SHOCK TROOPERS
SHOCK TROOPERS
Game
Game2016
SHOCK TROOPERS 2nd Squad
Developer SNK CORPORATION, Dotemu
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad is a 1998 run and gun video game developed by Saurus and published by SNK in 1998 for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms. It is a sequel to Shock Troopers but otherwise has no narrative connection to the game. 2nd Squad was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console service for North America in 2012. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
80 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Sep 3, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
55
Mixed
31 positive · 25 negative
95% range 42–68%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 31 | 25 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 1 | 17 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
33 of 58 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
55% recommend · 31 yes, 25 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 56 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mixed (89 of 167 positive).
Players praise the game itself as a classic SNK run-and-gun, but many criticize the port's technical issues. [1][2][3] Several reviewers note that the slowdown and frame rate problems are similar to the original arcade version, not emulation errors. [1][2][4] Some players prefer the first Shock Troopers game over this sequel. [5][6][7]
Liked
Representative posts
- [13]
This is one of my all-time favorite NEO-GEO games, and one I was quick to purchase. Ten minutes after buying it, I was asking for a refund. The reason was massive slow-to-a-crawl framerates, a feature not included in the original version. On a GTX Geforce 90 GPU, this is completely inexcusable. Since DotEmu is behind this, you can bet it will never be fixed. (See also Double Dragon Trilogy, Raiden Legacy, and most …
- [7]
Not as Good as the Original. I loved the first Shock Troopers, but Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad just doesn’t hit the same. The biggest downgrade is the gameplay. The original Shock Troopers felt fast, intense, and smooth. Movement was tighter, weapons felt more satisfying, and the overall pacing kept you on edge. In 2nd Squad, everything feels slower and less responsive. The fixed direction shooting really hurts the …
- [1]
Pulled the trigger at 75% because of the Mixed reviews and the slowdown is the same as original. Very easy for people to assume it's poor emulation and the fault of Dotemu, when this is actually the game they made in '98. If that could have been cleared up in 2016 then I'm sure they'd have liked to. But even full price this is not a deluxe remaster. It's a chance to play an old classic and one I am grateful for.
- [2]
Don't be fooled by the mixed reviews! This game is an absolute 10/10. The slow-downs people talk about are just the natural slow downs that happened back in the day for very ambitious games like this that were graphically intensive for the Arcade machines at the time. I used to play this in the Arcade. SNK games were notorious for being ambitious and taking up a lot of memory to run up to the point of lagging. I …
- [3]
One of the greatest hits in the gold age of SNK, great music , great visuals and gameplay. the port is not perfect but still playable without any problem!
Summarised from 34 of the 84 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 10, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked SHOCK TROOPERS 2nd Squad talk about great pixel art and presentation; those who didn't talk about frequent slowdowns and frame skips. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad for the Neo Geo was given a positive review by Classic Game Room despite being considered not as good as its predecessor. According to Hardcore Gaming 101, "Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad is often viewed as a disappointing follow up the original. Just like with Gunstar Super Heroes, Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad really only makes the mistake of sharing its name with a superior game. If judged by itself, it is really a great game and if it had been released as a stand alone with a different name, it would be recognized as such, rather than as an inferior sequel." The Virtual Console release of the game received a score of 7/10 from Nintendo Life.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 80 · most liked firstThis is one of my all-time favorite NEO-GEO games, and one I was quick to purchase. Ten minutes after buying it, I was asking for a refund. The reason was massive slow-to-a-crawl framerates, a feature not included in the original version. On a GTX Geforce 90 GPU, this is completely inexcusable. Since DotEmu is behind this, you can bet it will never be fixed. (See also Double Dragon Trilogy, Raiden Legacy, and most other Neo-Geo games DotEmu has put their imcompetent hands on). You…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad (Neo Geo, Saurus, 1998)
neutral · AI labelView post →Another disappointment courtesy of DotEmu. Persistent slowdowns and 2-3 second frame skips ruin the experience. This type of port may have been acceptable in the PSone era but this is 2016 for crying out loud. Don't waste your money on this port.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lulu from Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad (1998), has little to no Rule34; As requested by @SpaceCadetAlec
neutral · AI labelView post →Lulu sketches, for Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad.
