OK, this sounds kind of awesome. The SNK PLAYMORE USA CORPORATION (seriously, they write in all-caps like that) announced plans to bring a gang of Neo Geo games to the PlayStation Network in the form of the Neo Geo Station. The available information isn't clear about how this will manifest once it launches. I'm assuming it'll surface as a separate section of the PlayStation Store, rather than requiring you to download a Game-Room-like front-end first. But I've got an e-mail in to ask about that, so we'll find out soon enough.
Anyway, the Station will launch on December 21 and will allow PS3 owners to purchase ten different Neo Geo games for $8.99 each. The PSP side of things will start a bit smaller, with only Metal Slug and Fatal Fury appearing on 12/21. The PSP versions will be sold separately for $6.99 a pop. Where appropriate, the PlayStation 3 versions will be updated to allow online play. Multiplayer on the PSP will be limited to local players only.
- Fatal Fury
- Alpha Mission II
- The King of Fighters '94
- Samurai Shodown
- Baseball Stars Professional
- Magician Lord
- Metal Slug
- League Bowling
- Super Sidekicks
- Art of Fighting
More games will be added to the line in 2011.
Xbox Live Arcade has been getting Neo Geo games for some time now, but they're always spaced apart and are, unsurprisingly, more focused on the fighting games and, on occasion, Metal Slug. Now... I don't think that League Bowling is a very good deal at nine bucks, but it's a great sign that they're digging deep. This means we could eventually end up with a version of Waku Waku 7 with online support. Or Neo Turf Masters. Or Money Puzzle Exchanger. Or Windjammers! The depths of the Neo Geo library go... pretty deep. Seriously, it gets scary down there.
Forget the multiplayer. I'd pay nine bucks for a fresh copy of Neo Drift Out. But then, I have problems.
60 Comments