The Hyper Neo-Geo 64 was an Arcade hardware released by SNK in September 1997. It was the first (and only) try of the company on the polygonal world of gaming but it was released too late, the cost of production was too high and the lack of support from other companies made it vanish from the market with less than 2 years from it's release with only 7 games available on that period.
Since the HNG64 was never adapted to a console counterpart like the original Neo Geo did, it's games never had any covers or labels - and I always asked myself the question: how would it look like? So, here it is a little of my Photoshop skills and a ton of imagination for recreating it with my own taste with a little inspiration on the original Neo Geo covers.
The 7 released games are categorized as 4 fighting games, 2 racing games and 1 on-rails shooter. To differ from this styles of games and it's original arcade cabinets I used a different set of colors to each one. I hope you guys enjoy it and see you all next time!
Road's Edge (EU/US) / Round Trip RV (JP) - 10 September 1997
The first game released with the board was an generic racing game with outdated graphics and very few cool effects. The soundtrack was really good though.
Samurai Shodown 64 (EU/US) - Samurai Spirits (JP) - 19 December 1997
After 3 months without a new game, SNK released the first ever 3D Samurai Shodown game. The gameplay was a lot different from the originals, with depth on the field just like the Dead or Alive series. New characters were introduce, and Shiki would later become one of the most iconic SNK characters of all time.
Xtreme Rally (EU/US) - Off Beat Racer (JP) - 15 March 1998
After another 3 month pause between releases, SNK changed the 4x4 racing game into a more complex and beautiful Rally game instead. The graphics and options still outdated but it was a huge step forward from the first release.
Beast Busters: The Second Nightmare (EU/US/JP) - 11 September 1998
For the 1st anniversary of the HNG64, SNK released this follow up to one of the pre-Neo Geo games. Here we have an on-rails shooter just like The House of the Dead but with a more complex system and better graphics. You can now download the new game from the series for Android/iOS.
Samurai Shodown 64: Warrior's Rage (EU/US) - Samurai Spirits 2: Asura Zanmaden (JP)
16 October 1998
Throwing away the 3D depth of field from the first game, SNK decided to simplify the gameplay mechanics and produced something closer to the original Neo Geo games - yet far away from it's original quality. Not to confuse with the game "Samurai Shodown: Warrior's Rage" released on PlayStation, which is a follow-up.
Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition (EU/US) - Garou Densetsu Wild Ambition (JP)
28 January 1999
3D Remake of the first Fatal Fury game with new characters and a modified plot. It was the only game released on the HNG64 that received an console port on the PlayStation later that year.
Buriki One - 21 May 1999
The last game of the HNG64 was a martial arts game more realistic than SNK usual asset. The game is set on a 1999 Tokyo which is part of the same universe of the Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury and Savage Reign series. Mr. Karate II (Ryo Sakazaki) makes an appearance as a playable character. The game was suppose to be released on PlayStation but it was cancelled.
