SNK revisits well, returns with 16-game compilation for PS2, PSP [Joystiq]

[kaedesdisciple]

Meh, I'll probably just pick it up from Amazon for $14.99 w/my free shipping. Maybe I'll pick up Metal Slug Anthology while I'm at it...

[noname11]

What's worse is that I signed up for Google Checkout a year ago with the intention of buying something and never did go through with it. Now I'm apparently ineligible for the GCO $10 savings that I never got to take advantage of, even after deleting my information and reentering it. Thanks Google!



I think the google checkout is tied to your credit card number and nothing else. Ahem - people i know have gotten the discount like 15 times since its been offered, using different email addresses and different credit card numbers [All their own]. Works like a charm. It even works if you use those "Virtual Numbers" citi bank offers for free.


Dont give up and pay MSRP!

[RJ]

I plan to pay full price ($15-20?) That tells them you want/willing to pay for awesome releases like this. $20 isnt bad AT ALL for something like this. Keep great stuff like this coming & I'll buy it, I say.

I hit Wal-Mart right after work for this (never did that for ANY game before), the guy said it's now out but only available (there) online- as if I couldnt get it anywhere else.

[Gabriel]

I had it pre-ordered on Amazon for practically two months. It arrived in the mail yesterday.

$14.99. No shipping. No tax. No $5 pre-order fee. My card was charged when it shipped. No wasting time wandering from store to store being told "we don't have it, and don't know when we'll get it."

Aside from the reasons why I love online ordering so much, I bought the game mainly for Last Resort. That one alone was worth the $15 to me. Shock Troopers also turned out to be surprisingly good. One of my gaming buddies loves King of Monsters, so I imagine I'll get some value out of that one too.

[bcks007]

How did you get free shipping on a $15 game? Every time i use amazon i must spend at least $25 to get free shipping..

[thetoxicone]

How did you get free shipping on a $15 game? Every time i use amazon i must spend at least $25 to get free shipping..

Probably used a trial membership for amazon prime, I enjoyed it for the three month I got free shipping.

[Gabriel]

How did you get free shipping on a $15 game? Every time i use amazon i must spend at least $25 to get free shipping..

Very easy. I found something else I wanted and bought it at the same time. :D

In this case it was a chess book.

[roushimsx]

Aside from the reasons why I love online ordering so much, I bought the game mainly for Last Resort. That one alone was worth the $15 to me. Shock Troopers also turned out to be surprisingly good.

Too bad the emulation for both titles is pretty weaksauce. :( Still, I'm going to keep buying these SNK compilations as they come out. Lord knows I spent plenty of change on them years ago in the arcades and pirated the hell out of them via MAME since then. May as well keep showing financial support and hoping that they'll improve their emulator for future releases (unlikely :( ).

Amazon preorders w/ free shipping are totally the way to go on budget releases. I've got all of the budget games I want for the next 3 months or so preordered together w/ free shipping and the beautiful thing is that they won't wait until the last item releases to ship, they'll send 'em out bit by bit. I may get stuff a week or two behind everyone else, but I'm not wasting gas or time searching and I'm not blowing money on inexcusable in-store markups (like Gamestop). Plus, it's not like I don't have anything else to play while I wait and such.

[Gabriel]

Too bad the emulation for both titles is pretty weaksauce.


Well, I can't tell the difference on the games I've played before. Although the constant loading on Shock Troopers is bewildering for a game which definitely doesn't look very resource intensive.


Amazon preorders w/ free shipping are totally the way to go on budget releases. I've got all of the budget games I want for the next 3 months or so preordered together w/ free shipping and the beautiful thing is that they won't wait until the last item releases to ship, they'll send 'em out bit by bit. I may get stuff a week or two behind everyone else, but I'm not wasting gas or time searching and I'm not blowing money on inexcusable in-store markups (like Gamestop). Plus, it's not like I don't have anything else to play while I wait and such.

Now that Amazon has gotten off their asses and started offering lots of titles directly with their free shipping policy, I order from them a lot.

Another thing I like is their recommendation system. It's not perfect, but it's learned enough about what I like to order that it does manage to suggest things to me I'm interested in. In point of fact, that's how I learned R-Type Command was getting a North American release. It was at the top of my recommendation list one day. Hell yeah!

