The Neo Geo Pocket Color was an excellently made handheld. It was affordable, comfortable to hold, had a solid internal architecture, and possessed a great lineup of games. It should have been successful, but SNK was already financially in the hole by that time. It's kind of similar to the Dreamcast's situation if you think about it.
@@purwantiallan5089 Part of the joy was the little clicky joy stick and the overall feel of the neo geo pocket colour but that might just be the nostalgia talking lol
Very nice episode, this had a ton of great fighters. I'm surprised you didn't mention how the NGPC version of Last Blade is essentially 2 games. Once you finish arcade/story with the Last Blade 1 characters, you start unlocking characters from Last Blade 2 and it even gives you the 2nd game's ending and opening screens and the 2nd game's final boss. All in all I think it's actually only missing a couple characters from the Neo Geo version of Last Blade 2.
Great review ( from an original team member SNK USA) we had to build the games because N-tendo put heavy pressure on the publishers, but we still had great mobile titles and did it right especially Capcom vs SNK, and card fighters i still have both my color and b/w and unreleased demos .....best at the time in landscape mode 16bit. b/w gboy got worried, but wasn't meant to be.... and dive alert was good, faseli was great, head 2 head , dreamcast connections ....
Waking up on a lazy Sunday morning here in the UK, with the sun pouring through my window, something suitably unhealthy for breakfast and a new episode of GameSack on the TV...does it get any better than this? Thank-you guys, for consistently putting out such interesting, informative and brilliantly crafted content.
Rockman Battle and Fighter actually was a double whammy port of the two Mega Man Arcade titles... which it surprisingly captures a lot of the original feel of the games albeit looking more like the game boy sprites
I always thought it was cool that Pac-Man came with a little ring you affixed to the control pad in order to limit motion to the four cardinal directions. Such an odd but cool thing to include.
I really, really love the Neo-Geo Pocket Color. The click-stick is a dream to use, and is even better than the Neo-Geo CD's clickstick or the Neo-Geo Pad2/USB made years later. That click-stick made all the difference when compared to its rival, the GameBoy Color. While the GBC is also awesome, home to several of the best 8-bit games ever made including the amazingly underrated Shantae, it's the Neo-Geo Pocket Color's library that truly amazes me. If you were to take every Neo-Geo Pocket game ever made, put them in a stack and randomly pull one out, chances are you'll have pulled out an outstanding game. The library may be small, but that also means its free from the shovelware the GBC saw. Ultimately, I feel the NGPC had so much untapped potential, especially when it comes to shmups, platformers and RPGs. I'm holding out hope that someday there will be enough interest that homebrew games will start to give it a second life, what has been happening with the 2600 and NES for many years now. I love the NGPC. Truly one of the greatest systems ever made.
Satoshi Matrix Yeah the system definitely has a high good game to bad game ratio. It would be interesting to see if they kept supporting it that maybe they would have released a back lit version.
Wouldn't be suprised if a home brew scene popped up. Lots of potential with Dreamcast homebrews. Would be really interesting to see what would come out of that.
David White Since the screen is essentially the exact same size as the GameBoy/Color, it's possible to install aftermarket LED based frontlight kits in any handheld from that era, the NGPC or Wonderswan Crystal. I personally haven't done it, but I've used an NGPC that has been frontlt modded and yeah, it makes it a similar experience ot the GBA Sp (first generation). But I'm actually okay with the NGPC being non-backlit. I just would like to see more games. Theres's so much homebrew potential in the NGPC its crazy. BTW, I felt you were kinda harsh on Sonic Pocket Adventure. While no, it wasn't as good as the MegaDrive original Sonic games, it was _significantly_ better than any 8-bit Sonic game ever made prior. You did mention that it's better than the GameGear Sonics, but I think perhaps you didn't realize how large that gap truly is. The physics of Sonic Pocket Adventure are so far beyond anything on the SMS or GG that it makes them look like Sonic knockoffs in comparison. Also keep in mind Pocket Adventure was a launch title. Imagine what Sega could've done with more experience a couple years down the road!
Satoshi Matrix It wasn't a launch title. I do agree with you that it's great. My single complaint is that the fast horizontal pace of the game doesn't lend itself to the small width of the screen. Otherwise, I think it plays and sounds great given the hardware limitations.
vectorman0 Ah, your right. It's just that it essentially was for me, since I bought a NGPC when Sonic Pocket Adventure came out. Maybe it was the fall of '99 rather than the summer. Was quite long ago now. But as for complaining about the aspect ratio of the NGPC, I think that's a very modern perspective to have, since we now live in a world where 16:9 is the established norm with everything from my TVs, computers, phones, even the youtube video player itself. Back in 1999, the GameBoy Color was king, and it used an evan smaller screen than the NGPC's. It wasn't until the GBA that came out two years later that there was a handheld that had anything resembling widescreen (although GBA was in truth 3:2 and thus not really widescreen either). It was the PSP that gave the world of portable gamers widescreen for the first time. I suppose it's strange now, but at the time, I never thought to myself "wow, this would be so much better if the screen was wider". On the other hand, if there were one thing I would have liked changed about the NGPC was that it lacked a Select button. Not a huge deal, but as mentioned, the Options button had to double duty as a third action button AND as a start button depending on how long you held it down. One of my favorite end-of-era GBC games was the incredible Shantae, and it made wonderful use of both Select and Start. I always thought the NGPC would have been easier to use if it only had that one extra button.
That Mega Man game is a port of an arcade game called "The Power Fighters", it's a Mega Man themed fighter with an interesting story that ties the original games to the X series. And it did get a console release on the Anniversary Collection.
