Next For NEOGEO MVS Arcade Machines: Kraut Buster

After releasing Razion to the NeoGeo MVS last year, NGDEVTEAM has been hard at work on their next release. While most of their MVS roster has been about scrolling shoot ’em ups, they occasionally have strayed from that precise genre, such as with 2012’s Turrican-like Gunlord.

That next release is coming in Winter 2015 and is called Kraut Buster. Taking place in 1936, “You are part of the glorious albeit infamous Kraut Buster corps. Your goal is to defeat the evil dictator Dolph Edelwolf and rescue all chicks! Play as either John “Küken” Mallone or Jack “Handsome” Rowdy.” While the game looks much like Metal Slug, NGDT also states that they have sought to include some of their own elements to it:

Kraut Buster is our first game with a 2 player simultaneous mode/CO-OP. Which is a lot of fun in this game.
The 2 player mode is fully integrated in our base engine and future games will take advantage of this where appropriate.

As there are already too many slugish games on NG, we doubled the framerate, infused Contra style gameplay into it and added some NGDEV flavors. It plays quite fresh compared to the known games.

In the first trailer for the game, that 60FPS rate really shows:

Pre-orders are available now; you can visit the main website for the game here.

Here are some specs:

Game Features (exact details are subject to change):

– several long stages with varied and changing settings
– 5-6 end bosses and several sub bosses
– 2 player simultaneous mode
– Chain based scoring system to provide a long term challenge
– multiple heights/ways platforming for more ways to play the game
– 3 “routes” / difficulties
– Arcade perfect playtime of approx. 35 minutes per run (normal route)
– Bloodpumping arcade soundtrack by Rafael Dyll
– 60fps / 60hz (runs 2x as smooth as similar games on the NG)

Graphics:

– Beautiful handcrafted true 16-bit pixel art

– large panoramic backgrounds with a lot of paralax elements

– big fully animated bosses

– tons of animation, little details and pixel love

Hardware Specs (MVS/AES cartridges):

Will use approximately 784 Megabits (exact megcount is TBD)
Full digitized stereo soundtrack
In-system software updates via USB port (MVS)
Custom made PCBs / Custom made cartridge shell

Improved UNI-BIOS/CMVS support: bootup logo and config menu is supported / insert credit via select button

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On the opinion side, the YT comments look to be loaded with complaining that it is too much like Metal Slug. Given how well Metal Slug still does out on location, I’m don’t see how that is a such a terrible thing. There have been a couple of game series that have attempted to do something in MS style, notably Demon Front and Dolphin Blue.But it is not like it is a racing or light-gun game, where we get several of those types of games per year and no one bats an eye. MS doesn’t do as well now as it used to since it is no longer a ‘fresh’ series so perhaps this could pick up some of that slack. They also mentioned on the Facebook post about this that the trailer shows the fast style of play, apparently you can go slower/methodical if you so choose, but that statement seems to have escaped the view of the whiners.

I also read someone offended by the use of the word ‘Kraut’, to which NGDT explained that this game is intended to be comical and humorous and given that they started in Germany(and a couple of the team members are German), they see it as self-depreciating humor. That won’t keep the eternally offended and humorless from complaining about something though. For everyone else not choosing to be offended, I think it is a nice direction for NGDT to take. They also are working a spin-off which will be a “top-down soldier shooting game” for the MVS but the focus is to finish KB first.

What are your thoughts on this latest NG development?