Every Day is Play. The Celebration of the Video Game - Review

This isn't just a book about gaming...it's a life story

When Matt Keynon set upon a journey of the discovery of gaming - he didn't realise at the beginning it would take him through so many adventures to get to his end goal - a somewhat similar experience to a video game.

Every day is play: The celebration of the Video Game is one of the greatest books we've ever read and reviewed. Let's just get that out there first of all. And we'll tell you why...

This bible of gaming is about Matt's dedication to the spirit of gaming - its art and design and the play and fun associated with what is a passion and obsession for many gamers - including ourselves here at GamesYouLoved. This isn't just a 'hobby'  - it's a way of life.

We did know a little bit about Matt and his homage to gaming previously - having seen some of the Mega Drive Exploded Series and graphic gaming art imagery released a few years back. 

But his story goes back even further than this. In fact it starts when Matt was just 6, having inherited his Uncle's Atari MVS and a batch of games. This initial spark set him on a path of play, discovery and investigation. His intro piece to this in the book describes it beautifully (no spoilers further!).

And this book is a result of his hard work..from the time in 2005 when the idea of producing a book first came to Matt - to now, when we can all enjoy the fruits of his labour.  
With Nolan Bushnell the founding father of Atari and video games writing the foreword - this could only get better. And it does. Visually stunning artwork and design stretches from cover to cover and we love the mix of and variety entries, which for us sums up gaming over the years. It has no limits - to our imagination as gamers and the people who make and develop video games.

From Mario to Sonic, Pac Man to Space Invaders, all the popular characters are here. But even they are not just in typical form as you often see in popular media. Artists, publishers and game developers re-enact these gaming characters in different forms in captivating artwork. You will be surprised, engaged and interrupted (in a good way) with every page turn. And this is no comic or lightweight read. Weighing in at over 300 pages this is heavyweight in every sense of the word. And the print and finishing quality...Well - judge for yourself from these pictures. Anyone into having quality books on their gaming shelf will appreciate what we have here.

In terms of specific content - there are many many entries and contributors to the project. Including Darren Wall's Rom Alerts - showing off the 16-BIT work in 2005 to the Sensible Software book just recently. Edge Magazine has an array of interesting cover artworks that hit you from the beginning too.

Art is a key factor and the likes of Atomike Studio use Mario to great effect, as well as some impressive console art. 

We could go on. 

The imagery here should do the talking. And over the next few weeks we will be releasing more on our Instagram and social channels on Facebook and Twitter.

Finally lets not forget - this book could not have been made without you...the community. As a Kickstarter success this project was successfully delivered by Matt with his massive effort, skill, dedication and determination - and you believed in him.  

Well done - you have a fantastic book to show for it!

Get yours here:

www.fangamer.com

Matt's links:

www.gamepaused.net

@matthewdkenyon

JXD The Android Gaming Tablet

 

In this day and age we are all for collecting all the classic games and playing them on the original consoles with the original controllers.  That is the best way to play retro games, the nostalgia is there with the feel and the touch of the machines.

Pushing in a cartridge into the slot on the Sega Master System, pressing the power button on your Nintendo NES console or even pumping coins into an original arcade cab.  These are all the things we remember of gaming as kids and still love to do, but in the present day this is not always possible for everyone and we like to preserve our machines and games of old and keep them in good condition plus access a range of games at any one time.

But wait........our delivery from Funstock.co.uk landed. So without delay we opened it up to see an Android tablet ..." But wait ........this had analogue joysticks and a D-pad!  We now had in our hands the JXD S7800b !

So this is an Android tablet built for retrogames....we are quite impressed!  The console holds well in your hands and is light too.weighing only 500g! Your thumbs lay ontop of the joysticks just right and still leaves your fingers to be hitting the L1 and R1 buttons curved into the corners of the console!  The tablet has all the buttons you'd expect from modern handhelds and they are all positioned correctly which will suit most games and gamers!

It has Android OS so this tablet is easy to navigate with the D-Pad or even the touch screen (yes touch screen!!) The Google Play store app is supported so you can download your Gmail or any other Android apps that take your fancy, even the retro games which are available are easy to access.  So this being just like your Android  phone (without calls) you can also surf the internet with pure ease using WIFI

No beating around the bush, this is a very fancy multi emulator in a branded tablet - but JXD have done this very well.  As we all know downloading ROMS can be annoying but the JXD makes this simple.  The console comes pre-loaded with a cloud app that puts your games into genres and categories for you.  All you have to do is simply choose your game and press download! Its that easy.  The 8GB of storage gives you tons of space for games and if you want more for movies or such there is a memory card slot too. The JXD is pre set to play Megadrive, SNES, Famicom, Gameboy, DS,GBA, MAME, PS1, N64, Arcade and  better still the DREAMCAST!!! 

