SNK 40th Anniversary Collection Reviews
A portion of SNK's pre-Neo Geo library is given the archaeological treatment in the diverse and educational SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.
Classic game compilations don't get much better than SNK 40th Anniversary Collection.
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is a great example of how a retro collection should be assembled.
This collection may not appeal to everyone, as when you boil it down a lot of these title feel the same. This serves more as a collector's piece, which isn't a bad thing; it's just very niche. As you can see though, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection does has a lot on offer. With thirteen titles from the off, eleven more coming the month after, and the various versions included, this anniversary bundle makes for quite the collection of portable nostalgia. Old games are very hard and it's important that we know where all the wonderful games we play today, started out. If you're interested in seeing those beginnings, then pick this game up and fill your boots.
This is how retro compilations should be done. Although the emulation has a few little hiccups along the way and single Joy-Con multiplayer is sadly missing, the overall package here is wonderfully presented. Rather than just slapping a rudimentary menu over a bunch of old ROMs, it's clear there's been a lot of effort made here to catalogue an often forgotten period in one of Japan's most important game developers. As with all compilations there are a few misses, but the quality is generally high, and the supporting museum mode is an absolute treasure trove for retro enthusiasts.
For this collection to be really worth the price of admission, SNK needed to dip into its more recent history, and particularly the fighting game genre, where the company has a genuine leadership position. It didn't do that, so it's hard to shake the impression that you'd be better off with a couple of the dozens of Neo Geo Classics that are available as individual purchases on Switch.
The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is a great collection of not necessarily great games. While retro enthusiasts and multiplayer fans will likely have this anthology near the top of their wish list, others might want to wait for some DLC to flesh it out.
The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection had some classics in it, as well as some games that I have never seen before in my life. The addition of the extra content was brilliant and makes the collection worth your time. If you're an SNK fan or you just like old games, then add this to the list.