Some games earn their place in history through design, innovation, or sheer popularity. Zero Wing did it by accident.
New footage doing the rounds online shows Zero Wing running as part of an unofficial Neo Geo port, and while the shoot ’em up itself remains firmly rooted in late-80s arcade design, its cultural legacy still overshadows everything else. Because no matter how good (or otherwise) Zero Wing is as a game, it will always be remembered for one thing:
“All your base are belong to us.”
What is Zero Wing?
Originally released by Toaplan in 1989, Zero Wing was a fairly standard horizontal shooter in a crowded arcade market. On Mega Drive, however, its infamously mistranslated opening cutscene gave the internet one of its earliest viral moments long before “going viral” was even a thing.
It has remained relatively prominent over the years, and has appeared in various Toaplan bundles for current gen consoles.
The newly shared video showcases the game running on Neo Geo hardware (or an accurate emulation of it) — a platform that never officially hosted Zero Wing back in the day. That alone makes this project interesting from a preservation and “what-if” standpoint, especially given Neo Geo’s reputation as the luxury arcade-at-home system of the 1990s.
What’s on display looks reassuringly faithful. The ZIG fighter still weaves through enemy formations, bosses still soak up damage, and the pacing remains very much of its era. This isn’t a modern reimagining or a flashy remake — it’s Zero Wing as it always was, just transplanted onto different silicon.
And yet, let’s be honest: most people aren’t clicking on this video because they’re desperate to revisit Toaplan’s level design.
They’re here for the meme.
Zero Wing is one of those rare cases where a game’s afterlife completely eclipses its original intent. The broken English intro became a foundational internet joke in the early 2000s, turning a modest arcade shooter into a permanent cultural reference point. For many players, the meme came first — the game itself was something they discovered later, almost as historical context.
Neo Geo revival
Whether the project ever sees a public release is unclear, but its existence alone shows how deeply embedded Zero Wing still is in retro gaming consciousness.
Not bad for a game remembered less for its shooting and more for accidentally helping define early internet humour.
But there is another aspect to this — the growing profile of the Neo Geo, a platform that continues to impress those of us in the UK and Europe with its mystique. Over the past few months, several Neo Geo titles have been released on Evercade, and a Super Pocket Neo Geo handheld has also been released.
Follow the Hoffman YouTube account for updates.
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Christian Cawley is the founder and editor of GamingRetro.co.uk, a website dedicated to classic and retro gaming. With over 20 years of experience writing for technology and gaming publications, he brings considerable expertise and a lifelong passion for interactive entertainment, particularly games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.
Christian has written for leading outlets including TechRadar, Computer Weekly, Linux Format, and MakeUseOf, where he also served as Deputy Editor.
When he’s not exploring vintage consoles or retro PCs, Christian enjoys building with LEGO, playing cigar box guitar, and experimenting in the kitchen.
