Questions for Neo Geo owners

[ckrtech]

I think Atari Age is one of the best places to ask these questions due to the friendliness of those I have encountered here so far. I thought about jumping in on Neo Geo (I'm a member)...but perhaps things would be a bit one-sided there in regard to Neo Geo.

 

I have some questions regarding the Neo Geo (home) system - specifically collecting the Neo Geo system.

 

I consider myself a collector of nearly all systems. Do I own all systems? I am nowhere close. One system that has never quite made it to my list (but has been considered) is the Neo Geo. It sure is expensive to collect - or at least it was the last time I checked.

 

Please feel free to jump in and comment if you have owned or still own a Neo Geo. I am interested in opinions from all of you that have had experience.

 

Here are my questions

 

Which system do/did you own (AES, CD, revision...etc)

How much did you pay for it?

Where did you get it? (bought it new, got it from ebay/other users here)

If you were to pick one up today, where is the best place? Is ebay over the average cost or about right?

Were you happy you bought it? Did you overpay?

Would you recommend that someone collect it?

Do you have any hardware/software warnings? (i.e. Don't get X revision! Don't get X type of controller! Make sure the power supply isn't ___. etc..etc...)

 

Thanks everyone.

[DragonmasterDan]

I think Atari Age is one of the best places to ask these questions due to the friendliness of those I have encountered here so far. I thought about jumping in on Neo Geo (I'm a member)...but perhaps things would be a bit one-sided there in regard to Neo Geo.

 

I have some questions regarding the Neo Geo (home) system - specifically collecting the Neo Geo system.

 

I consider myself a collector of nearly all systems. Do I own all systems? I am nowhere close. One system that has never quite made it to my list (but has been considered) is the Neo Geo. It sure is expensive to collect - or at least it was the last time I checked.

 

Please feel free to jump in and comment if you have owned or still own a Neo Geo. I am interested in opinions from all of you that have had experience.

 

Here are my questions

 

Which system do/did you own (AES, CD, revision...etc)

How much did you pay for it?

Where did you get it? (bought it new, got it from ebay/other users here)

If you were to pick one up today, where is the best place? Is ebay over the average cost or about right?

Were you happy you bought it? Did you overpay?

Would you recommend that someone collect it?

Do you have any hardware/software warnings? (i.e. Don't get X revision! Don't get X type of controller! Make sure the power supply isn't ___. etc..etc...)

 

Thanks everyone.

 

I'm much the same way, I have almost every post crash system/platform (not necessarily every variation) with a wide release in the US that isn't current gen with the exception of the Laseractive, Amiga CD32 and Gizmondo.

 

Anyway, I own an AES (I also have an MVS four slot but that isn't really a console)

I purchased my AES from Funcoland in the mid 90s when they were clearing out the few Neo Geo items they had available at the time since they had quit buying back Neo Geo stuff. I think I paid under 100.00 for the system with a joystick.

If you were looking today it depends, I'd recommend checking the Neo Geo boards for a good deal and ebay as well. You also have to decide whether or not you want a Japanese system, a US system, or a system with a modded BIOS. Since I collect personally I own (and would want) a US model AES since it's far less common than a Japanese system. However Japanese AES's are in far greater supply even though the price difference between the two is minor.

I'm absolutely happy I bought it and no I didn't overpay (see earlier).

And absolutely I would recommend someone to collect it, it is THE collectable system. It's great. It has a completely premium feel to it.

The Neo Geo pads originally designed for the CD systems (but work for the AES) are kinda lousy, the Neo Geo CD has an infamously terrible loading time problem, I mean terrible, look up Neo Geo CD on youtube to see what I mean. They're not very collectable and apparently they do wear out over time. As far as games go, the system is fighting game central, there are a lot of games that are other genres on the system, but by around 1995 it was mostly fighting games, a few puzzle titles and the metal slugs (and a few other odd games here and there) on the AES. So most of the other genres (sports, action etc) are older games.

[fdurso224]

I think Atari Age is one of the best places to ask these questions due to the friendliness of those I have encountered here so far. I thought about jumping in on Neo Geo (I'm a member)...but perhaps things would be a bit one-sided there in regard to Neo Geo.