I have two of these little babies I bought on ebay a few years ago, well after the system's official lifespan ended. This thing was way ahead of its time with some amazing games that would've blew my mind back when I was a little kid in the 90s. If I had Match of the Millennium back then, I never would've stopped playing it. Hell, it's still my favorite NGPC game to this day, easily.
[Couy] I had a NGPC but the only games I had for it was SNK vs Capcom and Metal Slug 2nd Mission. Both amazing games. The thing that got me in this video is that I never realized just how much the system sounds like the Master System. It's great!
Hey guys, you forgot to mention the cool clamshell packaging for the games themselves. That in of itself makes collecting games for the system that much more fun. The packaging is really well made and it gives the games a charm all on their own. For anyone out there that hasn't seen one, it's not a typical clamshell. They have these cool latches that keep them shut. I know it sounds weird that I'm getting worked up on packaging, but if you have tried to collect complete games for other handhelds of the past, you can appreciate how sturdy the packaging is.
SEGA didn't develop Pocket Adventure, they just licensed it to SNK. Sonic Team did oversee development, however. Also, calling it a "stripped down Sonic 2" is kind of misleading. The art assets are mostly from Sonic 2, but the music hails from Sonic 3, and most importantly, the level layouts and bosses are all new. As a final note, the etymology is "Special Stage." Sorry to be pedantic, I really enjoy these videos! SOURCE: My own petulant Sonic nerdiness. Also, I recently did a video with a more in-depth critique of Sonic Pocket Adventure, so check that out if you're interested!
Vkmies This guy, ladies and gents, comments on every single one of my videos and talks about ducks, because his favorite game of all time is DuckTales and he thinks I should be playing it, instead. And now he's stalking me outside my own content, too. He's like Segata Sanshiro, but with DuckTales. One day he's going to slowly rise up from behind my couch, creepily whispering the DuckTales theme. He is one of my favorite people.
The Geek Critique Heyheyhey, I ain't stalking nobody. We just seem to watch similar web shows. Besides, really everyone deserves to learn the gospel of Ducktales. Ducktales saves. I'm just trying to help people. If I knew japanese, here is where I'd put a Ducktales-friendly version of the Segata Sanshiro Saturn Song lyrics.
Just want to thank you guys for your videos, they are the highlight of my Sunday mornings. Never really comment on YT but I'm making an exception as I wanted you to know I really appreciate the effort you guys put in. It really shows in your videos, looking forward to many more!
Theres more than two mini games on Cap vs SNK:MM. just going by memory there was the Morrigan dancing game, Samurai Showdown's Jubei dummy attack, and i think there was a fortune telling game with Nakoruru
Recently picked this console up with a stack of games and thus far every game that I've tried has been solid. The fighting games are hands down the best handheld fighting games I have ever played which makes perfect sense coming from SNK.
I still have my Neo Geo Pocket color. Got it from my friend who worked at a Ma & Pa store and he let me test out any game that came into the place. Good times. Miss the store.
Well, thanks to this episode, I got myself a Neo Geo Pocket Color. Picked up a few games too: Dark Arms, Metal Slug Pocket: Second Mission, Pocket Tennis, Puzzle Bobble Mini ,Puzzle Link 1 & 2, SNK VS Capcom Card Fighters Clash - SNK & Capcom versions & Sonic Pocket Adventure. I've only got the Sonic one so far, and it's just as awesome as I was expecting. Great system with an AMAZING micro-switch mini-stick. It's so comfortable, which is surprising because I have huge hands, and the only thing I can play for any longer stretch is the Atari Lynx, haha.
So glad to see you guys do a NGPC review!!! One of my favorites for sure. One of the best things? It's battery life was insaaaaaaane!!! 40 hours on 2 AAs? Wow.
Loved my little Neo Geo Pocket Color. Still my favourite handheld I've ever owned. It was just perfect for me. The microswitch joystick made every game so fun and controllable. Plus the music/sfx style conjured up fond Master System memories.
I remember buying this back from EB Games. Awesome handheld for the time. Most of the games were quite fun and looked great, especially compared to my aged gameboy and gamegear.
Although a huge fan of Nintendo, my favorite console is the Dreamcast and on the handheld front the NGPC. Such an underrated handheld. I do not own all of the games, but of the ones I bought I can't remember any of them being bad. So glad you guys did an episode on this.
I use to own a neo geo pocket color, I had a lot of fun with their fighting games since I'm a big king of fighters fan. I have to admit they did a great job porting those fighting games to the system, it amazing how well they work on a 2 button hand held system. Not to mention that joystick is made for fighting games, it just made combos so much easier.
"Samurai Shodown Pocket fighting Series based on the first game". I would say it's based more on Samurai Shodown IV due to the collection of backgrounds and characters.
AlphaOmegaSin i love that game, i collect for the handheld... pretty much im the only one of my friends who does... but that means whenever we go game hunting... if we do find games for this system... they all default to me :)
The leap from Game Boy/GBC to GB Advance was so huge. I knew there must have been something in between. Really surprised by some of these titles. Almost bought one of these on the backpages of Electronic Gaming Monthly. In the end, I'm so glad I got a GBA. Even though the only way to play one was under direct sunlight or a 4D-cell maglite pointed right at the dim screen.
Excellent video on a handheld I missed out on! Great to see how SNK made ports of the classics from the arcade/console. Also interesting to see the first types of games w/ two developers involved (i.e capcom vs. SNK, card fighters, etc). Thanks, Gamesack! P.S. I love the way Joe said "Neo Geo Pocket COLOR!" at the beginning.
