Neo Geo CD, exactly how bad are loadtimes?

[PDorr3]

This topic will help me decide wether or not I get an AES or CD Neo Geo console. As for the past2 days I have been flipflopping between the two, as the Neo CD will save me alot of money and open me up to more titles that are affordable, or if I should spend the extra cash and buy an AES with JPN carts which would make my total game library no more than 5-6 games (the ones than are cheap)

Please do not vote if you have not actualy played or owned a neo cd.

Please do not suggest I buy an MVS, as I do not feel like spending a ton on a consilized mvs and then buying ALOT of games (thats the point of an mvs). I just want a few games such as SS1-3 and a few other fighters just to experience the neo geo and finaly own these games.

[omnedon]

I've met many former Neo CD owners who now have MVS or AES setups. That says it all IMO.

Buy an AES. Eventually get it modded when budget permits. Later on when budget permits again, get a Phantom-1, and then buy up all the cheap MVS games you want.

The Neo Geo party is not a cheap one. It's a fun one. just pace yourself, and it's all good.

[mikeetler]

Since you want it primarilly for fighters, go for the AES. The load times really hurt fighters more then anything. You could also look into a single slot MVS bord and Supergun setup. While it might cost a little more then an AES off the bat, you'd have plenty of cheap MVS games to make up for it.

[sharp]

The CD is ok for all games till let's say 200 Megs max. If the games become bigger loading times become longer then the time you play. But for some games the Neo geo CD was great as the games sometimes got a few extras like the combatschool in Metal Slug and if I remember wel Neo Turf Masters had an extra course. So for some games it can be worth it to play them on CD, for fighters I would just say that it would be better to invest in a AES (or build your own home MVS with a RGB-out, it isn't that hard).

[Dangerboy]

I'll say it before and i'll say it again: AES With Phantom or Consolized MVS is the ONLY way to go. If nothing for what has been mentioned in other threads, than this:

1. The CD versions have been proven to have missing animation / wrong size issues in many games.

2. This is, and will always be, the ultimate example of why I will never have one, and is 100% true.

Back when i Used to work at the Microplay / High Score, a rather over zealous neo fan was raving about his Neo CD (the top loader). Sexy it was, he plopped in King of Fighters '96. The loading screen came up.

And stayed there.

Up came the title screen, he pressed A. It loaded.

And then loaded the character screen. As he chose the characters, it went to load the first stage and characters.

Just then, a customer came in, and I went to help them. This involved answering a few questions, showing them two diffewrent games, answering a few more questions, and then ringing them up, answering a phone call, and then wandering back over to my friend and his Neo Geo CD.

It was still loading.

The first stage...and the two characters.

It came up, he fought, and it came down to one hit. He wins, it loads the next character...

and loads....

and loads....

The round starts, the CPU beats him in one punch, and he loses.

Then it loads the next character...

and loads....

and loads....

And looking at my watch, he spent about 7 minutes playing 1:30 of game play. That means the average 22 minutes I regulalry play my MVS KoF would take 105 minutes of loading.

Hell. Freaking. No.

Long live the MVS.

Special thanks to davidbrit and scooter for doing the math for me on #vbender.

[Anthony1]

Umm.... I'm interested in this too. I'm with PDorr3 on this.


I was actually 100 percent set to get a Neo-Geo CD, whenever I could find one for about $138 or less.

But after all these Geo topics, and after talking with a DP member last night on AIM, I started to get hyped on getting the old cart system.


I actually had a Neo-Geo Gold back in it's hey day, (only for about 5 months) so there is a little bit of a nostalgia factor to have a AES.


But here is my situation.

#1. I've heard that you must get a early serial number Neo-Geo to get proper RGB output. So that concerns me greatly. The ones that have a serial number below 100,000 tend to go much higher than the other Geo's. Unfortunately, I would have to have one of those earlier units, because I would absolutely have to play it in RGB. So it's now even more expensive for me.

#2. I'm not interested in the fighters. I know that's kinda stupid to be a Neo-Geo owner and not care about the fighters. But I don't care about the fighters. And I can't afford any of the real expensive games. With a Neo-Geo CD, I could always get a ISO of a super expensive game.



My big question with the Neo Geo CD, is how bad is the loading on a game like Magician Lord or Nam-75 or Baseball Stars, etc ,etc.

Because if the loading isn't that bad on those types of games, then I would be cool with it.

Also, aren't there some games on CD that aren't available on cart? Isn't Pulstar one of them? Isn't that like the best shooter on the Geo? How bad is the loading for that game?


Mainly on the whole loading issue, I don't mind an initial long loading time, but I do prefer that after the initial long load, that the games don't have lots of other long loading times.

I've got a TurboGrafx-16 CD system, and the load times on that are pretty long. So I'm sure I could deal with the load times.

Plus, if I discover I can't deal with the load times, I could always sell it for about 90 percent of what I paid. Then go the MVS route.

[retroman]

Get an AES...that is what all the new games are released on. The CD has not seen a new release in years.

[Anthony1]

new games?


Like what new games, I not know of these?



yeah, but how much do they freaking cost?

[The Brown Eye]

It's tough to say, the question is how long is too long for you? There are some benefits to the CD:

-redbook audio Soundtracks (sometimes re-arranged)
-a few CD exclusive games
-cheaper
-additional content not in AES/MVS version

If you're in just for fighting games, I would skip it entirely. Some of the earlier ones are fine, but LB2 and the other later releases suck. As far as action games/shooters go Metal Slug 1 and 2 are very playable on this system, and go for a hell of a lot cheaper than their AES counterparts. You cannot get X, 3, 4, or 5 though. I used to have a few stacks of NEO CD games and most really weren't that bad as far as loading.

