These must-play Switch 2 games are top of my list at launch
Of course, the original Switch's attractiveness largely came down to its stellar games lineup, and after a slow start, its library swelled with unmissable titles, ballooning its player base with it.
We'll keep a watchful eye on whether the Switch 2 can emulate its predecessor's success, but it's already storming out of the gates with its opening salvo of games.
There are more than 20 titles available at launch, and while it's sure nice to own all of them, Nintendo have a rep for stingily rarely dropping their game prices. With that in mind, it's time to whittle down our list of the best Switch 2 games so you can focus on building your library of titles.
Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma
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This action RPG blends a cosy farming and town-building sim with fast-paced combat, all set against a Japanese-inspired backdrop. The region of Azuma has been beset with a deadly corruption known as the Blight, and it's up to you to put an end to it, using your village's resources and people as well as a diverse set of weapons.
The graphics might not be cutting edge for this gen, but Rune Factory offers an engaging story, a resource-gathering system that respects your time and a compelling relationship system that sees you cosying up to certain allies before leading them into battle. Great if you're after a heady blend of Stardew Valley with slashy combat sensibilities.
Split Fiction
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With Split Fiction, Hazelight Studios reaches even newer heights after their successes with co-op titles A Way Out and It Takes Two. In this action adventurer, players have to communicate, work together and time every action with pixel-perfect precision. Caught in sci-fi and fantasy worlds of their characters' making, Zoe and Mio need to escape by braving unyielding yet diverse challenges, thrilling pursuits and devious bosses.
A perfect riposte to lazily hashed out open world titles, Split Fiction features unique gameplay mechanics throughout, meaning the action never gets to comfortable or staid, while the puzzles and enemies are as inventive as ever. It's one of the best couch co-op games of all time, and a great reason to invest in a pair of Pro Controllers to engage in the dual-player mechanics with ease.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
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One of the finest games of all time comes to the Switch 2. Featuring a fully explorable and vast Hyrule with a million secrets to uncover, players once again control Link as he garners enough power and allies to take on the infernal Calamity Ganon. That means helping out the locals, taking on its many shrines, and reflecting lasers against its intimidating Guardians. And if you get bored of that, you can go off cooking stat-boosting meals, restoring your lost memories and finding all 900 Korok seeds.
Now released on Switch 2, Breath of the Wild benefits from better performance, higher resolution plus HDR support. The gameplay is as sublime and satisfying as ever, and the puzzling is as intuitive as the best in the Zelda back catalogue. We're still not over that ludicrous weapon degradation system, though.
Hitman World of Assassination: Signature Edition
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Slip into the immaculately tailored suit of Agent 47 and un-alive your poor victims with all manner of grisly deaths too extreme for a Final Destination movie.
Hitman: WoA retitles the third in the latest trilogy and offers up the previous two games on a platter, packing 25 locations to explore and create carnage in. And that means a litany of Rube Goldberg-esque demises to concoct as the barcoded, deadlier version of Pitbull. You'll crash an F1 race party, cause havoc at a fashion show, and murderize your way through a British manor through any means necessary. Those approaches might involve wearing disguises, slipping into areas unseen, a liberal dose of rat poison and your classic Silverballers. In short, no two missions will go the same, and you'll be replaying its many levels for their variety and sheer murder-y mayhem until social services want a word.
Yakuza 0 Director's Cut
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This 1980s prequel follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima as ex-yakuza gangsters looking for a way back into the life. Like any Yakuza game, there are more twists, betrayals, and loyalty changes than a Spanish telenovela, as the pair find themselves in the middle of an intense land war within the seedy district of Kamurochō.
Central to the franchise has always been the hard-hitting pugilistic action. Your characters' finisher moves are particularly brutal, as you jump-piledrive your way through a legion of suited goons. Plus, Kiryu and Majima both deploy their unique fighting styles in the mix, keeping the action fresh but extremely taxing when it comes to boss encounters.
There are plenty of distractions to tease you away from main quest missions too, with bowling, karaoke, dice games, batting cages, original Sega arcades and even real estate and building management sims baked in. If this is the life of a yakuza, sign me up (minus the beating. And finger amputation).
