Neo. Geo.

[Eclipse14]

Figured I'd make a topic about this, since I haven't seen it appear here yet. The Pocket was mentioned in a different topic, but you can talk about it here, too.
Ever seen one of either of these systems? Do you have one? What are your thoughts on it?

Discuss.

 

[Zooey]

Never saw an AES as a kid, probably because the AES was almost as expensive as the 3DO, which is probably why i never saw one of those either. Its a cool console though. The first design of it looks very sleek.

 

[Stookymalarkey]

Only seen them second hand in local game stores. I don't recall ever seeing one new on the shelf. I never owned one or knew anyone that did, but I did see pictures of its various games in gaming magazines as a kid. I admit that they looked pretty sweet and the ones I emulated were a lot of fun. Too bad it didn't seem to catch on, I think the price might have been too high a barrier.

 

[bjork]

Saw them around when they were new in Software Etc, but never knew anyone who had one. $699 or whatever in 1990 money? Sheesh. But I think everyone probably knew a kid who said he had one but you could never come over and see it, that kind of thing. Come across several used ones over the years, but I know I'm not buying tons of games for it, probably just one of those 125-in-1 deals. If I'm gonna do that, but I'm not really a "I only play on original hardware" guy anyway, why not just emulate? So that's what I did.

I think the library has some interesting stuff, and Neo Turf Masters is forever a classic. But outside of appreciating the art in a lot of the games, I can't say I've spent a ton of time with any NG titles.

 

[miguk miguk]

The Neo Geo AES was the Cadillac of retro gaming systems: everyone wanted one, most never could afford one. And you had to go to the rare dealer who was willing to sell one (and the super expensive games). I saw one once (at some store), but never got to try it.

That said, I had plenty of experience with the MVS. Arcades and pizza parlors always had at least one back in the day, many of which were the multi-cart versions. I got to play both the Western version (stand-up standard sized red cabinet) and the Asian cabinets as well (big screens, seats, sometimes competing with someone on the other side of the cabinet). They gave you basically the same experience as the AES, but with "infinite" continues so long as you had the quarters/tokens.

I'd say I miss it, but I can play the games at home now, so it's really that I miss the atmosphere of the arcades and pizza places. Maybe I just need a glow-in-the-dark black carpet and some pan pizza.

 

[OmegaKatanaXIII]

Personally I never ever saw one in person in my life but I seen its arcade cabnet alot of times during my childhood.

 

[thanonyx thanonyx]

I heard that if you want to collect for this thing you better have some deeeeeeep pockets.

 

[RageBurner]

I saw the AES as a kid at a game rental store. I was 7 or so at the time and got the chance to play Fatal Fury 1. The controller felt like a giant slab of stone on my lap. Everything was huge, loud and beautiful, and it left quite an impression on my then developing brain.

 

[miguk miguk]

I heard that if you want to collect for this thing you better have some deeeeeeep pockets.

The Neo Geo AES cost about $650 at launch, which would be about $1400 today (adjusted for inflation). Games cost between $200 to $300, or $433 to $651 when adjusted for inflation. (I remember a few stores selling Kizuna Encounter and Garou: The Mark of the Wolves for $600 to $700.) This is why very few of us owned one.

For the record, the MVS cost about $1000 back then, or $2,243 adjusted. The MVS's game cartridges were actually cheaper than the AES's cartridges, causing people to buy converters for them if they had the AES.

 

[okiron]

I was friend with the only kid who owned a neogeo in middle school.
Every wednesday afternoon we gather at his parent's home playing fatal fury special and later samurai shodown on it. We were fighting games lovers.
Later he trade his neogeo for the 3do with super street fighter 2x
It didnt last long, he trade the 3do for a neogeo CDZ

 

[RageBurner]

I'm glad he managed to undo that terrible trade, although we have the privilege of hindsight today I suppose. I'm sure the 3DO looked impressive back then. If the Neo and the 3DO ever had anything in common is that both burn holes in people's pockets.

 

[Clippy]

I heard that if you want to collect for this thing you better have some deeeeeeep pockets.

That's pretty much the case for most platforms these days. With that said, iirc if you want to own the elusive European release of Kizuna Encounter you better be prepared to fork over a 5-figure sum. Madness.

 

[Sumea]

Neo-Geo is far less remembered by it's home versions versus the arcade game changer it was; Very future proof, surviving even to 2000's as a viable arcade platform and survived it's attempted 3D capable upgrade. only for atomiswave to replace it's place in market with few late SNK games like Metal Slug 6.

This also means that while you get the perfect, same arcade version at home as in arcade, it also meant you got mostly just arcade games and it was not cheap either, hundreds of dollars for the games. It was not consumer friendly and that is why it was initially system to rent rather than buy, and option to buy it was very limited to the high ballers who went for it. the CD system had cheaper games but LOADING times. not loading times, LOADING times.
But one very home specific title for the CD system was Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidou Retsuden, a Samurai Shodown RPG spinoff. The CD system also had a Crossed Swords sequel exclusively for it as well as Zintrick. But really, they were arcade games that just did not have a version in arcades, the only true home game that breaks the conventions and in some ways limits of Neo Geo is the Samurai Spirits RPG.