Compare that to going to Gamestop. Most likely they have the new releases hidden behind the counter somewhere. They try to push an opened copy off on you that the staff has passed around and scratched up for the past few days. Then they suggestive sell GTA4 to you and seem bewildered that you don't jump at the opportunity to buy a used copy of that. Even when I was a regular at the local shop, I never got useful recommendations even from the employees who knew I was a regular.

[zektor]

My buy.com order arrived today. That was pretty quick I must say.

Pretty nice collection! The emulation is accurate from what I have seen for the most part. One thing I can say is that this was the best $7 I have spent in a long time. I can't wait for Vol.2!

[josekortez]

Yeah, Wal-Mart is running a bit behind, but since I can't find a local Gamestop that has the PSP version, I'll just keep waiting patiently for my PS2 version to show up in the mail.

[Half Japanese]

So to all those who have the game, just how awful is the emulation/ROMs? I've had this sitting in my Amazon cart since February, but I read that Shock Troopers on the collection doesn't even have 2-player support, which is a deal-breaker, even at the budget price. I won't play the fighting games, I already have the Metal Slug Anthology, I became disenchanted with my memories of Magician Lord about a year ago, so there really doesn't seem to be much incentive if they shit the bed with Shock Troopers and didn't include 2-player mode.

[zektor]

So to all those who have the game, just how awful is the emulation/ROMs? I've had this sitting in my Amazon cart since February, but I read that Shock Troopers on the collection doesn't even have 2-player support, which is a deal-breaker, even at the budget price. I won't play the fighting games, I already have the Metal Slug Anthology, I became disenchanted with my memories of Magician Lord about a year ago, so there really doesn't seem to be much incentive if they shit the bed with Shock Troopers and didn't include 2-player mode.

I'll have to re-visit Shock Troopers and get back to you on that. I basically shot through the games just to see how everything played. I didn't even notice if ST had a two player option..

As for the emulation...well...really not bad as far as I can see. The talking in Magician Lord sounded kind of strange however, but I am not sure if that is because I am playing it on an 80GB software emulated PS3. Other than that it was right on the mark as far as I can tell. The other games seemed to be perfect as well. Still, I am sure a Neo freak would be able to point out emulated differences here and there.

The buy.com deal was excellent, but I would personally pay full price for this collection if I had to. That many Neo-Geo titles (some never released outside of the Neo-Geo to boot) for a budget price is just a great deal any way you slice it. Very glad to add this to my compilation collection. Remember there are also some sport titles (if you are into that) and Last Resort...which happens to be one of my favorite shooters as well...

[Gabriel]

So to all those who have the game, just how awful is the emulation/ROMs? I've had this sitting in my Amazon cart since February, but I read that Shock Troopers on the collection doesn't even have 2-player support, which is a deal-breaker, even at the budget price. I won't play the fighting games, I already have the Metal Slug Anthology, I became disenchanted with my memories of Magician Lord about a year ago, so there really doesn't seem to be much incentive if they shit the bed with Shock Troopers and didn't include 2-player mode.


I can tell you that Shock Troopers definitely supports two player simultaneous action. It does have some odd loading moments between stages, though.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I can tell you that Shock Troopers definitely supports two player simultaneous action. It does have some odd loading moments between stages, though.

I had avoided this thread for a week or so because nobody was talking about the games ... just how little money they spent on it.

But now that I return to find that the discussion has moved into the quality of the games and emulation ... I will also second that Shock Troopers has 2 player mode completely in-tact, as well as the character name "Milky" completely un-censored. (You never know what the ESRB would demand of Playmore on that one.)

I find the overall emulation on all of the games to be rather solid, granted the only comparison I have to make on most of the games post Samurai Shodown era is my MAME cabinet, the biggest complaint I have is the audio quality in some of the titles ... everything seems in tact, but the volume level mix between the sound effects and the music is off.

Like I stated earlier, music in Samurai Shodown is mixed REALLY LOUD and the sound effects and voices are really low.

[kainemaxwell]

Game is offically in my Amazon shopping cart now.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Okay, what the crap.

I went to Wal-Mart this morning to buy some stuff to send some packages, and they have the PSP version of the game - but not the PS2 one. So I asked the clerk and she said "I'm sorry, we only get games on Tuesdays, try checking then!"

Really weird. I thought the PSP version was supposed to be rarer than the PS2 one?

[DaBargainHunta]

Okay, what the crap.

I went to Wal-Mart this morning to buy some stuff to send some packages, and they have the PSP version of the game - but not the PS2 one. So I asked the clerk and she said "I'm sorry, we only get games on Tuesdays, try checking then!"

