Get ready for some retro goodness. The Neogeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 – Steam Edition is out now and it’s one of the largest collections of retro-game compilations out there. Featuring 10 games of yesteryear, this is a must have for retro enthusiasts and those missing the good old days of gaming.
The Neogeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 was released in March of 2021 on the Switch, but just like SNK vs Capcom: The Match of the Millennium, it has now made its way to Steam. Each game included in this collection is welcomes new quality of life features such as local multi-player; controller customization; and rewind, just to name a few. I never had the chance to play the Switch edition, but from what I understand, though I did review a few of the games individually.
The collection includes the following games, with links to my previous reviews of the individual games:
- SNK Gals’ Fighters;
- Samurai Shodown! 2;
- King of Fighers R-2;
- The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny;
- Fatal Fury: First Contact;
- Metal Slug 1st Mission;
- Metal Slug 2nd Mission;
- Dark Arms Beast Buster 1999;
- Big Tournament Golf; and
- Crush Roller.
Crush Roller has replaced SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium that was included on the Switch Version. Match of the Millennium has a stand-alone release on Steam.
From a presentation standpoint, the devs knocked it out of the park with the Neogeo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 (what a mouthful). They have included high-res images of box art and even 3D models of the original cartridges. Instruction Manuals are a thing of the past, but they are included in the package as well. Games can be played in monochrome or their original color version. There are no real complaints about this collection. It is a solid pack of games that will have old men like me wishing they were back in high school when many of these games first came out.
When comparing the two versions (Steam and Switch) some may feel that PC players lost out when Match of the Millennium was replaced with Crush Roller. Both are quality games, but given the popularity of the game in the Switch collection, I can see why SNK would want to capitalize with a stand-alone release. However, this doesn’t benefit gamers in any way and just illustrates some of the greed that runs rampant in the gaming industry today. This is my only complaint about the collection and the biggest reason for the rating below. Otherwise, this would have been a solid 5/5 for me.
3.5 out of 5
