Neo Geo Gaming - How Do I Get Started?

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Chacrana

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I'm considering taking the plunge and getting a Neo Geo since I really want to play Sengoku 3, a good version of Last Blade 2 (since the PS2 port supposedly sucks), and RBFF2... but I really don't know where to start. I'm thinking about getting an MVS system, but I have absolutely no idea how to get one up and running and what else is required... any help?
 
Coming from someone who has owned several Neo cart systems, a couple Neo CDs (tray model and top-loading CDX), and a MVS... I dunno if it's worth it any more. And I'm talking about my all time favorite piece of video game hardware.

Sengoku 3 is not that good (I bought the AES cart at release), and I'm a huge side scrolling beat-em-up fan. Art looks nice when still, but it plays really stiff and isn't close to Streets of Rage 2 or Final Fight.

Last Blade 2's PS2 port is excellent, don't believe otherwise. It's not flawless, but is noticably better than the DC port (which had squished aspect ratio and scratchy sound). There are not severe animation cuts or framerate issues, it's about a 99% perfect port, and for much less money. The PS2 game also comes with LB1 on the disc for $40. $20 a pop? Good deal. Oh, and Garou is a fantastic port, much better than the DC one (the AES Garou was the crown jewel of my game collection for years, so I've played it enough to know).

You will be able to play all of the KOF games on Japanese PS2 by the time SNK is done with the packages. Same goes for Art of Fighting and World Heroes. Fatal Fury is getting PS2 collections - at least one is confimed but I'd be surprised if we don't see a Real Bout pack with RBFF, RBS, and the fantastic RB2. Samurai Shodown series is also getting packs - don't know about SSV Special but I think it's a safe bet to say SS1-5 will all be playable on PS2.

So that's SNK fighting games. If you really want some stuff like the good shooters, maybe it's worthwhile. But I honestly don't know any more with all the good PS2 ports. Not only that, PS2 gets the Atomiswave SNK games - NGBC, SS Tenkaichi, Neowave, probably KOF XI and Metal Slug 6...

That being said, if you still want the real deal for non-fighting games, go MVS for the cheaper carts. Unless you care about the collectible value of AES carts or you only want older cheaper AES titles. For the MVS, you will need a way to play JAMMA arcade boards - i.e. a Supergun (system made to play arcade boards on a TV/monitor). You can also get a "consolized" MVS system for considerably more money than a regular cart (AES) system, but the games are cheaper. It's simply a MVS converted to act like a console.
 
There's two options to get into Neo Geo gaming: MVS or AES with an PHANTOM adaptor. If you want to go with a MVS board, you'll need a Neo Geo Cabinet or build a supergun. Building a supergun can be a lot of work. There are also consolized MVS boards. The AES looks alot nicer and you can avoid lot of work. Here are some sites to check out.

http://www.digitpress.com/
http://hardmvs.com/index.htm
http://www.multimods.com/
http://www.digitpress.com/archives/arc00093.htm - A journal on building a Supergun
http://www.gamesx.com/
http://www.sgrepository.com/modules/news/
http://www.neo-geo.com/
 
Hmmm.... so Last Blade 2 was actually a good port overall? I can live with a couple sacrifices if their minor, and yeah, it's both Last Blades in one set which is great....

Though I can pass entirely based on this: Were the Saturn ports that came out in Japan any good? I wanna get Metal Slug and RBFF Special, but not if they're crap. If those are fine, then yeah, I'll skip the Neo Geo since I was only considering it if there were no alternatives.
 
[quote name='firenze']
You will be able to play all of the KOF games on Japanese PS2 by the time SNK is done with the packages.[/quote]

So does this mean I can finally get '98 again? I owned the AES version, but I sold it and the system a while ago and I've been wanting to play it...
 
Well there's the King of Fighters Orochi collection which has 95, 96, and 97, but not 98... but I'd expect that in the future given that all the others are on the PS2 at this point.
 
Well the website for neo is www.neo-geo.com. Great site with lots of smart people and a MASSIVE message board that answers any question you may have (someone has already asked it, I am sure).

I just kind of blindly took the plunge and bought a Neo from a guy in the next state. I drove about 2 hours in my full sized pickup, had him wiggle it to the bed and threw it in. Be sure when you go and pick one up to tightly strap it down. Most people are going to lay them down if they are buying one game and have a truck.. what you don't want is some sliding around in your bed.. because if it slides the rear glass of your truck cab you've got a broken window, just FYI.

My MVS is an original, which I would definetly recommend over a conversion. You see, a cab is pretty much a cab and you can convert any old cab to whatever game you want (I mean, you can't get one of those crazy skiing games into a standup cab, but...). The bonus of an original cab is that it will have the right button placements (the A button lower than B, C, D) the game-switch button (if you have a 2, 4 or 6 slot) the lighted marquees, etc...

Oh yeah, the multi-slots. My MVS is a 4 slot and works great. Some older 1 slots won't play the very newest games (post SNK, released by Playmore). I think there are some hefty power requirements for a 6-slot and they are known to be a little flakier than the 2 and 4 slot machines, fyi.

I paid about $400 for my MVS, cash. You can get them much cheaper if you go to an auction (Super Auctions) but you can't be sure what you're going to get. They aren't super complex machines to repair and the neo-geo.com boards are a tremendous resource but I am not electrically inclined so I was willing to pay a premium for a fully functioning system. You can get one in a converted cab with like a crummy 19" monitor for $200 on ebay, and I would expect to pay about $400 for one in decent shape.

E-Bay is your best for the MVS carts. You can get the most popular Neo games for cheap, Samurai Shodown will run you $10, most of the King of Fighter line is $10 a piece... rarer games can fetch $200 or more if in kit form. There are a few sites that sell new and used carts online, but eBay is the biggest market...

I could ramble on a lot longer.. but I'll leave it at that for now...

My Neo when I got it home...
neo.jpg


Slightly cleaned up...
neo_sept_2005_thumb.jpg
 
Well I don't really want to get a full cabinet... I'm thinking if I go ahead with this, I'll get a Supergun thing, but if I buy that, can I just plug an NG game in and go?
 
This site I posted earlier http://www.multimods.com/ has some good info and pictures of superguns, some quite complex. The supergun is just a device that allows you to connect a MVS or other arcade board to a tv. You need the supergun, the MVS board, and the MVS cart. Check out some of those links I posted earlier.
 
Well, as long as we're talking about NG, I might as well ask, which King of Fighters games are the must haves? I know 98 is, but I'm not sure which other ones I'm actually obligated to own.

I'm thinking that I definitely want 2002 or 2003 (I forget which one had the tag team combat) but again, I'm not really sure what's essential.
 
i have a consolized 1 slot MVS system and i love it.

it was about $370 but worth every penny.

most mvs carts are cheap, unless your looking for collectability and want a cart with complete kit and matching numbers. some can get expensive.

dont waste your time with the CD system. i got one before i bought the MVS and it was a waste of money.

i have some extra MVS carts for sale is anyone is interested.

Shoot me a PM
 
I went the AES + Phantom convertor route. I like the traditional console look of the AES system, but I wanted to buy the expensive titles on MVS rather than the ridiculously priced AES equivalents. I do buy the AES versions of the cheaper titles though.

I might get a cab + 4 slot someday, but I just don't have the room for it right now.
 
Hm... after all this, I really think I'm going to pass on the whole Neo Geo thing... merely getting the system's too expensive for me (especially when I have yet to buy a 360) and 99.9% of the games I want to play have gotten faithful ports (and AOF collection is announced for May 11 now, which scratches another title off the list.) Anyway, thanks for the input people.
 
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