Neo-Geo Question.

[Aswald]

At the local laundromat, they have one of those Neo-Geo arcade machines.

Aside from a golf game, it also has a game called "Prehistoric Isle 2" (or "Island"). I was surprised to see the copyright date was only about 7 or 8 years ago.

Are they still making games for that system? If not, when did they stop? I always thought it was the mid-1990s, at the latest.

[Blur2040]

Last game was in 2005, Samurai Shodown V Special.

[Princess-Isabela]

actually Samurai Spirits V Special came out in 2004 and was the last officially released Neo Geo Game, but just a few months ago there was a unofficial (yet twice as expensive as regular AES title - $600-$700) homebrew shooter called last hope(which was also ported to Dreamcast).

[CosmicMonkey]

Pity that Prehistoric Isle 2 never received an official AES release. I have a Japanese version conversion on the way to me at the mo tho ;)

[Blur2040]

actually Samurai Spirits V Special came out in 2004 and was the last officially released Neo Geo Game, but just a few months ago there was a unofficial (yet twice as expensive as regular AES title - $600-$700) homebrew shooter called last hope(which was also ported to Dreamcast).

Oops on the year of SSVS.

Nobody really considers Last Hope to be a last game for the Neo though...

...and expensive is an understatement, btw, espcially for a game I don't think is that great.

[greedostick]

Samurai Showdown 5 special was the last official release for the neo and there will probebly never be another release since SNKPlaymore moved to the Atomiswave which is now dead also. And I believe Last Hope was $700 only if you sent in a "sac" cart. If not I believe it was $800. But I could be wrong.

There have been MANY game releases in the last8 or so years. Including Rage of the dragons, samurai showdown 5 and 5 special, Matrimelee, KOF 2003, KOF 2002,2001,2000, Pochi and Nyaa and so on.

[Aswald]

This is all certainly news to me!

Because the games were so very expensive, it was obvious that the Neo-Geo would never have enjoyed widespread home ownership. Therefore, I'd always figured that its main strength would be in arcades. It actually reminded me of those "conversion" games from the mid-1980s (Bump `N Jump was one, I think), only more advanced.

But this was years ago; surely even home technology has long overtaken the Neo-Geo in any practical sense? How did the Neo-Geo enjoy such a long lifespan?

[bangtango]

But this was years ago; surely even home technology has long overtaken the Neo-Geo in any practical sense? How did the Neo-Geo enjoy such a long lifespan?

Good games and a loyal fanbase. That and SNK didn't hastily pull the plug on their system(s) when they still had something to offer, like Sega did.

My local department store, which has since closed, used to have a Neo-Geo cabinet. Fatal Fury 2 and one of the Baseball Stars games were the two I played the most. I can't remember what else was in it.

[Aussie2B]

Man, you're missing out if you haven't played any Neo Geo games since the mid-90s.

Actually, nothing could touch the Neo Geo until around when the Dreamcast came out, and even those ports were kind of iffy. The hardware may not have been designed to produce 3D games, but those huge carts could still hold A LOT and instantly access everything. The PlayStation was really limited but its RAM, so Neo Geo ports on it were a joke. Frames were cut left and right to the point that the games didn't even play the same, and load times were brutal.

When SNK said "The Future is Now" they really meant it. When the MVS was first created, it was as if they had a time machine and snatched technology from the future, and that hardware served them well for many, many years.

[jsiucho]

actually Samurai Spirits V Special came out in 2004 and was the last officially released Neo Geo Game, but just a few months ago there was a unofficial (yet twice as expensive as regular AES title - $600-$700) homebrew shooter called last hope(which was also ported to Dreamcast).

Its Samurai Spirits Zero Special for Japan and Samurai Showdown 5 Special for the US. Since your correcting.

JS

[attilathehun]

At the local laundromat, they have one of those Neo-Geo arcade machines.

Aside from a golf game, it also has a game called "Prehistoric Isle 2" (or "Island"). I was surprised to see the copyright date was only about 7 or 8 years ago.

Are they still making games for that system? If not, when did they stop? I always thought it was the mid-1990s, at the latest.I'm pretty sure snk went bankrupt at the end of the 90's and were bought out by playmore or something like that. Kind of like atari it got downsized and has like a small division that still craps out games. They probably might release a $300 cart game once or twice a year usually just another sequel of metal slug or kof.

