Neo Geo Pocket UK Exclusives

[atarikurt]

Well not really exclusive because they were released in Japan too but games that were released in the UK and not the US. Is this list correct?

-Pocket Reversi
-Cool Boarders
-Evolution
-Cotton
-Dynamite Slugger

----------------
(Boxed Versions)
-Last Blade
-Faselei

[savageone]

Sounds about right, but there are more if you want to count the older non-color games.

This list (http://www.neo-geo.com/pocket/priceguide.html) is accurate afaik.

[A Black Falcon]

Yeah, those five games do exist. They're all quite rare and hard to find, though. Apparently Pocket Reversi might be the rarest of the UK releases... it's hard to even find pictures of the boxes, for four of those five (Evolution's is easy to find even if the game isn't). I've just been looking and have managed to see pictures of UK Cotton, Evolution, and Coolboarders, though, but not Dynamite Slugger. I assume it does exist though.

And yeah, Last Blade and Faselei! didn't have boxed releases in the US.

I know that the US games didn't come out because SNK went bankrupt, but why did they continue to release games in Europe? As far as I can tell, the last US release was Metal Slug: 2nd Mission in May '00. I assume that Faselei and Last Blade, at least, were released in Europe after that. I'm not sure about those other five games though, I don't know release dates for them. They certainly were still releasing games in Europe in June anyway, while in the US the planned release(s) that month were all cancelled. I don't know why that was. It's pretty weird that they'd release a baseball game in Europe but not in the US, for instance...


Sounds about right, but there are more if you want to count the older non-color games.
That's a good point, there were four or five B&W games that were released in Europe but not the US, because the B&W system had a European release but not American:
The King of Fighters R-1
Samurai Shodown!
Neo Geo Cup '98 Plus
Pocket Tennis
Baseball Stars (I'm not sure if this one was actually released in Europe or not)


This list (http://www.neo-geo.com/pocket/priceguide.html) is accurate afaik.
That separates releases out, yes, so they're combined when they're the same thing with a different label? I assume it's a correct list then.

That list does remind me though, that list in the first post is missing two games -- Picture Puzzle (Oekaki Puzzle) and Neo Baccarat seem to have gotten European releases too, but not a American ones, so that's two more.

On a somewhat related note, I find it interesting that Big Bang Pro Wrestling, released in Japan late in 2000 and some time after the Western shutdowns, has a full English option, if you plug it in to a system with English set as the screen language... of course, SNK had done such things before on the Neo-Geo, so it's not entirely surprising, but it is nice.

On that note though, I don't think I've ever actually seen pictures of the European releases of Dynamite Slugger, Picture Puzzle, or Neo Baccarat (or Pocket Reversi either). I assume that all four do exist, but are there pictures of them out there to prove it? The same applies for the B&W Baseball Stars.

[Mayhem]

If in doubt, reference the online guide here at DP. I'm in charge of the section, I own every single European and Japanese release (colour and b/w) so I can assure you, they all exist ;)

Debating whether to go for a US set, I'll need a job first me thinks...

Old photo, but this is the five European b/w releases that I own...


http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q167/MayhemUK/ngpuk.jpg

[atarikurt]

Is there any difference between King of Fighters R1 and R2 other than color?

[Bojay1997]

Just a clarification, the black and white releases were actually intended for the Asian/non-Japanese market, however both SNK UK and SNK USA sold them directly and through a few select retailers such as NCS and Japanvideogames. Similarly, the black and white NGP system was available directly from SNK USA which is where I got my system and games.

[Mayhem]

True. I think one of the reasons why they are labelled "European" is because they have the same product number convention as the later European NGPC games (as opposed to the US or Japan). Unless these were also intended as "non US, non Japan" releases too.


Is there any difference between King of Fighters R1 and R2 other than color?
Yes, R2 is technically a sequel, with more characters to play etc.

[tom]

If in doubt, reference the online guide here at DP. I'm in charge of the section, I own every single European and Japanese release (colour and b/w) so I can assure you, they all exist ;)

Debating whether to go for a US set, I'll need a job first me thinks...

Old photo, but this is the five European b/w releases that I own...


http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q167/MayhemUK/ngpuk.jpg

Does it actually say inside or anywhere on the box that they are European releases? Do the manuals come in multi-language?

It is hard to believe that they would release games in Europe without the hardware, as the NGPb&w was never released over there.

[atarikurt]

Anybody know where I could find some gameplay video of picture puzzle? I couldn't find anything on youtube.

[PapaStu]

Does it actually say inside or anywhere on the box that they are European releases? Do the manuals come in multi-language?

It is hard to believe that they would release games in Europe without the hardware, as the NGPb&w was never released over there.


As Mayhem already said,
True. I think one of the reasons why they are labelled "European" is because they have the same product number convention as the later European NGPC games (as opposed to the US or Japan). Unless these were also intended as "non US, non Japan" releases too.

The Japanese NGP games have different part numbers than the 'Euro' NGP games do., so if you know those (plus the fact that the covers are in English) then you're good to go.

I've got a full US set of NGPC stuff, save a few NGPC system box variants and additional clamshell games that *may* have come out. For the most part Mayhem, the stuff is cheap and pretty easy to come across, save the cross ocean shipping you'd have to deal with. But we know that you've got ways *around* that.

[Mayhem]

All the manuals inside the English language b/w games are English only. To my knowledge. All of mine were bought second hand. I got my Neo Geo Cup 98 Plus from a seller in Spain (who didn't speak any English, that's a tale in itself hah hah), and that only had an English manual in it.

