Classic Game Room - NEO-GEO POCKET COLOR review 

absolutely love this handheld. the back light issue wasn't a big deal to me since this came out when gameboy color was out and that lacked back lighting as well. this handheld did offer some really awesome titles and the control on it was amazing, plus has some really good imports too

I remember my father took me to a Montgomery ward as a child and got me this for my birthday. I had KOF, Real Bout Fatal Fury, Capcom vs SNK... Good times..

I think this is one the most forgotten hand helds in retro history (and was my favourite handheld system)

Full size console in a pocket? JNCO jeans FTW

Thanks for the review, in brings back good memories since I bought one of these nearly 10 years ago and loved it. I was 17 when I purchased this, and now I'm 26.

2010: "iPod touch here, which is nice and thin" 2020: "UuuuUUhHH??!"

"In fact the games are extremely affordable" Gals Fighters is now over $120 rip

I couldn't help yelling "Neo-Geo!" And pretending a crowd was yelling it back at me when I saw this video in my subscriptions. ScrewAttack and Classic Game Room FTW!

We need a homebrew scene for this system

I really hope one day that Neo Geo Pocket Color games come to the 3ds/ new 3ds eshop

Yes! I've been wondering if you were going to review the NGPC. I love this console and so many of its titles can't be played anywhere else. My favorite games are Gal Fighters, Fatal Fury, Card Fighters Blue and Yellow, Faselei! and Metal Slug.

I love this system so much, its grossly underrated. That thumbstick allows for such incredible control. I have a pretty rare mega man game for this system (its in my 5 rarest games video if anyone cares to check it out.) This system has some of the greatest fighting games ever made for a handheld.

@NodakJo2010 I agree, this was practically doomed from the start. On one hand you got SNK making a 16-bit handheld that only offered bite-sized versions of SNK arcade classics. On the other hand, you got Nintendo offering a 32-bit handheld that offered not only great Nintendo classics, but a whole lot of excellent games from third-party as well. We all know who won that battle.

Got this (camo blue) along with metal slug 1st mission, Capcom Vs SNk and Bust a love pocket all Complete for only 150$ I got lucky!!!

I love this handheld to bits, if the screen was lit ( even front lit gba sp version ags001 style ) It would have been a hit.

The best handheld console ever, in my opinion. Its size, price, battery life, library, SNK did everything right. The quality ratio and variety of games in its short 2-year lifespan was amazing.

Mark and his distinctive classic video game voice. He also have an obsession with TRUCK-ston.

I know this is an eleven year old video, but man, prices have changed. Over 200 dollars for metal slug 2nd mission, 399.99 for evolution eternal dungeons, 1400 dollars for cotton, 600 dollars for that one wrestling game. I got lucky and found 4 games (dark arms , biomotor unitron, kof r2, and sonic) that were under 70 dollars. Looks like I'm only gonna have around 6 to 8 games total. The ones I REALLY want are way too expensive.

If I took a shot for every time he said neo Geo pocket colour i would be dead !

My buddy had one of these. Pretty cool, but very limited.

Sonic Pocket Adventure is easily one of the best Sonic games.

I don't have Neo Geo AES/CD sized pocket now so I'll just get the Neo Geo Pocket Color instead,the only thing from SNK that didn't get overpriced to death well at least the console part,the games for it are still expensive.

I just picked onr up for 50 bucks mint in box with sonic the hedgehog! Not a bad deal and so far i really like it! Great video

lol does he has a bag on his head? if you look in the revlection of the screen

I wish there Neo geo pocket games on the 3DS eshop!