I remember wanting a Neo Geo Pocket Color for Neo Turf Masters, mostly because I enjoyed playing the game in arcades. Sadly, though, I never got around to getting one; I stuck with the Game Boy line until getting a PSP in 2006. The NGPC does come off a bit like the Game Boy, which isn't a bad thing. It does seem to handle voice samples better, and I do agree that the music for its games does have a certain charm to it. It is nice to see how the SNK fighting games were converted for the platform... given that there are only two buttons, it must have been a challenge to get the controls just right. That special D-pad sure looks like it stood up to the task! At least it was better than the Game.com, which ***** mentioned. Oh, boy.
This is a great console, and those who don't have it, the emulation here doesn't do the screen justice. It's much better on the real thing, albeit the lack of backlight is a killer. I agree with you Dave that the system was killed way too soon. Can you imagine a fully backward compatible version that included a backlight? Anyway, great review as always guys.
How I love every other Sunday afternoon. Cheers for yet another excellent show guys. By the way, my son has been watching your back catalogue 1 show per night. He's only 8 but loves you guys because he says you're like his dad, hahaha.
David White Good call Dave! Game Sack is one of the very fewv ideo game shows I let my son watch. Most of them are hosted by idots talking rubbish, over use of bad language or just plain dull. Game Sack is by far the best show on RUclips and normal TV for that matter when it comes to games.
10/10 episode gentlemen. This is an A+ job you are doing, this destroys shows like... well I don't want to hurt feelings, but we all know the OTHER review shows.
I' m from Mexico and I love your channel. By the way, in Gal's Fighters, Athena showed Kensou who, as usual, is in the friendzons. Congratulations for your videos. Dante
You neglected to mention the most interesting fact about Megaman Battle and Fighters... Namely how despite the graphics, it's an fairly faithful port of not Just Megaman the Power Battles, but also Megaman the Power Fighters, 2 arcade separate arcade games.
Getting better at after-effects I see! It's truly amazing how powerful the program gets with each update, the built in 3d motion tracking is incredible.
I had an original neo geo pocket pre-color and loved it also had the color. can't think of any games you missed, but that version of bust a move is much better thanks to the joystick. over all it had a smoother display then the gameboy and an excellent joystick. snk really didn't do anything wrong it just seemed out of date when it came out.
Fantastic presentation!!!! Great to see one of my favorite portable console in one of your episodes. By the way the NPC can be modded to use the front light of the GBA sp, I have one with the mod done, also I you didn´t mention that there is a revision of the NGPC released only in Japan that is smaller and the batteries are suppose to last even longer. I can´t recommend enough, a really grate game exclusive of the console called "Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun" released only in Japan but perfectly playable without knowing how to read Japanese, kind of similar to a wario ware game but has a really particular gameplay.
I think these are your best episodes, when Joe presents a system and then you talk about its games. I love that stuff. :) And Rockman Battle & Fighters is the NGPC version of the arcade game Rockman The Power Battle, which was also ported to numerous consoles. I'm surprised Joe didn't mention it.
I still have my NGPC. I only have 4 games. Samurai Showdown!2, Fatal Fury First Contact, Neo Turf Masters, Metal Slug 1st Mission. I wish I had a few more. Especially after seeing this list.
Maybe an episode on Nokia N-Gage and Wonderswan/Wonderswan Color. Of course you would have to do emulation again but no big deal really. Thanks for making my day.
Actually, on Biomotor Unitron there's music playing during the town scenes. Guess that's something that you don't hear when emulating it since NGPC emulators don't work fairly well ;)
Game Sack is my to go reference when I want to hear about a console I passed (or didn't even pay attention). You guys are great. In 30 minutes you deliver what people want: informations about the system, games to play (includes prices sometimes) and all that. It doesn't get boring (well maybe during sports games but hey, preferences :) ) Keep up the good work!
Awesome video. I absolutely adored the neo geo pocket. The micro switch joystick, the selection of arcade-style games perfect for short spurts of fun on the go. I really wished capcom made a full ghost and goblins game on that system, as that works very well as a two button game and the mini game they had in match of the millenium was sort of fun, and I really dug the graphical style.I picked it up after trading in my Gameboy Color. One game I enjoy, althought it might not be for everyone, is ganbare neo poke kun. It's a weird game that involves a weird bug like animal and is a cross between something like wario-ware and a virtual pet (e.g. tamagotchi). Essentially the little bug thing is actually a game developer, which you care for and check on every so often. As you fiddle around its habitat sometimes weird things happen and he gets an idea for a game. When this happens he will make a little mini game for you to play. The mini games are pretty simplistic, and sometimes hilariously weird. It can get boring after a bit, but it's an interesting concept none the less
I've watched this episode so many times, haha. I was very late to the party with the NGPC, picking up the handheld only in 2013 or so. For having such a small software library, this little sucker is insanely packed with quality titles (even the sports stuff!). I feel like such a doofus for ignoring it during its heyday. Thanks a ton for highlighting the console's interesting titles and all the fun commentary, fellas. Great episode! Game Sack forever!
I always love the Game Sack videos. Watch them immediately every time. Keep up the great videos! (Also the great editing helps the video flow very well!)
Game Sack I love this handheld. I wish I had one of my own. I bought this for my brother last year because he was dying for one. When I held this device in my hand, it almost hurt me giving it to my brother because I wanted. The games are so good. Btw excellent analysis on the Neo Geo pocket. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.
Great little handheld. I remember wanting one back in the day but I was in college and didn't have a job to earn enough to buy one. After I finished and got a job I was sad to learn that all the game stores got rid of their stock. I honestly think SNK should out the games on the 3DS eShop, it won't have the same feel but it would help gives these often forgotten games a new lease of life.
Great system...SNK vs. Capcom MOTM was in a class of it's own for portable fighters. It even had a tag team mode in it. AND it's the only fighter I know of where you can combo into Zangief's SPD...devastating! I must have put 100+ hours into Card Fighters Clash... Great video but you guys missed a couple notable games: Neo Poke Kun and KOF Battle De Paradise (Mario Party style game).
