Neo Cd....worth it?

[OldSchoolGamer]

OK, from strickly a viewpoint of someone who just wants to play Neo Geo games....
Is there any point to get a Neo CD system or run the cd's with an emulator (is there a good one?) or is it just as well playing NeoGeo titles in MAME? Opinions/suggestions/comments from anyone? THANKS!

[Nez]

Another member in the forums(hellvin a friend of mine) has a Neogeo cd and a modded Xbox. Ever since the Xbox became modded the Neogeo cd has sat there. Load times are absolutly horrible . IMO there is no reason to have a NeoGeo cd.

[Azazel]

Unless you want to play the games on a real TV with a real controller I say just play them through emulation. There also is a Neo Geo cd emulator for the DC which I haven't tried yet.

[pookninja]

i have a neo geo cd,and thats only because there alot cheaper than the cartridge system.i paid almost two hundred dollars forthe system complete and boxed and 3 games.the loading times do suck on some games,but i enjoy the system. i would of perfered the an aes cartridge system instead. but at least most of the good games for it are cheap and easy to find.but,if you already have a modded x-box,i would just play them on that.

[omnedon]

I don't have a Neo CD, but I do have an AES, and I have a modded Xbox.

The only edge a Neo CD (using S-video) would have over emulation on the Xbox (using S-video) is visual quality. The real thing simply looks cleaner, sharper, and more vibrant. Emulation is very good on the Xbox (I've tried everything), but it always looks a bit better on the real NES, or the real Neo, etc, etc, etc,.

Does the 'real thing' look enough better to justify the price difference? Not really, as the price difference is huuuuuuge, while the video quality improvement is noticeable, but not vast.


If the roms are enough for you, the Xbox would likely be better for you.

Now I'm going to go play pixel perfect Metal Slug 3 on my S-video modded AES. :P

[AB Positive]

i have a neo geo cd,and thats only because there alot cheaper than the cartridge system.i paid almost two hundred dollars forthe system complete and boxed and 3 games.

Funny... I got my AES w/ complete Samurai Shodown 2 for less than that price.

Honestly, getting an AES if you don't care about S-Video/Composite modes is priced just at or lower than a Neo CD. If you worry about cartridge prices, splash down on the Phantom convertor and use the (cheaper) Arcade cartridges which literally play like the home versions (the home code is in every arcade cartridge and vise versa). I've got 13 homecarts and the AES system and save for two games (Matrimelee, KoF 96) I haven't spent more than $40 on any of them.


-AG

[Syxx573]

Playing Neo CD games on the PC with an emulator is the best home experiance with the neo that I've had, and I've been playing those games for over 10 years. Neo CD games are cheap, and with the arranged sound tracks they are much better then the originals. The loading times on the PC are extremely fast. The DC emulator isn't perfect but it's getting there so if you have to play it on a console there you go. There is also a NGCD emulator for the xbox as well.

[ManekiNeko]

I'd have to say "no". The Neo Geo CD had atrocious access time for many of its games, and you can probably find an MVS unit and a Super Gun for about the same price.

JR

[pookninja]

i have a neo geo cd,and thats only because there alot cheaper than the cartridge system.i paid almost two hundred dollars forthe system complete and boxed and 3 games.

Funny... I got my AES w/ complete Samurai Shodown 2 for less than that price.

Honestly, getting an AES if you don't care about S-Video/Composite modes is priced just at or lower than a Neo CD. If you worry about cartridge prices, splash down on the Phantom convertor and use the (cheaper) Arcade cartridges which literally play like the home versions (the home code is in every arcade cartridge and vise versa). I've got 13 homecarts and the AES system and save for two games (Matrimelee, KoF 96) I haven't spent more than $40 on any of them.hmmm...everytime i see an aes system complete,its always a hell of alot more than i paid for my neo cd system.i wish i would have been as lucky as you.


-AG

[Ed Oscuro]

Neo CD would be a lot cheaper if you bought Samurai Shodown IV, and you can't get Spirits RPG on the AES or MVS...redbook audio, too. Redbook can be a selling point, but I find it wears out pretty quickly. I'd consider getting a Neo CDZ myself, but hey. It's not for everybody.

[AdoptApet]

If you are interested in older games then get a Neo Geo CD.