Of course you can download more emu's for other consoles and formats (if you know how to do that sort of thing) and we are told the JXD also supports Speccy, Amiga, 32x and Atari Jaguar!!

One of the best features of the JXD is the screen it comes in at a massive 7" and is bright, responsive and colourful which makes the games llok great! If you wish to have more definition you can plug this badboy into your HDMI on your TV and go Large!!!  The speakers sit either side of the console giving you good stereo sound.  There is a 2.0 megapixel camera on the back and also one on the front if you want to take selfies, there is also an excellent Key Mapping feature if you download Android games that use touch screen controls, but you do have the option to use these on all games....we don't!

Battery life is good, we have been playing Crazy Taxi most of the day and with its 5000mah battery you can play for quite a while!   There is not much else to say about the JXD you just haver to play it for yourself to experience it.  This is a great retro meets modern gaming console with added emu's to get you started. There are even a few bundled games on there to get you going!

Like any emulation system -it plays emulated games, this means sadly that not all games play perfectly or have sound, but this you'll experience across a number of systems anyway. The majority of roms across a range of systems worked. Some didn't so we moved onto the next game - easy.

Watch the Official Trailer below or visit Funstock.co.uk to snap up your console (don't forget to use the code GYL at checkout for 5% off!!!)

A 1980s childhood brought to life - A book review

GamesYouLoved synopsis: 
Diary of an 80s Computer Geek
By Steven J Howlett 
As a child growing up in the 80s you would have seen dramatic changes occuring in technology along with music, movies, toys and fashion.  

In the Diary of an 80s Computer geek, Steven J Howlett brings this to life through the eyes of a child and the world around him changing before him. 

The wonderment of change and a life dedicated to computers started early for our protagonist. From the longing for the simple ZX81 in 80s Britain, where the individual had a chance make something from new if they really wanted. To the idea that this could even be a job or career.  Could this 'hobby' of computers and gaming become something more?

From the playground where cassettes could be bought and sold on the black market, to programming line after line of code to create simple games Stephen was on a journey that no other generation had encountered. 

This diary takes you through the 1980s with how Steven dabbles in ventures which from a simple hobby using the ZX81 becomes more to him as the years go by. 

We won't spoil the overall plot and detail, but some of the highlights of the story are as follows:

- upgradings of one machine to the next and what this meant at the time!
- computers at school and the games you loved and played
- computer magazines and how we trusted and cared for them
- the evolution of computers from 8-bit to 16-bit, and the high and lows of this

In summary when reading this book - cast your own mind back and think about computers and video games in the 1980s - what kind of memories does it conjure up? 

It might be quite different depending where you are in the world but nevertheless it was a time of great innovation and ground breaking products.  There was also an air of mystery around gaming and computer companies in the very early 80s - with no internet we relied on magazines, newspapers and limited TV channels to serve up information and in some countries (including the UK!) it came much later than 
others such as the USA and Japan. 

Whatever memories you had - the Diary of an 80s Computer Geek is sure to unlock some happy thoughts and will having you looking on ebay or googliing after reading it!

Diary of an 80s Gomputer Geek is available in print format & digital format here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Diary-80s-Computer-Geek-Computers-ebook/dp/B00JYGGCTO
http://www.amazon.com/Diary-80s-Computer-Geek-Computers-ebook/dp/B00JYGGCTO

You can also follow it's author Stephen on Twitter here: @sj_howlett  

Putty Squad to get a physical Amiga release after 20 years!

Set to be used as special pledges in an upcoming Amiga book Kickstarter campaign, 100 physical replica copies of Putty Squad for the Amiga are set to be produced!

These 100 copies will come in authentic replica packaging on actual Amiga floppy disks. Bitmap Books have gained exclusive permission from System 3 to produce these copies of Putty Squad and will work with them closely to ensure that the final packaging is as near as possible to how Putty Squad would have looked if released in 1994.

50 of the 100 copies will be signed by the original Putty Squad development team.

