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HEY! C'MON C'MON: It's the Giga Powered Neo Geo Appreciation Thread
- Thread starter Danny Dudekisser
- Start date
RoryDropkick
Member
Hoo boy, NGF lore spils into Neo Gaf. Fun stuff. It's a shitshow through and through.
Also, did anyone order the Neo Geo Visual History book today? I put my preorder in.
Also, did anyone order the Neo Geo Visual History book today? I put my preorder in.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I preordered it a couple weeks back. Amazon had it for like $22 or something, and I kinda had to get it.
RoryDropkick
Member
Oh no, you used the Amazon link? You might want to retract it and order directly from Bitmap Books. They've been constantly posting about how those Amazon links aren't valid.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Well that ain't good.
Ban Puncher
Member
It wouldn't be a true Neo Geo experience if it wasn't a giant pain in the arse.
Sorry haven't been following. How are they not valid?
tomwhite2004
Member
The publisher said they would not be giving stock to bulk discount resellers and will control all distribution themselves.
https://mobile.twitter.com/bitmap_books/status/881975304247554049
I'm gonna stick with my Amazon preorder. I really don't know why Bitmap are doing that, because I always bought their books with large discounts on book depository.
thelatestmodel
Junior, please.
Yup I cancelled my Amazon pre-order and went through Bitmap as soon as I saw that special editions were available.
I got the Collector's Edition, I'm not fussed about a t-shirt and gold lettering.
tomwhite2004
Member
"No stock is shipping to Amazon. When Bitmap Books submitted for an ISBN they had to provide a summary of the book. Amazon (and others) then scrape this info and create listings. Bitmap Books have managed to take down the Amazon UK listings. I suspect anyone ordering through Amazon US/Jpn/Germany will get a notification (cancelling or putting the order on hold) at some point after we launch the book in two weeks time."
Well, that sucks. I had the book ordered through amazon.ca, but there's no way that I'm switching up my Amazon preorder to one through Bitmap Books due to the insane difference in cost.
The worst thing that can happen is a cancelled order and a $5 voucher for my trouble.
Vinegar Joe
Member
I need to re-evaluate my life (long rambling post not helping my cause):
I've no idea how SNK managed to cock this one up so badly. I think maybe they spent more time designing cool looking carts than they did making the games:
That beast is clad entirely in metal and feels like it would smash the MVS cart if it landed on it. But that's a much better game than FF:WA, so I'm not going to do that.
Setting it up is actually a doddle if you have an MVS or JAMMA set up already. Just pop the cab on the top of the unit and clamp it with the two levers either side of the cart. The big brass things pop it back out again like a big, expensive SNES. Despite the size of the board and carts, it fit in my cab pretty well. At least better than my Naomi with all the Capcom I/O gubbins.
Just make sure you get a rev 2 board, because the rev 1 isn't JAMMA compatible for some silly reason.
The kits are actually kind of neat. As I mentioned before, a ton of new old stock ended up in the UK, so these things are near mint. Probably untouched by human hands...can't think why.
In terms of hardware it was well behind the curve, considering Sega was messing around with the Model 3 and Naomi by the time these games were being developed. It is probably more comparable to the PS1 than Dreamcast, which was really not going to catch anyone's eye in the arcade.
All things told, the games look objectively worse than everything SNK was putting out on the MVS at the time. Buriki One was made in the same year as Mark of the Wolves. Tell me which looks better, then and now?
I understand SNK felt the need to jump on the 3D bandwagon and leave the aging MVS hardware behind, but this was not paying to their strengths at all. A fact highlighted by the slow, ugly, cumbersome mess that is Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition. It feels like you're playing a bad Chinese close of a Fatal Fury game.
In fact it is a pity they never released any 2D games, because it could have well been a powerhouse and genuine successor to the MVS.
But you know, 3D. It's better, innit?
In all fairness, Samurai Spirits 2 is a big step up despite being only slightly less ugly than FF:WA. At least it plays like a half decent SS game, and adds a few new characters (who you might recognise if you played SS2 on the NGPC, because that was a port of this game) and other elements.