83Chrisaaron Yeah SNK vs Capcom is the best game for that system. It was so easy and fun to pull off moves. I could pull off Zangief's pile driver every time no problem. Good Stuff.
It's weird to be sincere on youtube, I know. But still; gamesack, I was the user on retroware called Cumbersomephallus (It's a great name) and I just have to say your videos always make my day. I love video games and their histories and the way you guys show off games make me so happy. I just want to let you know that during some recent hard times you've really been something to look forward to every other Sunday. Thanks guys! Thanks so much! Love your vids!
Oh man...I remember playing KoF: R2 on my friend's NGPC 15 years ago; that game just blew my mind with how much fun it was. It's a damn shame that the system died out because the microswitch was just perfect and made every game you played such a satisfying experience. As always, excellent episode gentleman.
I bought a Neo Geo Pocket color in Japan... then I was going to scoop up some games.... and quickly realized the games cost more then the system.... :P
Hello. Do the Neo Geo pocket color cartridges have save batteries in them (such as game boy/snes), or flash memory such as the gba? I wonder if I would have to change the batteries if I buy NGPC games, because I don't like doing that.
The Neo Geo Pocket Color was an excellently made handheld. It was affordable, comfortable to hold, had a solid internal architecture, and possessed a great lineup of games. It should have been successful, but SNK was already financially in the hole by that time. It's kind of similar to the Dreamcast's situation if you think about it.
I loved the neo geo pocket colour. The fighting games were epic for the time, sf vs snk was a great game
@@maxhammer4067 yep. I am gonna try it one day in my PS3 RETROARCH since you can also play those NGPC games on PS3 RETROARCH.
@@purwantiallan5089
Part of the joy was the little clicky joy stick and the overall feel of the neo geo pocket colour but that might just be the nostalgia talking lol
A friend of mine had one in middle school. It absolutely blew my Gameboy pocket out of the water. I wanted one so badly.
@@maxhammer4067SF vs SNK? Are talking about SNK vs Capcom : Match of the Millennium?
Very nice episode, this had a ton of great fighters. I'm surprised you didn't mention how the NGPC version of Last Blade is essentially 2 games. Once you finish arcade/story with the Last Blade 1 characters, you start unlocking characters from Last Blade 2 and it even gives you the 2nd game's ending and opening screens and the 2nd game's final boss. All in all I think it's actually only missing a couple characters from the Neo Geo version of Last Blade 2.
Great review ( from an original team member SNK USA) we had to build the games because N-tendo put heavy pressure on the publishers, but we still had great mobile titles and did it right especially Capcom vs SNK, and card fighters i still have both my color and b/w and unreleased demos .....best at the time in landscape mode 16bit. b/w gboy got worried, but wasn't meant to be.... and dive alert was good, faseli was great, head 2 head , dreamcast connections ....
Dude, its really interesting that you worked at snk. What are you doing now? I’d definitely watch a video about a SNK team member.
@@kurbii5216 after SNK went to Capcom, now doing mobile
@@neothe1x like mobile gaming, or making phones? When SNK was bought out, were you still there? GAH, so interesting!!
@@kurbii5216 yeap was there , it was a bad move in the long run for them , but I went to capcom after so nice twist of events
@@neothe1x wait im dumb i asked if you were making phones, sorry. What mobile games have you worked on?
Waking up on a lazy Sunday morning here in the UK, with the sun pouring through my window, something suitably unhealthy for breakfast and a new episode of GameSack on the TV...does it get any better than this?
Thank-you guys, for consistently putting out such interesting, informative and brilliantly crafted content.
FistedByTrisha That sounds like a nice setting. I can smell the rashers of bacon now.. MMmmmmm.....
Literally what I’m doing right now lol. Cheers
@@tetrisdave agree.
Rockman Battle and Fighter actually was a double whammy port of the two Mega Man Arcade titles... which it surprisingly captures a lot of the original feel of the games albeit looking more like the game boy sprites
I love the motion tracked 3D text in this episode... Very nice looking.
Glad you added that dynamite sluggers in the video Joe
seriously I noticed it took it's awesome! I can't pull it off good enough to make if look real so I just don't do it lol
Come For The Video Games, Stay For The Fantastic Production And Editing 😉
I always thought it was cool that Pac-Man came with a little ring you affixed to the control pad in order to limit motion to the four cardinal directions. Such an odd but cool thing to include.
I'm glad metal slug 2 pocket still has "RAWKET LAUWNCHER".
I really, really love the Neo-Geo Pocket Color. The click-stick is a dream to use, and is even better than the Neo-Geo CD's clickstick or the Neo-Geo Pad2/USB made years later.
That click-stick made all the difference when compared to its rival, the GameBoy Color. While the GBC is also awesome, home to several of the best 8-bit games ever made including the amazingly underrated Shantae, it's the Neo-Geo Pocket Color's library that truly amazes me.
If you were to take every Neo-Geo Pocket game ever made, put them in a stack and randomly pull one out, chances are you'll have pulled out an outstanding game. The library may be small, but that also means its free from the shovelware the GBC saw.
Ultimately, I feel the NGPC had so much untapped potential, especially when it comes to shmups, platformers and RPGs.
I'm holding out hope that someday there will be enough interest that homebrew games will start to give it a second life, what has been happening with the 2600 and NES for many years now.
I love the NGPC. Truly one of the greatest systems ever made.
Satoshi Matrix Yeah the system definitely has a high good game to bad game ratio. It would be interesting to see if they kept supporting it that maybe they would have released a back lit version.
