| Dark Arms: Beast Buster 1999 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Noise Factory |
| Publisher(s) | SNK |
| Platform(s) | Neo Geo Pocket Color |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Dark Arms: Beast Buster 1999 [lower-alpha 1] is an action role-playing game released by SNK for the Neo-Geo Pocket Color in 1999. It is a spin-off follow-up to the SNK arcade shooter Beast Busters . The game was later re-released as part of Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 in 2021.
Dark Arms features a girl, Meghan Loughlin, whose job is to defeat and contain an outbreak of demons and act as a mediator between this world and the next.
The player can collect the spirits of the various demons and zombies they fight in the game with a gun known as "The Catcher".
The player-character can then use captured spirits to 'feed' their weapons and evolve them into more powerful forms. For example, the Handgun evolves into the Sub Shotgun, which can evolve further into the Shotgun.
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |   [1] |
| Consoles + | 82% [2] |
| Computer and Video Games | [3] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 [4] |
| IGN | 5/10 [5] |
| Dreamzone | 8/10 [6] |
| Pocket Gamer | D− [7] |
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2021) |
Dark Arms: Beast Buster received mixed reception from critics since its release.
In 2014, HobbyConsolas 's Álvaro Alonso identified Dark Arms: Beast Buster as one of the twenty best games for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. [8]
The Neo Geo Pocket (NGP) is a monochrome handheld game console released by SNK. It was the company's first handheld system and is part of the Neo Geo family. It debuted in Japan in late 1998 but never saw a western release, being exclusive to Japan and Hong Kong.
The Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC) is a 16-bit color handheld game console developed and manufactured by SNK. It is a successor to SNK's monochrome Neo Geo Pocket handheld which was released in 1998 in Japan, with the Color being fully backward compatible. The Neo Geo Pocket Color was released on March 19, 1999 in Japan, August 6, 1999 in North America, and October 1, 1999 in Europe, entering markets all dominated by Nintendo, competing with Nintendo's Game Boy Color.
SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millennium is a crossover fighting game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo Pocket Color in 1999.
Ogre Battle Gaiden: Prince of Zenobia is a 2000 real-time tactical role-playing game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The game is a spin-off within the Ogre Battle series, originally created by Quest Corporation. The storyline takes place parallel to Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen, and follows the path of Prince Tristan of Zenobia during his quest to reclaim his kingdom. As with other Ogre Battle titles, the player controls squads of an army, moving to different parts of the map accomplishing tasks and battling armies encountered on the route. Choices made during the narrative impact the ending.
Sacnoth Inc., renamed Nautilus Inc. in 2002, was a Japanese video game developer based in Tokyo. The company was founded in April 1997 by Hiroki Kikuta with funding from SNK; its staff, including Kikuta, were veterans of Square. While their first releases were the Dive Alert games for the Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC), the company was founded to produce Koudelka, a role-playing video game for the PlayStation. The development of Koudelka was troubled due to creative differences between Kikuta and the rest of the staff, with Kikuta resigning as CEO following the game's release and being replaced by Jun Mihara. The company also released the NGPC game Faselei!.
King of Fighters R-2 is a fighting game released by SNK in 1999 for the Neo-Geo Pocket Color handheld system, part of The King of Fighters series. It is the sequel to King of Fighters R-1 for the Neo-Geo Pocket, the previous generation of the handheld. A port for Nintendo Switch was released on August 7, 2020, which was included as part of Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 in 2021.
Biomotor Unitron is a role-playing video game (RPG) developed by Yumekobo for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. Released in Japan and North America in 1999 by publisher SNK, Biomotor Unitron was the first RPG for the SNK handheld console. A Nintendo Switch version was released on May 26, 2022. The game was later re-released as part of Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 2 in 2022.
Beast Busters is a rail shooter horror game released by SNK for arcades in 1989. It was the first three-player light gun shooter video game. Ports were released for the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990.
ADK Corporation, formerly known as Alpha Denshi Corporation (アルファ電子株式会社), was a Japanese video game developer founded in 1980. ADK began as a developer of arcade games and is best known for their library of SNK Neo Geo titles, including for its home consoles, produced in partnership with SNK. Most notable among these are their fighting games and, in particular, the World Heroes series and Aggressors of Dark Kombat. The company closed with properties sold to SNK Playmore in 2003.
Ninja Master's: Haō Ninpō Chō,, is a ninja-themed 2D fighting game produced by ADK and originally released in 1996 for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. Ninja Master's was the sixth and final fighting game produced by ADK, following the four games in the World Heroes series and Aggressors of Dark Kombat. It was later featured in the 2008 compilation ADK Damashii for the PlayStation 2. Ninja Master's was also re-released on the Neo-Geo X handheld system in 2012, and for the Virtual Console in 2013. In 2019 it was released as part of Arcade Archives developed by Japanese company Hamster. As of 2021, Ninja Master's was released worldwide on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. The PS4 version remains exclusive to Asia but includes both Japanese and English releases.
Ironclad is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Saurus for the Neo Geo CD video game console.
Last Resort is a horizontally scrolling shooter by SNK released as an arcade video game in 1992. It was also released for the Neo-Geo and Neo Geo CD systems, SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii, as well as ACA Neo-Geo for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Blue's Journey is a side-scrolling platform game released by Alpha Denshi in 1990 on SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade system and their AES home system. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD in 1994. It was rereleased on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on November 9, 2007, followed by North America on November 12, 2007.
Faselei! is a tactical role-playing game developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. It was published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in the United Kingdom. A prospective North American release was cancelled when the console was pulled from sale. Following the exploits of the titular mech-piloting mercenary group during a civil war, the gameplay focuses on combat using mechs, with actions determined by commands imputed using a pool of action points.
Robo Army is a beat 'em up video game developed and published by SNK that was released for Neo Geo arcades and home consoles in 1991 and the Neo Geo CD in 1995.
Sengoku 3 is a 2001 side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video game developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK. It is the third and final entry in the Sengoku series. In the game, players battle against undead enemy spirits. Though initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released to Neo Geo AES (home), in addition of being re-released through download services for various consoles. It was met with positive reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release.
Super Sidekicks is a 1992 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. It is the first installment in the eponymous series and the second soccer game released for Neo Geo MVS, succeeding Soccer Brawl (1991). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer compared to other games released at the time, the title allows players to choose any of the available game modes with AI-controlled opponents or other human players with the team of their choosing. Its gameplay uses a simplified two-button configuration.
Super Sidekicks 3: The Next Glory is a 1995 soccer arcade video game developed and published by SNK. It is the third installment in the Super Sidekicks series, succeeding Super Sidekicks 2: The World Championship (1994). Featuring an arcade-style approach to soccer like its predecessors, the game allows players to choose any of the available game modes to compete with AI-controlled rivals or other human players with their preferred team. Though first launched for the MVS hardware, the title was ported for Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD, in addition of being re-released through compilations and download services for various consoles. It proved popular among players and garnered positive reception from critics, however most reviewers noted that it felt more an update than a true successor to Super Sidekicks 2. It was followed by The Ultimate 11: SNK Football Championship in 1996.
Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection is a pair of video game compilations developed by SNK and Code Mystics. Each of the two volumes contain emulated versions of 10 games originally published by SNK between 1999 and 2000 for the company's short-lived Neo Geo Pocket Color handheld game console, including some featuring characters from fellow game developer Capcom. The first volume was released for Nintendo Switch in March 2021, followed by a release for Windows the following September. The second volume was released for both systems in November 2022.
