Beyond Neo Geo: The Niche Legacy of the IGS Polygame Master - IGS Classic Arcade Collection.
The IGS Polygame Master arcade system is perhaps not as well known as similar systems in the United States, with the closest probably being SNK’s Multi Video System known as the Neo Geo MVS, which made its way to the home market in a slightly different form as the NEO GEO Advanced Entertainment System, or the AES. I’m comparing the two because the IGS Polygame system was the Taiwanese answer to SNK’s single JAMMA board dominating arcades.
If you’ve never heard of the IGS Polygame Master arcade system or any of the titles in this classic collection, that makes sense, since we didn’t really get many of these arcades out west. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever run into one in real life. Galloping Ghost Arcade, one of the largest in the country, doesn’t even have a Polygame System, as far as I’m aware.
Therefore, the IGS Classic Arcade collection is a rare opportunity to play these Taiwanese arcade games that you might not have ever heard of. Which makes sense, because a lot of these games were released around the time when games–and arcades especially–were transitioning to 3D graphics.
Who wants to play a boring old 2D game? Well, it turns out modern audiences do, especially when they have great pixel art like a lot of MVS/AES games did. And while the IGS Polygame Arcade System technically has a bit more horsepower than what Neo Geo’s Pro Gear Spec could put out, it wasn’t a generational leap in graphical fidelity. So despite the IGC Polygame Master Arcade System boasting higher performance benchmarks than its SNK comptemporary, it only manages to provide more consistent frames than fancier graphics.
While I’m not an expert on the IGS Polygame System and its library, I would hope that the IGS Arcade Classics would be chock full of the best of what the system had to offer. If that’s true, then I don’t think I was missing out on much back in the day. I’m not saying the games are bad. They’re just good enough, with pixel art graphics that look second rate only compared to the best in the industry at the time, but still impressive to today’s standards. That said, if this is the cream of the crop regarding representation there is some serious lack in variety–and good titles.
What you get in this bundle is 6 beat ‘em ups, 1 fighting game, and 1 run and gun game that is essentially a Metal Slug clone–and in my opinion the best reason to get the pack: Demon Front.
I want to start with the good because I’m a game reviewer and a game historian at once, and these games definitely deserve to be seen and played by people. And Demon Front is a bit of a hidden gem. Calling it a Metal Slug clone isn’t incorrect nor an exaggeration. It shares a lot of elements of Metal Slug, but without the vehicles. It even has a similar graphical style–and it runs at a consistent high frame rate thanks to the (I’m assuming accurate) emulation of the IGS Polygame Master arcade system. I’ve never had a chance to play this game on original hardware, and while it is a bit underwhelming for a Metal Slug fan like myself it is definitely the strongest game in the bunch. Run, shoot, and use your companion to mitigate damage.
The second best game on the list is Martial Masters. It’s a fighter in the same vein as SNK fighters like the King of Fighters series with a four button layout. It’s a fast, very fluid fighting game that has an art style that looks a bit like Street Fighter III or a little bit like The Last Blade, but the latter could be attributed to the game’s Once Upon a Time in China-like theme. It’s an incredibly good fighting game, too. Which is rare when you come across one-offs that try to copy certain styles. And the pixel art is top notch, and could sit comfortably in with some of the best SNK and Capcom had to offer at the time.
And then the rest of the games are beat ‘em ups. This is usually a genre that I’m fond of, but the only standout of the lot is The Gladiator. The Knights of Valor series is just okay, and is just another retelling of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. While Oriental Legend and Oriental Legend Spooky are based on Journey to the West. I liked these games a little better than the Knights of Valor series, but that’s mostly because they didn’t take themselves so seriously in their character design.
While the games themselves are good enough, and worthy of checking out for those who are retro game minded, the presentation of the series of games leaves a bit to be desired. Mistranslations abound as some options have to be figured out through context clues. There’s also some graphical issues I had on some games. While it doesn’t say it’s compatible with Steam Deck or Steam Machine, it also doesn’t run on either of these devices, which is too bad because retro games are great on those systems. The games do have local co-op, and the ability to be played online–though I didn’t get a chance to test any network capability. The lack of graphical options is also a bummer, with some basic CRT/scanline effect toggable, but not much else–not even the ability to remove the arcade border, which is something I usually prefer to do.
Overall, IGS Classic Arcade Collection is great because it exists. I’m always an advocate to getting old games into a form that can be played by later generations. But I wish the presentation is a little bit better, and I fear that the titles are so niche and/or obscure that this pack won’t get much traction in the west, and therefore not likely to see much in the way of western centric updates. But it’s worth getting just to play Martial Masters and Demon Front, two very worthy arcade titles that have been obscure in the west.
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