Viewpoint

Viewpoint from 1992 is one of those games the Neo Geo showed off to prove what its hardware could do. This isometric shooter from the Aicom studio, under the Sammy banner, looked like nothing else on the market — the world was tilted into a fascinating three-dimensional perspective where you had to gauge not only lateral movement but also the height and depth of space.

It was precisely that slanted projection that made Viewpoint so challenging and addictive at once. Enemy shots came along trajectories that read completely differently in isometry than in an ordinary vertical shooter, and precise dodging required reorienting your perception. Add to that a stylish acid-jazz soundtrack and smooth, technically advanced graphics with pre-rendered elements that keep the game looking fresh to this day.

Viewpoint has the reputation of being one of the most beautiful and, at the same time, hardest games on the Neo Geo. Its merciless difficulty made it an agonizing trial for shmup enthusiasts, but that's exactly why hardcore players still hold it up today. Anyone who once broke through into its strange perspective and rhythm finds it hard to forget this original.