Wouldn't be suprised if a home brew scene popped up. Lots of potential with Dreamcast homebrews. Would be really interesting to see what would come out of that.
David White Since the screen is essentially the exact same size as the GameBoy/Color, it's possible to install aftermarket LED based frontlight kits in any handheld from that era, the NGPC or Wonderswan Crystal. I personally haven't done it, but I've used an NGPC that has been frontlt modded and yeah, it makes it a similar experience ot the GBA Sp (first generation).
But I'm actually okay with the NGPC being non-backlit. I just would like to see more games. Theres's so much homebrew potential in the NGPC its crazy.
BTW, I felt you were kinda harsh on Sonic Pocket Adventure. While no, it wasn't as good as the MegaDrive original Sonic games, it was _significantly_ better than any 8-bit Sonic game ever made prior. You did mention that it's better than the GameGear Sonics, but I think perhaps you didn't realize how large that gap truly is. The physics of Sonic Pocket Adventure are so far beyond anything on the SMS or GG that it makes them look like Sonic knockoffs in comparison. Also keep in mind Pocket Adventure was a launch title. Imagine what Sega could've done with more experience a couple years down the road!
Satoshi Matrix It wasn't a launch title.
I do agree with you that it's great. My single complaint is that the fast horizontal pace of the game doesn't lend itself to the small width of the screen. Otherwise, I think it plays and sounds great given the hardware limitations.
vectorman0 Ah, your right. It's just that it essentially was for me, since I bought a NGPC when Sonic Pocket Adventure came out. Maybe it was the fall of '99 rather than the summer. Was quite long ago now.
But as for complaining about the aspect ratio of the NGPC, I think that's a very modern perspective to have, since we now live in a world where 16:9 is the established norm with everything from my TVs, computers, phones, even the youtube video player itself.
Back in 1999, the GameBoy Color was king, and it used an evan smaller screen than the NGPC's. It wasn't until the GBA that came out two years later that there was a handheld that had anything resembling widescreen (although GBA was in truth 3:2 and thus not really widescreen either). It was the PSP that gave the world of portable gamers widescreen for the first time.
I suppose it's strange now, but at the time, I never thought to myself "wow, this would be so much better if the screen was wider".
On the other hand, if there were one thing I would have liked changed about the NGPC was that it lacked a Select button. Not a huge deal, but as mentioned, the Options button had to double duty as a third action button AND as a start button depending on how long you held it down.
One of my favorite end-of-era GBC games was the incredible Shantae, and it made wonderful use of both Select and Start. I always thought the NGPC would have been easier to use if it only had that one extra button.
That Mega Man game is a port of an arcade game called "The Power Fighters", it's a Mega Man themed fighter with an interesting story that ties the original games to the X series. And it did get a console release on the Anniversary Collection.
I have two of these little babies I bought on ebay a few years ago, well after the system's official lifespan ended. This thing was way ahead of its time with some amazing games that would've blew my mind back when I was a little kid in the 90s. If I had Match of the Millennium back then, I never would've stopped playing it. Hell, it's still my favorite NGPC game to this day, easily.
Just one note, guys: The Samurai Shodown is based on the 4th game, not the 1st. Excellent episode!
Around the 13:30 mark that's the Queen of the Night aria by Mozart, familiar if you've seen the movie Amadeus. Great video as always, guys.
[Couy] I had a NGPC but the only games I had for it was SNK vs Capcom and Metal Slug 2nd Mission. Both amazing games.
The thing that got me in this video is that I never realized just how much the system sounds like the Master System. It's great!
Back in the day, I got this amazing handheld with MetalSlug and Biomotor Unitron!
I really like the game cases and rock solid dpad/joystick.
MrFixer1983 Yeah I liked the clam shell hard cases for the games also.
Reinier same here
Hey guys, you forgot to mention the cool clamshell packaging for the games themselves. That in of itself makes collecting games for the system that much more fun. The packaging is really well made and it gives the games a charm all on their own. For anyone out there that hasn't seen one, it's not a typical clamshell. They have these cool latches that keep them shut. I know it sounds weird that I'm getting worked up on packaging, but if you have tried to collect complete games for other handhelds of the past, you can appreciate how sturdy the packaging is.
SEGA didn't develop Pocket Adventure, they just licensed it to SNK. Sonic Team did oversee development, however. Also, calling it a "stripped down Sonic 2" is kind of misleading. The art assets are mostly from Sonic 2, but the music hails from Sonic 3, and most importantly, the level layouts and bosses are all new. As a final note, the etymology is "Special Stage." Sorry to be pedantic, I really enjoy these videos!
SOURCE: My own petulant Sonic nerdiness. Also, I recently did a video with a more in-depth critique of Sonic Pocket Adventure, so check that out if you're interested!
The Geek Critique Yeah I'm certainly not the biggest Sonic nerd so thanks for the info!
The Geek Critique Eh, I wouldn't check out this guy's critique. It didn't even have any ducks in it.
The Geek Critique Indeed, could immediately remember Hydrocity Theme playing on it from Sonic 3. Striped down, of course. ;)
Vkmies This guy, ladies and gents, comments on every single one of my videos and talks about ducks, because his favorite game of all time is DuckTales and he thinks I should be playing it, instead. And now he's stalking me outside my own content, too. He's like Segata Sanshiro, but with DuckTales. One day he's going to slowly rise up from behind my couch, creepily whispering the DuckTales theme.
He is one of my favorite people.
The Geek Critique Heyheyhey, I ain't stalking nobody. We just seem to watch similar web shows.
Besides, really everyone deserves to learn the gospel of Ducktales. Ducktales saves. I'm just trying to help people.
If I knew japanese, here is where I'd put a Ducktales-friendly version of the Segata Sanshiro Saturn Song lyrics.