Really like the NGPC! Mainly got this for "Sonic Pocket Adventure", but some other games I got shortly afterwards (including SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium) are pretty great for the handheld! Dat clicky thumbstick, tho... :)

The SNK vs CAPCOM -match of the millenium- was an awesome, and really complete game! Unlocking characters, mini games, new specials moves to purchase, weird and funny dialogues, with a fluid animation and great music, made this game a master piece! I lost my beloved NGPC, but im still playing it on my psp (it is not the same), but i love it Yo can see special art, if you put the game on a NGP! A great box of surprises!! Thanks 4 this awesome review!! =)

I own two of these. I got the NGP when it came out back in 1999. A couple of years later i managed to get my hands on a colour version. This console is really cool, well designed, with a very responsive and reflectant screen despite not being lit... A nice and responsive controller, the cartridge boxes were absolutelly awesome, just in the way the original Neo Geo was... The CPU was enough powerful and quite much over the GameBoy Colour back then... Larger sprites, faster paced games, and fluent animations. The 2 batteries really lasted fro a very long time. However this console has TWO serious drawbacks. First, the use of a PSG sound chip instead some kind of FM one. PSG melodies can be funny and sound cool in certain aspects, but at the end, the PSG is one of the poorest sound chips in videogame history. It was the one used in the MSX and later in the Master System and Game Gear. Even back in the day, the MSX showed disadvantages even compared with some other "not-so-good" music chips like the AY in the Spectrum or Amstrad CPC. SNK should have went for a slightly better chip with better sound registers, not just beep beep and not much more. The YM in the Atari ST was way better and we're talking about 1986... Man. The second serious drawback is the way the console managed sprites. These can use a very limited amount of colours. So as a result, you can see really pale characters made of 4 bare colours over a well detailed background. Some games like Metal Slug 2 tried to solve this problem using 2 sprites per character, making possible to see 8 colour characters... Not quite a good fix, but, well... That's what they did.

didnt know handheld existed. watched your video fell in love bought a neo geo pocket color fell in love even more conclusion - WHAT HAVE I BEEN SPENDING MY MONEY AT FOR NOT NOTICING THIS CONSOLE!

Very nice system. I have two of these, along with the canvas carry case and a few games. Definitely pick one up if you like fighting games, as there is no shortage of those for the NGPC. There are other cool non-fighting games too, like Dark Arms, Faselei, Sonic Pocket Adventure, and two Metal Slug games. Absolutely worth owning. The only problem I have is the lack of a backlit screen. If there isn't enough light where you are, it's gonna be tough to see anything. The killer app for this system is SNK vs Capcom Match of the Millennium. Although it's obviously a little scaled down from the arcade, it still has an impressive roster of characters from many different games on the SNK side. Unfortunately the Capcom roster is a little disappointing, consisting only of Street Fighter characters plus three from Darkstalkers. Still an amazing game though, and loaded with unlockables, minigames, and other content.

Listen buddy I appreciate your enthusiasm but I don't think pocket space is the only problem here

@TheVillainOfThisTale Last comment: The Neo-Geo Pocket Color looks great in good light, feels great in your hands(just a tiny bit below my favorite handheld, the Gameboy Advance), the buttons and . . . digital-stick? . . . feel great(L and R buttons, triggers, or bumpers would've been great, too), and the only problems I found in it were two obvious ones: battery life, and lack of light. Just like Sega with the Dreamcast, SNK was one step ahead, with one giant leap about to pass them.

i really like the Neo Geo Pocket system's for their 8-way thumb stick. i've talked to some people who don't like it but i rather enjoy the feel it has. while most D-pads have 8 directions on them they leave me wishing i had an arcade stick for some games. Neo Geo Pocket gives me that feeling of using an arcade joystick while playing, and that just puts me in a good mood without having to actually play a game with it. you know it's a good system if you simply enjoy holding it.

Loved my NGPC!!! Metal Slug on the go back in the day was friggin awesome. It may not have been backlit, but the battery life was INSANELY good. As in 40 hours off of 2 AAs. Still smokes everything out there in that dept. Was by far the best handheld in '99. A shame it never caught on. Imagine what handhelds SNK would have today if it was successful.

Yes! There are RPGs like Dive Alert or Dark Arms. There is also a Ogre Battle game but it was released only in japan

I remember seeing commericals for this when it came out and wanting one

These must have been as expensive as the neo geo when it came out - I've never met somebody who had one of these, and I've only seen them online. It's a shame I only just now heard of this! I might have to try and find one in the near future.

I got one of these last week. Perfect timing for a review. Great little system.

It took Nintendo almost over 30 years to make a portable gaming console with a circlepad, and the SNK did it right off the bat.

