Metal Slug PSP - SNK Takes a Bad Dump

[roushimsx]

Ok, so I know some people were really looking forward to this game. Unfortunately, Emu-France (http://www.emu-france.com/?page=news_eng&id=13910) discovered that SNK did another shitty port. Surprisingly, not only did they just emulate the arcade versions instead of doing proper ports, they emulated outdated MAME sets with improper ROM dumps (such as the bootleg Metal Slug 5).

Quoting Emu-France:

the roms used to emulate Metal Slug 5 are in reality those from the first dump released on the net, it means the bootleg dump! Yes you've read right, SNKP has used bootleg roms with the watermarked Vx and a P1 which has bankswitches


You can see also a m1d file (in Mslug4 for example) which was the given name for decrypted M1 in Mame (ndlr: now we speak about xxx-m1_decrypted) and also the neogeo bios presence which has the same names (and same errors) that the ones used in Mame, as the asia-s3 bios which is in reality named sp-s3 on the composant

They go on to recommend MVSPSP (http://pspupdates.qj.net/MVSPSP-v1-7-0/pg/49/aid/82247) for playing Neo Geo games on your PSP.

So yea, there you have it: SNK has hit a new low. Check out the linked page for lots of pretty pictures and such :)

[50s Brawler]

Doesn't surprise me seeing as this is SNKP we're talking about, and not SNK. Still though, at this point I just want "Metal Slug Anthology" to get released on the domestic PS2 like yesterday. I still have yet to actually play MS6, and that for me alone would be worth the pricetag. :2gunfire:

[Kitsune Sniper]

Why is anyone surprised? Doesn't anyone remember the countless PocketNES compilations on the GBA?

Companies will do whatever they want to save money, even use bootlegged items.

I'm curious if they used MAME code. If they did, they could get sued...

[ClassicGameTrader]

Wow, did this lead to any problems with the games themselves?

[50s Brawler]

I'm curious if they used MAME code. If they did, they could get sued...

Wouldn't that be a hoot? SNKP getting sued by the coders for MAME if they did indeed use the code. It be like a cosmic boomerang for leaving the Neo:Geo crowd in the dust to jump to Atomiswave right when they finally were getting the feel for the MVS hardware with KOF 2003. And they were the ones complaining about bootleggers. Even if they didn't use the MAME code, if they're using anykind of "bootleg" version, it just proves the dark side is strong with them.

[petewhitley]

That's too bad; I was really looking forward to this one. I'll probably still get it however, and I probably won't really notice the emulation problems to tell the truth.

[Captain Wrong]

Here's what's funny. I was actually being a good little scout (relatively speaking) when I compiled my MVSPSP roms and left out all the MS games because I was going to buy this comp even though I alreay own the Wii version (with gimp controls.) Looks like I'm going to add the MS games after all. Sorry to not have MS6 portable, but I'll live.

[Griking]

Why is anyone surprised? Doesn't anyone remember the countless PocketNES compilations on the GBA?

Companies will do whatever they want to save money, even use bootlegged items.

I'm curious if they used MAME code. If they did, they could get sued...

Is it against the law to steal someone's stolen goods?

Mame doesn't own the code in the dumps any more than I own the music in rips of audio CDs that I make.

[Captain Wrong]

MAME owns their emulator code though. That's what he's talking about. I think they've taken people to court before for ripping off MAME code for emulator arcade machines and whatnot.

[heybtbm]

I probably won't really notice the emulation problems to tell the truth.

Exactly. 99.99% of people will never be able to tell the difference. Let's use a little common sense here.

I've had the PS2 version pre-ordered (and paid for) at Gamestop for almost 6 months. At least this is some confirmation that SNK is still going to release something Metal Slug related. There is no way in hell I'm going to buy the lame Wii version.

[ubersaurus]

Wouldn't that be a hoot? SNKP getting sued by the coders for MAME if they did indeed use the code. It be like a cosmic boomerang for leaving the Neo:Geo crowd in the dust to jump to Atomiswave right when they finally were getting the feel for the MVS hardware with KOF 2003. And they were the ones complaining about bootleggers. Even if they didn't use the MAME code, if they're using anykind of "bootleg" version, it just proves the dark side is strong with them.

Yes god forbid SNK wants to make money. That's just INSANE.

[roushimsx]

It be like a cosmic boomerang for leaving the Neo:Geo crowd in the dust to jump to Atomiswave right when they finally were getting the feel for the MVS hardware with KOF 2003.

I agree with their decision to move to the Atomiswave hardware (and I think they should have done so sooner), but I also think that they've been churning out too darn many half-assed ports of their games. Metal Slug 3 for PS2 and Xbox was so damn well done, it was a shame to see nearly everything afterwards turn out to be quick, simple, and zero-frills releases.

Hopefully they do eventually release that PS2 version of Metal Slug Anthology. I'm looking forward to seeing if Metal Slug 6 is enjoyable or if it's just a shadow of its former self like 4 and 5 were.

Plus, you gotta admit it's funny as hell that they used a known bootleg dump with MAME naming conventions. Really does make you wonder about what's under the hood...


Why is anyone surprised? Doesn't anyone remember the countless PocketNES compilations on the GBA?