Really weird. I thought the PSP version was supposed to be rarer than the PS2 one?
Try a different Wal-Mart. It's my experience that a Wal-Mart will only get one version of a multi-platform release. It's weird. The other Wal-Mart in town probably has the PS2 version.

But who knows... It's Wal-Mart, and nothing they do ever seems to make much sense.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Try a different Wal-Mart. It's my experience that a Wal-Mart will only get one version of a multi-platform release. It's weird. The other Wal-Mart in town probably has the PS2 version.

But who knows... It's Wal-Mart, and nothing they do ever seems to make much sense.

There is no other Wal-Mart, Calexico is a tiny town with 50,000 people. ^^;

Ah well. :)

[DaBargainHunta]

There is no other Wal-Mart, Calexico is a tiny town with 50,000 people. ^^;

Ah well. :)
Just order it online. :) Yeah, I know you're probably sick of hearing that, but it's really the only way to easily get some niche titles.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

For anybody in the NJ area, Micro Center in Patterson has the PSP version listed for $19.99 new in their circular, as opposed to everywhere else which seems to have it $29.99 MSRP.

And if you're from the area, and HAVEN'T checked out Micro Center, do yourself a favor, get over there, it's awesome and they have some of the BEST prices on computer and entertainment tech I've seen anywhere brick/mortar.

[SpyHunter]

For anybody in the NJ area, Micro Center in Patterson has the PSP version listed for $19.99 new in their circular, as opposed to everywhere else which seems to have it $29.99 MSRP.

And if you're from the area, and HAVEN'T checked out Micro Center, do yourself a favor, get over there, it's awesome and they have some of the BEST prices on computer and entertainment tech I've seen anywhere brick/mortar.

Where in Paterson is it?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Where in Paterson is it?

http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/north_jersey.html

[zektor]

For anybody in the NJ area, Micro Center in Patterson has the PSP version listed for $19.99 new in their circular, as opposed to everywhere else which seems to have it $29.99 MSRP.

And if you're from the area, and HAVEN'T checked out Micro Center, do yourself a favor, get over there, it's awesome and they have some of the BEST prices on computer and entertainment tech I've seen anywhere brick/mortar.

Yeah, went there a few weeks ago. My brother lives down the block and I am not too far away here in Wayne. Great place! If this place was around back when I had my PC repair shop (at the same prices for parts) it would have been a life saver. Their game area is pretty robust, although many of the prices were off the wall compared to other retail outlets. Still, you can find some neat stuff there nonetheless...and they have that Ballz drink :)

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

Yeah, went there a few weeks ago. My brother lives down the block and I am not too far away here in Wayne. Great place! If this place was around back when I had my PC repair shop (at the same prices for parts) it would have been a life saver. Their game area is pretty robust, although many of the prices were off the wall compared to other retail outlets. Still, you can find some neat stuff there nonetheless...and they have that Ballz drink :)

Oh, yeah, the gaming stuff is pretty standard MSRP pricing with an occasional bargain.

What I was really referring to was the comptuer tech, raw hardware, repair parts, and other entertainment stuff like cameras, printers, audio tech (MP3 players), memory cards (2 gig SD cards for $10), thumbdrives (16 gig drives for $60) HDDs (500 gig externals for $99) ... tons of other great deals ... and a repair center/"knowledge bar" that is staffed with people who actually know what they're talking about!

[josekortez]

Okay, what the crap.

I went to Wal-Mart this morning to buy some stuff to send some packages, and they have the PSP version of the game - but not the PS2 one. So I asked the clerk and she said "I'm sorry, we only get games on Tuesdays, try checking then!"

Really weird. I thought the PSP version was supposed to be rarer than the PS2 one?

I think we just assumed that the PSP version was more rare based on the infamous Metal Slug Anthology situation.

[kaedesdisciple]

I had avoided this thread for a week or so because nobody was talking about the games ... just how little money they spent on it.

But now that I return to find that the discussion has moved into the quality of the games and emulation ... I will also second that Shock Troopers has 2 player mode completely in-tact, as well as the character name "Milky" completely un-censored. (You never know what the ESRB would demand of Playmore on that one.)

I find the overall emulation on all of the games to be rather solid, granted the only comparison I have to make on most of the games post Samurai Shodown era is my MAME cabinet, the biggest complaint I have is the audio quality in some of the titles ... everything seems in tact, but the volume level mix between the sound effects and the music is off.

