Christin Deville writes:
''SNK Arcade Classics: Vol. 1 includes 16 classic arcade games from the NEO GEO arcade cabinet. The menus even serve as an ode to the red and white striped cabinet, along with a loading screen that corresponds to the unique multi-colored arcade controls. The games included here are Art of Fighting, Baseball Stars 2, Burning Fight, Fatal Fury, King of the Monsters, Last Resort, Magician Lord, Metal Slug, Neo Turf Masters, Samurai Shodown, Sengoku, Shock Troopers, Super Sidekicks 3, The King of Fighters '94, Top Hunter, and World Heroes.
There are some surprises here in the graphics department, for example Baseball Stars 2 features large animated characters and constant movement on the screen. Playing this game is almost as fun as watching it. The trend continues in Neo Turf Masters, a golf game, though it's a bit more toned down during the actual game. Shock Troopers is a game that shows attention to the satisfying details, much like Metal Slug, though it's not as well known. The satisfying stuff of course means people running around when lit on fire, the intricate animation for things like pulling out knives, and individual victory poses for each character. SNK had a knack for putting in visual elements that you'd savor as you play.
The music and sound may show their age a bit more than the graphics. Nothing was particularly bad, but much of the background music was quite repetitive. For games that were usually played among the din of noise in the arcades, this wasn't such a drawback. Magician Lord is one game that stands out with its repetitive background track, but chances are you'll be a bit too absorbed in the game to notice. Shock Troopers again impressed me with an original rock-styled soundtrack that mixed a bit of urban sound to it and even used voice in some tracks. I can't say anything really stands out in the general sound department: explosions, kicks, and yells all sound like they come from a videogame. But generally, things have held up well for their age. ''