Commodore Amiga: a visual commpendium
Commodore Amiga: a visual commpendium is Bitmap Books follow up to their hugely popular debut book; Commodore 64: a visual commpendium. Following on from the C64 book, the Amiga book will focus on the visual side of the computer featuring stunning pixel art, game maps and box art. It will also showcase the best software houses on the Amiga and is set to feature the Amiga demo scene.

The Kickstarter campaign starts on the 13^th October and runs for 30 days. So far, some really exciting contributors are lined up and Commodore Amiga: a visual commpendium is set to be Bitmap Books biggest project yet.

Sam Dyer of Bitmap Books says ‘Putty Squad remains the Amiga’s most famous unreleased game. To be able to take Galahad’s 2013 release and produce physical copies of the game is hugely exciting. Huge thanks to System 3 and Galahad for allowing this to happen.”

About Putty Squad
Putty Squad was developed by System 3 and the follow up to 1992’s insanely good Putty. Set to be released in 1994 but this famously never happened due to the twindling Amiga market, but a pretty much full game remained in the System 3 archives. Fast forward 20 years and thanks to English Amiga Board member Galahad, in 2013 a version was released as a Christmas gift on System 3's website as free digital download.

About Bitmap Books
A new publisher specialising in beautifully designed and produced books all about video games. Commodore Amiga: a visual commpendium is the second book by Bitmap Books.

www.bitmapbooks.co.uk

Follow on Twitter @mrsidc64

My top 5 movie licence games by Sam Dyer of Bitmap Books

Everyone loves a good movie licence game tie-in. 
Back in the day, all it took was a mildly popular film and before you knew it a game was released.  
Sam Dyer - Author. www.bitmapbooks.co.uk

Here are my top 5. 

5. Platoon (C64) 

Ah, an 18 rated film made into a video game for kids! Set in the Vietnam war, Platoon was an Oscar winning film directed by Oliver Stone starring Charlie Sheen. A classic war film that is full of violence, guns and death. Sounds like the perfect ingredients for a children's video game. The Commodore 64 version of Platoon was programmed by Zach Townsend and the awesome soundtrack was by Jonathan Dunn. The the actual game is a series of mini-games. The first is a platform shoot em up where you must find your way out of the jungle maze whilst killing enemies that come at you from all directions. Its really tough but great fun. The later levels then turn into a really impressive first person shooter style game. Platoon on the Commodore 64 offers great graphics, expert programming, plays really well and overall; does not feel rushed. Lost hours playing this pretending I was a war hero in the Vietnam jungle. Platoon was also released on Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, PC DOS and ZX Spectrum. All of which look like pretty decent versions.

4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (C64) 

If there was a fast buck to made and a game to be rushed, you know that US Gold would have to get in on the act. In 1989 they released Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on the back of this hit film which starred Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Now I may be wearing my rose tinted spectacles, but I really like this game. Its a platformer that sees you control Indy and must go in search of the Holy Grail. The plot stays pretty faithful to the film and it sees you start in a series of caverns. You must make it to the surface in the pitch darkness but collected torches that enable you to see where to go. The torches burn down so you much grab another before it does. You can you your whip to kill enemies. Once you make it out of the caverns you must then make your way across a train roof. The game style changes slightly towards the end which adds variety. It plays great and is really good fun. So it it's not massive (4 levels), the sprites are poorly drawn and it feels a bit sluggish. The magazines didn't rate it either but for some reason it holds a special place in my gaming heart. I have not seen any other conversions but oddly, the Amiga version was an excellent point and click by LucasArts. Well worth checking out.

3. Robocop (C64 and Spectrum) 

Another ultra violent film made into a game for 9 year olds! Released in 1987, the film of Robocop saw cop Murphy brutally (almost) killed by a gang of criminals and is then brought back to life and turned into a robotic policeman. Robocop then embarks on his one man fight against crime. A great film and a real classic. Released in varying forms on pretty much every system known to man, it was the Commodore 64 version that I actually owned. The games also changed across each system too. The arcade version is a different game to the home 8-bits. The Spectrum, Amstrad and C64 versions have differences. The NES and Gameboy versions also differ. Now, in hindsight the Spectrum version of this is much much better but back in the day, the C64 is the version I played. Jonathan Dunn is responsible for the epic soundtrack. It stays pretty faithful to the film plot. It even mimics the rape scene in the second level where you have to shoot the bad guy whilst missing the woman. Overall the presentation is great. The sound, gameplay and graphics all felt polished and well thought out. The Commodore 64 version got played so much when I was younger, it had to included in this list. A really cool film and a really cool game to go with it. Robocop stayed top of the game charts for months and months and was a massive hit when released.

