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SNK NEOGEO Pocket Color Console in Ocean Blue Review
User Submitted SNK NEOGEO Pocket Color Console in Ocean Blue Reviews
Date: 2008-07-04
A Finished Masterpiece of Design and Quality
I just purchased this system (current date: July '08) and have been using it for over a month. I believe that this portable system is perfect. The time that has passed between now and its active production only sharpen my feeling that the NeoGeo Pocket was a masterpiece production.
This review will be improved by the fact that I am not a hardcore video game player and I had not owned a portable game device in years. I purchased the Nintendo DS at the same time that I purchased the NeoGeo Pocket and so my comparisons/perspectives here are fresh and objective.
The NeoGeo Pocket has a terrific design that makes it easy to handle. It has a much more functional design than the Nintendo DS. Human hands fit the device perfectly and the digital input joy-pad and snappy buttons feel terrific. Directional movements that are very difficult to execute with a d-pad are easy to perform with NGPC's joy-pad.
The games that were designed for the NGPC had to be operable with two buttons. The game designers were clever and succeeded in doing more with less and so the NGPC is more efficient and is easier to use than a Nintendo DS. The 'DS has 6 main buttons (input through the buttons is soft and disappointing) and it 6 mediocre buttons seem superfluous in comparison to NGPC's wonderful two-button implementation.
A recent article in Game Informer magazine observed that '[the majority of the...]' games produced for Nintendo DS are 'shovelware'. It is a fact that many of the games in the ds library should never have been released, for example 'Shogun: Total War' has known bugs in it and is basically a game that was released half-way through its needed development time. Shogun's beta-quality is surprisingly un-surprising due to an overall low quality found in many DS games.
The NGPC game library is brimming with quality. There are several titles on NGPC that, taken individually, have more production quality and entertainment value than the entire library of games that exist for the Nintendo DS. NGPC's games have an incredible level of polish in their design. This portable system has a higher quality surrounding its library than any other portable.
The battery life is wonderful at approximately ~40+-50+ hours. The NGPC hardly ever needs to have its batteries replaced and so you don't have to be aware of how much battery power you have left each time you use it.
If you are thinking that the non-back-lit screen should be a deal-breaker, you're wrong. The screen is really good you don't need a lot of light to comfortably use it.
There's not much more to say. The NGPC is a better hand-held than the Nintendo DS. The architecturally superior, multi-buttoned, back-lit, wireless-enabled Nintendo DS hardware is capable of making games that are more engaging/better than the ones released for NGPC. Unfortunately, without Mario, Nintendo DS is basically the impotent millionaire compared to a vigorous NGPC professional (brains over brawn).
Most of the artwork and animation in the NGPC is composed of 2d-art and animation. A person can really 'feel' where the organic visual and sound production meshed with hardware to produce a complete universe that is artistically original and consistent in a pleasant way. As video games these days come closer to achieving the qualities of the cinematic and the realistic, those qualities only seem more ordinary, and so a system like NGPC stands out at this time, because it engages users in a way that is consistently stylized to be original.
Date: 2006-10-12
Questions from an interested buyer
The Neogeo Pocket Color in Ocean Blue looks like a great hand-held system. I always thought about getting one, but never got around to do it.
Does this Neogeo Pocket Color console in Ocean Blue really comes with six games? If so, which ones are they? Please, write back, somebody.
Date: 2006-07-07
One of the best handhelds EVER, especially for Fighters!
Since I'm reviewing the system as a whole, I'll try not to go into detail about individual games too much, but rather give you reasons to buy this system and which games you should look into.
I got my NGPC a little late in the game (about 3 years ago), but I have to say that since then, I've played it more than most other handhelds...even to this day (with only my DS rivaling it at the moment). I now have about 20 games total, including a few rare ones and not a single one of them is bad (which is a lot more than I can say for some of my GBA and PSP games).
Now I know a lot of people wouldn't bother picking one up for a few of the more common reasons:
1. Dated graphics
2. No lit screen
3. No recargable battery
4. Small game library
Well, let me address those individually. To start with, 1) the graphics on this little machine are pretty amazing. You do have to consider the time it came out, but even now, I'm still impressed with how this thing looks and plays. You have to understand that the NGPC was going up against the Game Boy Color, and the NGPC looks a LOT better than the GBC ever did in all respects. Screenshots can be easily found online, so I suggest looking some up if you don't believe me.
2) As for not having a lit screen, this is a big draw back. However, if you do some googling, you can find companies that will install front lights for a minimal charge. Basically, they take the light from a GBA SP and install it on a NGPC. It makes things MUCH nicer, let me tell you!