Like I stated earlier, music in Samurai Shodown is mixed REALLY LOUD and the sound effects and voices are really low.

I'm hearing some pretty average-below average from the guys over at n-g.com. I'd be pretty critical of it myself as I have the CMVS sitting right next to me for comparison. Is it really worth, well, whatever I lay out for it in terms of price and tracking it down?

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I'm hearing some pretty average-below average from the guys over at n-g.com. I'd be pretty critical of it myself as I have the CMVS sitting right next to me for comparison. Is it really worth, well, whatever I lay out for it in terms of price and tracking it down?

As stated, I'm not an expert by way of prolonged experience with actual Neo Geo hardware (other than dropping quarters into Arcade Systems 15 or so years ago), so I'm probably not the best person to tell you whether or not it's "worth it", but I'm loving mine on both PSP and PS2.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Yeah, these compilations aren't perfect by any means, but they still play pretty damn well.

I found several bugs in Art of Fighting Anthology, and Metal Slug Anthology's kinda weird, but they still play awesome.

I managed to sell off a gift card that had FYE credit (worthless to me) so I can buy the games now, woohoo.

[zektor]

As I said earlier, the people that are die-hard Neogeo fanatics will most likely find flaws that will lead them to say that the compilation is below average. I am a Neo-Geo fan that purchased the system new back in the day, owned quite a few of these games, and I think the compilation is just great. If I were to nitpick I would say that the opening music to Magician Lord starts a little late, and the voice is not perfectly accurate. I choose this game because I know it so well. But again, that would be the Neo fanatic in ME nitpicking. But, the compilation is NOT below average. It is one of the best classic compilations out for the PS2 (and PSP) to date in my opinion and I am really glad I own it.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Well, I've ordered it. I signed up for Amazon Prime to get free two day shipping.

1 "World Heroes Anthology"
Video Game; $14.99
1 "SNK Arcade Classics Vol 1"
Video Game; $14.99
1 "Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol 2"
Video Game; $14.99
Delivery estimate: May 15, 2008

Uh, yay?

[kaedesdisciple]

That's precisely why I ask. Everyone's got their favorites and I was just so worried that they were going to give crap ports of Shock Troopers, Magician Lord and Baseball Stars 2 specifically. Seems from the reviews I'm getting from both ends of the spectrum that it would be worth a pickup.

[heybtbm]

Does anyone have the PS2 Neo Geo arcade stick? I would think that they would be pretty cool to use for these budget SNK releases. They were identical to the NG arcade sticks except they were designed for use on a PS2. I remember seeing them for sale at Lik Sang and Play Asia 2 or 3 years ago. I never bought one and now wish I had.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Some games came bundled with one, too. I know Garou had one.

I wish I had one too but it's probably too expensive to ship one overseas...

[darkhades]

Has anyone from Canada managed to get this game yet. I have checked everywhere, Walmarts, EB's, Gamestop's, Best Buy's, Futureshop's, Microplay's......etc. I have even asked at EB, Gamestop, and Microplay as to when it's coming out. They all say it's not in their computer systems so it's likely they will never have it.

[Bojay1997]

Has anyone from Canada managed to get this game yet. I have checked everywhere, Walmarts, EB's, Gamestop's, Best Buy's, Futureshop's, Microplay's......etc. I have even asked at EB, Gamestop, and Microplay as to when it's coming out. They all say it's not in their computer systems so it's likely they will never have it.

I think you're in the same situation as we are here in the States. Other than mail order and some indie game shops, I don't know of any major retailer that is stocking World Heroes, FF2 or SNK Collection. I know someone said that saw WH at Toys R Us, but this might have been a one off as none of them in California seem to have it and it's not showing up on the computer. Walmart only has the PSP version of SNK and none of the three collections for PS2.

[c0ldb33r]

Has anyone from Canada managed to get this game yet. I have checked everywhere, Walmarts, EB's, Gamestop's, Best Buy's, Futureshop's, Microplay's......etc. I have even asked at EB, Gamestop, and Microplay as to when it's coming out. They all say it's not in their computer systems so it's likely they will never have it.
Shit are you serious that sucks. I've been looking forward to these for awhile, and I don't want to be stuck with the psp versions (I'll hate that d-pad and analog nub until I die)

[darkhades]

Shit are you serious that sucks. I've been looking forward to these for awhile, and I don't want to be stuck with the psp versions (I'll hate that d-pad and analog nub until I die)


Yes this does indeed suck! I guess my only option is to order it on ebay.

