The Neo Geo Thread - Formerly 'Neo Geo X Gold' - The Bear and Badger

davyK

I paid for one VC NeoGeo game - it was a hori shmup called Ironclad. It was advertised as 60Hz on the shopping channel. When I got it I found it was bordered and clearly 50Hz. I complained and Nintendo credited my points back - however I believe it was because it had been advertised as 60Hz otherwise I wouldn't have had any luck with my complaint.

Blue Swirl

Another price drop. The Neo Geo X Gold is now under £100. For those too lazy to go back through the previous pages, the Gold version is the limited edition set that includes the NGX handheld, an arcade stick, and the faux Neo Geo that connects the X to your TV. Comes with 21 games, 20 pre-loaded and Ninja Master's (sic) on a card.

Yes, this is still the "limited edition" that was originally launched in December 2012.

Any takers? I reckon I might wait for it to hit £49.99.

IanHamlett

£59 and I'm in.

Blue Swirl

Can't be long now.

IanHamlett

It better not be. The price I am willing to pay is also deflating.

Blue Swirl

Ha. What about 59 quid and they chuck in the Vol. 1 games bundle?

davyK

I would have to be in full vulture mode for this. But - yeah - around £50 or so and I would consider biting.

There's just too many shortcomings from what I read in reviews to make it worthwhile spending any more on it. If I'm brutally honest, while the NeoGeo is God-like for retro collectors, the games themselves are fast losing there attractiveness for me. There are an awful lot of 2D fighters and not being a fan I have enough of those.

The shmups and puzzlers are nice though - but I can't remember how many of those are in the package. I'd be up for Viewpoint and Prehistoric Isle in 1930 shmup-wise, and stuff like Bomberman, Irritating Maze and Magical Drop would tickle me. Metal Slug is great too.
Not sure the package is dripping with stuff like that though.

Yossarian

I feel like a lot of these older games are probably better on emulation. I got Metal Slug on the iPad, and as much as I enjoyed it, I don't have the patience required to put enough time in to complete it any more. Let me save anywhere, I'll blast through it in an evening and have a good time. Force me to restart from the beginning every time I run out of credits and I'll end up getting bored.

davyK

Yeah. The call of the 1CC is nice but I prefer it as an option to go back to if I'm so inclined.

callmepauly

There's a couple of interesting games that are either still unique (wind jammers) or the best examples of the genre (league bowling, baseball stars 2, neo turf masters, puzzle bobble) that make the Neo Geo worth checking out.

I agree that the barrier to entry makes anything but emulation a brave choice.

When I was growing up my friends dad rented out arcade machines for a living. As a result I have owned a cabinet for a couple of years. There's still nothing quite like it, the system felt premium. A wonderful and perhaps final example of the arcade's ability to dominate through sheer power.

I can only imagine how high a home system owners self esteem must have been.

davyK

Back in the day it must have been Rolls Royce-tastic to have one in the home.

I still hanker for an arcade cab. Would like something dedicated but really a nice JAMMA or candy cab with a selection of PCBs would be better. A MAME cabinet would be good but I've gone off it a bit.

Hoping to get some more space bolted onto my house and that will make such an acquisition almost wife-proof.

callmepauly

There's nothing like having a cabinet in the home. The neo allows you to have a bunch of games hooked up at once (4-8 if memory serves me). Switching then out is as easy as changing a massive cartridge.

JAMMA was a great system but PCBs can be quite fragile if not stored correctly, make site that extension is warm and dry!

I agree with you on the MAME cabinet. Owning these machines is an education and a hobby. They will break and it' up to you to fix them. That's half the fun.

Candy cabinets are lovely but they don't evoke the memories of some of the others to me.

This thing had joysticks that you could rotate to aim. Niche but awesome.

This would be my choice. Maybe in 5 years.

Yossarian

davyK wrote:

wife-proof.

We'll have achieved an end to poverty, world peace and colonisation of other galaxies before this.

davyK

callmepauly wrote:

JAMMA was a great system but PCBs can be quite fragile if not stored correctly, make site that extension is warm and dry!

Oh it will be a proper job all right. I know if I get do one I'll have to get another for TATE games….The extension will mean I have an upstairs man cave but there will be oodles of space downstairs if it goes as planned and I just like the thought of a nice cab downstairs like a piece of furniture. Don't fancy cocktail cabs though - never liked them.

davyK

Yossarian wrote:

davyK wrote:

wife-proof.

We'll have achieved an end to poverty, world peace and colonisation of other galaxies before this.

Sigh. Aye.

Escape

callmepauly wrote:

This thing had joysticks that you could rotate to aim. Niche but awesome.

Apropos, look at their price.

IanHamlett

Fuck. I really like midnight resistance but not much else that uses those sticks. Another one for the millionaire list.

Blue Swirl

davyK wrote:

If I'm brutally honest, while the NeoGeo is God-like for retro collectors, the games themselves are fast losing there attractiveness for me. There are an awful lot of 2D fighters and not being a fan I have enough of those.

I concur, I'd basically be buying one for Metal Slug on the go, and I already have that on my GBA and DS. Emulation should be a last resort if there's no legal way of getting something (better it be preserved by the community if not at all), but the Neo Geo X just doesn't seem to have set the world on fire like it should have done. Lack luster hardware? The Neo Geo mystique no longer holds people like it used to? I dunno. I still like the idea, especially being able to buy Neo Geo games for less than a black market kidney (on physical media, no less!).

davyK

Just release the hardware as is with some sort of legal, affordable way to play games via the cartridge slot.

I guess the chipset is long gone and it wouldn't be practical to recast them.

Blue Swirl

davyK wrote:

Just release the hardware as is with some sort of legal, affordable way to play games via the cartridge slot. I guess the chipset is long gone and it wouldn't be practical to recast them.

Why recast in plastic when you can enclose in ebonised ash? Behold, mortals, the Analogue NEO.

Act quick, there's only 20 of them being made. Sadly, at US$1499 each, while legal, they're definitely not affordable.

Source.

IanHamlett

Was half expecting this to be a "they're down to £24.99!" post. Bit of a shock going that far the other way.

Blue Swirl

IanHamlett wrote:

Was half expecting this to be a "they're down to £24.99!" post.

Heh, can't be long now.

IanHamlett wrote:

Bit of a shock going that far the other way.

Don't look up how much the games cost, you'll shit out a kidney. Which you could then sell on the black market to put towards a game.

Blue Swirl

OP updated.

Escape

Huge markup on that thing, Blue.

Blue Swirl

Yeah, but there's only 20 of them, and it's made of wood. And it makes cups of tea. Bonus features include giving blowjobs on your birthday.

Blue Swirl

Just got another email about the Neo Geo X. Further incentives, basically the same deal as before (£99.99 with a coupon code "NEOFUN"), but they're chucking in one of the Classics packs too.

Volume 2: Samurai Shodown 3, Savage Reign, and Super Sidekicks 3
Volume 3: The King of Fighters '96, Blazing Star, and Kizuna Encounter
Volume 4: Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Shock Troopers, and World Heroes 2 Jet
Volume 5: The Last Blade, Art of Fighting 3, and Blues Journey

Yossarian

Are you on commission Swirl?

Blue Swirl

Nope, just keeping the thread up to date with news of this machine's further descent into obscurity.

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