The NEOGEO Premium Selection label kicks off with a shadow drop of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers

During last week’s Tokyo Game Show SNK revealed a new effort in the form of NEOGEO Premium Selection in which the publisher looks to revisit their arcade releases with new features such as online play, training modes and archival content. The image scroll teased classics such as The Last Blade, World Heroes, Baseball Stars 2 and more. However shortly after the reveal of this new label, the company shadowdrops the first title in the line…1998’s Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers.

The seventh entry in the famed Fatal Fury franchise, this title in the sub series Real Bout introduces 2 new playable characters and one secret boss (which is now playable in this new release). This new port that is now available on the PC is developed by Code Mystics who previously collaborated with SNK on last year’s shadowdropped title SNK vs Capcom: Chaos. True to the mission statement of the NEOGEO Premium Selection, this port of Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers includes online play with rollback netplay, a robust practice mode featuring hitbox data, and a gallery mode featuring art never before seen by the public.

As someone who loves having easy access to things, the mission of the NEOGEO Premium Selection is right up my alley. Although there are things I find quite perplexing. One the choice of RBFF2 is somewhat of a headscratcher. Given the SNK World Championship 2025 features Art of Fighting 3, it’s odd that this title wasn’t chosen to lead this initiative, given AoF3 barely left Neo Geo hardware. Also while the $20 dollars pricepoint is quite affordable, will consumers really pay that price for something that isn’t a fighting game, like Baseball Stars 2 or a single entry of Metal Slug? Here’s hoping the company will take a page from their pals at Capcom and crib their Arcade Stadium or Fighting Collection lines.

NEOGEO Premium Selection – Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers screens:

Real Bout Fatal Fury 2: The Newcomers is out now on PC at $19.99.

【ENG】REAL BOUT FATAL FURY 2: THE NEWCOMERS｜Trailer