[scooterb23]

Found it at a couple of smaller stores for PSP, I'm digging it so far, there seems to be a touch of lag on some button presses while playing Neo Turf Masters, but it's easy to adjust to.

[zektor]

You guys should just order it from buy.com . I have only seen the PSP version in my area as well, so it seems to me that stores are just not interested in ordering PS2 versions of these types of titles. I am guessing they feel that since the PS2 is last generation and most likely fading (I don't think so however) they will only order "sure sells" like Guitar Hero, God Of War, etc. Buy.com's shipping was quick, the price is right (even if you don't use that google checkout), and it arrived perfectly brand new as expected.

[josekortez]

Yeah, I ordered the PS2 version from Wal-Mart.com just in time to showcase it in the weekly Media Mix column I write for a local magazine. Even though the magazine I work for is the mainstream public and not for the hardcore gamer, I think SNK Vol. 1 is a great value, so I included it here:

http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/filmtv/comments/games_fantastic_classics/510/#comments

And yes, I know I made a boo-boo and wrote "King of the Fighters '94" instead of "The King of Fighters '94." I know some nit-picker will notice, but I'm still proud of it!

[DaBargainHunta]

Yeah, I ordered the PS2 version from Wal-Mart.com just in time to showcase it in the weekly Media Mix column I write for a local magazine. Even though the magazine I work for is the mainstream public and not for the hardcore gamer, I think SNK Vol. 1 is a great value, so I included it here:

http://www.brickweekly.com/index.php/filmtv/comments/games_fantastic_classics/510/#comments

And yes, I know I made a boo-boo and wrote "King of the Fighters '94" instead of "The King of Fighters '94." I know some nit-picker will notice, but I'm still proud of it!
Nice article, but shame on you for not mentioning the star of this collection - Burning Fight. :p (Okay, only in my own delusional mind.) LOL

[Icarus Moonsight]

Had an interesting talk with a Gamestop manager about this game (PS2 version). They had it in stock until someone tried to buy one. Stay with me here, it's gets a bit weird. The UPC on the game was scanning as a different item/price. Tried doing a manual look-up and couldn't finish the trans. They call someone up to report the issue and they are told to send all copies back and they will receive a shipment of corrected stock soon. Possible UPC variant floating around? For now, I'd just call it hearsay but, you may want to keep an eye out. If anyone can confirm this then yay. If not, then it's just another BS Gamestop fueled rumor.

Though it is possible that this is the reason for the lack of the PS2 version on shelves ATM. Hmm.

That is all. :)

[Jimid2]

Has anyone from Canada managed to get this game yet. I have checked everywhere, Walmarts, EB's, Gamestop's, Best Buy's, Futureshop's, Microplay's......etc. I have even asked at EB, Gamestop, and Microplay as to when it's coming out. They all say it's not in their computer systems so it's likely they will never have it.

I got my PSP version from the Microplay in downtown Ottawa on Thursday, May 8th. Since then I haven't seen it in any format, anywhere... I'm kind of surprised - I would have thought this would be a game they'd push a bit as you'd think it would appeal to the PSP demographic - we probably all wanted a Neo Geo when we were kids... ;)

Personally, I think it's a wonderful compilation. I haven't found any overt bugs yet; every game plays great, imho... And yes, I did own an AES and a number of these games back in the day (ah bachelorhood, when every day was an adventure and all my money was my own!)

[bcks007]

Possible UPC variant floating around?

Would that be a actual different number? Whats the normal upc for this? I'm planing to pick it up very soon.

[darkhades]

I got my PSP version from the Microplay in downtown Ottawa on Thursday, May 8th. Since then I haven't seen it in any format, anywhere... I'm kind of surprised - I would have thought this would be a game they'd push a bit as you'd think it would appeal to the PSP demographic - we probably all wanted a Neo Geo when we were kids... ;)

Personally, I think it's a wonderful compilation. I haven't found any overt bugs yet; every game plays great, imho... And yes, I did own an AES and a number of these games back in the day (ah bachelorhood, when every day was an adventure and all my money was my own!)

I've been down to the Microplay on Merivale Rd. a few times, I haven't had any luck there. I'll try them again, if not I'll just order online.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Amazon.com fucked it up - or at least SOMEONE who works there did so.