2. Batman the Movie (C64 and Spectrum) 

A member one of my family who is no longer with us brought me this for christmas 1990 so it's very nostalgic for me. I remember been really impressed with the striking box art and couldn't wait to give it a go. I have reviewed this game before and i'm sure everyone knows it well. As a whole package, I think its the best game on the C64. After recently seeing and playing the Spectrum version, this is also very very good if not better than the C64 version. From the box art to the music to the graphics to the gameplay, it really stands out as a game that pushed these systems to their limits. The most impressive part was that it followed the film plot almost exactly. Level by level it followed the film. This showed great attention to detail and real creativity. The Amiga version is also worth a shout out as it looks amazing. Batman games are still been produced to this day on modern systems which really shoes the strength of this movie franchise.

1. Goldeneye (N64)

As a massive bond fan, none of the Bond games that preceeded Goldeneye really did it for me. From the average View to a Kill to the awful The Spy who Loved me.They were ok but just not amazing. There was a gap in the market for a video game that actually was as good as the amazing films. So when Goldeneye came along in 1997 on the Nintendo 64 it blew me away. The only first person shooter id seen previously was Doom and Duke Nukem and Goldeneye was a massive step forward. The graphics were out of the world and the playability was so addictive. I was a little older when it was released so I would hang out with my mate, usually up to no good and spend hours and hours playing muliplayer battles. It featured characters from the film and also classic bond good and bad guys. Its a classic game that behind Mario 64, defined the N64 and helped sell them by the bucket load.

So that concludes my top 5 movie licence games. Do you agree or disagree with my list? 
Thanks, Sam 

PRE-ORDER Commodore 64: a visual Commpendium now:
http://www.funstock.co.uk/commodore-64-a-visual-commpendium-c64-book

View the Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2146199819/commodore-64-a-visual-commpendium-by-bitmap-books 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sam.dyer.54584 

Twitter: @mrsidc64

Grandmother buys old building in Japan, finds 55 classic arcade cabinets

Grandmother buys old building in Japan, finds 55 classic arcade cabinets

If you wanted to experience arcade games any time over the last forty years then you had to visit the Far East!. The game centers are still there lit up with neon lights all very attractive and Blade Runner like! But you have to go back 20 years to see them at their prime. Now one very lucky arcade fan is experiencing just that right now due to a surprise purchase by his girlfriend’s grandmother.

The grandmother agreed to purchase an old building in Chiba, which is just outside of Tokyo. When they arrived to check out their  building they found out that the first two floors used to be a game center in the 1980's!!. Whoever ran the arcade back then left all the cabs behind when it closed, and it is full of classic and now highly sort after games!

In total there are 55 arcade cabinets, most of which are the upright Aero Cities cabs, but it’s the game boards that they contain that’s the most exciting discovery. The list of game includes the following:

• Columns
• Donkey Kong
• Galaxian
• Magical Tetris Challenge
• Metal Slug X
• Pengo
• Raiden 2
• Super Puzzle Fighters 2 X
• Street Fighter 2 Championship Edition
• Street Fighter Alpha 2 (Zero 2)
• Street Fighter EX 2

There’s sure to be more games discovered as not all of the cabinets are in working order, with monitor damage being the main fault but whatever they find, this lucky gamer has just cashed in his extra credit!!

When Retrogaming meets modern technology

The retro-bit Super Retro Trio arrived in the post this morning. Sick of the delays with the RetroN5, I cancelled my preorder at the weekend after the word got out that the console would not be reaching the UK before September and found this alternative in stock at funstock.co.uk at the very tempting price of £69.99 a full £50 cheaper than its competitor.

The cheaper price tag, however does mean less in the way of features. No save states or built-in cheat systems, no HDMI output. I wasn't interested in the former, and I can live with AV/S-video through my SCART connector. So what do you get for your money? Here's what the official blurb says:

Supports NES/SNES/MEGADRIVE/GENESIS

Compatible with original and third party controllers

Includes 2 controllers

AV / S-Video connectors

AC Adapter

PAL / NTSC / PF / NJ Region Switch

What you get is quite a nice looking console, it feels a bit light and cheap but hey – it was cheap! I have the silver and black model, there is also a red and black version. The top of the unit sports 3 cartridge slots from the back coming forward – NES, SNES and Megadrive/Genesis, in front of these are a reset switch and a power/slot selection switch.