[greedostick]

The Neo was definatly ahead of its time. It was suppose to be able to only hold 300 megs in a single game. That was what SNK planned anyway in its inital release. To be able to make games up to 300 megs. However that goal was destroyed in 2003 when KOF 03 was released at a unheard of 716 megs. More then double the inital expectations. Not to mention MANY other games around the same meg count. Samurai Showdown 5 special and a few others hitting the 707 mark.

SNK did go bankrupt in the 90's and all of the remeaining stock was sond to Chris Ray and Dion Dakis who took all the games and stamped them with there so called official "Neo Geo Freaks" stamps on the manuals and inserts. That is a entirely different story though.

Here is a good place to start reading up on the neo. Go to the tab entitled Glossery and read up. There are some interesting links in the glossery in the chris and dion areas.

http://www.neo-geo.com/

[mailman187666]

my Neo Geo arcade is the shit. I always wanted my own arcade machine since I was a little kid, then somebody had a 4 slot MVS for sale for $400 so I couldn't turn it down. Playing Samurai Shodown on the MVS is the only way to do it in my opinion.

[dcescott]

Agree. I have a 2 slot MVS. The fighting games are a blast. I have SS1-4 can't afford 5 but I have seen the death scenes on you tube. I do have the xbox version. The voice overs sound like Return of the Living Dead -- aaayyyyooooaaaaaaaeeee (japanese something something) oooeeaalllleeee. I have to turn down the sound to play it!

Metal Slug, any of them, is fantastic too.

[Aswald]

"Meg." Boy, do I remember that little marketing trick! As in MegaBIT, or 128K- the size of Opcode's upcoming CV Pac-Man Collection, I believe.

What they intended was the fact that we all knew what "Kilobyte," or "K," was- so, instinctively, we would think that "Meg" meant 1,000,000 BYTES, or (roughly) 1000K. It sounded big and macho.

Why they couldn't just stick to "K" until they really did have a "1000K" game is beyond me. Maybe they thought we were too dumb to know the difference?

[otaku]

They haven't released games for their own hardware since 2004 but they still release games for all other platforms basically. They're looking to cash in on all the live arcade/wii downloads.

I own an NGPC still and love it. Looking into getting an MVS cab

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Yeah the neo has a cult following and I can understand why. It's a great system and has outstanding 2d fighters and shmups. I'm saving up right now for a supergun...then it's a mv-1cafter that

[dcescott]

Forget the supergun. I bought my 2 slot mvs at an arcade auction for 285 out the door. I replaced the joysticks and buttons (about 35 bucks with tax), then had the monitor recapped (70 bucks). So I invested around 500 for the cab and some games gradually.
It came with SS2 and Metal Slug. Not bad. I went out and bought Bust a Move, SS1, 3 and 4. PaceCar here on Digital Press gave me World Heroes and Fatal Fury 2, very nice of him I would add. Here and there buying games, the cab would be much more enjoyable than a supergun that's hooked up to your TV. Especially if you like to play fighting games like I do. Nothing like the true arcade.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Well I'm going to be getting other boards besides neo-geo. Like PGM and atomiswave. Maybe a cps2 but doubt it. Anyways yeah there are some other pcb's I want so I'd like a supergun.

[Jorpho]

I'm pretty sure snk went bankrupt at the end of the 90's and were bought out by playmore or something like that. Kind of like atari it got downsized and has like a small division that still craps out games. They probably might release a $300 cart game once or twice a year usually just another sequel of metal slug or kof.

I'm a bit foggy on the details, but a year or so after the bankruptcy most of the people who used to work at SNK were back producing games for SNK Playmore. In the meantime games like Metal Slug 4, KOF 2003, and Sengoku 3 were produced by different studios (with slightly lackluster results).

[Habeeb Hamusta]

I was under the impression that when snp when bankrupt many of the employees went to work for capcom.

[XianXi]

When SNK went backrupt they were bought out by Aruze a japanese pachinko company which developed some NGPC gambling games and then later they killed SNK in 2000. The chairman wanted to revive SNK but couldnt use the name as they didnt own them anymore so he started a new company called "Playmore". Later they were able to buy back the IP properties for the original SNK characters and later changed their name to SNK-Playmore.

[Flack]

But this was years ago; surely even home technology has long overtaken the Neo-Geo in any practical sense? How did the Neo-Geo enjoy such a long lifespan?