My rule is get fighting games less then 300 megs in cartridge form.

Thankfully a lot of great Neo Geo fighting games are on Dreamcast.

I do my Neo Geo Gaming on Neo Geo CD,Saturn,Dreamcast and XBOX(for metal Slug 3) so I dont have need for the cartridge Neo Geo.

[Raedon]

I have a NEO GEO CDZ and I love love LOVE it. It's 2x CD-rom not 1x. If I was buying a NEO GEO I would go with the CDZ.

Problems beyond load times is lack of several classics and new games.

The CDZ is the only NEO GEO console with S-Video right out the back without a mod. That is a really big deal for a pure/collection standpoint.

[esquire]

I guess you have to aks yourself this question first, do you just want to play the games on any port, or do you want the experience of playing the games on their orginal console with their original controllers?

If you are not a collector and simply want to play the games, then the answer is simple - use MAME or a modded XBOX

If you are a collector, then I would say go for it. I love my NEO GEO CD. Yes the load times are slow, but what CD based system from that era isn't?

The pros of the CD system are cheaper games (as opposed to the carts)which can be backed up , and you get to use the NEO controller, which is one of my favorites.

The cons, beside the load time, are that not every NEO GEO games was released on the CD. For instance, only Metal Slug 1 and 2 are available.

[Achika]

The CDZ is the only NEO GEO console with S-Video right out the back without a mod. That is a really big deal for a pure/collection standpoint.

Regular one has it too.

[AdoptApet]

Here are some load times that I timed myself

Magiacian Lord-30 seconds to load game, no loading after that

League Bowling-19 Seconds to load game, No loading after that.

Nam 1975- 45 seconds to load up game, no loading after that

Allstar baseball 2- 45 seconds to load game, no loading after that.

Metal Slug 2-1 minute to load game, 30 seconds to load levels

Top Hunter- 50 seconds to load game, no loading after that

KOF 94-1 minute to load game 20 seconds to load round, no more loading between the 6 characters during the match.

Samurai Showdown 1 and 2-1 minute to load game, 10 seconds to load rounds

[Raedon]

The CDZ is the only NEO GEO console with S-Video right out the back without a mod. That is a really big deal for a pure/collection standpoint.

Regular one has it too.

I have been living in a false reality for a while! thanks! *CORRECTS THOUGHT PATTERNS*

[-hellvin-]

My initial answer shall be no. I have this system and it has been slaughtered like an innocent cow ever since I modded the xbox. Pros and Cons:

Pros
Good cd sounds and graphics
Some cd specific games
Games are cheap (In comparison of AES)

Cons
Load Times


Pretty much the only thing that kills it is the load times. It's just not fun to sit there and wait for a game to take so long to load when I can load it up on the xbox and just go with unlimited coin op. I have enjoyed the system a lot playing fast loading games like magician lord, blue's journey, blazing star, aero fighters 2 & 3, ect. but if you're going to want to play the heftier games like the last blade 2 or even the king of fighters series you are in for some very long wait times. You could probably read the book shogun in between the battle load times. So it all depends on what ya use it for, but I would say just do emulation, and save your self time (literally) and money.

[vincewy]

If you're budget consious and simply want to play only certain Neo-Geo games w/o collecting in mind, please, stay away from NGCD like plague.

First, many stellar games made in 1996 and so on are missing in the CD library, so are many games before 1993.

Next problem is load time, any game below 100 megs, no problem, between 100 and 200 megs, OK, but minor annoyance, between 200 and 300 megs, it starts to get atrocious, anything over 300 megs will cause you to throw the system into trash bin, just try to play Last Blade 2 on regular Neo-Geo CD.

The faster CDZ has problem of durability, many units' laser get burned out quickly.

I only recommend NGCD as a supplemt, for someone who already has a large number of MVS/AES games and want to play games not available on AES and/or MVS format OR if you're hardcore collectors going for complete collection and even that you'll probably end up playing most games on other formats, which defeats the purpose of collecting a system.

As others have mentioned, get a modded Xbox or NGCD emulator will do the trick, even Saturn will be a more sensible choice, it has the ports that even SNK decided to forgo NGCD and went to Saturn, such as Waku Waku 7 and Stakes Winnder 2.