 

I have some questions regarding the Neo Geo (home) system - specifically collecting the Neo Geo system.

 

I consider myself a collector of nearly all systems. Do I own all systems? I am nowhere close. One system that has never quite made it to my list (but has been considered) is the Neo Geo. It sure is expensive to collect - or at least it was the last time I checked.

 

Please feel free to jump in and comment if you have owned or still own a Neo Geo. I am interested in opinions from all of you that have had experience.

 

Here are my questions

 

Which system do/did you own (AES, CD, revision...etc)

How much did you pay for it?

Where did you get it? (bought it new, got it from ebay/other users here)

If you were to pick one up today, where is the best place? Is ebay over the average cost or about right?

Were you happy you bought it? Did you overpay?

Would you recommend that someone collect it?

Do you have any hardware/software warnings? (i.e. Don't get X revision! Don't get X type of controller! Make sure the power supply isn't ___. etc..etc...)

 

Thanks everyone.

 

 

Hi Ckrtech:

 

I'm a huge Neo-Geo Collecter & Buff and I'll be more then Glad to answer your questions.

 

1. I have all the SNK Neo-Geo Consoles out there. 4 AES (American, Japanese Korean), CD (3 Front & 2 Tops), 3 CDZ, 4 Pockets.

2. I paid $189 for 2 AES, $199 for a boxed CD, & $330 for a boxed CDZ Console.The rest were from ebay, I can't remember the price unfortunately.

3.I purchase two of my Neo-Geo consoles from Mad-Gear.com, and Neo-Geo.com (Shawn the Owner). Neo-Geo.com I highly recommend for all your SNK Needs. No Counterfeit, or Cheap SWAP MVS-to-AES Conversions from his site.

4. I was Certainly pleased with all my purchases regardless of what model. As for overprice? Not really (at the time), I would try to stay away from Sellers from Southeast Asia (Like Hong-Kong, Thailand, or even Singapore) they have a iffy reputation of conning potential buyers with their pricing & mail rates! Japan has sweet deals for SNK Consoles, the EMS shipping is your best bet, but its pricing is below par "Note with Caution"!

5. Would I recommend collecting Neo-Geo? "Surely I Would", to the fullest degree! However, be prepared to take years to build a sizable collection. Plus, the cost will be "Astronomical". Both Japanese, American, & European titles will vary depending on your title & modding your Neo will be costly as well. You can modd your Neo-Geo by a professional for $125 for normal TV or HDTV Televisions for $400 or more. I would start with the basics for your Neo-Geo Software after you purchase your console like Magician Lord (American), Fatal Fury (American), Samarai Showdown (Japanese). You'll be able to pick them up for $20-45 bucks (Depending on condition) I recommend to take gradual steps for Neo-Geo Collecting!

6. Any Soft/Hardware issue? Not that I know of. SNK Products have a fine reputation to last, no hassles here..

 

Well Ckrtech, hopes this helps, if you need more service, please feel free to ask, I spend years & thousands on my collection, and once you have a Neo, regardless of what console it is, the endeavors truly starts to take off with your collection.

 

Anthony.....

Edited December 7, 2007 by fdurso224

[bust3dstr8]

You might want to look into getting a nice Sanwa or Happ stick made for your Neo.

IMHO nothin beats the feal of arcade parts.

[Tempest]

I have a Neo Geo MVS (arcade version of the AES), but I did collect AES stuff for awhile. I have a few words of advice:

 

1. Check out Neo-Geo.com, it's like the Neo Geo version of AA

2. Unless you've got deep pockets or are really concerned about looks, you might want to stick with Japanese versions of games. They tend to be far cheaper, and will play in English on your AES (I believe the language is all determined in the BIOS). There are also several Japanese AES exclusives that were never released in the US.

3. Don't expect to amass a huge collection quickly. Even the Combat of Neo Geo games (Samurari Shodown) goes for around $35.

4. If you ever get into buying the really expensive games, watch out for fakes and conversions. Sadly counterfitting is quite rampant in the high end Neo Geo collectos market.