neutral · AI labelView post →Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad Neo Geo Saurus, 1998
neutral · AI labelView post →This one was already on my list actually! #LightningEyesLulu of #ShockTroopers2ndSquad (1998). ⚡👀🪖 It's a fun little game, worth a look. #NsfwArt
positive · AI labelView post →// Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad | ショックトルーパーズ セカンドスカッド // Neo Geo // Intro/Title ‼️We must stop D.I.C.‼️
neutral · AI labelView post →The game itself is good, but there are technical issues and the developers do not communicate well with the community. Broken achievements, slowdowns... Lots of their games have issues and they never fix them or answer the community properly, leaving broken aspects eternally.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pulled the trigger at 75% because of the Mixed reviews and the slowdown is the same as original. Very easy for people to assume it's poor emulation and the fault of Dotemu, when this is actually the game they made in '98. If that could have been cleared up in 2016 then I'm sure they'd have liked to. But even full price this is not a deluxe remaster. It's a chance to play an old classic and one I am grateful for.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The good: It's Shock Troopers 2. NeoGeo / SNK is God. The Engrish is hilarious. Especially since it's audioclips. IE instead of "no mercy or forgiveness on the battlefield" "NO MURPHY OR GORGIBDESS ON DA BAH-HUL-FEEL." Or instead of "Who are you trying to kid?" "WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO? KID." etc The bad: This port in general. It's EXTREMELY laggy if like more than a couple enemies are on screen and since there will often by like 15, the gameplay is generally quite laggy which is inexcusable…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad
neutral · AI labelView post →Intro Okey-ish game, kinda like an isometric version of Metal Slug, but harder and with more elements on the screen .... Gameplay There are times when the screen is full of bullets, like a bullet hell game and if you dont use the jump button you gonna die die die!! ... Graphics The presentation is great though, the game looks beautiful with its pixelated graphics and if you like retro run and gun or bullet hell games you gonna like this one. Its an old classic from the days when SNK ruled the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →15 minutes into the game, the game trailer clearly spells out the unacceptable framerate lag. Get the 1st installment instead.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a fantastic game..truly a hidden gem! If you're experiencing frame skip, go to settings --> controller --> general controller settings --> un-tick every box especially the PS config support and Xbox Config Support.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2. Valanice (or Val). Still an early concept yet, but she's meant to be Alisea's sister. She lives in her own Metal Slug/Contra style setting, in which she fights legions of cloned mutant bugs. Still need to tweak her design a bit so she doesn't look SO much like Angel from Shock Troopers 2nd Squad.
neutral · AI labelView post →Let's make this short The storytelling took a different direction from that of its predecessor, telling a story of its own. Here, the protagonists battled a criminal organisation called DIO, with Nakatomi as the main villain. However, the same tactic was employed: the main villain demanded absolute power in exchange for not destroying everything. The presentation was highly entertaining, featuring cool, eye-catching battles throughout. You only had 72 in-game hours to complete your missions,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't be fooled by the mixed reviews! This game is an absolute 10/10. The slow-downs people talk about are just the natural slow downs that happened back in the day for very ambitious games like this that were graphically intensive for the Arcade machines at the time. I used to play this in the Arcade. SNK games were notorious for being ambitious and taking up a lot of memory to run up to the point of lagging. I think it just added a bit to the charm with some of their games. It's not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Angel from the game Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad. One of those games from the Neo Geo console that I never had the chance to play before. Good thing it’s on Switch. #shocktroopers2ndsquad #fanart
positive · AI labelView post →Its as slow as a constipated bowel movement, the audio gave out and all I could hear was an electronic noise in a sharp note so I had to turn the audio off. My bruh bought this for me and we almost beat the game at 2fps slowdown. I'd say avoid this but actually play it and then almost beat it just for the game to kick one of the players out so you can just be ubber annoyed and say "I didn't deserve this" 0/10 a monkey with greasy fingers can code better, I'd say take this scam off steam and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The fps keeps dropping and flickering, so much so that I've started to have epilepsy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SHOCK TROOPERS 2ND SQUAD