On the front a push releases the cover for the controller ports, here you can plug in original controllers 2xNES, 2xSNES and 2xMegadrive/Genesis. The 2 included controllers plug into the 9 pin Megadrive ports but are shaped like SNES controllers just to keep you on your toes! ;)

The bundled controllers are actually very decent and for that reason will probably see a fair amount of use, the buttons and d-pad give a very similar feel to those on my original controllers. Also behind this front cover is a selector switch for the controllers in use and a region switch for Megadrive/Genesis games for those with region protection. As mentioned there is a cover/door so you can unplug your controllers and close it up to keep things looking all neat and tidy when not in use.

Finally round back there are the DC in socket, S-video and A/V ports. The provided power adaptor has a US plug but does not require a step down converter and an UK adapter was provided for me.

My TV had some issues with the video signal through the A/V (this is not exclusive to the SR3 – I've had this issue in the past) so I use a cheap A/V+S-Video to SCART adapter and it works fine for me.

Now, the big question – compatibility! I don't have a huge pile of carts to test especially on the Nintendo side of things so here's what I have tried all work unless otherwise specified.

Megadrive:

M6 cart (Sega Soccer, Columns, Super Monaco GP, Revenge of Shinobi, Sonic, Streets of Rage) so far played Sonic, Revenge of Shinobi and Super Monaco GP

World Class Leaderboard

T2 The Arcade Game

Golden Axe

Streetfighter 2 Special Champion Edition

Genesis:

Lemmings

NES:

Track and Field 2 (PAL version)

SNES:

PGA Tour Golf (PAL)

Starwing (PAL) 

That's all I've tested on it so far I'm afraid, I need to acquire some more NES and SNES games to try out but it seems to be fine with every Megadrive game I've thrown at it. There is also a Super Retro Advance Adapter (sold seperately) that allows you to play GBA games as well.

In conclusion I'd say it's really good value for what you pay, it looks nice and doesn't look out of place under the TV, the controllers are decent, it might not have all those fancy features or HDMI but it is available now and cheap enough  to be worth a shot.

You can buy your own RetroTrio console here at Funstock.co.uk

Thank you too Jamie Gunn (@highlandboarder) for his time and review! 

Joypad...... The Super Warehouse Party!!!

Fancy a night off gaming , music and booze!  Then the Joypad Super warehouse Party 2 is probably the best night out you will have in a long time!  Based in Bethnal green in an old Pickle Factory,  two retrogamers (and also guys behind the party), Matt Farthing and George Swain bring you JOYPAD!

We spoke to Matt and he told us more about this event, and  with only a week to go until the big day he is getting very excited!

 What is JOYPAD WAREHOUSE PARTY 2?

SUPER WAREHOUSE GAMING PARTY 2!” is quite possibly the best time you can have with your clothes on. We’ve taken over a disused pickle factory in East London and turned it into a haven for lovers of retro/indie games, gaming culture and booze. We have 400+ original carts across NES, SNES, Megadrive, Mega CD, Saturn, N64 and a host of Indie devs showing off their work. Chiptune badass “Steve” will be playing a live set and My Panda Shall Fly and the Super Scratch Bros will be DJing throughout the evening. All whilst our lovely bar ladies serve up liquid refreshment!

What inspired you to start the event?

The gaming scene has exploded in recent years. It’s time for indie and retro game enthusiasts to shrug off the outdated label of ‘geeks’ and show that they can party as hard as the rest of the Saturday night crowd. I personally challenge anyone to play Bomberman with 7 like-minded ’strangers', beer in hand, chip tune blaring in the background, all whilst being cheered on by a baying crowd to not have the time of their life.

What sets you apart from other events?

 We marry together Indie and Retro. Many modern indie games are heavily inspired by the classics - but the two rarely meet! The party atmosphere is electric and you are surrounded by like-minded people. We also focus a lot on presentation; a Joypad SUPER WAREHOUSE GAMING PARTY is a pretty damn cool place to be.

Do you own all the games you feature?

We do indeed - we’ve both been collecting games our whole lives.

In your opinion, which era of video gaming was the greatest?

