The SNK Thread

[Nester the Lark]

This may have been the location of SNK's original office.

Also, let's appreciate how clever the reveal trailer was for Terry in Smash.



My favorite part is Geese falling off the building (yet again) while leaping for the invitation.

Honestly, I never would've believed Terry Bogard (or any SNK character) would've made it into Smash Bros. I know SNK is more popular in Asia than in Western regions, and Fatal Fury Special was actually super popular in Japan when it first came out, but it still seemed a little outside the scope of Smash. But no complaints from me, of course.

But imagine, there's gonna be a Terry Bogard amiibo. I wonder if it'll actually be used for anything special outside of SSBU...

[Nester the Lark]

Here's the trailer for Shizumaru, one of my favorite characters, who will be out on September 16.



Also, I guess that new Neo Geo hardware was just an arcade stick with some built-in games.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's a Twinfinite interview with Yasuyuki Oda. It's mainly about Samurai Shodown, but he does give an update on the possibility of a new Metal Slug:

Giuseppe: Let’s switch gears completely. When I interviewed you last year, we talked about Metal Slug and the possibility to bring it back. You told me you were undecided about whether modern gamers would accept the one-hit-death mechanic. How is that discussion go? Are you still discussing it? Are you actually working on a new Metal Slug now?

Yasuyuki Oda: Nothing is decided at the moment, nothing has actually been started, but we’re definitely in the phase where we started talking about “let’s bring it back. We want to bring it back.” The fans want it. 

On whether we’d do the one-hit kill, there are still a lot of discussions about that, but I like the idea of maybe bringing two modes, perhaps with an easy mode with a life gauge. 

But there is still a lot of discussion going on internally about that. We want to make sure we do it right.

[nocturnal YL]

Just keep the one-hit kill. In consumer (non-arcade) versions, there's always the option to have infinite continues. Some games even have an easy mode that gives you infinite H instead of just the basic gun. I don't see anything wrong with that.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's another Japanese trailer for the Switch version of SamSho. It includes a look at the Neo Geo Pocket Color game, as well.

[Nester the Lark]

SamSho on Switch is releasing in NA in Q1 2020. (Still scheduled for December 12 in Japan.)



I wonder why the delay. It's not like there isn't already an English version.

[Nester the Lark]

Here is a fun video interview with original SamSho creator Yasushi Adachi.

[Nester the Lark]

Samurai Shodown's listing on Nintendo.com reveals that the NA release date is on February 25, and costs US$50 (or $45 if you pre-order the digital version).

It occurred to me how expensive this game could be, though. For everything, it's base game + 1st season DLC + 2nd season DLC + Nintendo Switch Online subscription to play online. Of course, those extra expenses are strictly optional. Shizumaru is the one DLC character I was most interested in, and fortunately, he's free. Also, I don't typically care to play competitively (especially if the online lag turns out to be bad), so I don't necessarily need that.

[Nester the Lark]

Here's a trailer for the second season of DLC for SamSho from EVO Japan.



Mina we already knew about. Sogetsu was accidentally leaked by SNK, themselves, a while back. Iroha has been one of the most requested characters (for obvious reasons), so her inclusion is not surprising. (This does mark her first "canon" appearance in the series, since her only previous appearance, SamSho VI, is simply a non-canon "dream match" game.) That leaves only one mystery fighter.

Personally, I'm not interested in any of the second season DLC characters so far.

In other EVO Japan news, here's the first gameplay of Haohmaru in Soul Calibur VI.

[Nester the Lark]

SNK recently revealed unused character designs for Garou: Mark of the Wolves, as well as its unfinished sequel. You can see it here.

Yasuyuki Oda has mentioned before that he still wants to make a sequel to Garou. With SNK's revival so far including a return of Samurai Shodown, and plans for a new Metal Slug, I think there's still hope for the Fatal Fury series. (Also, Rock Howard was a DLC character for King of Fighters XIV, despite it not making any narrative sense.)

[Nester the Lark]

It seems that the Neo Geo Pocket Color game SNK Gals' Fighters will be available on Switch soon. Perhaps there will be more NGPC games to follow.

I've been undecided about the Switch version of Samurai Shodown lately. On one hand, I'd like to wait and see if it comes down in price a bit. (It's only been out in NA for two months.) On the other hand, I worry that it may have had a limited print run. (Of course, there's always the digital option, but still...)

[Nester the Lark]

The Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection is coming to Switch and PS4 on July 28.



I wonder what exactly Samurai Shodown V Perfect is. Is it actually an unreleased Neo Geo game, or is it something new they made for this collection?

EDIT: Also, here is an interview with SNK's Adam Laatz and Code Mystics' Jeff Vavasaur at Siliconera about the Switch release of SNK Gals' Fighters. It has a few interesting bits, like how the "two screens on one Switch" multiplayer mode was added so that it could be used on a Switch Lite. Also, it sound likely that more NGPC games are on the way, and possibly even a compilation.

EDIT 2: Wow. Apparently SamSho V Perfect actually is an unreleased Neo Geo game!

[Nester the Lark]

I think we can mark this as rumor for now, but there was mention of the new Metal Slug game by SNK's Korean subsidiary SNK Interactive. Supposedly, it's due out later this year for consoles, and will be a side-scrolling run-and-gun like previous games.

If true, it seems like it's coming rather fast, which suggests to me it could be cobbled together from old assets rather than being entirely new. Unless, perhaps, the game has been in development for longer than SNK has alluded.

[nocturnal YL]

They're actually saying they'll target older people, so I guess it's going to be a classic Metal Slug game like, well, every other main series Metal Slug. I recall someone from SNK asking for what features to keep and change in Metal Slug, and quickly identified the graphics as something to keep. So yeah, it's likely going to be in the same style.

I'm more curious in what format will the game be released in. Hopefully not download only. And hopefully they're so ahead of time and make it PS5-only.

[Nester the Lark]

Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection is now available for PC via the Epic Games Store, and until June 18, you can download it for free to keep permanently.