SNK 40th Anniversary Collection

What I hoped would be a decent collection of SNK’s early gaming efforts ended up being one of the most impressive retro compilations I’ve encountered in recent memory. While not every game included will excite more casual players, those who do have an appreciation for the library offered here will find them presented with a level of care, concern, and passion that is too rarely seen.

This celebration might only be focused on the first dozen or so years, but it’s a lovingly crafted and curated virtual exhibit that sets the standard for retro collections for the future.

While I personally already own much of SNK’s NES catalog on cartridges, having portable versions of several arcade classics that I can take anywhere on my Nintendo Switch along with their 8-bit counterparts is definitely a bonus. While most of them are gems in their own right, the actual arcade cabinets can be rare and hard to come by in the wild, especially since most titles like the Ikari Warriors series had a proprietary joystick that twisted as opposed to a twin-stick shooter setup.

Classic game compilations don't get much better than SNK 40th Anniversary Collection. Its selection of games, well done presentation, and oodles of cool features and extras make it a must-have compilation for any retro gamer.

Overall, this is a great, well-curated collection and a wonderful way to mark the milestone of SNK turning 40 years old! [Issue #38 – March/April 2019, p. 72]

Putting aside a limited amount of genres, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection includes an educational value that is unrivaled in the history of retrogaming, offering the definitive learning tool for all SNK fans.

This is how you make a retro-collection: full of extras and interesting tidbits.

SNK 40th Anniversary Colleciton is one of the greatest Best-Of games we've laid our hands upon. Lots of games, lots of options and a high level of polish to the global product makes it a new landmark for the industry.

Its treatment of the soundtrack and sound effects is evident of the grander attitude toward the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection. It shows how much care and thought went into every corner of it.

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is by far my favorite collection of classic titles. The fact that they are on Switch and available on-the-go is a major plus. Throw in the jump-in moments and watch mode on top of more free games down the road makes this a must-own for Switch owners.

Digital Eclipse has done a great job again to let us rediscover some classics by SNK. We miss some more modern games, but it still a very solid collection.

Quotation forthcoming.

It doesn’t take a genius to see that the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection isn’t for everyone. Many of the games here really haven’t aged quite as well as others developed for the same generation. If rummaging through the nostalgia of gaming history does appeal to you though, then this mid-range priced time capsule could very well be worth your investment.

The bottom line with SNK 40th Anniversary Collection boils down to whether or not someone has fond memories of the included games or at least those style of games from the ’80s. The collection presents these games in a manner that should please any fan of these titles, but there doesn’t seem to be much here to convert someone who is only interested in modern games.

This is how retro compilations should be done. Although the emulation has a few little hiccups along the way and single Joy-Con multiplayer is sadly missing, the overall package here is wonderfully presented. Rather than just slapping a rudimentary menu over a bunch of old ROMs, it’s clear there’s been a lot of effort made here to catalogue an often forgotten period in one of Japan’s most important game developers. As with all compilations there are a few misses, but the quality is generally high, and the supporting museum mode is an absolute treasure trove for retro enthusiasts.

The 40th Anniversary Collection gives you a lot to play and many ways to tailor the experience to your whims, including settings that come in handy while playing vertically oriented games. From a technical and experiential standpoint, it's an all-around great collection.

An act of love to rediscover one of the most glorious Japanese software houses, but time not always is completely merciful.

Maybe the selection of titles can be a little hard to be enjoyed by the modern users, but SNK 40th Anniversary Collection stands as an example of how to make a correct nostalgic collection of videogames.

The quality of reproduction is quite faithful to the starting counterparts, and the work of historical preservation is top notch, thanks also to the full-bodied museum full of curiosities.

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is a good compilation of SNK games, which will remind a lot of good memories to the fans of this brand, even if the Vs fighting and run&gun games are missing (find them on the Neo Geo Mini).

The 14 dated games included in the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection aren’t the stars of the show -- the care that was taken in dusting them off and presenting them is.

This collection may not appeal to everyone, as when you boil it down a lot of these title feel the same. This serves more as a collector’s piece, which isn’t a bad thing; it’s just very niche.

SNK 40th Anniversary Collection was craft with all the good intentions in the world, but that’s not enough. But the good emulation, interface and fonctionnalities don’t balance the cruel absence of many great SNK games.

I can see myself replaying Crystalis at some point, and working at Athena until I do finally beat it, but for this collection to be really worth the price of admission, SNK needed to dip into its more recent history, and particularly the fighting game genre, where the company has a genuine leadership position. It didn't do that, so it's hard to shake the impression that you'd be better off with a couple of the dozens of Neo Geo Classics that are available as individual purchases on Switch.