5. If you just want to play the games and don't care about collecting, you might want to consider going MVS. The MVS carts are the exact same games sans the nice boxes. You can make replacement boxes for the MVS games as well.

 

Tempest

[Atari5200]

I have a Neo CD top loader and probably soon MVS 4 slot. If you have the room, MVS is probably the way to go as the games are dirt cheap it seems, games that go for hundreds if not thousands of dollars on the AES go for $20 on MVS, plus CD games were only made up until I think '99 so that system is limited. I love my Neo CD, there are a ton of games that only load the first initial load, but for games like KOF and RBFFS, the loads can sometimes be pretty cumbersome, but there's options to help with that.

[christianscott27]

I found mine (AES) in a thrift with 6 games for something like $30. In all honesty if you never went online and read all the hype its not really much of a big deal. Its somewhere between the SNES and N64 in terms of the way the games look, I think it boils down to how much you appreciate Neo-Geo's signature game style. To each his own but for my money you could get your exotic game fix with say a Japanese Saturn for a lot less money.

[Tempest]

I found mine (AES) in a thrift with 6 games for something like $30. In all honesty if you never went online and read all the hype its not really much of a big deal. Its somewhere between the SNES and N64 in terms of the way the games look, I think it boils down to how much you appreciate Neo-Geo's signature game style. To each his own but for my money you could get your exotic game fix with say a Japanese Saturn for a lot less money.

 

I think it also depends on if you grew up with the Neo Geo arcade games. In my area I think there was one arcade that had a MVS machine, so I didn't see any of the fighting games until much later in life. However I hear that King of Fighters was huge in some areas, so if you grew up playing it you might get a kick out of being able to play the exact same game at home. Many of the games haven't aged well however. I tried playing Sengoku the other day and it was almost painful...

 

MAME and the Wii have started taking some of the wind of the Neo Geo's sails however. Still, it's got the most rabid and loyal fan base I've ever seen. Neo Geo collectors make Jaguar collectors look sane.

 

Tempest

[Giltygear]

just get an MVS... buy a cab, consolize it, whatever... its cheaper and a lot more fun to day that youre playing an actual arcade game in your living room

[Atari5200]

see, the Neo Geo came out when? How long BEFORE the Saturn? The appreciation is just how pushed this system was compared to other systems of it's time. The AES I believe had it's last game produced in 2003, that's a hell of a run. And in terms of 2d produced games way ahead of it's time and still could compete with the current systems even in the new century. The Neo has such a good rate of good games, I think the Neo probably has the least amount of stinker games of any system. And it's amazing what SNK was able to do with basically a beefed up Genesis all the way up until 2003. That's what I see in the Neo and why I love it so much. No system in my opinion has been pushed to it's limits like an AES or MVS.

[Tempest]

see, the Neo Geo came out when? How long BEFORE the Saturn?

 

About 4 years (90 on the Neo Geo and 94 on the Saturn).

 

Tempest

[+Psionic]

just get an MVS... buy a cab, consolize it, whatever... its cheaper and a lot more fun to day that youre playing an actual arcade game in your living room

I never understood why people do that (consolize an MVS cab). Yeah, I know, a cabinet takes up space...but do you want to play arcade games or not? The cabinet is part of the experience. We have some people building cabinets so they can make a MAME machine and yet others who are consolizing their MVS. Insanity I tell you. :!:

[+remowilliams]

We have some people building cabinets so they can make a MAME machine and yet others who are consolizing their MVS. Insanity I tell you. :!:

Well I wanted a nice small consolized Neo Geo because I wanted a nice small AES console alternative. You know, the fun without the billion dollar game price tag.

 

[fdurso224]

see, the Neo Geo came out when? How long BEFORE the Saturn? The appreciation is just how pushed this system was compared to other systems of it's time. The AES I believe had it's last game produced in 2003, that's a hell of a run. And in terms of 2d produced games way ahead of it's time and still could compete with the current systems even in the new century. The Neo has such a good rate of good games, I think the Neo probably has the least amount of stinker games of any system. And it's amazing what SNK was able to do with basically a beefed up Genesis all the way up until 2003. That's what I see in the Neo and why I love it so much. No system in my opinion has been pushed to it's limits like an AES or MVS.