Just want to thank you guys for your videos, they are the highlight of my Sunday mornings. Never really comment on YT but I'm making an exception as I wanted you to know I really appreciate the effort you guys put in. It really shows in your videos, looking forward to many more!
Matt Skelton Thank You! We appreciate the comment and we definitely have a great time making these episodes.
These videos are always so interesting. This is the best channel for classic and forgotten games. I hope you don't stop anytime soon!
Theres more than two mini games on Cap vs SNK:MM. just going by memory there was the Morrigan dancing game, Samurai Showdown's Jubei dummy attack, and i think there was a fortune telling game with Nakoruru
i love that you guys upload so late at night lol
gillythekid Yeah Sunday afternoon/evenings is a great time to chill out with Game Sack for me here in Australia :)
gillythekid I just watch the show on Sunday morning here in Italy, great way to start the day :D
gillythekid saturday night game sack party!
gillythekid Just early in the morning for me ;)
Recently picked this console up with a stack of games and thus far every game that I've tried has been solid. The fighting games are hands down the best handheld fighting games I have ever played which makes perfect sense coming from SNK.
I still have my Neo Geo Pocket color. Got it from my friend who worked at a Ma & Pa store and he let me test out any game that came into the place. Good times. Miss the store.
Well, thanks to this episode, I got myself a Neo Geo Pocket Color. Picked up a few games too: Dark Arms, Metal Slug Pocket: Second Mission, Pocket Tennis, Puzzle Bobble Mini ,Puzzle Link 1 & 2, SNK VS Capcom Card Fighters Clash - SNK & Capcom versions & Sonic Pocket Adventure. I've only got the Sonic one so far, and it's just as awesome as I was expecting. Great system with an AMAZING micro-switch mini-stick. It's so comfortable, which is surprising because I have huge hands, and the only thing I can play for any longer stretch is the Atari Lynx, haha.
Kinda interesting how the Sonic game is a stripped down Sonic 2 but with Knuckles and some Sonic 3 tracks replacing the original.
Game Sack has to be one of my favorite shows!! You guys rock!
So glad to see you guys do a NGPC review!!! One of my favorites for sure. One of the best things? It's battery life was insaaaaaaane!!! 40 hours on 2 AAs? Wow.
Loved my little Neo Geo Pocket Color. Still my favourite handheld I've ever owned. It was just perfect for me. The microswitch joystick made every game so fun and controllable. Plus the music/sfx style conjured up fond Master System memories.
I remember buying this back from EB Games. Awesome handheld for the time. Most of the games were quite fun and looked great, especially compared to my aged gameboy and gamegear.
Although a huge fan of Nintendo, my favorite console is the Dreamcast and on the handheld front the NGPC. Such an underrated handheld. I do not own all of the games, but of the ones I bought I can't remember any of them being bad. So glad you guys did an episode on this.
Brett Maddux Thanks! Yeah the system had a great library for sure.
I still feel like the NGPC is 80% fighting games, while the Wonderswan is 80% RPGs
Perhaps a PSP episode in the future?
Tomasz Finc I would like to do this. Must get more games first.
Game Sack Super cheap right now. Great time to be a PSP fan
Game Sack Nice thing is that 2000 and up models have video out for easy capture.
SNK needs to release these as a classic edition
I use to own a neo geo pocket color, I had a lot of fun with their fighting games since I'm a big king of fighters fan. I have to admit they did a great job porting those fighting games to the system, it amazing how well they work on a 2 button hand held system. Not to mention that joystick is made for fighting games, it just made combos so much easier.
"Samurai Shodown Pocket fighting Series based on the first game".
I would say it's based more on Samurai Shodown IV due to the collection of backgrounds and characters.
Wonderswan review in the future?
You guys deserve waaaaaay more subscribers. Thanks for all the great videos.
Really happy to see you guys dig Dark Arms as much as I did. It's a damn fun game
AlphaOmegaSin I'm sure they're really happy that you're happy with them.
I have it on the original box. My favorite handheld of all time.
AlphaOmegaSin Oh, what's up Alpha? GAME SACK RULEZ!! [you too]
AlphaOmegaSin i love that game, i collect for the handheld... pretty much im the only one of my friends who does... but that means whenever we go game hunting... if we do find games for this system... they all default to me :)
+AlphaOmegaSin Recently picked it up at Retropalooza Houston and I'm hooked.
Great list guys! I just started collecting for it so thanks for the tips on games!
The leap from Game Boy/GBC to GB Advance was so huge. I knew there must have been something in between. Really surprised by some of these titles. Almost bought one of these on the backpages of Electronic Gaming Monthly. In the end, I'm so glad I got a GBA. Even though the only way to play one was under direct sunlight or a 4D-cell maglite pointed right at the dim screen.
Yeah, it was called The Game Gear. And the Lynx. And the Wonder Swan.
Excellent video on a handheld I missed out on! Great to see how SNK made ports of the classics from the arcade/console. Also interesting to see the first types of games w/ two developers involved (i.e capcom vs. SNK, card fighters, etc). Thanks, Gamesack!
P.S. I love the way Joe said "Neo Geo Pocket COLOR!" at the beginning.
I remember wanting to get a Neo Geo Pocket Color after reading about it in an old issue of Gamepro while I was in Jr. High
18:29 "You can also learn items as you play"
I'm onto you GameSack
Megalo Majik Yeah. I was supposed to say "earn".
Megalo Majik that make sense when you play wonderswan.
viralfatality We actually made a video covering the reasoning for this but never released it.
Game Sack
I believe you claimed to be saving it for this years Halloween spooktacular.
+Game Sack upload it
Awesome! The episodes about game systems are always my favourites!