I got my order yesterday, but picked up the package today, only to find that the games were crammed into a cardboard envelope without any padding. SNK Arcade Classics and FFBA Volume 2 were fine. World Heroes Anthology's case and artwork are trashed, though.

So, what now? I tried choosing a return but the site said that it would charge me for it. Argh...

[figment1988]

i got my copy for the ps2 and i'll be quite honest, this game is a great compilation even though some of the games have been modified graphically (i.e. instead of some games showing a either an arcade button, or the layout of a Neo-Geo control panel, it shows an abridged instruction with the appropriate PS2 button). but the good thing is that for penny-pinchers like myself, this compilation is better on the wallet instead of hawking out more than $100 bucks on a AES cart (not to mention the amount of money to get a Neo-Geo AES console). the one thing i hope for is that they release The Super Spy and/or Nam-1975 on the next installment of SNK Arcade Classics.

[Bojay1997]

Amazon.com fucked it up - or at least SOMEONE who works there did so.

I got my order yesterday, but picked up the package today, only to find that the games were crammed into a cardboard envelope without any padding. SNK Arcade Classics and FFBA Volume 2 were fine. World Heroes Anthology's case and artwork are trashed, though.

So, what now? I tried choosing a return but the site said that it would charge me for it. Argh...

Call them and they will ship you out a replacement at their cost. Amazon has great customer service 99% of the time.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I can't call, I'm in Mexico. :P

I already requested an RMA, and have prepped the package. I'll drop it off tomorrow morning.

[figment1988]

a quick update, fatal fury is interactive with the ps2's system clock. the only downside is that it's not as authentic as the original MVS time hardware's Y2K issue (because if you defeat Geese on a year beyond 1999, it would mark it as 19XX. while the PS2 marks the correct year)

[Kitsune Sniper]

a quick update, fatal fury is interactive with the ps2's system clock. the only downside is that it's not as authentic as the original MVS time hardware's Y2K issue (because if you defeat Geese on a year beyond 1999, it would mark it as 19XX. while the PS2 marks the correct year)

That's not the only game that does this.

Art of Fighting 3 in AOF Anthology uses the date for the hidden birthday feature in the game.

Also, I believe that at least -one- MVS hardware revision fixed the Y2K bug in Fatal Fury. I think I read about this at a MAME board. I'm not entirely sure, though.

[bcks007]

Never had a problem with amazon themselves, now with amazon sellers i have... Every time ive ordeded from them, its always shipped in a box, with bubble wrap on the inside, and plenty of space. Could it be your location maybe?

[Lady Jaye]

Shock Troopers runs a bit slow -- is that supposed to? Baseball Stars 2 is good, as far as I can see. So far, the only games I've played are these two, and I've seen Neo Turf Masters in action.

[josekortez]

Baseball Stars 2 is good, as far as I can see.

Baseball Stars 2 is hard as hell, and you can't muck around with the difficulty level since SNK Vol. 1 doesn't include the difficulty options found in other games such as Midway Arcade Classics and the Capcom games. I'd probably do well against another human, but the computer is great at fielding.

I assume SNK Playmore thought that if you recognize their titles enough to purchase the compilation, then you must have skills.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Okay, having tried out the compilation, I am incredibly pissed off.

I wasted fifteen bucks on THIS?!

The emulation on some games is fucking HORRIBLE. This isn't a graphic glitch here or there, this is constant fucking slowdown ALL THE GODDAMN TIME. The only games that seem unaffected (so far) are Metal Slug, Magician Lord and Burning Fight.

King of Fighters 94 slows down every second. It's like trying to run the game in MAME set to auto frameskip, and your computer can only run it at 90% speed.

Shock Troopers runs at around 50-75% speed. And that's not all, they also REMOVED the voices that show up when you change your character (in team mode)! I guess they thought Americans couldn't handle random Japanese speech. Oh, and there's loading. LOTS of pauses while playing. Even while hitting an enemy - freeze, load, continue. Ugh!

Why the hell didn't they get the people who ported the other compilations to do this one too? The Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting anthologies are near perfect, the games have been tweaked to load on the fly and have no issues at all. With all the constant loading, graphics on screen, and sound going on, why is it that they can't get games that are graphically inferior to these later games to run right? Jeebus Christ!

*fumes*

I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, but I wasted fifteen bucks on this? Shit. I did like the inclusion of unlockable bonuses and goals, but that's not worth fifteen bucks at all.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. But they've had several compilations out by now. They KNOW how to fix these games so they run right. But why didn't they even bother? Why'd they delay this game if they weren't going to fix these glaring issues?

