Back again for my regular Sunday roundup of quick-fire reviews and impressions of everything under the spotlight at Retro Arcadia this week, old and new and a bit of both. Thankfully not a lot to report outside of gaming this time – regular pre-Christmas stuff, remembering how to shop for three people again now our son’s back from America for a few weeks… That reminds me, he has nicked my Xbox controller to use with his PC, so in another inevitable step back towards the other side of The Force (and you can decide which), I’ve stuck the Series X in a cupboard and replaced it in the living room with my PS4, as I do actually have stuff I’m planning on playing there over Christmas! More on what that might be next Sunday, although as we’ll discover later, it’s already got some competition, but in the meantime, I’ve got the last of these to tell you about…

I know the screenshot at the top isn’t very Christmassy, but I’ve been covering the flurry of new Evercade releases from the end of November one at a time for a few weeks now, and with NEOGEO Arcade 3 we reach the end of them, so that’s why it’s there! And if you want a look at the rest, NEOGEO Arcade 2 was here last week, Rare Collection 1 was here the week before, and Activision Collection 1 was here the week before that. Much like its “predecessor,” this collection contains another six not necessarily easy to come by titles from what Blaze (the Evercade folk) delightfully refer to as “the golden age of pixel-art!” I’ll run through each of the games in turn shortly, but first let’s have a quick look at the overall package, starting with the actual box to open with an actual manual inside, filled with game histories, trivia, instructions and a few tips on top. And once again with this one, loads more handy fighting game moves too! Fire up the cart and you’re also getting typically slick, sortable on-screen game-select menus, quick saves and loads, game info screens and brief instructions, although as with the other NEOGEO collections, no DIP-switch settings yet, not that I’d touch them if there were. Should mention support for two players where applicable though, providing you’re on an Evercade VS attached to your TV, rather than an EXP handheld or one of the Super Pockets (as pictured above). I also want to mention that unlike similar series on here in the past, there are sadly no secrets or bonus games for owning several of them either, when a copy of Baseball Stars 2, just for example, unexpectedly appearing somewhere would have been a delightful surprise!

Okay, games, and as already alluded too, although we’ve got a bit more of the same as on the two previous collections (as well as the themed Super Pocket) on here, there’s a bit more variety about this one too, starting with Ghost Pilots, a vertically shoot ‘em up from 1991 that’s like a fancy Flying Shark remaster but without the magic, which it then tries to compensate for by throwing in supernatural bosses, although you’ll be flying through a lot of generic environments, shooting generic enemies, before that happens! It’s competent, it’s got the looks and the sounds and some nice special effects, but it’s not very exhilarating, spookiness or not. Better to get back to more familiar SNK territory with The King of Fighters ’97, and its iconic three-on-three 2D fighting action with a huge cast of characters, some very cool fighting systems and super moves, and the most gorgeously detailed characters and beautifully-set dynamic backgrounds. And that cheese-rock soundtrack! Plays as well as it moves too, and for me has always been the series’ high-point. Which might also go for 2000’s Metal Slug 3, although on any given day I’d say the same about the original and X too! It’s run ‘n gun turned up to eleven, it’s wildy creative and ambitious, and it literally takes the NEOGEO hardware to its limits, which will probably go for your eyes too, as they try to take in an impossible amount of action all at once! It’s a stunner, it’s loads of fun, and I’m not sure it’s even the best game on here…

That might be Samurai Shodown II, which is an all-time favourite fighting game of mine, not just for the super-smooth, well-balanced and deep gameplay, but it’s just so good-looking and well-animated, and that battle-ready soundtrack and the sounds of clashing weapons… It’s a weapon-based one-on-one 2D fighter from 1994 that might not have the biggest roster but it has the plenty of variety, with a crazy bunch of characters wielding every type of blade, stick and more you can imagine, and there’s such a great flow to the combat once you get your head around their nuances. Brilliant game and I hope we see more of the series in future compilations! Which also goes for Super Sidekicks, a very-arcade football (or soccer) game from 1992. It’s ridiculously fast-paced and over the top, with no fouls or other interruptions – just immediately intense, easy to pick-up competitive action (and obviously even more so with two players). And while it’s not the prettiest game, there’s just so much energy about everything – the crowds, the commentators, the music, the animations, the cinematic closeups, the super-kicks, and once you’ve adjusted your own energy accordingly, there’s a great back and forth to the games too. Now give me Super Sidekicks 3… Our last game is Twinkle Star Sprites, and of everything on this and the previous two NEOGEO collections for Evercade, it’s the only game I’ve never played before, so that’s in its favour already! Not that it needs any help because this thing is fantastic! It’s a kind of vertical cute ‘em up in the style of Cotton or Magical Drop, but in the spirit of Puyo Puyo or Puzzle Bobble or Super Puzzle Fighter or similar, with you competing split-screen in various modes but essentially shooting stuff to send them over the fence to the opponent’s side of the screen. There’s loads of characters with their own attacks and specials, and combos to chain, counters and all sorts, and it’s the very definition of whimsical both to look at and to listen too. What a marvellous find, and I think it more or less confirms this compilation being at least on the same level as the other NEOGEO stuff we’ve got recently on here. It’s another essential for Evercade!  

I did splash out on a few early Christmas presents for myself, and have also starting dabbling with those, which include The Chessmaster 3-D on the original PlayStation, Escape From Monkey Island on PlayStation 2, and Rambo: The Video Game on PlayStation 3 (which costs way more than it’s probably worth but I’ve always had a soft spot for it), but I’m going to save those for next time, not least to spend a bit more time with them, which sounds like excellent use of the two weeks off work I’ve just started! In case you missed it last Wednesday though, I wholeheartedly recommend you have a look at my favourite feature of the year, and with barely a retro game in sight… It’s The Retro Arcadia Game of the Year 2025 Top Ten Countdown! Then next Wednesday, I know it’s Christmas Eve, and I’m sure you’ve got better things to do, but if not, you’re very welcome to check out The Big Retro Arcadia Rundown of Games Completed 2025, which does exactly what it says on the tin! Be lovely to see you then, otherwise, let me take this opportunity to also wish you a very merry Christmas!

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