Windjammers Brings 24-Bit Pong to the Neo Geo: Today in History, April 8th 1994
SNK’s Neo Geo is nothing if not an impressive piece of tech that fans have fought tooth and nail to keep around and viable. Even years after the original SNK went under, fans have kept the Neo Geo held high in the echelons of gaming. For many though, the Neo Geo is just a fighting game fans dream machine- for others, it was an amazingly fun opportunity to play the actual arcade games in the home, for a premium of course. One title that caught a lot of gamers off guard was Windjammers, basically Pong with some additional trappings.
_Cover.jpg)
At its core, Windjammers is simply a pretty version of Pong, the game that was huge in the 70’s and still popular into the early 80’s with gamers. Where things spin, no pun intended, away from that classic title is in how points are scored. On the left and right side of the screen are the players, paddles in Pong, and behind them are goals of varying colors. Putting the Frisbee through the corresponding colored area behind your opponent earns points (up to 5 points).
The Frisbee will continue to gain speed until someone scores, adding a degree of challenge especially against more talented opponents. There are also various courts to challenge others in, each having different characteristics and challenges- almost adding a third opponent to the proceedings. You are not stuck with simply tossing the Frisbee back, instead in Windjammers, you have many moves that effect the odds of your opponent catching and successfully returning the throw.
Windjammers was available on the Japanese Wii Virtual Console till December 23rd, 2013 when it was delisted. There are currently no digital options available for Windjammers leaving interested players facing purchasing a cartridge version.
Windjammers was available on the Japanese Wii Virtual Console till December 23rd, 2013 when it was delisted. There are currently no digital options available for Windjammers leaving interested players facing purchasing a cartridge version. Check for Windjammers on eBay.
This article was originally published on Retro Gaming Magazine a gaming website I own.
I missed this game. Used to played it in a small arcade at a lake park.
Posted using Partiko Android
This was one of many Neo Geo titles I never got to experience the way they were meant to be enjoyed. I got into it after the fact thanks to emulation and other options over the years.