By the time we get to Buriki One (the last game to be release on the NG64) SNK are actually showing some promise here. This is a genuinely fun fighting game that isn't trying to xerox a 2D franchise and slapping on a dodge button. In fact they've gone in completely the opposite direction and created a control scheme so mental it's amazing it actually works - you use the buttons to move and the stick to change pose and attack. It sounds like a gimmick, but it actually helps slow the pace down and works nicely with the MMA setting.
It's a real pity these last couple of games weren't ported to PS1 or anything else, and are very unlikely to ever be released. Is there even any decent emulation route now?
Still, SNK made their own bed here. I would not recommend picking one up unless you're really curious. And even then, the barrier for entry was made stupidly high considering they wanted you to buy a separate board for the driving games and the (single) shooting game. I understand the limitations of the MVS meant that driving and shooting games were limited to joystick which wasn't ideal, but this is the complete opposite problem. At least the Naomi could do it all from one board.
I'm probably never going to pick those up, or the one remaining fighting game I don't have (SS 64, which is much more expensive for some reason). After I'm done with Buriki One and SS2 it'll all go in to a cupboard somewhere until I accidentally bump in to it while looking for Christmas decorations and I can remind myself I wasted £190 on something that is probably more suitable for cladding than it is playing.
I've no idea how SNK managed to cock this one up so badly. I think maybe they spent more time designing cool looking carts than they did making the games:
That beast is clad entirely in metal and feels like it would smash the MVS cart if it landed on it. But that's a much better game than FF:WA, so I'm not going to do that.
Setting it up is actually a doddle if you have an MVS or JAMMA set up already. Just pop the cab on the top of the unit and clamp it with the two levers either side of the cart. The big brass things pop it back out again like a big, expensive SNES. Despite the size of the board and carts, it fit in my cab pretty well. At least better than my Naomi with all the Capcom I/O gubbins.
Just make sure you get a rev 2 board, because the rev 1 isn't JAMMA compatible for some silly reason.
The kits are actually kind of neat. As I mentioned before, a ton of new old stock ended up in the UK, so these things are near mint. Probably untouched by human hands...can't think why.
In terms of hardware it was well behind the curve, considering Sega was messing around with the Model 3 and Naomi by the time these games were being developed. It is probably more comparable to the PS1 than Dreamcast, which was really not going to catch anyone's eye in the arcade.
All things told, the games look objectively worse than everything SNK was putting out on the MVS at the time. Buriki One was made in the same year as Mark of the Wolves. Tell me which looks better, then and now?
I understand SNK felt the need to jump on the 3D bandwagon and leave the aging MVS hardware behind, but this was not paying to their strengths at all. A fact highlighted by the slow, ugly, cumbersome mess that is Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition. It feels like you're playing a bad Chinese close of a Fatal Fury game.
In fact it is a pity they never released any 2D games, because it could have well been a powerhouse and genuine successor to the MVS.
But you know, 3D. It's better, innit?
In all fairness, Samurai Spirits 2 is a big step up despite being only slightly less ugly than FF:WA. At least it plays like a half decent SS game, and adds a few new characters (who you might recognise if you played SS2 on the NGPC, because that was a port of this game) and other elements.
By the time we get to Buriki One (the last game to be release on the NG64) SNK are actually showing some promise here. This is a genuinely fun fighting game that isn't trying to xerox a 2D franchise and slapping on a dodge button. In fact they've gone in completely the opposite direction and created a control scheme so mental it's amazing it actually works - you use the buttons to move and the stick to change pose and attack. It sounds like a gimmick, but it actually helps slow the pace down and works nicely with the MMA setting.
It's a real pity these last couple of games weren't ported to PS1 or anything else, and are very unlikely to ever be released. Is there even any decent emulation route now?