I personally adore the 16 bit era. The aesthetics of the time, both in terms of graphics and audio, has aged extremely well. It was a time when creativity and originality reigned supreme!

There seems to be a big musical influence in your event , how did that come around?

I am actually a musician by trade. So for me the combination of my two favourite things in the world comes pretty naturally!

What is your favourite console/computer?

It would be a tossup between the SNES and the Atari ST. I’m going to have to go with the SNES though... As I mentioned earlier - it just has the most fantastic design across the board. The sounds, graphics, even the console itself are all just beautiful! I also feel that some of the most unique titles in gaming came out on that console. I’ll always have a soft-spot for it.

What are your plans for the event going forward?

We’re planning on running SUPER WAREHOUSE GAMING PARTIES monthly - in interesting venues across London. We want to grow it in size in scope, maybe even branch out into some specialist events involving heavier focus on particular families of consoles or music. I also love the idea of running an all-nighter at some point (could get very messy!) Eventually, though, we will be opening our very own space - “Joypad". Then the SUPER WAREHOUSE GAMING PARTIES will have a permanent home.

Where can people get tickets to the event?

www.joypadbar.co.uk

A New Gen Gamer - Reviews an Old Skool 'New' Console

The GamesYouLoved Team is full of different kinds of gamers - different preferences and ages.  For this review of the Sega Sonic Nano by www.funstock.co.uk we gave it to one of the younger members of the team. All of 21 years old - Alex Reviews...

Let’s face it…gaming has gone mainstream. In the last 5 years or so the popularity of new-gen consoles has grown exponentially, with millions of people now owning an Xbox, a Playstation, or some form of games console.

So in today’s era of modern gaming where bigger, faster and sharper always means better, you could be forgiven for struggling to understand why someone would opt to play a smaller, simpler, retro games console like the Sega Mega Drive Arcade Nano.

As a new-gen gamer myself, I too had a certain degree of uncertainty about what I might be about to play.

But oh how wrong I was.

This little beauty is amazing, plug it into the TV and you’re away in less than 10 seconds. Considering many modern games have loading times long enough to grow a beard in, this is brilliant, and a definite positive if you’re looking for a ‘quick fix’ gaming session.

And if you’re a fan of variety, you’ll be pleased to know that straight out of the box there’s almost as many games on this as there are in your local GAME store.

Sure, the graphics aren’t quite up to the same level as the (massively overpriced) Xbox ONE, but in the age of ultra-fast processors and almost perfect graphics, we seem to have become ‘graphics sluts’, losing any loyalty and prostituting ourselves just to find a game with better graphics, and completely forgetting our roots.

Games don’t need to be perfect to be enjoyable.

The Arcade Nano is the perfect example of this. It’s quick, simple and massively fun to play…and what other games console will clip onto your key ring! It makes a so-called ‘sexy and slim’ Xbox ONE look like a fat geezer that single-handedly keeps his local McDonalds afloat.

I wasn’t around in the age of the original Sega Mega Drive and this retro style of gaming, I was still years away from being born in fact, but I am so glad I can still enjoy those great games today in such an easy, hassle free way.

There’s only one thing wrong with the Arcade Nano…it needs a warning message on the box: WARNING, HIGHLY ADDICTIVE

Get yours here with 10% off - use code GYL10:

http://www.funstock.co.uk/sega-megadrive-arcade-nano-sonic-edition

NEO GEO X - Hardware Review by GYL Fan Andy Pryer

Neo Geo X Hardware Review

By Andy Pryer

Believe it or not, I was once a mere mortal man like you. It’s true I swear; there I was going about my daily business when the skies parted and I was singled out from the rest of the rat-race and illuminated by a brilliant shaft of light. Tykhe, the goddess of fate & fortune had finally noticed me and rewarded my patience and devotion with a brand new/old console. From that day forward, I have been a proud owner of a Neo Geo X system and my life has been changed since. So read on, mortal and I shall impart my wisdom and perhaps you too will be convinced enough to join the ranks of proud and mighty owners.

The system comes handsomely packaged in a classy black and gold box with a carry handle, just the thing for storing and transporting it about should the need for either arise.  The box contains everything you’ll need to get started including an HDMI cable and some rather fetching stickers found in the back of the manual. They’re not strictly necessary, but they’re a nice touch and I like stickers.