One reason for the system's continued success is the way the hardware itself is designed. Arcade operators are constantly swapping out their game inventory, depending on what's hot and what's not. Worst case scenario, entire cabinets are bought and sold. Even a JAMMA conversion takes effort, especially for operators who change sideart, control panels, etc.

Swapping out a Neo Geo cart can be done in literally seconds. If a game isn't bringing in cash, you can pick up another cartridge inexpensively and easily swap them out. And to an operator, a 4-in-1 cabinet is free real estate for 3 cabs!

The other reason I think the system survived so long was due to the vast variety of game types. Fighting, driving, sports, puzzle ... the Neo Geo really has it all.

[greedostick]

One reason for the system's continued success is the way the hardware itself is designed. Arcade operators are constantly swapping out their game inventory, depending on what's hot and what's not. Worst case scenario, entire cabinets are bought and sold. Even a JAMMA conversion takes effort, especially for operators who change sideart, control panels, etc.

Swapping out a Neo Geo cart can be done in literally seconds. If a game isn't bringing in cash, you can pick up another cartridge inexpensively and easily swap them out. And to an operator, a 4-in-1 cabinet is free real estate for 3 cabs!

The other reason I think the system survived so long was due to the vast variety of game types. Fighting, driving, sports, puzzle ... the Neo Geo really has it all.

Except a good rpg for the Homecart or MVS system. And no, Crossed swords is not a rpg.

[XianXi]

Except a good rpg for the Homecart or MVS system. And no, Crossed swords is not a rpg.

On a side note, I'm glad that finally someone is translating Samurai Shodown RPG into english for the Neo CD.

[CosmicMonkey]

RPGs aren't exactly your standard arcade game though. I've always thought of the Neo CD as more of your standard home console than the AES, which is just a home MVS essentially.

SNK should have done a lot more forward planning with the CD system. Aside from blessing the machine with a faster drive and a greater RAM cache, SNK should have made more CD exclusive games to tap the growing casual market. Platformers, RPGs and Metroidvania style games would have helped. But then the system was up against the Saturn, Playstation and the Sony 3D hype machine. Bad timing overall then, no matter what.

[XianXi]

Makes me wonder if SNK never had the hard times it did if they would have released a new cd or DVD based system by todays standards.

[Jorpho]

It is my understanding that system RAM was actually included on each cart rather than inside the system itself, which I suppose would make it much more expandable than other cart-based systems. Is this actually the case?

[XianXi]

Not from what I remember. But the Neo carts had 2 seperate PCBs.

[Habeeb Hamusta]

Back to the question at hand....most of the SNK employees went to work for capcom and stayed their after playmore came about right?

[attilathehun]

The Neo was definatly ahead of its time. It was suppose to be able to only hold 300 megs in a single game. That was what SNK planned anyway in its inital release. To be able to make games up to 300 megs. However that goal was destroyed in 2003 when KOF 03 was released at a unheard of 716 megs. More then double the inital expectations. Not to mention MANY other games around the same meg count. Samurai Showdown 5 special and a few others hitting the 707 mark.

SNK did go bankrupt in the 90's and all of the remeaining stock was sond to Chris Ray and Dion Dakis who took all the games and stamped them with there so called official "Neo Geo Freaks" stamps on the manuals and inserts. That is a entirely different story though.

Here is a good place to start reading up on the neo. Go to the tab entitled Glossery and read up. There are some interesting links in the glossery in the chris and dion areas.

http://www.neo-geo.com/Yeah but weren't they just megabits and the games were dominated beatem up side scrollers and shooters. Not much of other quality genres to try to really harness it's capabilities. Snes and Genny were tapped out better from super mario cart to sonic 3d blast.

[hbkprm]

get your facts straigh, everyone! the most recent title i heard of is metal slug anthology and there should be more games to come.

[PapaStu]

get your facts straigh, everyone! the most recent title i heard of is metal slug anthology and there should be more games to come.

Ummmm They are talking about what is/was out on the AES/MVS. Not what SNK|Playmore has been releasing for newer systems. If your going that route, Art of Fighting Collection for the PS2 and SNK Vs. Capcom Card Fighters Clash DS are the most recent titles here in the states. In Japan theres other things that are actually getting them some real sales (the DS touch the witch title).

[Darren870]

get your facts straigh, everyone! the most recent title i heard of is metal slug anthology and there should be more games to come.

Ummm....yeaa.

Re-read everything

[cyberfluxor]

get your facts straigh, everyone! the most recent title i heard of is metal slug anthology and there should be more games to come.
You're kidding right?