Still, SNK made their own bed here. I would not recommend picking one up unless you're really curious. And even then, the barrier for entry was made stupidly high considering they wanted you to buy a separate board for the driving games and the (single) shooting game. I understand the limitations of the MVS meant that driving and shooting games were limited to joystick which wasn't ideal, but this is the complete opposite problem. At least the Naomi could do it all from one board.
I'm probably never going to pick those up, or the one remaining fighting game I don't have (SS 64, which is much more expensive for some reason). After I'm done with Buriki One and SS2 it'll all go in to a cupboard somewhere until I accidentally bump in to it while looking for Christmas decorations and I can remind myself I wasted £190 on something that is probably more suitable for cladding than it is playing.
No one has any input on this? I know most people here probably play on real hardware but im way too broke/cheap for that lol.
The Hyper 64 was SNK's SuperGrafx (or maybe PCFX?)
The rev 1 was for Neo cabs that use the SNK's 'not quite Jamma will blow something up if you plug it in' set-up.
Vinegar Joe
Member
Yeah, they messed up the rev 1 and apparently it won't even work out of the box without some fiddling.
The rev 2 works fine with an MVS setup, not tried Jamma but it should be OK too.
And you're right, there are lots of parallels with Hudson Soft and the SuperGrafx. But at least that was backwards compatible and didn't require you to buy three separate consoles to play all seven (seven!) games.
Should have got a Taito F3 instead, at least that has Bubble Bobble.
thelatestmodel
Junior, please.
Well, just bit the bullet and ordered a NeoSD MVS. 161-in-1 is going straight on eBay after yesterday's blog / forum posts.
Vinegar Joe
Member
I don't have a Supergun to test, but as long as you get a rev 2 I don't see why it shouldn't work. Don't quote me on that though!
Honestly, I'd be more tempted to get a Naomi if I were you. I should have got an Atomiswave instead ;p
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
How were the other non-Blazing Star/Pulstar shmups? I'm specifically interested in Aero Fighters 2 and 3, along with Strikers 1945 Plus.
cyborgnumberblue
Member
I really like both Aero Fighters 2 and Strikers 1945+, more so than Blazing Star and Pulstar. However, I really just seem to prefer vertical scrolling STGs to horizontal scrolling.
Honestly, I find the STG offerings on Neo Geo lacking in general, but those two are great.
Definitely lacking, but I really enjoy Strikers 1945 Plus. You could also have a look at Last Resort, Prehistoric Isle 2, and Viewpoint. They're all fun and I think more enjoyable than Blazing Star and Pulstar. Viewpoint has some awesome music btw.
tomwhite2004
Member
Have you played Zed Blade by NMK? Best hori shmup on the system imho...
cyborgnumberblue
Member
Maybe briefly, but I can't recall. I'll be sure to give it a go.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Yo, Omega owners. What kind of SCART cable are you using for your system? I asked the store owner, and he said it has a 9-pin port, and recommends just using the one they sell on their site. Which would be easy enough.
No idea what the quality of the cable is, though, so I was wondering what solutions you guys have opted for... who knows, maybe theirs is the best choice?
No idea what the quality of the cable is, though, so I was wondering what solutions you guys have opted for... who knows, maybe theirs is the best choice?
MezzoForte
Member
theirs is totally fine, nothing more or less than what it needed. I couldn't say if there if there was a better one, in fact when I remember looking around at the time of my Omega purchase, I couldn't even find any alternatives lol.
by the way, I feel for anyone who is having to wait for their Omega. I got mine in like early 2015 or so, and it was in stock. Two months would be unbearable for me.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Good to know.
And yeah, the wait is killin' me. I'm about 5 weeks in... which, if the older lead time is to believed, means it should be shipping in the next week or so.
On the upside, it's given me time to buy games, get all my new arcade stick stuff squared away, etc. It's not like I'll lose interest in Neo Geo because of a couple more weeks of waiting.
cyborgnumberblue
Member
I use theirs, too. No problems at all.
SeriuzBiznus
Member
The cables they sell on the Omega site are pretty damn good imo.
