If the name SNK conjures up memories of such 90s hits as The King Of Fighters, Fatal Fury or Metal Slug, then you may be a little surprised by the line-up on offer in the forthcoming 40th Anniversary Collection.
In place of its later hits, SNK has instead opted to gather up some of its earlier, and largely more obscure, arcade titles. Ikari Warriors may have been the military action game that put SNK on the global map, but alongside it you’ll find lesser-known titles like Alpha Mission, Crystalis and Street Smart.
This isn’t to say there isn’t a great selection of games here, though: Prehistoric Isle In 1930 is a great, rock-hard horizontal shooter (with a tiny plane versus gigantic dinosaurs); Victory Road is a somewhat surreal sci-fi follow-up to Ikari Warriors, and Psycho Soldier is a fun little action platformer.
All told, 13 titles have been announced so far, and the list looks like this:
Alpha Mission (arcade and home versions) Athena (arcade and home versions) Crystalis Ikari Warriors (arcade and home versions) Ikari III: The Rescue (arcade and home versions) Guerrilla War (arcade and home versions) P.O.W. (arcade and home versions) Prehistoric Isle In 1930 Psycho Soldier Street Smart TNK III (arcade and home versions) Vanguard Victory Road (arcade and home versions)
As you can see, most of the games come in two versions, and, as is common with these modern collections of retro games, the package will have a save system, 1080p upscaling and one of those happy “rewind my mistake” features.
On its official website, SNK says that more games will be announced in the near future, which makes us wonder what they’ll add to the current list. Our guess is that, with another publisher (adorably named Hamster) releasing later SNK games on the Switch’s eShop, SNK are opting to stick with their earlier hits.
We’re hoping they add the underrated Time Soldiers and maybe a dash of their glitchy-but-fun Double Dragon clone, Gang Wars.
The SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is getting a deluxe physical release, too, which adds the usual soundtrack CD and art book to the bundle; the US price is set at $65.
Admittedly, these curios from gaming’s 80s arcade history aren’t for everyone, but it’s still pleasing to see just how comprehensive the Switch’s library of retro classics is becoming. Throw in the recently-Kickstarted Flip Grip gadget, and the Switch is fast becoming the ideal venue for playing old-school arcade games.
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is due for release on the 16th November.