics and soundtrack are amazing, and the gameplay is a fantastic step forward in the franchise. The CD version even has an animated music video.
#10. – Pulstar
Pulstar has the dubious honor of being one of the rarest Neo Geo games. Even the CD release is insanely difficult to track down. This is a side scrolling shooter that uses digitized graphics. These haven’t aged particularly well though I will say that at the time they were probably insane. Gameplay is somewhat similar to R-Type and that’s not a bad thing by any means. In typical fashion you die in one hit, but have a charge attack as well as an option that can shoot alongside you and even be used as a battering ram of sorts. The stage design is extremely unforgiving but I loved trying to memorize each stage and develop new strategies to move forward. What I didn’t like however is the fact that the game sort of freezes to load the explosion animation. Pulstar is quite difficult but a lot of fun.
#9. – King of Fighters 96
I have a few issues with the King of Fighters franchise. On one hand I absolutely love that it combines characters from so many of SNK’s big franchises. It really feels like a ‘best of’ compilation. On the other hand the team based gameplay simply doesn’t work for me. I love to memorize one character per fighting game, and don’t like being forced to use others. That’s why King of Fighters 96, despite it’s amazing premise, isn’t higher up on this list. Despite that the fighting engine is exceptional here. Dodging has been refined and works much better than in the previous iteration. Furthermore you have more control over your jumps here. These may sound like small changes but they make a big difference. King of Fighters 96 is my favorite in the series, and it’s easily one of the best Neo Geo CD games of all time.
#8. – Last Blade 2
The Last Blade games represent some of the best Neo Geo games of all time. Unfortunately they lose some points because of the insane loading times. Even by Neo Geo CD standards these are crazy long. Thankfully this sequel fixes the issue somewhat, but not entirely. Not even long loading times can knock this one off of our list of the best Neo Geo CD games however. It’s that good. The Last Blade 2 is a very stylistic samurai weapons based fighter. Distance and counters play a huge part in gameplay here, and it’s a bit more realistic than something like Samurai Shodown. Honestly if you want a weapons based fighter for the Neo Geo you can do no better than this one. I’d personally recommend going for the cartridge version however.
#7. – Samurai Shodown II
And here’s yet another samurai based fighting game. As I already mentioned this one is less realistic, but that’s because it’s more based on Street Fighter II. Gameplay is very solid with lots of clashing swords and even projectile attacks. Gameplay is fast and furious and despite being a bit derivative Samurai Shodown II is extremely fun and the characters are among the most interesting in the genre. Honestly this one belongs higher on the list, but a few issues arise with this CD incarnate. Loading times are expected, but for some reason a lot of background animations are missing from the AES version. Many of the stages just don’t look as good because of this. It’s inexplicable why they left these out. Despite not being quite as good as the cartridge edition this is still one of the best Neo Geo CD games.
#6. – Kabuki Klash
I’m not even a fan of samurais in particular, and yet we have another game based on them here. This one is a spin-off to the popular Tengai Makyou franchise. I’m a big fan of that, and 2D fighters so I felt right at home with this one. It’s more over the top than the Last Blade and Samurai Shodown II with a focus on anime tropes with huge energy surges and gigantic weapons. You can also get power-ups which are unusual for this genre, and they help Kabuki Klash to carve out its own identity from the other thematically similar titles. This one is also unique in that you can lose and even regain your weapons during combat. Honestly it’s not as refined as the Last Blade, nor is it as fun in a pure arcade sense as Samurai Shodown II. It is however polished and an absolute blast.
#5. – Metal Slug
Honestly if you’re looking for an arcade game on the Neo Geo CD that you can just jump in and play then Metal Slug is it. This is a 2D run and gun where you play as a single soldier up against a literal army of foes. You can walk, jump, and shoot your weapon in eight directions. You’ll have incoming enemies at every turn. The sheer overwhelming amount of over the top set pieces is extraordinary. Metal Slug is an absolute looker on the console with crazy good animations and tons of detail. Others have tried, but none have matched the sheer addictive and frantic gameplay of Metal Slug and in my opinion the original is still the best. This Neo Geo CD version is pretty much a straight port with no enhancements. Regardless it’s still one of the best Neo Geo CD games.
#4. – Fatal Fury Special
This iteration of Fatal Fury is just that. Special. It includes every fighter from the franchise in both the original and it’s sequel, but uses the refinements in Fatal Fury 2 as it’s base. What we have is a non-canonical tournament that throws out the storyline in favor of letting us just play as everyone regardless of current status. If you like the early Fatal Fury titles then this is the one that’s going to most catch your fancy. Special adds in a refined combo system along with faster gameplay and the results are marvelous. It’s even better than any version of Street Fighter II in my opinion. Unfortunately this Neo Geo CD version has a few downgrades oddly enough. For one thing some of the background data is now missing. It’s unfortunate but I suppose it was an effort to cut down on loading times.
#3. – Art of Fighting
With each passing moment I fall more in love with Art of Fighting. No other fighting game matches the 80s style of spaghetti kung fu film like this one. The cheesy story interludes really hit this fact home and I found they add remarkable character to this game. The characters are also among my most favorite in any fighting game. In arcade mode I just wanted to see who I would fight next, and I loved memorizing their patterns and range. There are a few drawbacks however. You only have two fighters to choose from in single player mode, and they’re pretty similar functionally to one another. The best part of the game is the energy bar. Performing special moves drains this meter, and you can raise it only by taunting your foe. The story is enjoyable, and the cast is a real hoot.
#2. – Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushido Retrusden
Here we have another Neo Geo CD exclusive. I’ll refer to it as Samurai Spirits RPG from hereon out because that name is a real mouthful for an English-only speaker like myself. Apparently SNK saw how franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest were popular and decided to use their most popular series for the backdrop of a JRPG. This one is focused on story so you’ll need to follow the translation if you want to know what’s going on at all. It’s not amazing but good enough that you’ll be able to play it. I really like the fact that you can select from six different characters from the get-go, and their scenarios all play out pretty different. That adds a lot of replay value without padding out the experience. If you want a traditional RPG for the platform this is your only choice, but it’s at least great.
#1. – Fatal Fury
I used to think that Fatal Fury was just the trailer park cousin of Street Fighter II. Once I actually gave it a chance I discovered it’s much more than that, and even better than Capcom’s flagship game. Fatal Fury is easily one of the best fighting games of all time. The roster may be limited to just three characters, and their movesets small, but few other titles match the atmosphere this one achieves. You really have to memorize the enemy patterns to succeed, and they’re so fun to fight against that you won’t mind doing so. The high point however is in the multiplayer mode. A friend can join in to take down an opponent at any time, and you’ll both fight them at the same time. It’s extremely interesting and despite the friendly fire dynamic it’s incredible.