Sonic X Shadow Generations
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Back in the 90s, you'd blow minds if you'd foretold a Sonic title would be playable on a Nintendo console. While the franchise has enjoyed (and endured) mixed successes over the years, we're pleased to report that Generations remains a solid outing for the Blue Blur. Not a standalone title but a remaster of 2011's excellent Sonic Generations bolted onto newer title, Shadow Generations, this platformer incorporates dizzyingly fast 3D and side-scrolling action that puts Sonic rival Shadow front and centre of his own story. Sonic Generations' levels are refreshing to revisit after all this time following a fresh graphical overhaul, while Shadow's campaign, albeit fairly brief, offers new gameplay elements with powerful new abilities, which he'll need to navigate some of the most creative and dynamic stages we've seen in a hedgehog game. A must for Sonic fans.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
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With Breath of the Wild such an unmitigated success, Tears of the Kingdom doesn't stray too far from this winning formula, serving as a direct sequel rather than the traditional blank slate that most Zelda titles are. However, it adds two major gameplay mechanics. Link can now skydive off the world's various floating islands and enter a subterranean region known as the Depths, giving TotK an unprecedented amount of verticality and tasty exploration. There are also Zonai devices, part of a building sandbox system that lets you put together any monstrous vehicle or construct to solve physics-based puzzles or traverse entire areas with ease.
Enemies are also much more refined and varied, while some of the boss encounters are hulking creations that fill the screen, demanding a hefty amount of resources to down. And while Tears of the Kingdom pushed the poor Switch to its absolute limits, Switch 2 players can enjoy a higher resolution, improved frame rates, and HDR, lending for a smoother and more refined gameplay experience. Plus, base jumping off Great Sky Island and hurtling towards the rolling greens of Hyrule never gets old.
Street Fighter 6
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A gorgeously designed roster of 18 new and returning characters is yours to master in this 2023 fighter that many acclaim as one of the finest fighting titles of all time.
SF6 will have blister-afflicted players juggling both their opponents and their characters' drive meters, which allow for devastating moves right from the outset, though over-egg it, and you risk making your fighter weaker and more vulnerable. It's as much a cerebral and tactical experience as it is a test of your coordination, muscle memory and move set.
Each fighting stage comprises beautifully rendered locales featuring huge depth and layers of detail — not that you'll get to enjoy them as you're busy pummelling your opponents into next week.
Switch 2 adds in wireless local play as well as three fighting modes. It also presents the scrapping action at a buttery smooth 60 fps, with fantastically rendered fighter animations and impact flourishes with colors that pop, much like your joints after a bout against M. Bison.
Cyberpunk 2077 Ultimate Edition
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This futuristic sandbox game was brutally ripped apart due to its broken nature at launch, but after years of patching, Cyberpunk 2077 is now a sci-fi fan's dream, set in a dystopian city full of darkness, violence and corruption, as mega-conglomerates, heavily modded street gangs and AI entities wrestle for power in Night City.
Players control V, a merc who gets mixed up in a corporate war, and, just to complicate matters, has the digital psyche of a long-dead rockstar trapped in his mind like a WeTransfer gone south. Good thing he's got a whole arsenal of tools at his disposal, including enough arms to start (and finish) a war, arms that transform into head-lopping blades, and a cyber arsenal of hacks that can topple computer systems, cars and even people.
Performance-wise, the Switch 2 obviously isn't going to compete with your i9 gaming rig running an RTX 4090, but the level of detail and graphical fidelity that Cyberpunk 2077 squeezes out of Nintendo's hybrid handheld is still sterling work. It's perfect for first-timers who haven't dived in yet as well as veterans looking for another run to become a Night City legend, as the console offers motion and mouse controls, gyro aiming, and touchscreen functionality. Plus, the bundled expansion, Phantom Liberty, is one of the finest post-game additions in recent years, with an emotional tale revolving around a hacker turned rogue and several gut-punch endings. Plus, you can hang with Idris Elba. Idris Elba, people.
Mario Kart World
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The most ambitious and best-looking Mario Kart to date, featuring an open world design, 24-player races, a free-roam mode, offroading and plenty of new raceway tricks. There's also a fiendishly addictive new mode, Knockout Tour, which apes the wildly popular battle royale-style elimination games where those who can't stay with the pack are booted off the race. Players get to boost around a huge number of tracks in cars, motorbikes, boats and even planes.
All this lovable racing action is presented in the Switch 2's sublimely smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a vibrant colour scheme that's synonymous with House Mario.
A new feature is the ability to gurn at your rivals' real faces in real time, with the use of the optional Switch 2 Camera pack. And you can capture the look on a cocky player's face when they're inches from the checkered flag before being blasted by that nefarious blue shell. With so much packed in, MKW will keep players busy for months.
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Stuff.tv
7 days ago
- Stuff.tv
How Donkey Kong went from arcade brawler to Banana royalty
Nintendo is home to some of the most iconic and beloved characters to have graced a games console, but its first ever mascot, Donkey Kong, is long overdue some proper respect. That may seem a tricky proposition when the gorilla was originally designed as oafish and dumb, but he's come a long way since debuting more than 40 years ago. He's gone from titular antagonist to beat at the arcade, to a playable platforming hero in his own right from the SNES onwards. And while he's had fewer headline outings than Mario, every time he's come back it's always with an inspired reinvention. With the release of Donkey Kong Bananza, the biggest exclusive for the Nintendo Switch 2 to date, it's a good time to look back at the key games that have defined and transformed this lovable ape over the years. Donkey Kong (1981) Looking back now, it's amazing to think 1891's Donkey Kong was originally meant to simply salvage thousands of unsold cabinets for failed Space Invaders clone Radar Scope. Nintendo then tried to license Popeye the sailor man to star in it. What we ended up with was a platformer all about climbing ladders and jumping over barrels, as you attempted to reach the top of a construction site to rescue Pauline from the great ape. The game was an enormous success, becoming the highest-grossing arcade game in the US that year, and was responsible for giving Nintendo its first major foothold in the West – long before the NES would make it a dominant force. Not bad for a game that marked the debut for a plucky young designer called Shigeru Miyamoto. It was of course also the game that introduced the world to Mario, although here the dungaree-wearing hero was simply known as Jumpman. Donkey Kong (1994) Besides home ports of the arcade original, the Donkey Kong franchise actually went dormant for a while after Donkey Kong 3 took things down the shooter route and replaced Mario with an 'exterminator' called Stanley. The Game Boy revival, better referred to as Donkey Kong '94, was more of a puzzle platformer, with over 100 levels for Mario to rescue Pauline from DK across. The gameplay would later inspire spiritual successor Mario vs Donkey Kong on the Game Boy Advance, which was eventually remastered for the original Nintendo Switch. It's also significant for being the game that gave Donkey Kong the signature red necktie sporting his initials, and redesigned Pauline as a long-haired brunette in a red dress. Donkey Kong Country (1994) A far more significant Donkey Kong revival arrived later that year, not from Nintendo but the British studio Rare. Donkey Kong Country reinvented the ape as a playable platforming protagonist who, with his nephew Diddy Kong, sets out to recover stolen bananas from the evil King and his Kremlings. A much trickier platformer than the contemporary Mario games, here you're relying on skill rather than power-ups. It's especially fiendish if you want to nab all the collectibles. What set it apart for many was its groundbreaking pre-rendered 3D models, keeping the ageing 16-bit SNES relevant as the real 3D gaming revolution was beginning elsewhere. David Wise's charming score is meanwhile as catchy and memorable as Koji Kondo's finest for Mario and Zelda. Donkey Kong 64 (1999) The Nintendo 64 was the de facto home of the 3D platformer, having gone stratospheric courtesy of the revolutionary Super Mario 64. It was only a matter of time as to when DK would make his proper 3D debut there. On paper, Donkey Kong 64 sounds like a winner: you get to play an ensemble of Kongs – DK, Diddy, Tiny, Lanky, and Chunky – with different abilities, and developer Rare had already proven its 3D chops with Banjo Kazooie. Unfortunately, while a hit at the time, DK64 is largely looked back on as a tedious slog of a collectathon. The whopping 3,831 total collectibles earned it an entry in the Guiness World Records. It's perhaps no surprise that subsequent DK games have opted to revert to side-scrolling platforming. But hey, at least it gave us the DK Rap. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat (2004) Jungle Beat is a niche GameCube release that sees you controlling DK with a pair of bongo drums, which were originally designed by Namco for its rhythm game spin-off Donkey Konga. But it's still an important part of DK's history. This was the first major game in the franchise to be developed by Nintendo in-house after Rare had been sold to Microsoft. It controversially ditched a lot of the elements from Donkey Kong Country (that series wouldn't be revived until 2010 by Retro Studios) including its characters and challenging platforming, though just getting your head around its quirky control system is already challenging enough. A curio for sure, but it's better remembered as the debut of the Nintendo division that would go onto make Super Mario Galaxy. Donkey Kong Bananza (2025) More than a quarter of a century later, DK has finally been given another 3D outing. And who better to right the wrongs of DK64 than the team behind Switch 1 masterpiece Super Mario Odyssey? Bananza is still a 3D platformer but it's less reliant on Country's twitch platforming and more on DK's brawn. You can literally smash up terrain to dig up secrets or carve your own path. There's still plenty to collect, in the form of Banandium Gems – think of them as edible crystal bananas that are much like Odyssey's Power Moons. What separates this from being a mere collectathon is the absolute delight of causing chaos as you explore each layer of this world in your journey towards the planet core. It's not just sheer monkey mayhem, either, as you can also transform into other animals with other powers, like a speedy zebra or a flying ostrich (I know, ostrich don't fly in real life, but let's not interrogate that too deeply). We've already seen the big guy's redesign both in the Super Mario Bros. movie and Mario Kart World, but it's in Bananza where you really appreciate just how expressive his silly face is. Bananza also pays tribute to the great ape's history, so there's not just cameos from the DKC family; it's also got a few secret side-scrolling sequences, Jungle Beat's ability collect to nearby items with a clap, and the DK Rap playing when you have a rest. The biggest reinvention though comes with Pauline, no longer a damsel but a pint-sized tween with a big singing voice that powers DK's transformations. The pair's relationship is surely a nod to Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope, alongside a story with emotional and musical cues that wouldn't feel out of place in a Disney movie. This gorilla's never had a bigger outing and a bigger heart.
Stuff.tv
15-07-2025
- Stuff.tv
The 14 best Mario games of all time: where is your favourite?
It's been well over 40 years since Mario – first called 'Jumpman' in those simpler days – first leapt into our hearts in the original Donkey Kong, and we've savoured nearly every moment since with the loveable action-plumber. He's appeared in hundreds of games now, spanning all manner of genres, platforms, and styles, but Nintendo's impressively mustachioed mascot has an incredible legacy for quality: his core games, in particular, have consistently defined and redefined genres, not to mention single-handedly made pricey gaming hardware into essential purchases. To keep things focused, we're only including Mario platformers here, with all 2D and 3D games considered. If we started factoring in the plumber's love of sport, go-karting, tactical combat and papercraft, we'd probably be here all day. But check out our guide to the best Nintendo Switch games for the entire Mario experience. 14. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins (1992, Game Boy) Play The original Super Mario Land is a landmark Mario game as the first one to be released on a handheld system. It's still fun to revisit today, but we'd lean towards the wonderfully weird follow-up. Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins was the game that introduced us to Wario, who is the main antagonist here, and can only be fought once Mario has collected the titular six golden coins. With an overworld that lets you tackle the various themed zones in any order, and power-ups such as the Magic Carrot, which turns Mario into Bunny Mario and is every bit as fun as it sounds, Super Mario Land 2: Six Golden Coins is an oddball classic. 13. Super Mario Maker (2015, Wii U) Play True, this isn't a typical Mario game in the sense that creation is the defining element, but Nintendo did a fantastic job of making the process fun, accessible, and totally perfect for the Wii U GamePad. And believe it or not, this is some of the most fun we've had playing classic-flavoured Mario stages in some time. The wealth of player-created challenges can keep you going for some time, and Nintendo's own quick-hit creations are loose, silly, and completely fab. A sequel, Mario Maker 2, was released for Switch in 2019, but we thought this game was at its best when you can tweak your levels on the GamePad. 12. Super Mario Sunshine (2002, GameCube) As the first 3D entry to follow the utterly brilliant Super Mario 64, the GameCube's Super Mario Sunshine couldn't help but be let down by expectations – not to mention the seeming reliance on a weird new gimmick. Yet Nintendo's creativity overcame any concerns, naturally, as the FLUDD water-sprayer – used to clean up gunk around the sunny island – unlocked great new platform gameplay elements. 11. New Super Mario Bros. (2006, Nintendo DS) Play What's old was made new again (obviously) with New Super Mario Bros, which put a modern twist on the classics for the Nintendo DS. By and large, the game stuck to the old playbook: side-scrolling challenges in themed stages, albeit with 3D graphics instead of the old sprites. But newer elements, like the ground pound and super-sized Mario power-up, helped give it a fresh, exciting feel. Follow-ups – including New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe on Switch – have worn the premise a little thinner; the first is still our favourite of these. Read: The 10 best gaming controllers ever – ranked! 10. Super Mario 3D Land (2011, Nintendo 3DS) Play It was Nintendo's task to make the visual depth capabilities of the 3DS handheld seem like more than a mere gimmick, and the company nailed it brilliantly with Super Mario 3D Land. Essentially a blend of the 2D and 3D branches of the franchise, the game nimbly bounces between free-roaming and fixed-camera segments while being a total blast throughout. And the 3D effect not only made the game look amazing, but also informed the gameplay too. 9. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010, Wii) Nintendo rarely makes direct sequels to its Mario games, but when the idea is as good as the original Super Mario Galaxy it's very much a case of more is more. Galaxy 2 has less of a story focus than its predecessor, but that means it takes less time to get to all the glorious gravity-manipulating platforming Nintendo serves up, and this time Yoshi is along for the ride. This is also a game for the Mario hardcore, with some of the later levels really testing your skills. It's very hard to choose between this one and the original, which we may or may not revisit in a bit, but both Galaxy games see Nintendo at its creative peak, and it's a crying shame that you can still only play the first one on Switch. 8. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (1995, SNES) To some, Super Mario World 2 will always be the 'whining baby' game – it's the one in which Mario is a little infant being shepherded around by Yoshi, and if he pops off your back, the sobbing and waterworks kick in immediately. Yet there's a totally awesome platformer built around it: a smart, strategic spin on the classic 2D design that feels very different, yet is just as satisfying. And the hand-drawn look is still marvellous. An updated version – technically a separate game but very similar to the original – called Yoshi's New Island was released for the 3DS in 2014. 7. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (2021, Switch) Play Super Mario 3D World was one of the Wii U's best games, but the Switch port that inevitably arrived later is undeniably the best version of the game. You get a perfect port of Super Mario 3D World, the ultimate realisation of the 2D-meets-3D Mario game design that Nintendo started exploring with Super Mario 3D Land, with deliriously inventive stages that are even more fun in multiplayer, but that's not all. The Switch version also came with a brand new standalone Mario adventure called Bowser's Fury. This remixes 3D World's assets in an open-world environment in which you're being hunted by a Kaiju-sized Bowser. It's a scrappy, fascinating little game that has you hopping between a series of themed islands in any order you like, and could give us an insight into what Nintendo has in mind for its next full-length Mario adventure. 6. Super Mario Odyssey (2017, Switch) Play Given all the hype around Super Mario Odyssey, its 7th place finish here might seem disappointing. But just look at the legendary games that land before it – not to mention the brilliant ones it just topped! Indeed, Super Mario Odyssey is another truly excellent 3D entry in the series, acting as a long-overdue successor of sorts to Super Mario 64 while bundling in an absolute wealth of new ideas. By and large, it sticks to Nintendo's 3D Mario template, but thanks to Mario's new companion Cappy, you can inhabit loads of different creatures in the world. That makes it perhaps the most diverse 3D platformer in the franchise, and every intensely weird bit of it is pretty wonderful. 5. Super Mario Bros. (1987, NES) How do you rank one of the most important and influential games of all time? We were tempted to put it up top, but on a list like this, the competition is stiff (yet so very friendly). Super Mario Bros. essentially defined the platformer template for countless games to follow, with each side-scrolling sprint delivering the right blend of challenge and fun. Later games took the design to new heights, but the original remains utterly essential. 4. Super Mario World (1992, SNES) Released alongside Nintendo's 16-bit juggernaut, Super Mario World was the culmination of the series in its classic state. It took advantage of the new hardware for improved graphics and a superb soundtrack, but also expanded the game design with fresh power-ups, level themes, and everyone's favourite rideable dinosaur, Yoshi. Best of all, it was huge, delivering an engrossing adventure to get lost in with your shiny new console. 3. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii) Play If you needed proof that the Mario platform design can be twisted into pretty much any wild, winning concept by Nintendo's geniuses, then Super Mario Galaxy is it. The outer space theme and globe-like, camera-twisting stages showed that Shigeru Miyamoto and crew could still reinvent the game, and it truly is one of the most joyful, boundlessly creative games we've ever played. Why do we place it above the sequel? Well, Galaxy did the whole planet-hopping thing first, and got nearly everything right. It's a bit more forgiving too. Plus you can play this one easily today in the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection on Switch, which gives the game an HD lick of paint. 2. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1991, NES) Play Can you believe that Super Mario Bros. 3 came out on the same system as the original game (and the weird mess that is Super Mario Bros. 2?). It's such a huge advancement in terms of gameplay design and aesthetic, and the impact was incredible. Some 30 years later, it holds up as a paragon of platform game design, with some of the most memorable stages you'll ever play and creative power-ups aplenty. Plus, it set much of the thematic tone still used in the series today. 1. Super Mario 64 (1997, Nintendo 64) Some might call it heresy to not pick a 2D game for the top slot here, but over 25 years later, we're still in awe of Super Mario 64. It not only brought the most important series in gaming into the third dimension, but once again set the template for the entire genre. And best of all, Super Mario 64 did it with so much infectious and imaginative charm that it still holds up strong today. It's a legendary game in a series absolutely stocked with them. Roll on Super Mario Holographic 8 on the Nintendo 5D MegaBrain VR... Read: Mario: How a plumber inspired today's gamers and creators
Stuff.tv
12-07-2025
- Stuff.tv
The Neo Geo Super Pocket gives me a console I could never afford
When your wallet starts shrieking and you suffer heart palpitations on seeing the price of a new console, spare a thought for those of us who've been there since the start. Back in 1983, the venerable Commodore 64 – which still lays claim to being the best-selling computer of all time – launched in the UK for £399. Similar to the Switch 2, then? Except no, because inflation. That £399 in 1983 is more like £1400 today. And the C64 didn't even have its own display. But for fans of gaming, the Neo Geo was even worse. If you're unfamiliar with SNK's machine, it began as a scheme to make arcade cabinets less financially ruinous. The Neo Geo MVS (Multi Video System) let cabinet owners in arcades and shops swap out games via carts. This saved them cash and space while keeping games fresh. A kind-of win-win-win. And having borrowed the concept from home consoles, SNK figured it could remake the MVS for the home. But rather than strip things back, the Neo Geo AES (Advanced Entertainment System) had the same innards as its arcade sibling. This meant the Neo Geo AES, back in 1991, achieved something no rival platform could, no matter how hard you squinted at your Amiga, PC Engine or Mega Drive: arcade-perfect games at home. The tiny snag: it was insanely expensive. Leafing through old copies of CVG magazine reveals each game originally cost £120 – £300 in today's money. Online consensus suggests many cost more. And even though the machine itself managed to sneak in at a penny under 400 quid, just like the much older C64, you could still buy two Mega Drives for the same outlay. Pocket change Play The result was a generation of gamers glumly staring at magazine screenshots, knowing they would never own a Neo Geo. And that was a shame, because the system was stunning. Early 1990s gaming hadn't yet been swallowed whole by 3D, and the 2D artistry on show in many Neo Geo titles remains deeply impressive. From the finely detailed backgrounds and characters in Metal Slug X to the sci-fi trappings of blasters like Blazing Star, the Neo Geo was a showcase of dazzling visuals, fortunately backed up by stellar (if often punishing) gameplay. Which is why it's great those two titles – along with a dozen others – are bundled with the new Neo Geo Super Pocket, a dinky handheld that finally makes the childhood dream of owning a Neo Geo come true. Sort of. What you do get is a gadget that looks like the offspring of an Evercade and a Game Boy, dressed in AES black and gold. The screen is ideal for Neo Geo fare. It's pin-sharp in 'pixel perfect' mode and just big enough to stop you from getting horribly killed the second you start playing. And the included games? Sure, a few of your favourites might be missing, as are some of mine. (No Magical Drop or King of Fighters.) But this gadget is Evercade-compatible, so some gaps will be plugged by carts. Purists might baulk. It's emulation, after all. Also, it's another 'unnecessary' gadget to wedge next to others on the shelf. But it's enough for me: great Neo Geo games, with an official stamp rather than growling 'ARRRRR!' during shady ROM-hunting sessions, and all for less than half the price of one Neo Geo game back in the 1990s, let alone 14. The HyperMegaTech Neo Geo Edition Super Pocket is available for $69/£49. A sample was provided for this column. I still suck at Last Blade and Blazing Star.
