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»Neo·Geo Pocket Color, We Hardly Knew Ye
"WAY AHEAD OF THE GAME!"
Introduction
Hey, I said there’d be more, didn’t I?
Welcome back to the stage of history…errr, another edition of Portable Review’s We Hardly Knew Ye series – an anthology of articles based on those systems that didn’t reach the same acclaim as its competitors (namely any Nintendo portable) and weren’t given the proper respect upon their downfall.
This time, we delve into SNK’s second (and ultimately more popular) foray into the home system video game market: the Neo·Geo Pocket Color. Much like the Game Gear I discussed back in July, the NGPC holds a special place in my cold, black, decaying heart. See, when I was but a young lad of 11, this portable and I actually started a little trend back in my grammar school. I was the first to buy it, and then some of my friends followed suit. Odd thing it is, being the leader of a fad. Best of all, our tastes intersected, so there were many Card Fighters’ Clashes and Matches of the Millennium, not to mention a few Pocket Adventures involving a certain blue rodent.
 The one-year wonder.
Another reason that I felt such a kinship with SNK’s pocket-sized plaything was actually inspired by Nintendo. While the original Game Boy offered some great gaming action, the best thing about its successor was its backwards compatibility. Honestly, the original titles on that system were for the most part lame, with a few notable exceptions – take Super Mario Bros. DX or Shantae, for example. Might I add, isn’t it sad that the exceptions are only notable because they weren’t god-awful pieces of shit?
Well, now that I’ve gotten my ranting started, I may as well conclude the introduction. In short, we’ll be looking at the life and times (however short they may be) of the Neo·Geo Pocket Color, as well as the staggering events that led to its demise. So, without any further ado, let’s go back to the silver age of gaming: when the original PlayStation and the Nintendo 64 were still at large, and the Dreamcast was just about to debut…
History
Before we get into the NGPC’s lifespan, let’s go back one year earlier, to the fabled 1998, where the NGPC met its humble beginning, sans color. Simply known as the Neo·Geo Pocket, this early incarnation (better yet, this rough draft) only saw a few titles (highlights include Samurai Shodown and King of Fighters R-1) and wasn't released outside of Japan and Hong Kong. It was discontinued a year later to make room for its color counterpart, which was released on March 16, 1999. The system's actually forward-compatible with many of the games made specifically for the Color system - somewhat like the GB/GBC carts, only there is no marking to denote which carts are backwards-compatible and there is a higher ratio of games that worked on both systems.
Meanwhile, the Neo·Geo Pocket Color made its U.S. debut on August 6th, 1999. It was initially released exclusively through the online retailer eToys, but was eventually sold nationally through such large chains as Wal-Mart, Toys "R" Us and Best Buy. From its launch, it was available in 6 (count 'em SIX) different colors, each with odd names - Camouflage Blue, Carbon Black, Crystal White, Platinum Blue, Platinum Silver, and Stone Blue.
Sure, it wasn't the largest-selling portable of all-time, but the Neo·Geo Pocket Color's entry into the American and European (and to a lesser extent, Australian) marketplaces definitely caused a bit of a stir. Not since the release of the Game Gear had there been so much talk over a non-Nintendo portable. Several gaming magazines - EGM sticks out in my mind, since that's what I read back in those days - raved about the NGPC and its stellar library. Of course, the good times didn't last very long...
Despite its cult status among gamers and the critical acclaim it garnered in its short lifespan, the Neo·Geo Pocket Color couldn’t stop the inevitable: the death of SNK. Indeed, I find it fitting that the NGPC was paired up with the Dreamcast – while the DC ended Sega’s days as a first-party developer, the NGPC was the last system SNK put out. Of course, while Sega’s woes were mainly due to the DC’s sluggish sales, SNK’s problems were more widespread, eating away at the entire company. Eventually they were purchased by a pachinko machine company going by the name of…Aruze. <*HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS*> Of course, by this point, SNK’s U.S. branch was already gone, while Japan’s lived one for an extra year, finally filing for bankruptcy on October 22nd, 2001.
Article by: Wolfdogg
Posted on: Sep. 28th, 2007 |
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Genre: Fighting
Developer: SNK
Publisher: SNK
Release Date: 11/30/1999
Save Type: 1 Slot
Players: 2 |
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