3)Unfortunately, at least to my knowledge, there is no rechargable battery mod for the NGPC. However, this really isn't an issue since the battery life is AMAZING. I've read reports of up to 40 hours gameplay off 2 AAs! I generally use a battery pack (which can be had online very cheap), so I can't say for certain how long 2 AAs last, but I can say that I've only had to change mine once since I got mine over 3 years ago.
And finally 4), The small library of games is a little bit of a let down, but the difference between the GB which has TONS of games and the NGPC which has few is that nearly all NGPC games are GOOD GAMES. The GB has tons of bad games which should have never seen the light of day, as do the GBA, DS, PSP, etc. Sure, the NGPC has it's share of poor titles, all systems do, but the percentage of good games vastly outweighs the bad. Let me give you a few examples from my library...
If you were ever into fighting games, then you will ADORE THIS SYSTEM! If you've been a fighting fan, you should know that up until recently, handheld fighters have been pretty poor compared to their original versions (Mortal Kombat on Game Gear or Street Fighter II on Game Boy, anyone?). Well, SNK has done an amazing job porting over these classic titles in such detail that you will wish they made console versions in the same style! Trust me! If you don't believe me, do some searching online for these titles:
SNK vs CAPCOM: Match of the Millenium
King of Fighters R-2 (There's also an R-1 which was on the black and white Neo Geo Pocket and is fully playable on the Color system)
Samurai Showdown!2 (Again, there's a B/W verison of NGP)
The Last Blade: Beyond the Destiny
Fatal Fury: First Contact
Gals' Fighters
Rockman Battle & Fighters (Japanese only port of the Mega Man arcade fighting games)
I highly recommend all of the above, although Rockman is kind of rare now days. The games play SO much like their original versions (if there was one), you won't belive it. Unlike older handheld fighters, move lists are complete, the number of playable characters is amazing, amount of unlockables/replay value in some is just crazy, and the addition of a little joystick rather than a usual D-pad makes these fighters feel right at home.
The NGPC has it's share of good RPGs and other types of games, too. It even has a really awesome Sonic the Hedgehog game which plays just like the ones on Genesis (not like the more recent titles on GBA). Not to mention one of the most popular NGPC games ever: SNK vs CAPCOM: Card Fighter's Clash. Look up reviews on that one and it's reason enough to get this system. If you like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh, then you'll love Card Fighter's Clash. Even if you don't like that kind of stuff, you'll like CFC...seriously.
The bottom line is that the Neo Geo Pocket Color can be had so cheap these days (as little as $10-$20 for just the system sometimes), there's no reason not to at least give it a chance. Games can be had for as little as $2-$3, even for many of the titles I mentioned above, and are brand new. For example, for about $100, you can get a system, 6-9 games, an ac adapter, a battery pack, and an worm light. That's pretty common.
One last thing to note is that, as with most handhelds, the games are region free, meaning it doesn't matter if you get a japanese version of a game, it'll still play on a US system. SNK did one better, though, and many of the games support all the languages, too! You set what language you want on your system (it has a "bios" similar to the DS) and the games will play in that language regardless of where they came from.
THIS ISN'T TRUE FOR ALL GAMES, though, so be sure to research the specific title first, if you can't find a US or UK version. I have several JP and UK games in addition to my US ones and the only one I had that wouldn't support English was the JP version of Gal's Fighters. So if you want that one, find a US or UK version. The JP one is still playable, but the story is so hilarious, you'll want to be able to read it!
In short, if you like handhelds, games in general, or are just bored and looking for something to do, then the NGPC is a good solution for you. The system is small enough to fit in your pocket, and fun enough to give you HOURS of enjoyment for the little amount you'll pay for it.
Date: 2004-10-02
Greatest system ever!!!!!!!!
I own all three neogeo systems and by far it is the best system ever made. It leaves gameboy in the dust.It is more powerful and battery life is superb. Here are a few specs. so you know what your getting.
Neogeo supports a 16 bit color palette that can have as many as 146 colors out of 4,600 colors on the screen.
It is relatively smaller than gameboy advance, but is a little bulkier.
It fills right into your pocket so you can take it anywhere.
Take my work, BUY THIS SYSTEM! You won't regret it.
Date: 2004-03-25
Better than gba sp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I got the neogeo a long time ago and i still have it! the neogeo is very durable and is much better than the game boy advance sp. 2 SIMPLE WORDS: BUY IT
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