 

2004 Actually. Samarai Showdown V Special was the last.

[fdurso224]

see, the Neo Geo came out when? How long BEFORE the Saturn?

 

About 4 years (90 on the Neo Geo and 94 on the Saturn).

 

Tempest

It was shown in 1989 at the Tokyo Gaming Show and was a rental system exclusive only. Then public in 1990.

 

Anthony.....

[ckrtech]

Thanks for all of the information, guys. I should have thanked you sooner - things got pretty busy around here for a couple of days.

 

I'll definitely have to let the community know if I start officially pursuing Neo Geo. I'd probably have to wait until after Christmas at the least so my family can actually get gifts from me this Christmas....

[kevincal]

For the money it costs, I was expecting more from the mighty Neo Geo AES... Sure, the 2d graphics are killer and the sound rocks most of the time. But too many of the games are too hard/too short/too weird/too expensive/bad controls... etc. What percentage of Neo Geo games are fighting games anyway? Probably atleast 50%...

[fdurso224]

For the money it costs, I was expecting more from the mighty Neo Geo AES... Sure, the 2d graphics are killer and the sound rocks most of the time. But too many of the games are too hard/too short/too weird/too expensive/bad controls... etc. What percentage of Neo Geo games are fighting games anyway? Probably atleast 50%...

 

75% to be precise!

 

Anthony....

[kevincal]

That's incredible...lol.

[MaximRecoil]

And it's amazing what SNK was able to do with basically a beefed up Genesis all the way up until 2003.

 

The Genesis is not even in the same league as the NeoGeo MVS/AES hardware, and neither is the SNES. You'd need something along the lines of a Sony Playstation to equal the 2D capabilities of the NeoGeo. Take a look at e.g., "SVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcom" and compare it to the SFII ports that were done for the Genesis and SNES.

 

The NeoGeo was arcade hardware released in 1990, while the Genesis was console hardware released in 1988. Remember, we didn't get arcade-quality ports of the Street Fighter games until the Playstation came along in 1995, which is something the NeoGeo was more than capable of all along. The NeoGeo is more powerful than Capcom's CPS-1 arcade hardware (released in 1988), which the original SFII ran on. Both the Genesis and the SNES were a good deal less powerful than Capcom's CPS-1 hardware, as evidenced by their respective ports of SFII.

[Atari5200]

but if i'm not mistaken and my reason for the Genesis reference is that they used the same processor, 680000 I believe?? I may be wrong, going by memory on something I think i read maybe a couple years ago, but the Neo had other support as well, but still, even the PS1 can't compare to the Neo as far as 2d, PS1 2d games are terrible for the most part, like Xmen vs. SF and the games after, hell Marevel vs SF isn't even tag team like it was meant to be.

 

And Kevincal what games are you playing with crappy controls? I have yet to play a game with crappy controls? or are too hard? All the games I have you can turn the difficulty down. Are they SNK games? I think the only game I have not made by SNK is Puzzle Bobble, SNK were some amazing programmers in my opinion.

[MFH1017]

I think Atari Age is one of the best places to ask these questions due to the friendliness of those I have encountered here so far. I thought about jumping in on Neo Geo (I'm a member)...but perhaps things would be a bit one-sided there in regard to Neo Geo.

 

I have some questions regarding the Neo Geo (home) system - specifically collecting the Neo Geo system.

 

I consider myself a collector of nearly all systems. Do I own all systems? I am nowhere close. One system that has never quite made it to my list (but has been considered) is the Neo Geo. It sure is expensive to collect - or at least it was the last time I checked.

 

Please feel free to jump in and comment if you have owned or still own a Neo Geo. I am interested in opinions from all of you that have had experience.

 

Here are my questions

 

Which system do/did you own (AES, CD, revision...etc)

How much did you pay for it?

Where did you get it? (bought it new, got it from ebay/other users here)

If you were to pick one up today, where is the best place? Is ebay over the average cost or about right?

Were you happy you bought it? Did you overpay?

Would you recommend that someone collect it?

