Data East is dropping five games on the Neo Geo AES+

PLAION REPLAI is bringing a Data East collection to the Neo Geo AES+. The publisher confirmed the lineup during the Tokyo Game Show 2026 weekend, alongside hands-on hardware previews covered by Denfaminico Gamer. Content creator Mr. Wright Way shared the news directly from the show floor. He also uploaded a full breakdown video of the regional box art variants. The newly announced cartridges include Karnov's Revenge, Spinmaster, Street Hoop, and a combined cartridge featuring both Magical Drop II and Magical Drop III. That is five games total.

Two fighters and a yo-yo

Karnov's Revenge hit arcades and the Neo Geo AES in 1994. It is the direct sequel to Fighter's History, a game that famously survived a copyright lawsuit from Capcom. Capcom sued Data East, claiming the original game copied Street Fighter II's six-button layout and character archetypes. The judge ruled in Data East's favor, establishing a massive legal precedent for fighting game mechanics. Data East refined the weak-point system for the sequel and brought back the fire-breathing Karnov as a playable character. The Japanese release goes by Fighter's History Dynamite, and it remains a competitive cult classic today.

Spinmaster arrived a year earlier in 1993. It's a colorful side-scrolling action game where two kids beat up enemies with yo-yos. The Japanese version is titled Miracle Adventure. It has historical significance as the first game Data East developed specifically for the Neo Geo MVS arcade system. The yo-yo mechanic was unique, and the game featured a distinct art style that stood out against the fighting games dominating the Neo Geo at the time. You can upgrade your weapons to include bombs and ice blasts, keeping the arcade action moving at a frantic pace.

Two puzzle games on one board

The collection includes a system first: Magical Drop II and Magical Drop III are shipping on a single two-in-one cartridge. Both games are fast-paced puzzle titles where players pull and throw colored balloons to clear the screen. Magical Drop II arrived in 1996, and its sequel followed in 1997 with a larger character roster and board adjustments. The series started in 1995, but the second and third entries on the Neo Geo are widely considered the peak of the franchise. The competitive puzzle mechanics require lightning-fast reflexes. Getting both on one physical release is a massive win for puzzle fans.

Street Hoop rounds out the list. This 1994 release is a three-on-three arcade basketball game in the vein of NBA Jam. Depending on your region, you might know it as Dunk Dream in Japan, Street Slam in North America, or Street Hoop in Europe. It was one of the few sports games on the Neo Geo that wasn't baseball or soccer. It featured a gritty urban aesthetic and a hip-hop soundtrack that captured the mid-90s arcade vibe perfectly. The AES+ release will feature localized box art options, as seen in promotional materials.

Waiting for the silicon

The hardware itself is a one-to-one recreation of SNK's 1990 luxury console. It uses custom ASIC silicon instead of software emulation to run original cartridges. The physical game releases will retail for about $90 each. That price is a fraction of what original AES cartridges cost on the secondary market.

The announcement of these cartridges makes me want the AES+ even more! I'm so sad about the 1 year delay due to Ai companies sucking up all the chips! The console was supposed to launch this November, but PLAION pushed it to September 16, 2027. I guess we have plenty of time to save up for the games.