NeoGeo Battle Coliseum/FAQ

What is NeoGeo Battle Coliseum?

NeoGeo Battle Coliseum is a 2v2 crossover fighting game developed by SNK and released in arcades in 2005, with a PlayStation 2 and Xbox Live Arcade release in the following years. The game is a crossover between various SNK franchises like Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Metal Slug, World Heroes, The King of Fighters, Athena, Samurai Shodown, The Last Blade, Savage Reign, King of the Monsters, and Aggressors of Dark Kombat, with four original characters added in. One key difference between NGBC and other team fighters like Marvel vs Capcom, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and even SNK's own The King of Fighters is that only one team member needs to be KO'd to win a round, not both. The game allows you to tag your characters out for the other team member in neutral situations, meaning it is crucial to keep a low health teammate on the sideline in order to last longer in the round. Matches are divided into rounds, also unlike most team fighters.

How is NeoGeo Battle Coliseum different from KOF?

First off, despite the fact that both games run on team formats, they play somewhat differently. NGBC runs on a 2v2 format, while KOF is 3v3. There is no hopping in NGBC, only normal jumps and super jumps. Instead of rolling, there is Tactical Step, which only goes forwards. There is no backwards Tactical Step. There is no Max Mode system either, but some special moves can be cancelled into supers at no additional cost, like in The King of Fighters XIV. General combo structure is similar, with normal moves being cancelable into command moves, normal moves and cancelled into command moves can be cancelled into specials or supers, and some specials can be cancelled into supers as previously mentioned. The buttons are the same, with NGBC having a fifth "E" button alongside the SNK standard of A/B/C/D.

Are there any banned characters?

Goodman, being the true final boss, is not modified when playable, meaning he is vastly overpowered and is as such banned. He is the only banned character according to the Shoryuken wiki.

What's the tier list like?

This is Neo Geo Battle Coliseum's tier list according to SRK wiki:

God Tier/Banned: Goodman

S Class: Mr. Big, Kim, Hotaru

A Class: Marco, Iori, Robert, Lee, Haohmaru, Kisara, Hanzo, Kyo.

B Class: Mai, Fuma, Shiki, Kaede, Moriya, Washizuka.

C Class: Tung, Athena, K', Shermie, Mr. Karate, Neo Dio, "Master" Tung, Cyber Woo, Shishioh, Terry, Akari

D Class: Rock, Geese, Mudman, Asura, Mars People (and Rising), Jin Chonrei, Ai (and Rising)

E Class: Yuki, Jin Chonshu, Nakoruru, Genjuro

This tier list is NOT up to date, and seeing as the game is somewhat obscured and not too commonly played, is subject to change. Take it with a slight grain of salt.

Mar. 2021 Tier List

SSS: Hotaru

SS: Kim, Robert

S: Mr. Big, Marco, Hanzo

A+: Washizuka, Iori, Moriya, Neo-Dio, Kyo Kusanagi, Mr. Karate, Haohmaru, K', Kaede, Lee Pai Long, Tung Fu Rue

A: Cyber Woo, Terry Bogard, Nakoruru, Fuuma, Athena, Mars People, Mai Shiranui, Shishioh

A-: Shiki, Mizuchi, Kisarah, Shermie, Ai, Geese Howard, Jin Chonrei

B: Akari, Yuki, Rock Howard

C: Genjuro, Mudman

D: Asura, Jin Chonsu