neutral · AI labelView post →typical DotEmu joint that ignores the problem once again. I dont remember that slow down back then bois
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Worth owning, but best purchased via the Humble Store (DRM-free + Steam key) release. This review is mostly a reflection of the arcade version and Humble Store (DRM-free for Win, Mac, and Linux) release of Shock Troopers 2nd Squad. Shock Troopers 2nd Squad is just as good as the first Shock Troopers game, but for different reasons. Both games allow you to select from multiple characters, but 2nd Squad boasts only four to ST's eight. Each character features different special attacks and weapon…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not as Good as the Original. I loved the first Shock Troopers, but Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad just doesn’t hit the same. The biggest downgrade is the gameplay. The original Shock Troopers felt fast, intense, and smooth. Movement was tighter, weapons felt more satisfying, and the overall pacing kept you on edge. In 2nd Squad, everything feels slower and less responsive. The fixed direction shooting really hurts the flow compared to the run-and-gun freedom of the first game. The level design also…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A bad port. I've tried playing this game on my steam deck, on a PC with a 1080 and a 970. Tinkered with the settings and no matter what, the game is stuttering and I am experiencing extreme frame rate loss. Which is super strange because it's not like this should be a demanding game. If it worked, I might recommend it - but it doesn't. I would suggest playing the 1st shock troopers. I had no issues with that one.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →𝔽𝕚𝕣𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕟𝕖? 𝔸𝕞𝕒𝕫𝕚𝕟𝕘... 𝕊𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕕 𝕠𝕟𝕖? ℕ𝕠𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕! If you know, you know. The first game had all the flair that makes for an amazing top-down twin-stick shooter. The art style, the level design... Yes the bosses were repetitive but it was a great experience... Shock Troopers 2 actually varies its bosses, but the game suffers because of that. You pick one of four (yeah, ONLY FOUR???) characters that go on a mission to save the world from a maniac who seeks…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just as any other normal review here,I'll also say this - Stuttering fps when encountering lots of enemies + explosions and stuff. And also poor screen scaling. Game must be put to native screen resolution or you won't be able to see. Bought it since I had great childhood memories of this game and wanted to support the devs.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Everything that's great about the first game is missing here, only few playable characters, no gore which by the way is the reason the first one is great. I'm not even a fan of the controls, but at least it was still fun to play, just overshadowed by its predecessor.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unfortunately, after playing Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad, I now know why there are only two Shock Trooper games – but, it feels less like it's the game's fault and more the fault of the game's title. See, despite this being billed as a sequel, this game honestly feels as though it was made by an entirely different team for an entirely different franchise. But there is one thing that stayed the same – and that's the core gameplay. You're still mowing foes down in a top-down shooter fashion, but…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought this game out of pure nostalgia but the framerate is so bad. You're literally doing boss battles in slo-mo. And my computer is good, so it's not a hardware issue. :(
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Cool game and all, but NO SAVE FEATURE, some of us have a full time job, families, school, etc. I don't have all the free time in the world to spend playing it.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game keep crashing on my Windows 10 Pro PC.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The original game is fun. It has a lot of character. Shock Troopers 2 is from a time where Japanese games featured gratuitous Engrish. It was charming and added to the enjoyment. But this.... Terrible port. Its 'look how they massacred my boy' bad. Not worth the $1.20 I paid for it! Two main issues: - The default resolution is completely borked and won't fit your screen. Taking the game out of windowless doesn't fix it and it won't let you resize the window. You have to go into the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Angel - Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad #Angel #ShockTroopers2ndSquad #SNK
neutral · AI labelView post →SHOCK TROOPERS 2nd SQUAD on #NeoGeo Super pocket #arcade it's a run & gun You can pick from 4 selectable characters The graphics use pre-rendered sprites & the action is more violent. A major new feature is an ability to ride some vehicles, as in the Metal Slug games. fire away!! ##GamersUnite #fun
neutral · AI labelView post →Quote with your art that shows a blue sky, as a welcome to all the new artists on Bluesky 💙 Angel from Shock Troopers 2nd Squad.
