Reasons why you should have owned: The Neo Geo (console, arcade + pocket)

cherryghost

Hello again, I think I missed a week last week (was busy with RL and such)

This week we have the coveted classic Neo Geo console!

The Neo Geo (ネオジオ, Neo Jio?) is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s. The hardware featured comparatively colourful 2D graphics.

The MVS (Multi Video System), as the Neo Geo was known to the coin-op industry, offered arcade operators the ability to put up to 6 different arcade titles into a single cabinet, a key economic consideration for operators with limited floorspace. With its games stored on self-contained cartridges, a game-cabinet could be exchanged for a different game-title by swapping the game's ROM-cartridge and cabinet artwork. Several popular franchise-series, including Fatal Fury, The King of Fighters, Metal Slug and Samurai Shodown, were released for the platform.

I'll be quite honest, I've only ever played the console once before at an expo! I couldn't believe how fluid the graphics were! Then later I seen that it was insanely expensive, which ultimately led to its downfall.

The Neo Geo pocket was an entirely different story though.

The Neo Geo Pocket was SNK's first hand held video game system, released in Japan in late 1998; however, lower than expected sales resulted in its discontinuation in 1999, and was immediately succeeded by the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The system only had a retail release within the Japan and Hong Kong market. It is the first handheld of the Neo Geo family.

Though the system enjoyed only a short life, there were some significant games released on the system such as Samurai Shodown, and King of Fighters R-1. The entire Neo Geo Pocket game library included: Melan Chan's Growth Diary, Puzzle Link, Pocket Tennis, Neo Cup 98, Neo Cup 98 plus, King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, Master of Syougi, Neo Cherry Master, Baseball Stars.

Played a lot of this in Japan a while back, King of Fighters and Cool Boarders ftw! Hooked on Puyo Pop for ages too, was only natural that I picked up the DS iteration's of the game.

Safe to say that the series of Neo Geo system's were built for Beat 'Em Up games, and they did a fantastic job for it too.

So, anyone else have any Neo Geo experiences?

richymcdermott

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_kGJBv6Wr4

Retr0gamer

It's not well known but the NeoGeo AES is the longest running console ever.

Wonderful machine as well, quite literally an arcade system in your home. The only problem is that the games for it are ridiculously expensive so you are better off getting a converter that allows you to use the MVS arcade cartridges that are considerably cheaper. Just stay away from the CD system unless you like loading times.

The Neo Geo Pocket for such a short lived system really has some wonderful games such as Fasselai, Card fighters clash, the metal slug games, puzzle bobble and the really impressive fighters. Well worth owning.

johnny_ultimate

I have a Pocket.

It has the greatest 'analogue' stick ever created for a portable console - perhaps even one of the best first party ones on any console, period!

Also, Metal Slug is awesome.

Duggy747

Never had the console (who could afford it :pac:) but knew the whole catalogue as I loved Neo Geo games in the arcades. Loved playing Fatal Fury 2 and Samurai Showdown 2 on the big ol' red cabinets.

Art Of Fighting 3 looked great when it came out.

bugs

Owned a PAL AES neogeo about 10-ish years ago. Got it relatively cheap with a copy of samurai shodown 2. Promptly added the newly released king of fighters 2000 to that (cost me more than the console).

Having never even seen one before mine arrived in the post, i certainly didn't expect the console to be as big as it is or as light. I also didn't expect the carts to be quite as big, or in the case of kof2k, heavy.

Used to look at adverts in magazines when i was a kid advertising the console and games for many many hundreds of pounds so owning and playing one was something i'd always wanted to do.

Loved owning one for the short period i had it, nothing is quite as satisfying as taking a cart out of a case that could pass for a lunch box and watching the NEO GEO boot screen up.

Mr.Saturn

FAO Cherryghost, cheers for this series, quality stuff.

Cravez

Capcom Vs SNK card fighter series, nuff said!