[bcks007]

Want to sell your copy to me? :)

[josekortez]

Why the hell didn't they get the people who ported the other compilations to do this one too?

Kitsune, Terminal Reality, the same developer who did the Metal Slug Anthology Wii port and other mediocre games such as Bloodrayne and 4X4 Evolution, did the PS2 version of SNK Vol. 1. I saw the name in the back of the manual. I doubt Terminal Reality ever touched the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury collections because those were out in Japan before they came here. If I'm not mistaken, I don't even think that SNK Vol. 1 hit Japan before it hit here, but I could be wrong.

They should have used Digital Eclipse, the developer for the Capcom and Midway collections, if they weren't going to go in-house.

It's really funny to me that the Neo-Geo owners are raking this collection over the coals since the game was released while the rest of us who never owned a Neo-Geo are just thankful that we got these games on our PS2s at all.

[RJ]

"...the rest of us who never owned a Neo-Geo are just thankful that we got these games on our PS2s at all."


Hear, hear! After scouring my usual & not-so-usual locations (went to a Wal-Mart at 7am) a clerk at a suburban GameStop called the Mall of America GS & found they had ONE being used as a display copy, & I was told it'd be opened yet still for sale. I had them hold it for me overnight & sent my wife down to get it the next day (OK, she was headed to the Coach store anyway). Turns out they had 3 copies in store, the one she brought home was brand spankin' new in the wrapping.

I got around to playing it yesterday & I'm more than impressed. Most of these games I've never seen or even heard of so it was kindof like getting a new system altogether! Metal Slug & Turf Masters are AWESOME. Last Resort & Magician Lord let me down a bit. I'm not into the fighting games so I dont particularly care how "spot-on" those are. & I like the medal system to unlock aspects in other games (even if they seem to be mostly fighting move lists.)

This is another great compilation collection addition to my PS2 library. Keep stuff like this coming & I'll happily pay full price.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Kitsune, Terminal Reality, the same developer who did the Metal Slug Anthology Wii port and other mediocre games such as Bloodrayne and 4X4 Evolution, did the PS2 version of SNK Vol. 1. I saw the name in the back of the manual. I doubt Terminal Reality ever touched the Art of Fighting and Fatal Fury collections because those were out in Japan before they came here. If I'm not mistaken, I don't even think that SNK Vol. 1 hit Japan before it hit here, but I could be wrong.

They should have used Digital Eclipse, the developer for the Capcom and Midway collections, if they weren't going to go in-house.

It's really funny to me that the Neo-Geo owners are raking this collection over the coals since the game was released while the rest of us who never owned a Neo-Geo are just thankful that we got these games on our PS2s at all.

Oh. My. God.

Terminal Reality. With this software lineup (http://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/terminal-reality-inc/), no wonder I'm pissed off.

The company that did the conversion for all the PS2 Anthologies (except for Metal Slug Anthology) was G1M2 (http://www.g1m2.com/). They've done several Anthologies for SNK P, and have also ported several games to Gametap. Why the fuck did SNK go with Terminal Reality? After this, they'd fucking better go back to G1M2, otherwise I'm not going to bother with the rest of the series.

Edit:
And no offense, but I've played several Digital Eclipse ports, and I've never really liked them at all.

[Xexyz]

Yeah Terminal Reality. Basically, whenever SNKP USA heads the development of a compilation, you can expect a sub-par product. Metal Slug Anthology wasn't nearly as bad, but aside from Metal Slug 6, there was noticeable input lag in the games.

SNKP's Japanese branch doesn't mess around. That's why all the fighter collections (well, except for the Last Blade one...) are top notch quality products. If SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 2 comes around, expect more hiccups...

And I second what josekortez said. Why SNK didn't have Digital Eclipse do these compilations instead of Terminal Reality is beyond me. They put more care & effort into the products they work on then these guys. Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 1 & 2 were good, as were the Midway collections, and the Namco 50th Anniversary title that they worked on. Sure, TATE would have been nice, but the games played well, and that's what matters the most.

[josekortez]

Yeah, I'm sure that the Japanese branch will be porting over whatever SNK fighting compilations trickle into the U.S. And I own the Japanese Last Blade 1&2, and I didn't think it was that bad.

Digital Eclipse just seems to put more time and effort into the presentation. The only time they pissed me off was with that slot machine for unlocking the art, cheats and music in Capcom Classics Reloaded for the PSP.