Just a heads up though, Component provides significantly better quality than SCART, so if that's an option available for your use case, I would definitely opt for the Neo Geo Omega Console Component Cable.
Edit - Ignore the above, I need to study harder.
*Dogeza*
sixteen-bit
Member
Why would component be better? Is their SCART wired for composite video instead of RGB?
Huh Component is not better than scart rgb....
SeriuzBiznus
Member
I was under the impression that in general, it just plays nicer with modern HDTVs but I could well be wrong, in which case, apologies for the crappy info! :S
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Oh. Yeah, this is going to the OSSC and then to an HDTV. SCART should be the way to go.
SeriuzBiznus
Member
My bad, apologies for the confusion!
MezzoForte
Member
so I guess I have officially been living under a rock. HOLY SHIT. I need to buy one of these immediately. I say this as someone who owns multiple PVM-2530s.
cyborgnumberblue
Member
I got two PVMs, def selling one now that my OSSC and TV are compatible. So happy with it, especially with the digital audio mod.
thelatestmodel
Junior, please.
If you get a NeoSD (super worth it) you can play CS2 and Ironclad on your cartridge system!
Also, I need to look into getting a SCART switch... I'd all but counted out using one as I'm in NTSC land, so have built up quite a collection of component cables, but I also just ordered an OSSC which might change everything.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Alright, all the parts for my new stick are here. Phew.
Won't put it together this weekend, but holy shit... I think this is going to be the first home arcade stick I've used that I'm actually satisfied with.
Reference: was using the VLX Kuro before. Not really a fan.
Won't put it together this weekend, but holy shit... I think this is going to be the first home arcade stick I've used that I'm actually satisfied with.
Reference: was using the VLX Kuro before. Not really a fan.
Neo Alec has started a series of video reviews of the Neo Geo library in NGH order, and it's pretty fantastic. Each episode covers MVS, AES, and Neo Geo CD differences where those exist. I'm rather enjoying the amount of effort that's going into this for those titles you hear the least about. Highly recommended. 
sixteen-bit
Member
Neo Alec has started a series of video reviews of the Neo Geo library in NGH order, and it's pretty fantastic. Each episode covers MVS, AES, and Neo Geo CD differences where those exist. I'm rather enjoying the amount of effort that's going into this for those titles you hear the least about. Highly recommended.
This sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing!
I just bought a S-Video cable for about $3 for my NGCD and wow, I'm impressed. Crisp pixels, better colors, way less ghosting. Good thing my old LCD still have a S-Video input.
Also opened up and cleaned the pad, without going into the metal disk part of the microswitches because I was afraid to mess up the white plastic piece, and it is more responsive than before.
Also opened up and cleaned the pad, without going into the metal disk part of the microswitches because I was afraid to mess up the white plastic piece, and it is more responsive than before.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
Got my King of Fighters 2000 cart. Not that I can do anything with it, since I still don't have the Omega... but honestly? Feels fuckin' good. Both because I'm glad I bought the game, and because it's kind of nice to have another Neo Geo game I can put next to Metal Slug after buying that MVS cart 8 years ago.
Also built my Neo Geo stick yesterday and hooollly hell is this thing overkill. No regrets.
Also built my Neo Geo stick yesterday and hooollly hell is this thing overkill. No regrets.
MezzoForte
Member
post pictures breh.
Danny Dudekisser
I paid good money for this Dynex!
I will when it's all ready to go. Should only be a little bit longer -- I've passed the 6 week mark in waiting for the Omega.
Neo Alec has started a series of video reviews of the Neo Geo library in NGH order, and it's pretty fantastic. Each episode covers MVS, AES, and Neo Geo CD differences where those exist. I'm rather enjoying the amount of effort that's going into this for those titles you hear the least about. Highly recommended.
NAM-1975 at freaking No. 1
Hell yeah
sixteen-bit
Member
I watched the Magician Lord video and didn't know a NGPC version was planned. Shame it never got released.