NeoGeo Battle Coliseum

NeoGeo Battle Coliseum (hereafter referred to as NGBC) is a fighting game that was developed by SNK Playmore and released in 2005. It features characters from several franchises that graced the Neo Geo arcade and home console systems, like The King of Fighters, World Heroes, and Metal Slug for example. Determined not to be outdone by Capcom, NGBC plays very similarly to Capcom Fighting Evolution, but with more fighters and a tag team element. NGBC was initially developed for the Atomiswave arcade hardware developed by Sammy Corporation (which itself is based upon Sega's NAOMI system which is similar to the Dreamcast hardware). It was later converted for play on the PlayStation 2.

The game system of NGBC is a 2 vs 2 tag battle, regardless to how many players are playing. While the 2-player game system is similar to most tag-team systems of other games, the single player system is unusual. Single play is more like a survival battle, where the player must beat team after team for as long as possible. The player is given 300 seconds, and when time runs out, instead of win or lose, the player will face the boss (depending on how well they perform). During the boss fight, a time-out will determine the victor.

During a single-play, the rule is to defeat any member of the team, not both team members. That is, unlike most tag-team systems where all opposition must be beaten in order to win (such as in Marvel vs. Capcom, the player only needs to beat up one member of the team to win, without the need to fight the remaining member (such as in Kizuna Encounter). Survival battles are divided into rounds of 3 battles, and after a player manages to clear 3 opponent teams, they are given a chance to use one of the three game services provided:
 * 1) Gain more time. Extra time helps the player to beat more teams; the game records the number of teams defeated in the hi-score table.
 * 2) Gain full power gauge. This is to defeat the opponents as quickly as possible when the next battle starts.
 * 3) Add more life. This is to survive longer against high-damage opponents.

Story
New Japan, February, 2017.

Although we tried to develop the illustrious NeoGeo World for many years, one man was putting his dangerous plan into effect.

"I will topple NeoGeo's most powerful warriors and put myself on the throne!"

We knew that if he managed to obtain NeoGeo world's awesome power, world domination would not be far from his reach. This man, who sat at the heart of "The WAREZ* Conglomerate" with overwhelming financial power behind him, had already set out on his ambitious path to gain NeoGeo World's power. Those who knew the truth of his intentions were already trembling with fear…

As NeoGeo World drew closer to the verge of disaster, a WAREZ sponsored fighting competition was announced.

This event is called "Battle Coliseum".

The Federal Government, worried about the situation, secretly dispatched two agents; Yuki and Ai.

A world on the verge of eternal darkness.

And NeoGeo World's fate was in the hands of the combatants gathering at the site of the tournament.

* The name WAREZ is a not-so-subtle jab at the "warez" community of software pirates which SNK Playmore blames for much of the financial difficulties that they experienced, which caused them to close down for a period of time.