I've been playing the hell out of the Sonic rom for this console on my tablet and damn its pretty smooth n fun. Almost like it better than the originals which its pretty much like level wise but def worth playing! 😃

I actually have this game system. Bought it years ago with one game, called 'Dark Arms'. At the time of my buying this system there were quite a few games for it but the problem is definitely the lack of a back light. Other than that, there is a charm to this system and, as typical of SNK, most of their games are fighting games. The games are cheap, much more so compared to all other consoles out there now. So, if you are looking for a cheap alternative pocket game system, and you can handle the lack of a back light, then the Neo Geo Pocket could be just what you are looking for.

The background music to the video is funny.

SNK made excellent, quality stuff. I'd also recommend the Neo Geo X. It functions as a nice handheld AND can be hooked up to the TV, using HD quality picture and sound.

This console is great but it’s should’ve been successful along with the Gameboy Color

Compared to its competition? It's competitor was the gba. Which also didn't have a backlit screen.

Dec 2012 saw the release of the 3rd Neo-Geo handheld, the Neo Geo X. Came loaded with 20 games for $200. Other games are loaded on separate game cards for sale, 3 games per card. It has a 4.3-inch LCD screen 480x272 pixel resolution that is the same as the original PlayStation Portable and is close to the 16:9 aspect ratio. Just get a PSP 3000 and download or buy discs of classic Neo-Geo games, like Metal Slug Anthology, Samurai Showdown Anthology, King of Fighters Collection, etc.

this had the best dpad joystick ive ever used on a handheld

now we have full color and light lcd's ;-)

I have the black and white model. Gutted I couldn't play sonic pocket adventure on it

Yea i have to say the only reason people purchased the neo geo pocket was it communicated with the dreamcast on the japanese version of sonic adventure and several other titles as well but in the u.s i think king of fighters was the only thing it communicated with the most awesome thing its not region locked so you can play imports. but at last pirates decided it was awesome to create a neo geo pocket flash cart and steal the games instead which lead to the complete failure of the device

Fun fact: that system has the only Sonic game that got a 10/10 from IGN

And NGP color games could be played on the NGP just in mono.

Hey! You forgot about the system menu it had that not many other portables had back then.

I'm not a handheld gamer, but I want one of those...hell, I have already a WonderSwan Color (FF Edition)

Yay! I'm going to get one of those by the end of the year!

I bought one of these back in 1999 for about £30 and picked up a few random games. Can't say how damn awesome they all are. King of fighters r2, Biomotor unitron, Sonic pocket adventure, Neo geo cup 98. For such a limited lifespan it had a huge amount of great games.

@SabinleRose Uh...what? The DS was marketed by Nintendo "hey look kids! a handheld that can do 3D graphics" and has been marketed that way ever since, ... so get a life internet warrior, YOU fail. Anyway, i still really like the DS and PSP, they have some great games on there. Even some REAL 2D ones. But systems like the GBA and the NGPC are far superior for pure 2D graphics/gameplay for a 2D enthusiast like me.

Yeah, you could connect your Neo Geo PC to your Dreamcast, I'm not sure what games you could use with it. You should look into that.

@eurohim You must not have played with a NGPC. It just isn't that easy to power down the system in the middle of a game. That's a recessed power button and it takes a bit of pressure to turn the system off or on. A thumb slip in the middle of gameplay wouldn't turn off the NGPC.

i have a neo-geo pocket, will the color games play on it, how do tell the differents between the 2 cartridges.

I still got mine with 20 somthing games love it

Damn you, I just went through your old videos and found this. I had two NeoGeo Pocket colors at different times and they both were stolen. After seeing this I had to go to eBay and re-buy one, a cool see through one from Japan. At least I still have all my games with exception of Gal's Fighters. But props for the video

Not sure why, but I've got some kind of fascination with outdated technology. Maybe it has something to do with curiosity about times past and how we used to do things, you know?

I always enjoy your reviews Mark. Looks like a nice little handheld. It's kind of funny since I was planning on picking up a GBA or GB color this Sunday coming up at the flea market.

I've always dreamed of owning a Neo Geo Pocket system, and sadly I still dream of trying to find a store or someone who I know who owns one. I will definitely buy it for a valuable price.

