Neo Turf Masters | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Nazca Corporation Saurus (NGPC) |
Publisher(s) | SNK |
Producer(s) | Takashi Nishiyama Y. Kohdoh |
Programmer(s) | H. Yamada |
Composer(s) | Takushi Hiyamuta |
Platform(s) | |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Sports |
Mode(s) | |
Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
Neo Turf Masters [lower-alpha 1] is a golf video game by Nazca for the Neo Geo, released in 1996. This is also one of the first two titles by Nazca, the other being the popular Metal Slug before being acquired by SNK.
The game was released as an arcade cartridge (MVS) and as home cartridge (AES), as well as for the Neo Geo CD console. The Neo Geo version was later re-released as part of the SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 compilation for the PS2, Wii and PSP, as well as for the Wii Virtual Console. [1] The game has also been ported to the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch by Hamster Corporation as part of their Arcade Archives series (under the title Big Tournament Golf). Developer DotEmu released a standalone iOS and Android port in 2016. [2]
A version for the Neo Geo Pocket Color was later released in North America in 1999. The NGPC version features cartoonish, less detailed graphics compared to the Neo Geo version which had partially digitized sprites and realistic art. [3] This version was later re-released as part of Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol. 1 in 2021.
Although improved for the Neo Geo platform, the game is in many ways similar to Major Title 2: Tournament Leader by Irem, because it was programmed by a group of former Irem employees who had already worked on Major Title 2. [4]
The game is a fast-paced, arcade-style golf game. Players choose from two game modes, stroke play for one or two players, and match play for two players only. [5]
Competing on one of four fictional golf courses located in the United States, Japan, Australia and Germany, players choose from one of six players with different attributes:
Name | Nationality | Skills | Drive | Precision | Technique | Stamina | Putting |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
George Spinner | Young Hero | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | ••• | |
Thomas Stewart | Technician | •• | •••• | ••••• | •••• | ••• | |
Frank Adams | Veteran | • | •• | •••• | ••••• | •• | |
Robert Landolt | Shot Maker | •••• | ••••• | •• | •• | •••• | |
Fernando Almeida | Power Golfer | ••••• | • | • | • | • | |
Toyoshige Takeno | Putt Master | ••• | •• | •••• | •• | ••••• | |
Unlike many golf games of the era which used a two-click swing system to determine the hook or slice of the ball, Neo Turf Masters uses a single click for the power of the shot, and a second for the height of the shot; hook and slice are selected with buttons B and C before making the shot. This makes the game much easier to pick up and play than its more technically demanding contemporaries, but it compensates for this reduced difficulty with fiendish (if somewhat unrealistic) course layouts and highly variable wind.
In Japan, Game Machine listed Neo Turf Masters on their March 15, 1996 issue as being the twelfth most-successful arcade game of the month. [6]
IGN gave the Virtual Console release of the game 7.5 out of 10 stating "If you're the type of gamer who appreciates SNK's arcade style and can jibe with the idea of juiced-up, high-speed golf, Neo Turf might be well worth your 900 Wii Points". [7]
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 and was primarily sold in Japan and Hong Kong. The system and all five English games saw limited distribution in the West, where it could be ordered directly from SNK USA.
The Neo Geo, stylized as NEO•GEO and also written as NEOGEO, is a ROM cartridge-based video gaming system released on April 26, 1990, by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. Designed as both an arcade system board and home video game console, the Neo Geo was marketed as the first 24-bit system; its CPU is actually a 16/32-bit 68000 with an 8-bit Z80 coprocessor, while its GPU chipset has a 24-bit graphics data bus. It was a very powerful system when released, more powerful than any video game console at the time, and many arcade systems such as rival Capcom's CPS, which did not surpass it until the CP System II in 1993. Neo Geo hardware production lasted seven years; it was succeeded by Hyper Neo Geo 64.
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The King of Fighters '95(KOF '95) is a fighting video game developed and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1995. It is the sequel to The King of Fighters '94 and the second game in The King of Fighters series. It is also the first game in the series to be ported to other home consoles besides the Neo Geo AES and Neo Geo CD with versions released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Game Boy.
The Virtual Console is a defunct line of downloadable retro video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. The Virtual Console lineup consisted of titles originally released on past home and handheld consoles and were run in their original forms through software emulation, therefore remaining mostly unaltered, and could be purchased from the Wii Shop Channel or Nintendo eShop for between 500 and 1200 Wii Points, or using real currency, with prices depending on the system, rarity, and/or demand.
Metal Slug is a Japanese multimedia franchise and run and gun video game series originally created by Nazca Corporation before merging with SNK in 1996 after the completion of the first game in the series. Spin-off games include a third-person shooter to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the series and a tower defense game for the mobile platform. While originally created for Neo-Geo arcade machines hardware (MVS) and the Neo-Geo home game consoles (AES) hardware, the original games have also been ported to other consoles and mobile platforms throughout the years, with several later games created for various other platforms. The games focus on the Peregrine Falcon Squad, a small group of soldiers who fight against a rebel army, aliens, zombies, mummies and various other forces intent on world domination. Over the years since its debut, The franchise developed a small, but passionate cult following due to its unique visuals and slapstick humor.
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The King of Fighters '96(KOF '96) is a fighting game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1996. It is the third game in The King of Fighters series, following The King of Fighters '95. Like its predecessor, the game was ported to the Neo-Geo CD, as well as the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Unlike the previous game, the PlayStation and Saturn versions were released only in Japan, with a language setting allowing the player to set the game to English. The game would later be ported to other consoles such as part of the Orochi Collection as the story follows a story arc that was set itih The King of Fighters '95 and ends with The King of Fighters '97.
The King of Fighters '94 is a 2D fighting video game produced by SNK in 1994, released on the Neo Geo MVS arcade system, AES and CD home consoles. It was the first game in The King of Fighters series; KOF '94 is a crossover featuring characters from SNK's fighting game properties Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting and also includes revised versions of characters from their older games Ikari Warriors and Psycho Soldier, as well as original characters created specifically for the game. The plot revolves around the eponymous tournament created by a criminal, Rugal Bernstein.
Metal Slug Anthology is a video game compilation for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PC and the Wii. The Wii version boasts different controller configurations, most taking advantage of the Wii Remote, with the Japanese version supporting the Classic Controller and all regional variants supporting the GameCube controller. The game also marks the return of SNK Playmore as a third-party developer for a Nintendo console since the SNES era.
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Top Player's Golf is a golf arcade video game developed and originally published by SNK on May 23, 1990. It was one of the launch titles for both the Neo Geo MVS (arcade) and Neo Geo AES (home) platforms in the United States, the second golf game created by SNK after 1988's Lee Trevino's Fighting Golf, as well as one of the two golf games released for the Neo Geo, with the other one being Nazca Corporation's 1996 Neo Turf Masters.