Also, the method for unlocking stuff in SNK Vol. 1 is pretty clever. I never thought about trying to finish the first stage of Metal Slug using only grenades, but I did it, only to unlock World Heroes.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Yeah, I'm sure that the Japanese branch will be porting over whatever SNK fighting compilations trickle into the U.S. And I own the Japanese Last Blade 1&2, and I didn't think it was that bad.

Digital Eclipse just seems to put more time and effort into the presentation. The only time they pissed me off was with that slot machine for unlocking the art, cheats and music in Capcom Classics Reloaded for the PSP.

Also, the method for unlocking stuff in SNK Vol. 1 is pretty clever. I never thought about trying to finish the first stage of Metal Slug using only grenades, but I did it, only to unlock World Heroes.

Some of those requirements are fucking insane, though.

Complete the first level of Magician Lord without dying? I had to continue six times!

[josekortez]

Some of those requirements are fucking insane, though.

Complete the first level of Magician Lord without dying? I had to continue six times!

Yeah, now that I've got World Heroes unlocked, I'm not going to be jumping through anymore of Terminal Reality's hoops. I'm not one of those people that has to unlock every bonus in a game in order to sleep at night.

Don't feel bad. I couldn't do that Magician Lord one either.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Yeah, now that I've got World Heroes unlocked, I'm not going to be jumping through anymore of Terminal Reality's hoops. I'm not one of those people that has to unlock every bonus in a game in order to sleep at night.

Don't feel bad. I couldn't do that Magician Lord one either.

I'm beginning to understand the allure of XBox Gamerpoints...

[josekortez]

I'm beginning to understand the allure of XBox Gamerpoints...

Yeah, I've purchased kids' games for the 360 just for that reason.

(hangs head in shame)

[gepeto]

I just pick it up today and I never owned a neo geo but the games IMO play very well. I was very impressed with the controls. I played some samurai showdown and baseball and some others and I think while these comps may never come close to the carts this is one of the better comps I have played. I was wondering what took them so long.

This one brings back so memories.

[Kitsune Sniper]

I just realized something.

Terminal Reality is the company that's developing Sierra's Ghostbusters for the PC, 360 and PS3.

*insert donotwant.jpg here*

[boatofcar]

I'm interested in how the Baseball Stars 2 works on this compilation. Is there no season mode, just single games?

[roushimsx]

Terminal Reality is the company that's developing Sierra's Ghostbusters for the PC, 360 and PS3.

Terminal Reality has had some pretty decent games in the past. Nocturne, Bloodrayne, and Blair Witch Project Vol 1 are all just fine and dandy.

[Frankie_Says_Relax]

I just realized something.

Terminal Reality is the company that's developing Sierra's Ghostbusters for the PC, 360 and PS3.

*insert donotwant.jpg here*

I've seen some video of Ghostbusters in action, and while I'm not 100% sure of what the overall level of competency is on their prior work ...

... Ghostbusters looks pretty goddamned amazing.

[Captain Wrong]

OK, riddle me this someone...SNK Comp for PSP vs. the PSP Neo emulator, how does it compare? I found the MS Anthology to have a bit less slowdown than whatever the Neo emulator for PSP is, but you don't have load times. Anyone do an A/B on this yet?

[zektor]

OK, riddle me this someone...SNK Comp for PSP vs. the PSP Neo emulator, how does it compare? I found the MS Anthology to have a bit less slowdown than whatever the Neo emulator for PSP is, but you don't have load times. Anyone do an A/B on this yet?

Well, the Neogeo CD emulator is faster on the PSP if you want to add that into the mix. I think the SNK PSP compilation has less slowdown, but the PSP Neogeo MVS emulator is more accurate. But, as said earlier, if you run Metal Slug CD via the Neogeo CD emulator, it is overall the smoothest MS experience on the PSP....at least it is on mine.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Yeah, I've purchased kids' games for the 360 just for that reason.

(hangs head in shame)

As well you should. Damn addicts... ;)

[Captain Wrong]

Well, the Neogeo CD emulator is faster on the PSP if you want to add that into the mix. I think the SNK PSP compilation has less slowdown, but the PSP Neogeo MVS emulator is more accurate. But, as said earlier, if you run Metal Slug CD via the Neogeo CD emulator, it is overall the smoothest MS experience on the PSP....at least it is on mine.

Thanks for that. I didn't even know there was a Neo CD emu for PSP. Crazy!