Neo Geo Pocket Color
System/accessory by SNK
Reviewed by Adrock
Released: 1998
Height: About 8 cm
Width: About 13 cm
Depth: About 3 cm
Battery Life: 40 hours
Colors on-screen: 156
Total Palette: 4096
RAM: 12k with 900H, 4k with Z80
ROM: 64kb ROM
ROM Sizes: Maximum of 32 MBits.
Use with: Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Color games.

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Opening Snide Remarks: Do you have facial hair like a gorilla? Do you
love furry blue animals and chicks in skirts hitting each other? Then
you need this.

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Impressions: At first glance, the NGPC looks like a must-have system.
Well, unfortunately, the software spectrum isn't as varied as the flamboyant
casing. The casing, by the way, comes in Clear, Black, Blue Camouflauge,
Regular Camoflauge, Shiny Blue, White, Marble Blue and Silver.
What is this shiny piece of imported plastic and circutry going to give you?
For one, you get Sonic: Pocket Adventure. Which I was pretty pleased
with. You also get fighting games out the arse. Much of the games for this
thing are fighters. The Neo Geo Pocket Color doesn't have any really "bad"
games, just very few games. Go into your street-corner US Wal-Mart, and
you'll find the system and Sonic. That... That's uh... all you'll find. All
of the other games are hidden somewhere in the mall. Try Electronic's
Boutique or Babbages.Why did this thing even COME here? To compete with
Pokémon mostly. Yep, to take some money out of Nintendo's pocket. Here's
SNK's idea of marketing...managing to get a system on the shelves, and
hoping all the GBC's will be sold out... then, your
mother/grandmother/*insert other arrogant family member here* will pick it
up and say, "Hey, is this one of those Pokeyman things? Little Jimmy will
love one of these!" Yes, SNK hopes that you will be thier "little Jimmy".
This is no way to make a product! No commercials, no ads, just on the shelf!
It really ticks me off... because, this is a very nice system! At the same
time however, I am glad that it stayed secret as well as it did... because
that way Nintendo doesn't lose any money. Hehe.

I'm not going to elaborate here, I'm going to make things perfectly clear to
you. It's an awesome system, with awesome games but very few of them. The
only reason you should buy it, is if you already have a good system and just
want to enjoy a couple cool games. If you expect tons of new games to come
out monthly... don't. This thing is here today, gone tomorrow. Not because
it's a bad system, but because it's by a company that made a bad choice.
Don't get this thing until you see it in a big cart by the cashier's
checkout stand labeled "Bargain Bin".

Liked: What games it does have actually put the system to good use. A
Must-have for hardcore gamers, a deathtrap for mediocre gamers.

Hated: No ads, No games, No purchase. That's my motto.

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Improve: Sega and SNK should have co-produced this one, I think.
Sega's got some cool licenses that would make great games, and that
along with Japanese fighters from Takara that would probably not be
heard of here, would make a great starting point for software. Notice
I say "starting point".

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Final Words: Since I'm reviewing the system and not it's marketing
plea, I'll have to say, good work. Once again, stay away unless you
know that no-one will know what a "Neo Geo" is in about 6 months.

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Score: 80%
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