Features
Neo Geo Hidden Gems: 10 Games Beyond the Fighting Canon
Magician Lord, Twinkle Star Sprites, Neo Drift Out and seven more reasons the Neo Geo was never just a fighting machine. Ten deep cuts, all worth your credits.
Author: Sal Benedetto
From the Vault columnist. Grew up feeding quarters to the Ms. Pac-Man machine at his uncle's pizza place; still owns his childhood SNES and every Nintendo Power he ever begged his mother for. Writes the retrospectives and the hidden-gem hunts.
Reviews
Shock Troopers Review: The Run-and-Gun That Deserved Metal Slug’s Fame
Saurus’s 1997 overhead shooter hid a revolutionary roll button, character-swapping squads and branching routes in Metal Slug’s shadow. Time to set the record straight.
Reviews
Windjammers Review: The Neo Geo’s Perfect Arcade Sport
Two athletes, one disc, zero wasted ideas. Data East’s 1994 duellist is the most perfectly designed arcade sports game of its era — and still unbeatable at a party.
Reviews
Metal Slug 3 Review: The Series at Maximum Volume
Branching paths, a zombie mission for the ages and animation density no run-and-gun has matched since. Metal Slug 3 is the series with every dial broken off.
Reviews
Garou: Mark of the Wolves Review: SNK’s Beautiful Goodbye
Rock Howard, Just Defend and the finest sprite art of its era: how SNK’s 1999 farewell became the crown jewel of the Neo Geo’s fighting library.
Reviews
The King of Fighters ’98 Review: The Dream Match That Never Ages
No story, no filler — just 38 fighters, two brilliant systems and the most enduring versus game SNK ever made. Why KOF ’98 still headlines tournaments decades later.
Reviews
Samurai Shodown II Review: The Sword Saint of the Neo Geo
SNK’s 1994 weapon-fighter masterpiece, where one clean slash can end a round and patience is the deadliest technique of all. Our review of the game many still call the Neo Geo’s finest fighter.
Features
Art While You Wait: The ZX Spectrum Loading Screen
Five minutes of tape squeal, two colours per cell, one picture arriving in bands: how the humble SCREEN$ became a British folk art form.
Reviews
Knight Lore Review: The Filmation Revolution
Isometric 3D a year ahead of its release and an industry left gasping: Sabreman’s werewulf quest remains the Spectrum’s technical masterpiece. Our review.
Features
Ultimate Play the Game: The Stamper Brothers and the Spectrum’s Golden Age
No interviews, bigger boxes, higher prices — and Jetpac, Sabre Wulf and Knight Lore. How Tim and Chris Stamper built the Spectrum’s classiest catalogue, then became Rare.