I forgot whose video on YouTube it was that talked about hardware capabilities of Neo Geo, ultimately pointing out also it's pitfalls and inflexibility when compared to something like SNES, where wide array of game types like the home consoles were enjoying through 90's was a challenge if not impossible to create on Neo Geo. It was truly a master and not a Jack which is why games outside shoot em ups, fighting games and beat em ups is a rather short list. Of course it has the run and gun games too but hardly even 10 of them.

It is a wonderful system, one I am happy to have some home arcade sticks to play but it is very much an arcade system for better and worse when it comes to diversity of it's game library. Though, Blue's Journey and such do exist.

 

[vriska64]

I don't recall ever seeing any SNK hardware in the flesh. The neogeo arcade platform does emulate surprisingly well on the psp so I've had fun with stuff like the king of fighters, viewpoint and metal slug.

 

[Eclipse14]

Interesting to hear.

Too bad it didn't seem to catch on, I think the price might have been too high a barrier.

$699 or whatever in 1990 money? Sheesh.

The Neo Geo AES cost about $650 at launch, which would be about $1400 today (adjusted for inflation). Games cost between $200 to $300, or $433 to $651 when adjusted for inflation. (I remember a few stores selling Kizuna Encounter and Garou: The Mark of the Wolves for $600 to $700.) This is why very few of us owned one.

Yeah, the system was outrageous for the period. Though, I recall that was the Gold set, and a Silver set existed for 400 (difference being Gold had a second controller and a pack-in game, which in hindsight was the better option for those taking it on). And of course, there's the game prices...it honestly makes me wanna laugh at everyone complaining about 70 becoming the norm.

That's pretty much the case for most platforms these days. With that said, iirc if you want to own the elusive European release of Kizuna Encounter you better be prepared to fork over a 5-figure sum. Madness.

More like 6. I think I saw the instruction manual sell for 50K a few months ago. THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL!

 

[TropicalFreeze3499]

Four bright buttons and two joysticks.

 

[Stookymalarkey]

Four bright buttons and two joysticks.

Lotta love for Keith Apicary!

 

[kanesha]

obligatory mention of the clicky thumbstick, the dpad killer that didn't kill the dpad because we are all too poor to have nice things

 

[Sumea]

I don't recall ever seeing any SNK hardware in the flesh. The neogeo arcade platform does emulate surprisingly well on the psp so I've had fun with stuff like the king of fighters, viewpoint and metal slug.

The Arcade and Home versions are more than less identical. CD version is bit different but the hardware is still mostly same; has likely more RAM to temporarily store the game data and such. Pinout of the actual cartridges is different between AES and MVS but there are convertors that work last time I checked.
At least when emulated; both AES and MVS versions exist in the same ROM data so you can have the home experience by swapping FBneo or such to AES bios. Some Neo Geo games even though listed more than less correctly in arcade games section need to be in AES mode for the retroachievements.

There is no real difference just the boards are different and cartridges pinned out different. This also was platform that made companies like capcom to try out the same thing with CPS/2 system for even more miserable returns as I know, though, that home platform was key in reverse engineering some CPS2 protections.

Neo Geo Pocket is a unique weird handheld of it's own though, that has almost nothing to do with the main Neo Geo hardware. Hyper Neo Geo 64 is a 3D capable attempt at upgrading Neo Geo but it was just not a good kit compared to competition it had, especially when Sega had Saturn like arcade hardware and many companies used Playstation as basis for more custom arcade hardware.

 

[dr grim]

Neo geo is the console i never heard of as a kid and discovered only through emulation.. but boy oh boy it was a neat discovery.

i still play a lot of games on it today..

Bought myself the Neo Geo mini international to " own " a part of it even if it is not like the real deal..

 

[ThunderBoy]

 

[Yukyon]

Aside from the arcade machines, the only NEO-GEO hardware I actually saw on the wild were the neo geo pocket consoles, although it was very rare.
The pocket has some great games like CvS and Sonic pocket Adventure

 

[groundbeef]

I owned a Neo Geo Gold with Sengoku, Mutation Nation and Ghost Pilots. Me and a friend would play Ghost Pilots and BS for a few hours. We ended up playing FIFA Soccer on my Sega CDX far more. To be honest I definitely spent far too much on that Neo Geo setup. Solid device though.

 

[Sumea]

I owned a Neo Geo Gold with Sengoku, Mutation Nation and Ghost Pilots. Me and a friend would play Ghost Pilots and BS for a few hours. We ended up playing FIFA Soccer on my Sega CDX far more. To be honest I definitely spent far too much on that Neo Geo setup. Solid device though.

Yeah, I would think even for it's time neo geo was likely more cost than payback for that cost, it really was better priced as arcade platform, where it was cheap, also giving cost reduced and easier path to new/different games and set out an example a lot of other companies would follow in that. I would love to know who got an AES and got their money's worth out of KOF97, maybe some to-be EVO fiends did I dunno, but generally the system cost way more than arcade experience at home paid back, people being more used to games like legend of zelda and such at home already, for fraction of the price, and more willing to get the limited versions for Sega or Nintendo at home, given the reduced price.

 

[Kremiso]

i still have an AES, 10 games and two joysticks, got second hand it was i think in 1995;
i spent the equivalent of 250 euro

i rarely play it towadays, btw every now and then i like to boot it to replay three games out of the set, Magician Lord, NAM-1975 and Crossed Swords (the first one)