You may also try a CDZ, that is a little faster, but less reliable. It also costs more.

[PDorr3]

how much do metal slug 1-2 go for on cd?
Also I would probably just get the earlier fighting games, how are load times on SS3 and SS4?

I probably would never buy a phantom converter, so on AES I would haveto life with SS1-2, AOF 1-2 FF1, FF2, FFS, Magic wizard (i think?), and world heroes 1-2. Worth it? or just get neo cd with these games and a few more?

[Lothars]

hmm thank you guys for the topic, I've always wanted to get a Neo Geo and have never really known what to go for,

so i appreciated everyone's input,

[junglehunter]

how much do metal slug 1-2 go for on cd?
Also I would probably just get the earlier fighting games, how are load times on SS3 and SS4?

I probably would never buy a phantom converter, so on AES I would haveto life with SS1-2, AOF 1-2 FF1, FF2, FFS, Magic wizard (i think?), and world heroes 1-2. Worth it? or just get neo cd with these games and a few more?

Metal Slug 1 goes for about $90-120. I think Metal Slug 2 is about $75 or so but I haven't seen one for sale in quite some time.

You're honestly better off with going MVS (either an MVS cab or a Consolized setup) or an AES. NGCD is really that bad but I doubt you'd be okay with buying just the extremely early titles and not wanting to be picking up something better. The only thing I find nice about the NGCD systems is that they're quite cheap compared to the latter systems, but quality of the system is what brings the price way down.

Do yourself a favor and skip it. Trust me.

[The Brown Eye]

Click me!
There's a chart there that was made some time ago with load times for many games. Junglehunter's pricing is accurate for the two Slugs.

After reading these posts, it seems I am one of the few that likes this system. I still say it's really not that bad.

[pookninja]

i have a neo geo cd system,and the load times are not that bad.yes,some games load on the slow side,but there no longer then waiting for a sega cd game to load.baseball stars 2 actually loads a bit between innings when your switching sides,but its not to bad.on my ng cd games,the most loading time is at the beginning of the game,but at least it has the cool monkey

[Captain Wrong]

Wow, that poll has more options than the entire "Choose Your Own Adventure" series.

Also, haven't we done this topic, or ones similar enough, a million times already? And it's always the same thing. Aside from a couple of people, most everyone says "get a AES/MVS."

There really isn't any way around it. Neo Geo collecting isn't for the faint of heart or the light of wallet. If you want the "poor man's Neo," get a CD and learn to deal with loading times that break up the flow of the games and not having any newer releases. Personally, I'd rather stick with emulation.

Bottom line, if you're serious enough to consider plunking down the money and if you're worred enough about loading times to ask this question, save your pennys, bite the bullet and get a AES or MVS.

And I know you said "don't suggest a consolized MVS" but if you're looking for primarly SS, yeah, you'll spend more on the console (I think anyway, I don't know what a Neo CD is going for these days) but the older SS games are dirt cheap for MVS. Plus you'll get a more enjoyable experience. Just seems to me more sensible to spend a little more and get exactly what you want than compromise to save a little bit.

[tholly]

just buy an MVS......nothing beats the true arcade feel of owning an MVS cab....

[drwily008]

juggling monkey.....juggling monkey......juggling monkey....juggling monkey......juggling monkey.....juggling monkey......juggling monkey......juggling monkey.....juggling monkey......juggling monkey.....juggling monkey.....juggling monkey......juggling monkey.....juggling monkey......juggling monkey.....juggling monkey......juggling monkey.....juggling monkey.....juggling monkey


NNNNNOOOO!


Dude seriously stick with an MVS or an AES or you too will be dreaming of......juggling monkey!

[vincewy]

I'd only recommend if you intend to play games not available on AES/MVS or CD is a viable cheap alternative, especially those low meg games. Games you can't play on cartridges: Zintriks, Cross Sword 2, Iorn Clad, Final Romance 2, Samurai RPG, Bust-A-Move (also MVS), Driftout (also MVS), Power Spikes (also MVS).

How atrocious the loadings will be don't always base on meg size, the worst ones I came across are: Last Blade 1/2 (5 loadings per stage), Real Bout 2, Overtop (loading starts when you drive into tunnels and change stages), Neo Turfmasters (turn off voice option else it loads 5 times per hole), Samurai RPG (loading every time you run into fighting scenes).

On the other hand certain games are quite playable and can save you a lot: Metal Slug, KOF 99 (surprisingly this is the biggest game), Twinklestar Sprites, Pulstar.

[Gamereviewgod]

after talking with a DP member last night on AIM

Sorry I cut you off Anthony. My connection dropped and I didn't feel like restarting at 1 am.

[AB Positive]

how much do metal slug 1-2 go for on cd?
Also I would probably just get the earlier fighting games, how are load times on SS3 and SS4?

I probably would never buy a phantom converter, so on AES I would haveto life with SS1-2, AOF 1-2 FF1, FF2, FFS, Magic wizard (i think?), and world heroes 1-2. Worth it? or just get neo cd with these games and a few more?

If you get a US or modded AES and the JP versions of those games, you won't be paying more than $30 or so for any of those AES games. I say go aes if those are the games you will be playing.

-AG