The Neo Geo Mini is an impressive but imperfect way to play SNK's 90s greats
Even now, all these years later, there remains an air of luxury around the Neo Geo. These were once premium machines, with premium price-tags to boot - as a kid I'd look wistfully at the shelves that contained those gloriously oversized AES clamshell cases with their muscular artwork, wondering if there would ever be a time when I'd be able to sample the pleasures within. They played premium games, too, from the style and swagger of The King of Fighters series through to the impeccably detailed and winningly characterful pixel work of Metal Slug.
And now there's a new attempt to distill some of that luxury into something a little more diminutive and a lot more affordable, following on from 2013's Neo Geo X, a handheld developed by licensee Tommo that fell a little short as well as falling foul of SNK Playmore itself. This time out, with the SNK name in the midst of something of a resurgence, it's taken on the duties itself with the Neo Geo Mini, a beautifully proportioned and fully functioning arcade cabinet that sits in the palm of your hand, giving you access to some 40 games from the Neo Geo back catalogue.
It really is beautiful too. I've spent the past week with the International Edition of the Neo Geo Mini that's due out towards the end of October, and it's an arrestingly gorgeous piece of hardware. Indeed, even before you get to the machine itself the packaging captures some of that 90s exuberance, brimming with colour and attitude and finished off with a neat neon strip that lights the joystick when turned on, the finished product looking like a still printed out from Saved By The Bell's credit sequence. Judged by its box alone, the Neo Geo Mini feels like it stays true to the brand's premium heritage.
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