I remember wanting a Neo Geo Pocket Color for Neo Turf Masters, mostly because I enjoyed playing the game in arcades. Sadly, though, I never got around to getting one; I stuck with the Game Boy line until getting a PSP in 2006.
The NGPC does come off a bit like the Game Boy, which isn't a bad thing. It does seem to handle voice samples better, and I do agree that the music for its games does have a certain charm to it. It is nice to see how the SNK fighting games were converted for the platform... given that there are only two buttons, it must have been a challenge to get the controls just right. That special D-pad sure looks like it stood up to the task!
At least it was better than the Game.com, which ***** mentioned. Oh, boy.
faltu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Best D-pad on any portable, hands down. I love the clicking switches.
This is a great console, and those who don't have it, the emulation here doesn't do the screen justice. It's much better on the real thing, albeit the lack of backlight is a killer. I agree with you Dave that the system was killed way too soon. Can you imagine a fully backward compatible version that included a backlight? Anyway, great review as always guys.
Retro Guy74 Yes I can imagine that. Even if they had to up the batteries it used to 4 I can imagine that.
I've been checking every day this week waiting for a new episode. You guys have got me hooked. Already watched everyone up to here lol
From what I gather its 1 episode every other weekend. Saturday night/Sunday morning.
How I love every other Sunday afternoon. Cheers for yet another excellent show guys. By the way, my son has been watching your back catalogue 1 show per night. He's only 8 but loves you guys because he says you're like his dad, hahaha.
Retro Core Sweet that's a great story. That is why we like to keep it PG so even young kids can watch.
*****
Cheers man! Glad you like my show too.
David White
Good call Dave! Game Sack is one of the very fewv ideo game shows I let my son watch. Most of them are hosted by idots talking rubbish, over use of bad language or just plain dull. Game Sack is by far the best show on RUclips and normal TV for that matter when it comes to games.
Retro Core wow. Thinking of other popular retro game channels; you are right. I never thought of how much adult content was in them.
Retro Core You, GameSack and AVGN are the best for me, thank you for providing us HOURS of entertainment !
7:37 "You feed the souls to your gun"
I wonder if the protagonist attends the DMWA
I've been waiting this for!! Finally, the guys cover a completely underrated handheld :)
Never saw this system before, found some really cool games right away :D
A Game Sack on my birthday!? YES!
TheMetaMoss Happy Birthday! I hope you get some retro goodness.
10/10 episode gentlemen. This is an A+ job you are doing, this destroys shows like... well I don't want to hurt feelings, but we all know the OTHER review shows.
Nice roundup. I considered buying one, too, back in 1999. Cool to finally see all those games in action.
Game Sack - best channel on RUclips, period.
Great handheld, I took it with me on a few trips! It's fun to play and it does have some good games!
I' m from Mexico and I love your channel. By the way, in Gal's Fighters, Athena showed Kensou who, as usual, is in the friendzons.
Congratulations for your videos.
Dante
always great waking up to one of your videos, greetings from the UK
You neglected to mention the most interesting fact about Megaman Battle and Fighters... Namely how despite the graphics, it's an fairly faithful port of not Just Megaman the Power Battles, but also Megaman the Power Fighters, 2 arcade separate arcade games.
Your videos are so well made. Always pleasure to watch!
The Last Blade!!! I love that series, especially the second one. It's good to see the game get some love!
Getting better at after-effects I see! It's truly amazing how powerful the program gets with each update, the built in 3d motion tracking is incredible.
I had an original neo geo pocket pre-color and loved it also had the color. can't think of any games you missed, but that version of bust a move is much better thanks to the joystick. over all it had a smoother display then the gameboy and an excellent joystick. snk really didn't do anything wrong it just seemed out of date when it came out.
Another new Game Sack? Another hell yeah from me, another like, another share.
And now to watch it.
Fantastic presentation!!!!
Great to see one of my favorite portable console in one of your episodes.
By the way the NPC can be modded to use the front light of the GBA sp, I have one with the mod done, also I you didn´t mention that there is a revision of the NGPC released only in Japan that is smaller and the batteries are suppose to last even longer.
I can´t recommend enough, a really grate game exclusive of the console called "Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun" released only in Japan but perfectly playable without knowing how to read Japanese, kind of similar to a wario ware game but has a really particular gameplay.
Game Sack, your episodes are always top notch. Keep doing what you love
I think these are your best episodes, when Joe presents a system and then you talk about its games. I love that stuff. :)
And Rockman Battle & Fighters is the NGPC version of the arcade game Rockman The Power Battle, which was also ported to numerous consoles. I'm surprised Joe didn't mention it.
Great episode guys!!.. I didn't realize how many kick ass games there were on the pocket color.. I might have to snag one..
I still have my NGPC. I only have 4 games. Samurai Showdown!2, Fatal Fury First Contact, Neo Turf Masters, Metal Slug 1st Mission.
I wish I had a few more.
Especially after seeing this list.
My son was just talking to the video to tell you sonic is his favourite game on the neo geo pocket.
LivingRad Sweet! I love moments like that with kids.
He's sonic crazy at the moment (unfortunately). The boy needs more nintendo in his life!
Yeah yeah ***** you sound like one of them sega wierdos!
You guys really hit on the platforms that I don't have much experience on. Very appreciated! Excellent video as always.
Maybe an episode on Nokia N-Gage and Wonderswan/Wonderswan Color. Of course you would have to do emulation again but no big deal really. Thanks for making my day.
Game Sack did a thing!
Always my favorite time of the week.
Actually, on Biomotor Unitron there's music playing during the town scenes. Guess that's something that you don't hear when emulating it since NGPC emulators don't work fairly well ;)
Rudolfo da Silva Really? Yeah that's a knock against emulation for sure. Not surprised.
