Neo Geo Battle Coliseum

Infobox VG| title = Neo Geo Battle Coliseum


developer = SNK Playmore
publisher = flagicon|Japan SNK Playmore (JP) flagicon|Europe Ignition Entertainment (EU) flagicon|United States SNK Playmore
designer =
release = Atomiswave release. July 27, 2005
Playstation 2 release. flagicon|Japan December 22, 2005 (JP) )
flagicon|United States December 11, 2007
platforms = Atomiswave Arcade System, PlayStation 2
genre = Crossover/2D Versus fighting
modes = Up to 2 players simultaneously
ratings =CERO: 12+
PEGI: 12+ ESRB: T (Teen)
cabinet = Upright

resolution =
monitor = Raster (Horizontal)
input =
ports = PlayStation 2

"Neo Geo Battle Coliseum" (abbreviated "NGBC" or "NBC") is a 2 on 2 tag team fighting game for the Atomiswave arcade board. The game features characters from several SNK titles. The PlayStation 2 version of the game has been released in Japan, North America and Europe.

tory

The official story, as given by SNK, is as follows:

"In February, 2017 of the new Japanese era there is a man trying to rule the NEOGEO World. "I will topple NeoGeo's most powerful warriors and put myself on the throne!" We knew that if he managed to obtain NeoGeo world's awesome power, world domination would not be far from his reach. This man, who sat at the heart of "The Warez Conglomerate" with overwhelming financial power behind him, had already set out on his ambitious path to gain NeoGeo World's power. Those who knew the truth of his intentions were already trembling with fear...As NeoGeo World drew closer to the verge of disaster, a Warez sponsored fighting competition was announced. This event is called "NEOGEO BATTLE COLISEUM".The Federal Government is worried about the situation, and has secretly dispatched its two best secret agents, Yuki and Ai. A world on the verge of eternal darkness…The future of NEOGEO World is now in the hands of the warriors."cite web | author=SNK Playmore | title="NEOGEO BATTLE COLISEUM" | url=http://www.snkplaymoreusa.com/game_BattleColiseum_story.php | work= [http://www.snkplaymoreusa.com SNK-Playmore USA Official Website] | accessmonthday=January 28 | accessyear=2008]

The name of the organization that hosts the tournament, WAREZ, is an obvious play on the word "warez"; and a jab at the emulation community, as SNK Playmore blames software piracy as one of the contributing factors to the company's bankruptcy and eventual closing in 2001.

Gameplay

The game system of the arcade NGBC, as previously mentioned, is a 2 vs 2 tag battle, regardless to how many players are playing. While the 2-player game system is similar to most tag-team systems of other games, the single player system is unusual.

The game's single play is more like a survival battle, where the player must beat enemies after enemies as long as possible. However, the game gives the player 300 seconds, and when time-out occurs, instead of win or lose, the player will face the boss (depending on how well they perform). Only at this point of time is when time out will determine the victor.

During a single-play, the rule is to defeat ANY member of the team, not both team members. That is, unlike most tag-team systems, but similar to Kizuna Encounter or Tekken Tag Tournament, where all opposition must be beaten in order to win, in NGBC, the player only needs to beat up one member of the team to win, without the need to fight the other member if the former is defeated.

The survival battles are divided into rounds of 3 battles, and after a player manages to clear 3 opponent teams, they are given a chance to use one of the three game services provided:
* The first is to gain more time. Extra time helps the player to beat more teams, which is so because the game records the number of teams defeated in the hi-score table.
* The second is to gain full power gauge. This is simply to blow the opposition away as soon as the next battle starts.
* The third is adding more life. Self-explanatory, especially due to the winning condition mentioned earlier.

Additionally, if the player loses and chooses to continue, they're given the option to use one of three continue services to help give them a boost getting back into the game:
* The first takes your opponent's life gauge down to 1/4 full.
* The second fully maxes out the player's special move gauge.
* The third adds more time.

Double Assault

Also abreviated as D-Assault is one of the new super moves of this game, when the character makes a rush attack that if connects, he/she calls his/her partner to make together a special tag team autocombo, similar to games like "Marvel vs Capcom" or "Tekken Tag Tournament". In addition to that, certain characters has special D-Assaults, here're some of the possible combinations of this game:
*Yuki and Ai have 2 different D-Assaults, depending of the leader character. If the leader is Yuki, he calls Ai and they combine their powers and transform into "Atomic Guy" (one of the monsters from "King of the Monsters") for a few seconds, and all his attacks are unguardables.
*In the case of Ai, she calls Yuki and both creates a super attack which shocks all opponents on-screen. The name of this move is "ASO II - Last Guardian".
*Kyo Kusanagi and Iori Yagami make the technique they both used in "KOF 97" to defeat Orochi. In this attack, Iori grabs his opponent by the neck while Kyo charges a devastating blow.
*Terry Bogard and Rock Howard share special D-Assault attacks, rightly named "Storm and Stream" and "Buster and Storm". It's a combination of their famous supers which have variations depending of the leader character.
*Ryo Sakazaki and Robert Garcia both make Zanretsuken attacks and later make a backjump finishing with a double Haohshokoken, when the background goes black and a dragon and a tiger (that represents Ryo and Robert, respectively) appear in the screen.