Well the difference being that the source code for PocketNES is public domain and anyone that wants to do anything with it is freely able to. I think it's a bit shitty that they never gave any credit, but they're not really required to.

[50s Brawler]

Yes god forbid SNK wants to make money. That's just INSANE.

:above me:

Hey, no argument there man, I just think the whole thing is ironic since one of SNKP's major focal points (aside from making more money) was their Piracy issues of MVS games. I'd have had no complaints if they'd just released a few more games, with maybe even "Garou: Mark of the Wolves 2" as their swan song. I don't hate SNKP for their move, I just didn't like it when they were finally showing some (some) promise.

[ubersaurus]

:above me:

Hey, no argument there man, I just think the whole thing is ironic since one of SNKP's major focal points (aside from making more money) was their Piracy issues of MVS games. I'd have had no complaints if they'd just released a few more games, with maybe even "Garou: Mark of the Wolves 2" as their swan song. I don't hate SNKP for their move, I just didn't like it when they were finally showing some (some) promise.

I've just heard so many neo geo fans rant about how they should have never left the neo geo behind when economically speaking, it was a logical move. It was showing its age graphically, storage capacity wise, in terms of sheer amount of bootlegging, and the fact that the only way to "port" a game from it was to rebuild it from the ground up to modern consoles.

Metal Slug 6 is awesome. They changed up some of the mechanics to the game so that it wouldn't be the same basic Slug with new levels(like all the other ones pretty much have been).

[Ze_ro]

Ironically, aside from the legal implications, us gamers are probably better off if these companies DO rip off the MAME code. The MAME devs put a lot of effort into getting the games emulated properly, while most of these companies that make rehashes just toss it all together to make a quick buck.

I still think Midway Arcade Treasures 2 stole the Wizard of Wor samples directly from MAME.

--Zero

[Griking]

MAME owns their emulator code though. That's what he's talking about. I think they've taken people to court before for ripping off MAME code for emulator arcade machines and whatnot.

Those were third party manufacturers looking to bundle Mame with arcade cabinets they were trying to sell. Good luck though if Mame tried to go to court against the actual copyright owners of the games that they dump.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Is it against the law to steal someone's stolen goods?

Mame doesn't own the code in the dumps any more than I own the music in rips of audio CDs that I make.


Those were third party manufacturers looking to bundle Mame with arcade cabinets they were trying to sell. Good luck though if Mame tried to go to court against the actual copyright owners of the games that they dump.

MAME isn't bundled with roms. The MAME source code may not be used in any commercial environment without the explicit permission of MAMEDev. Not to mention, several of the CPU cores -are not freeware-, and their authors CAN sue if they want to. Bundling MAME with roms is also against their license.

You may think they don't have legal recourse against the company, but they do. Even if they don't, other companies will know they stole stuff, and people will be reluctant to work with them in the future.

[Jorpho]

It be like a cosmic boomerang for leaving the Neo:Geo crowd in the dust to jump to Atomiswave right when they finally were getting the feel for the MVS hardware with KOF 2003.

Er, what? Wasn't the MVS hardware over a decade old in 2003, and weren't the people at SNKP at the time mostly the same people from SNK? (That was not the case for 2002 and 2001, which were done by Eolith, apparently (http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/kof/kof4.htm).)

[50s Brawler]

Er, what? Wasn't the MVS hardware over a decade old in 2003, and weren't the people at SNKP at the time mostly the same people from SNK? (That was not the case for 2002 and 2001, which were done by Eolith, apparently (http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/kof/kof4.htm).)

Well I'm far from being some kind of SNK expert, but I have been with them since I first played the Romstar licensed "Time Soldiers" back in the arcades; and went through my fair share of AES and MVS systems. Still have a 2-Slot MVS machine in my private arcade room as well. *The way I understand it is that today's SNKPlaymore is not the old SNK at all, or at least most of the old guard left at some point. The Baron family more or less destroyed that power of SNK by bad business decisions and eventually some other company (I believe a Pachinko company, forget the name) bought up the IP. Then it got turned into SNK Playmore.

I'm not entirely sure who's in charge or at what point hands changed, but SNKP and SNK are two separate entitites. SNKP merely had the rights to the SNK IPs on the NEO:GEO, though I'm still confused as if they have total soverign power over pre-Neo arcade games like P.O.W. IKARI I-III, Time Soldiers, Crystalis, Mechanized Attack and a whole slew of other great Pre-Neo:Geo games? After Samurai Spirits Zero and KOF 2003 they took off to be with Sammy Corp on the AW. I'm sure there is someone out there who's like the Shin Nihon Kikaku god or something, but this was always how I understood things. Thus to me it would be hilarious if SNKP was using bootleg code MAME, when it was them who feared bootleggers than anything else. And while the MVS hardware was indeed long in the tooth (14 yrs old iirc) at the time of KOF 2003... I partly think the allure by that time was the fact that such old hardware was still being supported. But they're with Atomiswave now and all I care about is "Metal Slug Anthology" actually get released on the domestic PS2. If SNKP does have the IPs for other games prior to Neo:Geo then I'd love a compiler disc to be released, but I doubt we'll ever see one.
:cheers: