SNK has been around a long time for a video game company. They haven’t been around as long as Nintendo, but SNK got it’s start way back in the late 1970s at the very beginning of video gaming. From then they grew, expanded, evolved, and eventually created the Neo Geo line in the 1990s, cementing their history in video games for all time.
The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection celebrates the history of SNK with a focus on their pre-Neo Geo games, many of which modern gamers have never seen. Starting with Ozma Wars (which is surprisingly good) way back in 1979 and moving up through the late 80s with classics like Time Soldiers, this collection has a wide variety of vintage SNK titles presented in one of the best interfaces I’ve ever seen for a collection. SNK 40th presents you with such a wide variety of options, it’s honestly hard to choose where to even start!
First off, there’s the games. 25 of them, including Baseball Stars which is exclusive to the Xbox One! It’s definitely a huge collection. But there’s more. Every single game has every version of each title that was originally available accessible to you. Want to play the Japanese version of Crystalis where it’s known as God Slayer? You can do that. Want to play the console version of Ikari Warriors instead of the arcade version? Not a problem. It’s all at the touch of a button or two. The interface is slick and easy to use too, allowing for quick, simple selections of virtually every option. Want the game to be full screen? Display like an old computer monitor? Stretch to fit? Everything is in your power. Hate those artistic backgrounds? Dump em for a black one. Want to play with a modern twin stick controller setup? Even that’s available on some games! The sky’s the limit here!
These games are also incredibly hard. The one option I didn’t see that I wish I had was control over dip settings. For the uninitiated, dip switches are what control your lives, difficulty, and continues in most arcade games. Want the game to be easier to play? Flip a hard switch on the actual motherboard. Done. It’s a tiny oversight, but it’s one of the only things missing from this spectacular collection. Fortunately, difficulty isn’t an issue with the Rewind option. If you take a cheap shot from an enemy, just hit the L button and the game instantly and responsively rewinds, allowing you to replay that section rather than losing a life or restarting. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but some of these titles are spectacularly challenging and virtually unplayable without this handy feature. And if you are curious about a game but don’t want to grind your way through it, there are still options for you, as you can watch run-throughs of every single title in HD, just like a premium YouTube channel. They even match whichever graphic settings you’ve chosen, rather than being static videos!
All that sounds like a lot, right? But that’s not even half of what comes in this extensive collection. On top of all the games, all the versions, all the functionality, there’s even more. A significant number of soundtracks are also included with the collection, accessible through the Museum menu. The Museum has rundowns of every vintage SNK game with a surprisingly interesting presentation format. I learned things I never knew in every single one I went through, and it wasn’t even boring! Plus, on top of the full digital history lesson, there’s a plethora of concept art and other goodies included in the Museum. It’s a historical smorgasbord. At this point, there’s no way around it. The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is the ultimate labor of love from SNK by way of the geniuses at Digital Eclipse, introducing a whole new generation to some fantastic classic games.
Not all these games are as fun as you might hope though. Some of them are just downright evil or painfully dated. It’s hard to go that far back and play things when you’re playing current gen titles, even with the Rewind function. Some of them have non-intuitive control schemes or weirdly unresponsive ships or characters. What you like will definitely depend on your preferences , but there’s something for everyone in this massive offering.
Ultimately, it’s hard to say you’re not getting your money’s worth at $39.99 for this collection. There’s enough content in this curated collection to make even the most jaded gamers take a second look. Add in some fun classics, the first console remake of Crystalis since the NES, and the rerelease of Baseball Stars, and you can’t really go wrong, no matter how you slice it. Some of these games are surprisingly good and weirdly obscure, so it’s great to see them back in circulation. The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is a collector/gamer’s dream and really stands apart from any other anthology titles I’ve ever seen. It can’t hurt to drop a few quarters, right?
This review was written based on a digital copy of SNK 40th Anniversary Collection for the Xbox One. It was played on an Xbox One X using a 55” Sony LED TV. Also, I miss my Time Soldiers arcade cabinet now…
For anyone who was wondering, here’s a complete list of all the titles available in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection on the Xbox One, excluding regional variants and console versions: Alpha Mission, Athena, Baseball Stars, Beast Busters, Bermuda Triangle, Chopper I, Crystalis, Fantasy, Guerilla War, Ikari Warriors, Ikari Warriors II: Victory Road, Ikari III: The Rescue, Munch Mobile, Ozma Wars, Paddle Mania, P.O.W., Prehistoric Isle in 1930, Psycho Soldier, Sasuke Vs. Commander, S.A.R. Search And Rescue, Street Smart, Time Soldiers, TNK III, Vanguard, World Wars