The console itself is well made enough although it feels a bit on the light side because it’s larger than it needs to be to contain the components. It’s mostly hollow as it’s been designed as a replica of the home console of legend, but it’s still fairly compact, around the size of a Mega Drive II, but nicer to look at.  It has a nice matt finish and feels like it’s made of a fairly good quality plastic.  It certainly doesn’t look cheap or out of place under the TV.

Connecting the console to the TV is a straightforward affair: video, power, done. Now although I blame myself completely, I must confess to being quite disappointed when first firing up the machine. Although I was aware there was an update available, my enthusiasm got the better of me and in my impatience I charged ahead with it right out of the box. As penance for my lack of self-control I was greeted with glitchey video, which was too big for the screen and poor sound emulation. After I updated the firmware (which was very simple to do thanks to a helpful tutorial video on the Neo Geo X website) all my worries drifted away with performance now improved to the level of perfection you’d expect form an officially licensed product.  With this in mind, the firmware update should be considered as part of the initial setup process. Just be patient, it doesn’t take long and the difference is remarkable.

One joystick is supplied with the console and the system supports a second which can be bought separately. The joystick is also made to replicate that of the original home system.  It’s a sad story, but I was never fortunate enough to play on the original so I can’t say how it compares. While I was at school we shared rumours of the fabled Neo Geo console and its ridiculously priced games. A couple of the kids knew another kid (who conveniently went to another school) who had one, but we honestly weren’t 100% sure the thing even existed in this pre Internet age.s I mean, a home console that played arcade games? Many of use were still loading from tape!

Back to the controller: While it’s a perfectly serviceable and accurate controller, it lacks the heft and solidness of some other home arcade joysticks and so it delivers a slightly disappointing tactile experience initially. It’s not that it feels breakable, I’m sure they’re robust enough to cope with the most vigorously executed combos. It was nice to have a large control platform on my lap again.

Now for the pièce de résistance: On this new 21ts century version there’s a real treat: The body of the console opens like a clam shell and reveals (now this is really good)…. a hand held version!  I know: too good to be true, but it’s real!  This device is the mother brain of the system as the ‘console’ serves just as a docking station to charge and play with the joystick on a TV screen. 

This portable device is very impressive indeed. The handheld aspect is a hefty, solidly constructed unit, which is a delight to hold in the hand. I was really impressed with it when I first saw it as it looks like it should cost far more than it does. You certainly won’t feel embarrassed pulling this out in public. Its soft-yet-grippy rubberised back is emblazoned with a chrome ‘SNK’ logo, so the guy opposite you on the bus can watch with envy and only jealously imagine what’s going on. The highly reflective black with gold legend of the front is sheer class and the sharp, bright screen nestled within feels luxuriously big. The controls are well laid out too. The face button layout has been reconfigured from the joystick to suit the thumb and the shoulder buttons are within comfortable reach thanks to their forming around the corners. Other controls, such as volume and brightness, are located on the bottom edge, well out of accidental reach. While the home portion of the package has been made to replicate the original console, clearly much thought has gone into the design of the handheld. It genuinely feels like it’s been designed by gamers for gamers of the hardcore variety.

The Neo Geo is of course famous for its beat ‘em ups, but the device comes pre-loaded with a generously mixed bag of twenty games which should satisfy fans of all genres and is more than enough to keep you busy for a good while whatever your gaming tendencies. This was particularly good news for me as I’m not a huge fan of beat ‘em ups, but I still have more than enough to keep me very happy indeed. I was pleased to see many of my Street Fighter 2 moves translate into the other fighters as I have a fairly limited repertoire.

More game packs are available via the expandable game card slot. They can be bought in collections of three, or (at time of writing) a mega collection of fifteen, which is teasingly named Mega Pack Volume 1 and makes much more financial sense.

Overall I’ve been more than delighted with the console.There are a couple more tiny niggles like having to charge the handheld unit through the docking console and I would have liked a menu button on the joystick to save me having to disturb my cat when I fancy changing the game, but it could be argued that this replicates the action of changing the cartridge and is therefore the ‘real’ experience. Anyway, the gripes are slight and completely overshadowed by the brilliance and attention to detail of the rest of the package.  This isn’t some cheap plasticy 3^rd party console filled with abandonware; it’s an honest to goodness SNK Playmore console and as such is host to some AAA titles which are as playable today as they ever were.

Neo Geo consoles and games continue to change hands for eye-watering prices, but this set finally brings the glory of SNK to mere mortals and it feels like a celebration.

Review by Andy Pryer