Nu binnenkort de Neo Geo X uitkomt, staat dit oude systeem weer vol op in de belangstelling bij de retro liefhebbers. Maar de Neo Geo was ook groot in de Arcade scene en daar zijn ook een aantal titels verschenen die niet bekend bij het grote publiek zijn. Daarom heeft de website Topless Robot nu deze lijst gemaakt met zeven games die wat extra aandacht verdienen.

1) Shock Troopers

Shock Troopers, developed by Saurus and released in 1997, is a 2-D shooter akin to the beloved Metal Slug series, but it has a few features that set it apart: There's a greater freedom of movement, akin to games like Robotron 2084, along with a greater selection of characters, but what makes this game something to be sought out and savoured is the "Team Battle" mode. Like a lot of games of a similar stripe, you begin by choosing your character from a group of what could charitably be called "national stereotypes" (instead of, say, "racist caricatures"), each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and special attacks. But should you elect Team Battle mode, you can select three characters, and after you've chosen one of the three paths (another great feature), you can switch between them on-the-fly. This makes it not only immense fun, but also a strategic masterpiece in a genre not known for thought. So should you be in an area with enemy bunkers shooting mortars at you, with mines hither and dither, you can switch to, say, Milky, your agile fighter, and utilize the roll ability. Then, when you've cleared out enough enemies, you switch to Loki, who has slightly less agility but a stronger attack. And then when the boss arrives, you switch to Big Momma, a character with bugger-all agility but a duel machinegun attack, dealing massive damage.

As for those branching paths we mentioned: After you select your characters (though you can play with a single fighter in Lone Wolf mode), you're shown a map, where you're given the choice of Mountain Route, Jungle Route, or Valley Route; the design of each is different enough to make repeated play to see each one well worth it. Not a huge deal in and of itself. But then, after you complete three stages, you're again given the choice of mountain, valley, or jungle, and each choice is different set of stages, as opposed to just giving you the first three of another route. It's a nice little feature that gives you more playgrounds for more of the cartoonishly violent brand of fun the game peddles. Power-ups abound, but another point in the game's favor is the manner in which the majority are obtained: Like the Slug games, each character has a mêlée attack, but in ST, taking the gamble to get up-close and personal (usually via the aforementioned commando roll) will yield either points, a health bonus, or a screen-clearing red gem that awesomely sets everybody on fire, because that's just how the Shock Troopers roll. Is it better than Metal Slug? That's a hard call to make, but as with the rest of the games on this list, it's well worth the effort to find that answer out for yourself.