I'm playing al these games on open emu, good times!

Games aren’t cheap anymore 😂

I'm buying one of these right now

4:27 = No BACKLIT and LOOK at how GOOD, CRISP and CLEAR The SCREEN IS ! This is the absolute best "non backlit" screen I've ever seen. If you add the extreme portability and ergonomy of the machine (it just fits perfectly in the hands), the best "D-PAD-Joypad-stick" in HISTORY and an enormour battery life, you have , in my opinion, the best handheld ever created. The icing on the cake being its look, its also the cutiest console ever. Mad props to SNK for this overlooked gem of a machine.

When I was a freshmn. in high school, a classmate had this and let me play it a few times, it was fun. But one day a teacher took it way from him and never gave it back.

I stumbled upon one on ebay a while back, with many great games (including -but not limited to- samurai showdown 2, kof r2, metal slug first mission, fatal fury, sonic,...), all complete and boxed, for i believe €80. don't look for it now though, it's been mine for a while now.

The only thing I remember hearing about the Neo Geo Pocket was while playing Capcom vs SNK on the Dreamcast which had a feature where you could link the portable to the console to transfer data of some sort... that's all I knew about it.

If SNK ever made a new console it would be a neo geo pocket color.......with modern day lcd........online wifi ......and rechargable build in battery with ENTERNITY HOURS! of FUN!.......please god make it happen

Despite lack of a backlit screen it is nevertheless still easy to see. Much easier than the original Gameboy Advance. I really don't have much of a problem with this console not having back light. And yeah the styling is lovely.

Didn't that lack of a back light also mean that the battery life is longer than any other handheld console to date?

how i miss the classic game room

Why'd he keep blowing on about the Game Gear? Game Boy series was the only competition this console had, and what killed it. Back when Nintendo had an irongrip on the handheld market.

Great little handheld. Not surprisingly, the system had a longer life in Japan, with something like 85 or 90 game titles. Worth looking into, if you don't mind Japanese text in the games.

Had this when it came out. Got it at a gamestop but games were hard to find. Had it for a year or two.

I still have mine, dunno why the hell i bought it, but i loved it :D

Actually, Gals Fighters is a fantastic fighting game.

Do you have a Wonderswan I would love to see a review of that

I had one of these. Good times.

I can't help but notice that there seems to be a click when you actually press down the thumb stick. Is that another button? Also, is it kind of hard to play fighting games without like six buttons?

The console is also region free. I had that Mega Man fighting game but sold it because I thought it was MEH. It's still MEH just now it's super rare and expensive

Oche 666 comentarios

I definitely want this console, and for only one reason: Biomotor Unitron.

Has there ever been a worm light like accessory to come out for this console? First or third party?

I love the analog stick on the psp. Analog sticks came first on psp and then was the time when nintendo brought it in nintendo 3ds which was too late. They should have brought two of them by that time. Although the ds was having a touchscreen although psp did not.

he reviews the most randomest shit i have ever heard and never heard. thats why i watch it! lol

I kinda really want one of these...I wonder if there is some kind of flash cartridge so I can have like the whole library on one cart.

Where can I get one because snk is one of my favorite video game companies

Remember when CGR cared? Me either. Sad.

Gal Fighters is the best game for it IMO Though there is also an awesome submarine game.

hey do u need the watch battery also to play 🤔

i only saw 1 neogeo handheld in the real world... and the person was raving about it trying to get me into it... i tried it for like 20 seconds and the loud clicks of the thumb stick were a deal breaker, and the characters in the fighting game looked stupid and there was no flow... it was all jerky and crappy. so i never wanted 1

yes mark there is a sonic the hedgehog game for this called sonic pocket adventure and it is a very good game i might add.

@vicgeorge2k6 "The Neo Geo Pocket Color (shortened NGPC), is a 16-bit color handheld game console by SNK." Wikipedia disagrees :P

how does the display compare to GBC and GBA? it appears to have very crisp contrast, for a reflective colow lcd.

You didn't talk about the Fortune Teller thing. When you boot up the system without the game, it rates your fortune or something like that. I remember my friends and I having fun messing with that thing for some reason, most of those friends weren't even gamers.