I have that system in Carbon Black. I remember seeing the TV ad when I was a little kid. I had always wanted one, and nowadays, I have one!
This is such an amazing handheld. :)
I just wish it had a backlit screen
@@alexanderthomson7993 It does now. If you're willing to modify it a little.
I held out til the bitter end for a Craig Stadtler joke.
That ending, I like how he's got 1/3rd the cable in his hand to complaints about it being short
*to complain
Can't understand why you guys don't have more subscribers you really do a fantastic job thanks
Game Sack is my to go reference when I want to hear about a console I passed (or didn't even pay attention). You guys are great. In 30 minutes you deliver what people want: informations about the system, games to play (includes prices sometimes) and all that. It doesn't get boring (well maybe during sports games but hey, preferences :) ) Keep up the good work!
Awesome video.
I absolutely adored the neo geo pocket. The micro switch joystick, the selection of arcade-style games perfect for short spurts of fun on the go. I really wished capcom made a full ghost and goblins game on that system, as that works very well as a two button game and the mini game they had in match of the millenium was sort of fun, and I really dug the graphical style.I picked it up after trading in my Gameboy Color.
One game I enjoy, althought it might not be for everyone, is ganbare neo poke kun. It's a weird game that involves a weird bug like animal and is a cross between something like wario-ware and a virtual pet (e.g. tamagotchi). Essentially the little bug thing is actually a game developer, which you care for and check on every so often. As you fiddle around its habitat sometimes weird things happen and he gets an idea for a game. When this happens he will make a little mini game for you to play. The mini games are pretty simplistic, and sometimes hilariously weird. It can get boring after a bit, but it's an interesting concept none the less
Had to subscribe. You guys are making me miss my Neo Geo Pocket Color.
I've watched this episode so many times, haha. I was very late to the party with the NGPC, picking up the handheld only in 2013 or so. For having such a small software library, this little sucker is insanely packed with quality titles (even the sports stuff!). I feel like such a doofus for ignoring it during its heyday. Thanks a ton for highlighting the console's interesting titles and all the fun commentary, fellas. Great episode! Game Sack forever!
I always love the Game Sack videos. Watch them immediately every time. Keep up the great videos! (Also the great editing helps the video flow very well!)
For Christmas, one of the things I got was a factory sealed Neo Geo Pocket Color for $120! I also got Metal Slug 1st Mission!
Game Sack I love this handheld. I wish I had one of my own. I bought this for my brother last year because he was dying for one. When I held this device in my hand, it almost hurt me giving it to my brother because I wanted. The games are so good. Btw excellent analysis on the Neo Geo pocket. Love your videos. Keep up the great work.
Great little handheld. I remember wanting one back in the day but I was in college and didn't have a job to earn enough to buy one. After I finished and got a job I was sad to learn that all the game stores got rid of their stock.
I honestly think SNK should out the games on the 3DS eShop, it won't have the same feel but it would help gives these often forgotten games a new lease of life.
SevenForce1 That's a good idea. I wonder why SNK/Nintendo haven't put them on the eshop.
Emulation is a big issue for this handheld
Great system...SNK vs. Capcom MOTM was in a class of it's own for portable fighters. It even had a tag team mode in it. AND it's the only fighter I know of where you can combo into Zangief's SPD...devastating!
I must have put 100+ hours into Card Fighters Clash...
Great video but you guys missed a couple notable games: Neo Poke Kun and KOF Battle De Paradise (Mario Party style game).
83Chrisaaron Yeah SNK vs Capcom is the best game for that system. It was so easy and fun to pull off moves. I could pull off Zangief's pile driver every time no problem. Good Stuff.
Bonjour Game Sack! J'adore vos vidéos! Je découvre toujours de nouveaux jeux grâce à vous!
Stop speaking Nigerian!
nigerian? I hope you're kidding!
+Zachary Gustafson
That's not Nigerian, that's French.
I think you mean Nigerien.
I'LL JUST SEE MYSELF OUT :D
No, they mean Nigerian... and it's French.
Bro, that neo geo shirt is STOOPID...
I NEED DAT
Neo Geo Pocket Color imo is one of the most underrated game handheld console. Even though there are only 74 games in total...
It's weird to be sincere on youtube, I know. But still; gamesack, I was the user on retroware called Cumbersomephallus (It's a great name) and I just have to say your videos always make my day. I love video games and their histories and the way you guys show off games make me so happy. I just want to let you know that during some recent hard times you've really been something to look forward to every other Sunday. Thanks guys! Thanks so much! Love your vids!
DharmaDaniel Awesome! Thanks for watching! I know that sounds like a generic response but really... thanks!
DharmaDaniel Thanks! Hopefully everything is running smoothly again for you.
Oh man...I remember playing KoF: R2 on my friend's NGPC 15 years ago; that game just blew my mind with how much fun it was. It's a damn shame that the system died out because the microswitch was just perfect and made every game you played such a satisfying experience. As always, excellent episode gentleman.
I bought a Neo Geo Pocket color in Japan... then I was going to scoop up some games.... and quickly realized the games cost more then the system.... :P
Hello. Do the Neo Geo pocket color cartridges have save batteries in them (such as game boy/snes), or flash memory such as the gba? I wonder if I would have to change the batteries if I buy NGPC games, because I don't like doing that.
The rockman game is based on an arcade rockman game
Glad you guys chose this! I was always interested in the neo geo pocket but never got one. good episode!
4:30 "If you've never played Sonic before"
Let me finish this for you, Joe: "THEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE WATCHING A SHOW ABOUT RETRO GAMES?!"
Just what I needed right now. Thanks guys! Hope you are doing well.
I'm so attracted to the novelty of console games being converted to handhelds, more than the average person I think.