Characters

Original characters

*Yuki: The main character from this game. A Federal Agent who joins the fighting competition "Battle Coliseum" held by WAREZ, he seeks to ascertain the indentity of the ringleader, which is shrouded in mystery, and to put an end to their evil designs. [ [http://www.ignitionent.com/ngbc/main.htm NeoGeo Battle Coliseum history in Ignition Entertainment ] ] Yuki has based all his moves in old SNK Playmore's Neo-Geo games, such as indirect references to various icons of this company. Also, he transforms into 2 characters: Duke Edwards from "Burning Fight" and Atomic Guy from "King of the Monsters". He also appears in "" as a SNK character card.

*Ai: The other main character from this game also is a Federal Agent who goes to stop WAREZ. Like her partner Yuki, she has based all her moves on old Neo-Geo games. The most notable is "Neo Poke-Kun" (Neo-Geo Pocket mascot) as her own mascot and who is incorporated into her moves and attacks. In addition to that, she has her own Neo-Geo Pocket which she uses in certain attacks. Apart from this game, Ai also appears in the "Days of Memories" game series and in "SNK vs Capcom: Card Fighters DS" as a SNK character card.

*Goodman: The real final boss of NGBC. He uses a flaming whip both as a weapon, and to command a fire-like gorilla spirit (called "Saru Ou", or Gorilla King) in a manner similar to an animal tamer. Interestingly enough, he looks very similar to Igniz, end boss of "The King of Fighters 2001".

Existing characters

*"The King of Fighters":Kyo Kusanagi (in his '99 outfit):Iori Yagami:K':Shermie:Mizuchi (a clone of Orochi from "KOF '97")

*"Fatal Fury/":Terry Bogard (in his "Mark of the Wolves" outfit):Mai Shiranui:Geese Howard:Kim Kaphwan:Jin Chonshu:Jin Chonrei:Tung Fu Rue:Rock Howard:Hotaru Futaba

*"Art of Fighting":Ryo Sakazaki:Robert Garcia:Lee Pai Long:Mr. Big

*"Samurai Shodown":Haohmaru:Genjuro Kibagami:Nakoruru:Shiki:Asura

*"World Heroes":Hanzo:Fuma:Mudman

*"Metal Slug":Marco Rossi:Mars People

*"The Last Blade":Kaede (in his Awakened form):Moriya Minakata:Akari Ichijou:Keiichiro Washizuka

*"Athena":Athena

*"King of the Monsters":Cyber Woo

*"Aggressors of Dark Kombat":Kisarah Westfield

*"Kizuna Encounter":King Lion/Shishioh

Likewise, various characters from this game were exported to "The King of Fighters XI" as exclusive characters for the console versions. They are: Geese Howard, Mr. Big, Robert Garcia, Hotaru Futaba, and Tung Fu Rue. All of them maintain their moves and look from NGBC.

Bosses

Apart of Goodman, there're other bosses in NGBC, all of them come from existing games:
*Mizuchi: A "clone" of Orochi created by WAREZ.
*Neo Dio: An alien form, boss from "World Heroes" series.
*King Lion/Shin Shishioh: The boss version of King Lion/Shishioh from "Savage Reign" and "Kizuna Encounter".

Reception

Battle Coliseum was criticized for not making the storyline more obvious in the game and for sub-par graphics. Considering how far advanced the original NeoGeo games were in their day, Battle Coliseum seemed starkly behind the times. [ [http://blastmagazine.com/2007/12/neogeo-battle-coliseum/ NeoGeo Battle Coliseum - Blast, the Online Magazine ] ]

"The NeoGeo fighters have always been looked on by the gaming world with a certain nostalgic level of respect. The games weren’t as good as their competitors. The graphics were excellent on the NeoGeo, but that was years ago, and not much has changed in the games ... This is a classic late release for a previous generation platform." wrote Blast Magazine. Blast gave the game 3/5. [ [http://blastmagazine.com/2007/12/neogeo-battle-coliseum/ NeoGeo Battle Coliseum - Blast, the Online Magazine ] ]

IGN gives the game a 7.3/10.

References

External links

*jp icon [http://game.snkplaymore.co.jp/official/nbc/ "Neo Geo Battle Coliseum"] at the official Japanese website of SNK Playmore
* [http://www.snkplaymoreusa.com/game_BattleColiseum.php "Neo Geo Battle Coliseum"] at the official website of SNK Playmore USA
* [http://www.ignitionent.com/ngbc/main.htm "Neo Geo Battle Coliseum"] at the official European website of Ignition Entertainment
*StrategyWiki|NeoGeo Battle Coliseum