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NEO DRIFT OUT: NEW TECHNOLOGY (NGCD)
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Publisher: Visco Corporation.
Developer: Visco Corporation. Released: July 1996 (Japan). Genre: Racing. Posted 17th May 2025. By Tom Clare © 2025 |
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Neo Drift Out marked the fourth and final outing for Visco’s top-down/isometric rally racing series, and its second foray into the world of consoles, following 1995’s Super Drift Out: World Rally Championships for the Super Nintendo. One of only a select number of Neo Geo arcade titles to pass over an AES release in favour of ‘home exclusivity’ on the Neo Geo CD, it represented something of a last hurrah for a genre undergoing a technological revolution at the time. Released only in Japan, it’s ideal import material, with all the menus, options and leaderboards displayed in English.
Neo Drift Out: New Technology puts you behind the wheel of three officially licensed WRC cars, the Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer and Toyota Celica, and plays things solidly old-school. Whilst SEGA Rally Championship was ripping up the rulebook on rally racers with its polygon-dominated multi-surface 3D joyrides, Visco were sticking to the tried and tested. As you’d expect from the Neo Geo, it’s big sprites all the way with the camera largely positioned above and diagonal to the action. Short, sharp stages see the player navigating increasingly circuitous routes, the objective nothing more complicated than reaching checkpoints (and by extension, finish lines) before the timer counts down to zero. Manage this, and it’s on to a new stage.
Neo Drift Out is characterised by fast, action-packed stages and excellent controls, but it's over in a flash
Retrograde or not, NDO delivers fantastic fun. The Neo Geo CD’s unusual mini-joystick controller, which isn’t always a perfect fit, works extremely well. The player rotates their car through super-satisfying powerslides, with the steering snapping back to centre with alacrity upon releasing the joystick direction. The super-sharp, direct handling is spot on, amplifying the sense of speed and the thrill of navigating perilous course layouts. These include Europe, with its tarmac roads and grippy handling, whilst Africa and the Southern Hemisphere encourage slides via mud and gravel. There are some excellent stages towards the end. Scandinavia is coated with snow, and every so often, you’ll need to negotiate ice patches on the corners and blocks obscuring parts of the road. Great Britain throws a bit of everything the player’s way, including jumps, switchbacks, plenty of competitors, and the need to capitalise on shortcuts to make the time cut. The action is smooth and looks pretty good, with the occasional extravagant building, bridge or billboard to add a bit of colour to the experience. Stages begin with crowds of cheering fans, including tribesman, which makes perfect sense for the Africa stage (mimicking the traditions long-observed Rally Safari), though looks peculiar when palette swapped to other locations.
By 1996, there’s no question that Neo Drift Out was not at the cutting-edge when pitted against the emergent 3D arcade generation, and in some areas, it was beginning to show its age. Crashes with scenery and competitors prove basic to the point of crude, and whilst the visual presentation is generally decent, the same can’t be said for the sound effects. Engine notes are dull and uninspired, a sensation not helped by the incessant loop that assaults you upon pausing the action. The music is okay, if a little ‘game show’ and unexciting.
By 1996, there’s no question that Neo Drift Out was not at the cutting-edge when pitted against the emergent 3D arcade generation, and in some areas, it was beginning to show its age. Crashes with scenery and competitors prove basic to the point of crude, and whilst the visual presentation is generally decent, the same can’t be said for the sound effects. Engine notes are dull and uninspired, a sensation not helped by the incessant loop that assaults you upon pausing the action. The music is okay, if a little ‘game show’ and unexciting.
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It soon becomes clear why Visco opted for a CD release rather than a £150+ AES cartridge. Even accounting for its arcade roots, NDO can be finished in a flash: less than fifteen minutes, with just a small handful of retries needed on the final couple of stages. Just as things are starting to get really interesting, the credits roll. Whilst it was the fashion around the time for arcade ports to feature a very tight course selection, the likes of Ridge Racer offered a significantly more elaborate, 3D racing experience with challenging AI to ensure practice was necessary to beat it. This would typically be complemented by unlockable cars, reverse courses, and time trial options to pad things out a little. The disappointing thing about this Neo Geo CD release is that, for a game with only six stages totalling a little over seven and a half minutes of road, there’s been no attempt to provide for longer-term play.
We’re greeted by a few different title screen options, though ultimately, they don’t amount to much. The Demo option and a brief How to Play are of little consequence, as on the MVS version, they roll as a matter of course. There’s the four-difficulty setup familiar to AES players, offering Easy, Normal, MVS (arcade) and Hard time limits. I’m not sure if the home setup and control pad make things more manageable, but I finished the game on its highest setting by the end of my second sitting. In a vain attempt to extract more longevity, I tried alternatives to the Celica, which is easily the game’s fastest car. With the Impreza and Lancer producing less speed, this did create a more challenging experience, purely because these motors don’t cover ground quickly enough to lend players any wriggle-room against the clock.
We’re greeted by a few different title screen options, though ultimately, they don’t amount to much. The Demo option and a brief How to Play are of little consequence, as on the MVS version, they roll as a matter of course. There’s the four-difficulty setup familiar to AES players, offering Easy, Normal, MVS (arcade) and Hard time limits. I’m not sure if the home setup and control pad make things more manageable, but I finished the game on its highest setting by the end of my second sitting. In a vain attempt to extract more longevity, I tried alternatives to the Celica, which is easily the game’s fastest car. With the Impreza and Lancer producing less speed, this did create a more challenging experience, purely because these motors don’t cover ground quickly enough to lend players any wriggle-room against the clock.
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It's rallying, so expect lots of twists, turns and different surfaces
Would it have been too much work to include a time trial or stage selection option? Not that it takes long to reach any given stage, but repeating courses to challenge personal bests might at least have provided a couple more sessions of play. Unfortunately, there’s nothing beyond what would have featured in an AES version anyway, and in addition, the experience is now punctuated by loading times. Ironically, for a game subtitled New Technology, it simply isn’t advanced enough to get away with a console release that offers no structured longevity.
It’s a pity, because though it undoubtedly would have appeared behind the times in 1996, Neo Drift Out does capture the tight-rope thrill of rally racer really well, providing the kind of immediate fun and instant challenge that was such an allure with arcade games of the time. The trouble is, New Technology is so short, that it’s very difficult to justify even the CD version’s price tag.
It’s a pity, because though it undoubtedly would have appeared behind the times in 1996, Neo Drift Out does capture the tight-rope thrill of rally racer really well, providing the kind of immediate fun and instant challenge that was such an allure with arcade games of the time. The trouble is, New Technology is so short, that it’s very difficult to justify even the CD version’s price tag.
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VERDICT"It may not have been cutting-edge, but Neo Drift Out's excellent handling and action-packed gameplay deliver exciting racing. Sadly, it suffers a severe shortage of long-term play. You'll have seen everything in just a couple of sittings." OVERALL: 6/10 |
OTHER TOP-DOWN & ISOMETRIC RACING GAMES REVIEWED
Double Clutch (1993, Mega Drive)
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MotorStorm RC (2012, PlayStation 3)
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