As Bojay said, I believe the intention was for the games to be sold in markets outside of Japan, and I certainly knew someone here in the UK with a b/w unit before the colour one was released. Although he only had Japanese release b/w games for it. It was only several years later that I discovered there had been some English b/w games released as well.

[tom]

Well yes, in UK I bought a NGpB&W (plus 2 games) when it was released in Japan, I purchased it in Bournemouth Video Game Centre which did imports. But even he said there'll be no European B&W unit, and he knew his stuff. All you have to do is ditch the box and no-one's the wiser.
And where are others with 'European' NGpB&W games? There must be at least some out there. Pretty strange.
Here's my unit:
http://roomofdoom.powweb.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=201490&g2_serialNumber=1

[A Black Falcon]

If in doubt, reference the online guide here at DP. I'm in charge of the section, I own every single European and Japanese release (colour and b/w) so I can assure you, they all exist.
Good to know. :)


Just a clarification, the black and white releases were actually intended for the Asian/non-Japanese market, however both SNK UK and SNK USA sold them directly and through a few select retailers such as NCS and Japanvideogames. Similarly, the black and white NGP system was available directly from SNK USA which is where I got my system and games.
They weren't sold in any stores in Europe, really? I thought they were... because they weren't here (in the US), for sure.

What languages are on the back of those five? Because if they're for Europe specifically I'd expect the usual five languages. If they were for non-Japan Asia but were also released elsewhere in the same boxes, I don't know what would be on them.

True. I think one of the reasons why they are labelled "European" is because they have the same product number convention as the later European NGPC games (as opposed to the US or Japan). Unless these were also intended as "non US, non Japan" releases too.
Well, they certainly aren't American versions, even if they were sold here. They have "Europe" region product codes, the same style of packaging of other games in that region, etc. And they don't have ESRB ratings, the sure sign of a US release -- that the US Faselei! and The Last Blade carts have ESRB ratings is how we can be sure that those are indeed American-region carts that the they released in '03/04, for instance.


Yes, R2 is technically a sequel, with more characters to play etc.
Right, they aren't the same game, just like how the two SamSho games aren't the same, etc.


Does it actually say inside or anywhere on the box that they are European releases? Do the manuals come in multi-language?

It is hard to believe that they would release games in Europe without the hardware, as the NGPb&w was never released over there.
I thought the story is that the B&W systems were actually sold there, along with those five games, but I'm not certain. I mean, the European boxes do mention on the back that games which are color only require a color system. US boxes don't mention that at all. Compare the Sonic Pocket Adventure European and American boxes, for instance. The only logo on the back of the US box is the "linkable" one, because the B&W system and games weren't sold here (I wouldn't count some import-focused online stores as games being sold here... a US-products site, yes, but an imports one? Not so much.), while the European box also warns that the game is color-only and won't work on a B&W system.

Maybe the answer is that Europe and Non-Japan Asia are the same region, and they just used English-only packaging for the whole area, and did release the B&W system somewhere there at some point so they put that note on the back of the color-only titles, while in the US where the B&W system was never released they don't. That could be the answer, I don't know. But I would guess that somewhere in the "Europe" region the B&W system was released at some point... if they really weren't, then that note is kind of odd. Unless they did some large-ish scale official importing or something?

[tom]

My guess would be Hong Kong, but by that time the British invasion was over. So that doesn't make sense.

[Bojay1997]

Good to know. :)


They weren't sold in any stores in Europe, really? I thought they were... because they weren't here (in the US), for sure.

What languages are on the back of those five? Because if they're for Europe specifically I'd expect the usual five languages. If they were for non-Japan Asia but were also released elsewhere in the same boxes, I don't know what would be on them.

Well, they certainly aren't American versions, even if they were sold here. They have "Europe" region product codes, the same style of packaging of other games in that region, etc. And they don't have ESRB ratings, the sure sign of a US release -- that the US Faselei! and The Last Blade carts have ESRB ratings is how we can be sure that those are indeed American-region carts that the they released in '03/04, for instance.


Right, they aren't the same game, just like how the two SamSho games aren't the same, etc.


I thought the story is that the B&W systems were actually sold there, along with those five games, but I'm not certain. I mean, the European boxes do mention on the back that games which are color only require a color system. US boxes don't mention that at all. Compare the Sonic Pocket Adventure European and American boxes, for instance. The only logo on the back of the US box is the "linkable" one, because the B&W system and games weren't sold here (I wouldn't count some import-focused online stores as games being sold here... a US-products site, yes, but an imports one? Not so much.), while the European box also warns that the game is color-only and won't work on a B&W system.

Maybe the answer is that Europe and Non-Japan Asia are the same region, and they just used English-only packaging for the whole area, and did release the B&W system somewhere there at some point so they put that note on the back of the color-only titles, while in the US where the B&W system was never released they don't. That could be the answer, I don't know. But I would guess that somewhere in the "Europe" region the B&W system was released at some point... if they really weren't, then that note is kind of odd. Unless they did some large-ish scale official importing or something?

I can't speak for UK retail sales, but I know for a fact SNK USA sold the NGP and the English/Asian/European/? games from their US office directly and also sold them through National Console, Japan Video Games, Gamedude and a few other retailers in the US. I own a full set of the English NGP games and the unit, all but one of which (Pocket Tennis) I bought directly from SNK USA. I even have the invoice still. I will have to get my NGP out of storage at some point because I literally can't remember if the box was in English or not. I think it was, but again I'm not 100% positive. I don't agree that a game has to have an ESRB rating or be sold in Toys R Us or some other major retailer to count as released. SNK advertised on their website and in promo flyers sent out to their customers that the NGP was being sold here, so it was "released" in the same sense that most of their mid-90s Neo Geo AES games were, even if the release was fairly limited.