Do you have any hardware/software warnings? (i.e. Don't get X revision! Don't get X type of controller! Make sure the power supply isn't ___. etc..etc...)

 

Thanks everyone.

 

 

Hi ckrtech you should try and find a vintage stock. I just bought my American Neo Geo AES form them for 99.99 and I also bought Aggressors Of Dark Kombat for 49.99. They can order one form there other store and send it to the store you went to.

[DragonmasterDan]

but if i'm not mistaken and my reason for the Genesis reference is that they used the same processor, 680000 I believe?? I may be wrong, going by memory on something I think i read maybe a couple years ago, but the Neo had other support as well, but still, even the PS1 can't compare to the Neo as far as 2d, PS1 2d games are terrible for the most part, like Xmen vs. SF and the games after, hell Marevel vs SF isn't even tag team like it was meant to be.

 

And Kevincal what games are you playing with crappy controls? I have yet to play a game with crappy controls? or are too hard? All the games I have you can turn the difficulty down. Are they SNK games? I think the only game I have not made by SNK is Puzzle Bobble, SNK were some amazing programmers in my opinion.

 

The Atari Jaguar also used a Motorola 68K processor. Is it also just a beefed up Genesis?

There's a substantial difference in clockspeeds between the Genesis, Neo-Geo, and the Jaguar. Additionally the Neo Geo had custom video and sound chips and a second CPU (a Z80).

[kevincal]

but if i'm not mistaken and my reason for the Genesis reference is that they used the same processor, 680000 I believe?? I may be wrong, going by memory on something I think i read maybe a couple years ago, but the Neo had other support as well, but still, even the PS1 can't compare to the Neo as far as 2d, PS1 2d games are terrible for the most part, like Xmen vs. SF and the games after, hell Marevel vs SF isn't even tag team like it was meant to be.

 

And Kevincal what games are you playing with crappy controls? I have yet to play a game with crappy controls? or are too hard? All the games I have you can turn the difficulty down. Are they SNK games? I think the only game I have not made by SNK is Puzzle Bobble, SNK were some amazing programmers in my opinion.

 

Well personally, I didn't like playing with the joystick. I have much better control using a joypad. Even for fighting games, I'd rather use a joypad. And yes, I know you can use the Neo CD joypad on the AES, although I've heard it's not so great. I know most people prefer a joystick with fighting games. It's just a lot of the AES games I had felt really wonky being controlled with a huge joystick. Side scroller's and sports games just felt overly difficult to control precisely with the Neo stick to me.

 

The difficultly level on most Neo games is hard yes. I think most people would agree with me on this. It's obvious why too, because the games on the AES are exactly the same as their arcade counterparts on the MVS. And everyone knows arcade games difficulty level are quite high, in order to make money! Games like Magician Lord, for instance. That game is insanely hard to someone whos never played it. Nam-1975 is another one. That game is insanely difficult. I guess if you like dying every 15-30 seconds, it's fun. I could have given the game more time and got good, but it just pissed me off so much being so hard in the first levels. I hate when games are very hard from the get go. It's a gaming pet peeve of mine. I like to be eased into a game with the difficulty raised as you go along.

Edited December 10, 2007 by kevincal

[DragonmasterDan]

Well personally, I didn't like playing with the joystick. I have much better control using a joypad. Even for fighting games, I'd rather use a joypad. And yes, I know you can use the Neo CD joypad on the AES, although I've heard it's not so great. I know most people prefer a joystick with fighting games. It's just a lot of the AES games I had felt really wonky being controlled with a huge joystick. Side scroller's and sports games just felt overly difficult to control precisely with the Neo stick to me.

 

The difficultly level on most Neo games is hard yes. I think most people would agree with me on this. It's obvious why too, because the games on the AES are exactly the same as their arcade counterparts on the MVS. And everyone knows arcade games difficulty level are quite high, in order to make money! Games like Magician Lord, for instance. That game is insanely hard to someone whos never played it.

 

There are also a few odd controllers out there besides sticks, a year or so ago there was a guy on the Neo-Geo.com forums who converted SNES and Saturn pads to Neo Geo.

 

And yes the Neo Geo CD pads are terrible!