Pocket Fighter Picks: Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 Reviewed

SNK has officially dropped its second curated anthology of Neo Geo Pocket Color games for Steam and Nintendo Switch.

For fans of this tragically short-lived handheld, especially those who read our deep dive into the system’s failure, this release is a rare cause for celebration.

The 10-game lineup in Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2 delivers a unique mix of puzzle games, sports titles, and portable spin-offs of legendary franchises. Many of these gems were Japan-only releases; until now.

From SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters’ Clash to lesser-known cult hits, this is handheld history lovingly preserved.

We’ve played through every game in the collection. Below, you’ll find our breakdown and review of each title—what holds up, what’s quirky, and why this collection matters in the legacy of retro gaming.

The Table of Contents

Neo Geo Pocket Color Vol.2 – A Treasure Trove of Handheld History

1. Rockman Battle & Fighters

Rockman Battle & Fighters is basically a typical Mega Man (Rockman) platformer turned into a fighting game! The game is based mostly on the arcade games Mega Man: The Power Battle and Mega Man 2: The Power Fighters. There are no “levels,” only boss battles with iconic bosses from the first 7 Mega Man games.

Play as Mega Man, Bass, Proto Man, or Duo and earn new weapons with each boss you defeat. Also, beating bosses helps you complete the Pokedex-like databank included in the game. The game is an absolute must for Mega Man fans.

 

 

2. The King of Fighters: Battle De Paradise

It seems that bending genres was SNK’s primary M.O. for making Neo Geo Pocket Color games. Besides turning the Mega Man platformers into a fighting game, they also turned their popular fighter series, King of Fighters, into a board game.

In most respects, The King of Fighters: Battle De Paradise is extremely similar to Mario Party. Players roll dice to move around the board, sometimes triggering minigames. The minigames are mostly puzzles and memory-match challenges.

The object is to earn coins in order to purchase stars. You earn coins by beating minigames and landing on blue spaces.

There are also cards you can buy that work like the items in Mario Party. Use them to manipulate certain aspects of the game in your favor.

3. SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters’ Clash

SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters’ Clash is a card battling game based on the super popular arcade fighting game series of the same name. Craft your strategically perfect deck and then draw the right cards at the right time to KO your opponent. Fight other players to win their cards or trade cards for mutual benefit.

Originally, there were two versions of the game, a Capcom version and an SNK version, each featuring exclusive cards. Both games combined featured 60 action cards and 240 character cards. The two versions appear to be combined for the downloadable re-release.

Also, a sequel called SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters’ Clash 2 Expand Edition features 124 additional cards. That includes 40 Reaction cards, which you can use while your opponent is attacking. The sequel is not available for download at this time.

4. Biomotor Unitron

Biomotor Unitron is a dungeon-crawling RPG with a heavy emphasis on turn-based robot dueling. Players control an upgradeable robot (a Unitron) that morphs into powerful new forms as you level up.

Explore dungeons and battle enemies to increase your level and earn money. The battle system is very reminiscent of the early Pokemon games.

Next, shop for or create weapon/armor upgrades for your Unitron. When you’re strong enough, challenge more powerful opponents in the robot battle arena.

Sadly, though, the game does not support 2-player battles. But you can trade items and parts through a link cable (in the original cartridge version, anyway). Besides, it’s still a very fun single-player RPG.

5. Puzzle Link 2

Puzzle Link 2 is like a slightly different, very addicting version of the popular Bust-a-Move games. In Bust-a-Move, you try to eliminate the colored bubbles by shooting bubbles of the same color. When 3 or more matching colors connect, they disappear.

In Puzzle Link, you shoot pipes at colored tiles. And it doesn’t matter how many tiles of the same color are touching. The only way to eliminate tiles is to “link” together two or more unconnected groups of tiles.

There’s also an element of gravity, like in Dr. Mario. If the eliminated tiles leave gaps above the remaining tiles, the remaining tiles will “fall” upward. This causes chain reactions when tiles land on other tiles of the same color.

In summary, Puzzle Link 2 combines tons of familiar puzzle game elements in a way that’s totally unique. We’ve really never seen another game quite like it.

6. Pocket Tennis Color

Pocket Tennis Color is really just a well-made, straightforward tennis game. One benefit it has over most games from its era is that each player uses their own screen in a two-player game.

In most console tennis games, one player’s forced to take the far-away top side of the screen, which usually makes it harder to play. Pocket Tennis Color’s individual-screen play eliminates this common handicap.

That is, each player sees their character on the bottom half of their own screen.

 

 

7. Baseball Stars Color

Baseball Stars Color is another very straightforward sports game. In fact, it’s a mildly simplified port of the original NES hit, lacking the Playoff and Championship game modes.

In any case, both the Neo Geo Pocket Color and NES versions were never available for download from Nintendo until now. We’re happy to see the return of any version of this nostalgic hit.

Of course, you can still buy the NES cartridges of Baseball Stars and Baseball Stars II from retro game stores like The Old School Game Vault.

 

 8. Big Bang Pro Wrestling

Big Bang Pro Wrestling is a severely underrated, solid wrestling game. It’s like an 8-bit version of one of those awesome N64 WWF games.

It has a surprising number of moves for a two-button game. Grapple, hold, throw, and ultimately pin your opponent for the win. You can even interact with objects.

Besides the normal game mode, there are special matches as well. In Coffin Death Match, try to trap your opponent in a coffin. Reward Death Match offers a bag of cash to the player who reaches it first.

 

9. Neo Geo Cup ‘98 Plus Color

Those who want an arcade soccer sim in their pocket-sized sport game collection will love Neo Geo Cup ‘98 Plus Color. It’s the scaled-down, portable port of the original arcade game.

Granted, it’s too simplex to allow for much play strategizing. But it’s a fun little diversion nonetheless.

 

 

 

10. Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun

Ganbare Neo Poke-Kun is an extremely obscure sim game released near the end of a dying console’s lifespan. The game sort of plays like a Tamagotchi, but with Wario Ware-style microgames throughout. Well, that plus a lot of low-brow, utterly immature, sex-crazed humor.

The title character is Neo Poke-Kun, a programmer with an egg-shaped head and bug-like antennae. He lives by the Neo Geo Pocket Color’s internal clock, whether you play the game or not.

Most of the time, though, you don’t really “play” the game. Primarily, you watch Neo Poke-Kun or send him outlandishly bizarre visitors to try and keep him happy. When he is happy, he creates hilarious microgames just for you.

This Japan-only game had never previously seen a worldwide release. Now, the rest of the world can enjoy this deeply insane title for the first time.

The Retro Wrap-Up

As fans and sellers of retro video games, we’re thrilled you’re diving into the Neo Geo Pocket Color Selection Vol.2. Collections like this help revive overlooked gems—but countless retro games remain lost to time.

From the Sega Saturn and Dreamcast to the TurboGrafx-16, many incredible titles are still only available on their original hardware. And while re-releases offer convenience, they often miss key features, authenticity, or the tactile joy of playing on real hardware.

Looking to build or refresh your collection? Browse our Neo Geo Pocket listings or sell your old video games for cash and trade up to something legendary.

Want to learn more about the system that started it all? Check out The Neo Geo Video Game System: Its Legacy and Pricey Appeal

Frequently Asked Questions:

Since we're diving into Neo Geo games, let's take a quick retro detour and answer a few burning questions about the original Neo Geo Pocket Console.