neutral · AI labelView post →Great game. The framerate is so miserable that it is nearly unplayable. It is so disappointing that this passed for an official release.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →https://youtu.be/ptGfN4tAYG4 Despite being a sequel, much of this game is a step back. The smaller playable cast and more bulbous visual style combined with degrading power-ups all weaken what worked from the original.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Slooooooooooooowdown. Play the first one instead. Its prettier, and overall the better game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →DotEmu's emulation is rather shaky, but this game is killer. If you can't afford these games, or don't like the poor emulation in these games, just stick to MAME or Final Burn Alpha. Other than that, this game is really a blast to play! Edit (7/25/18): As of 2018, the game is also available on the Nintendo Switch as part of the ACA NEOGEO Series.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →One of the greatest hits in the gold age of SNK, great music , great visuals and gameplay. the port is not perfect but still playable without any problem!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I never got to play shock troopers 2nd squad in the arcade back in the day but i have played a few versions since. Although not even close to as good the first shock troopers this is still a solid game and the steam version plays just fine. Can be compared with the metal slug games but you run up the screen and not to the right. All in all id give the game a 7/10 good fun but the first shock troopers is the better game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're having slowdowns try this tip: - Turn OFF Video Filtering - Play on 4:3 Aspect Ratio - Turn OFF Scanlines or set it to 50% only - Stop shooting/Shoot less when evading enemy bullets Even so, i did encounter a sound bug/glitch during the latter half of my online session with a friend where the sound suddenly disappeared on my part. Other than that it's fine, GLHF.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Shock Troopers 2nd Squad used to be one of my favorite games at some point of my youth
positive · AI labelView post →29) Shock Troopers 2nd Squad | Steam This is a pretty disappointing follow up. It feels as though nothing about the game was retained from the original aside from the core gameplay; the pre-rendered sprites are worse than the original ones, there are far less characters and the music is forgettable
negative · AI labelView post →Huh. Shock Troopers 2nd Squad instead of the more popular original? Fatal Fury Special instead of one of the later games? Alpha Misson II apparently because they really wanted a vertical shooter? Still, it's nice to see Mutation Nation, Last Resort, and the first Last Blade (haw) get some attention.
neutral · AI labelView post →Just like the first one, it did not deliver any fun. It also moves in slow motion when there are many enemies and bullets on the screen and not in a very helpful way.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →good old shooter, good game and different from first squad. Still amazing with the new contect
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SHOCK TROOPERS 2nd Squad is a fast and unapologetically arcade-focused top-down shooter that captures the frantic spirit of the Neo Geo era. Instead of surrounding its action with complicated progression systems or lengthy storytelling, it sends players directly into hostile territory and expects them to keep moving, firing, dodging, and reacting to increasingly crowded battlefields. Developed by SNK CORPORATION and Dotemu and published by SNK CORPORATION, this PC edition preserves the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ugh Ugh Ugh! OW oW oW! PAWAA UP! Ugh ugh guh, PAWAA UP! OW OW oW! The game is fun for the most part, with frantic energy and solid action. However, it ran in slow motion 50% of the time, and it crashed entirely during the final boss fight (the large nuke/missile room). Recommended, but only on sale, and with knowledge that it might crash to desktop.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's nice that someone remembers Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad.
positive · AI labelView post →Fun game. Great run and gun arcade game. Similar to Ikari Warriors. Grab this game and the first game when they go on sale. These games go on sale pretty frequently.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Bigger guns, bigger action, bigger boobs! What a great sequel lol Seriously though, if you're considering picking one of the titles, the first game is better in my opinion. It's a bit faster and the design and animation are better, Second Squad feels a little more cartoonish. But it's a good title nonethless.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm convinced that when SNK first released this game, it was done so in an unfinished or rushed state. I can't quite put my finger on why this game wasn't fun to play, but the sound design was definitely one of them. What stuck out to me though, from what I can recall, is the death screams of the enemies... they just sounded mute and weird, and made the game unsatisfying to play. First Shock Troopers game was good though. But this one, meh. Do not buy and/or play.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Also thinking about this weird section from Shock Troopers 2nd Squad. www.twitch.tv/corey_v_assi...
neutral · AI labelView post →10 GREAT #NEOGEO #VIDEOGAMES TO TRY 9. Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad If you enjoy rolling through enemy armies with vehicles and heavy weapons, you'll have fun with this overhead shooter, which is sort like like Metal Slug meets Ikari Warriors. The graphics are particularly impressive.
neutral · AI labelView post →Overall, this is fine. However, it's like the developers took the near perfection that was the first game and said, "Now let's make it annoying chaos while stripping away its unique features!" That's pretty much it. That being said, it's still more good than bad. But with the options and pure fun that come with the original, just play that one again and take different routes and explore more characters.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →ikari warriors, commando, CONTRA Shock Troopers will scratch the itch
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Angel from Shock Troopers 2nd Squad save me save me Angel from Scock Troopers 2
neutral · AI labelView post →
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