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Welcome to the forums. Good luck with your work on the consolised MVS. I'm actually going to be building a supergun in the coming weeks/months so it will be interesting to see some one else's progress. Hopefully all will be well and no electrocution will take place for either of us.

Hi Reaperman. Welcome to the NGFL forums!

I've been using neogeoforlife.com's review section more and more lately and just noticed the forum link. I'm not new to Neo Geo, but I am new to the online scene. For systems I've got an ngp, ngpc, ngcd, and a 1-slot mvs cab. I have a consolized unit paid for and on the way, but will be in the design/construction stages for a bit. probably a month+

My new interest in neo geo is mainly due to the low cost of mvs games. Years ago when I got the MVS, games ebayed around $50-75, but now there's so much fun to be had in the $15-25 range that my collection has grown from 3 carts to 8 in the last month. so many more bargain games left to purchase. Adding to this, is a sort of dread for gaming's 'next gen'. it seems expensive and lame, and I think I've had enough. Neo geo is the best at what it does, and no other system puts out this style of gaming anyway.

but thanks to the reviews here, and perhaps a little 'try before you buy' on the emus , I'm doing very well for myself selecting titles. I never thought neo geo would be the bargain system. It only took 15 years...

I do have a slight confession, I'm pretty lame at fighting games. I've only recently gone above the level of quarter-circle forward, studying up a couple characters on my kof '99 move sheet. I'm in need of a general fighter bootcamp, especially with last blade on the way, and my skills at masher level.

Very sweet deal on the Neo Geo CD there. It has some games that the AES hasn’t and many games that are the same have extra features such as arranged soundtracks with better quality, extra modes or even extras (like playable bosses) that you won’t get on the AES. The drawback of course is hefty loading times (even on the redesigned CDZ) and the fact that it isn’t anywhere near as durable as the concrete brick that is your AES; so be careful with how you treat it!

Also sweet that you’re finding more ways to acquire MVS games just make sure that what you get works on the phantom there. Some of the more recent games like KOF03 won’t work because they use some weird special modifications that will only play on the most recent converter. I’m sure there’s a list somewhere but the games you got so far should work with no problems.

Let’s see…
Metal Slug 2 is easily one of the best in the series right after the third game and unlike MS3 it’s actually pretty fair. I myself cleared the game once using only two credits in the arcade after some practice so unlike MS3 it’s not frickin impossible to beat without a memory card. It has a few alternate paths and cool weapons too. Watch out for plenty of in-game jokes like when the game pokes fun at the movie Independence Day which is a memorable moment in itself. Two new characters in this one the girls Eri (my fave) and Fio. If you look closely you will see that they use revolvers rather than semi-automatics like the boys. The reloading is also different (albeit you never really need to reload, they only do if you stop shooting for a while.) One of the best shooters on the system, nuff said.

Samurai Spirits 4
One of two games in the series that I personally don’t own; the other being the “normal” version of Samurai Spirits 5. This is arguably one of the best games in the series and in my opinion is only outshined by the last game (SS5 Special) and only because of a few balance issues. Every character has two versions in this one and a few have moves that were dropped in Special; mainly the Bust versions of Ukyo, Genjuro and Galford have movesets that are nowhere to be found in SS5 Special. Also this was the last game to feature the adult (teenage?) Rimururu as she’s pretty much a kid in the rest.
The cast includes everyone from the previous game as well as a few new faces like the Kazama brothers and the return of two of my favorites Charlotte and Tam Tam.

This game is very combo oriented (much more so than both SS5’s) and provides lots of freedom to players who know what they are doing. Sadly poor Basara tends to be everyone’s bitch once you get going but at least you got plenty of new features to look forward to. Every character also has a fatality that can be executed upon staggering the opponent with their last hit; many of which are more graphic than the ones in the home version of SS5 Special.
Speaking of graphics, this is one of those games you can proudly show off in order to display just how good the Neo is at 2D. This is easily one of the best looking games on the system even compared to the other games in the series, much thanks to the simply delicious design and coloring. The stages are simply to die for and really symbolize the peak of the series (it simply doesn’t get better after this one)

Well I guess by now I’ve made clear just how attractive this game is. The only real drawbacks even compared to sequels are some characters that are missing (several from 2 that were dropped in 3 and of course the new faces in 5 and special) and some balance issues for tournament play. The combo system is so much fun once you get the hang of it though, even better than in SS3 where half the fun is finding the cheapest setups possible, I think it’s actually worth the hazzle. Just try juggling your opponent with Bust Kazuki’s super after landing the initial two attacks of his three-move-chain and you’ll see what I mean ^_^

So…
There’s a rant of proportions I haven’t achieved in a while but I just can’t stress enough what a fantastic series that Samurai Spirits really is. After all, this is the one series of games that actually outsold the legendary Street Fighter 2 series even during it’s prime! And I didn’t even get started on the additional modes of play the SS4 brings to the table (totally superior to their SS3 incarnations) whew…

Oh well so I’m off to play some more SS5 Special then, I’ve got some new combos to try.

Excellent, like I said when using the Griffon simply punish anything and everything with the Justice Hurricane. While performing the 360 motion in the air you would be surprised how often you accidentally get a parry out of it when the opponent tries to knock back on the ground again.
His jumping LPs (hit A early) are awesome for pressure as well as ticking into yet another Justice Hurricane!

If you want to SERIOUSLY show off though I suggest you learn Jenet's hidden DM. I think it goes A,B,C in rapid succession (either that or B,C,D) during a parry. I was never able to do it on my DC pad for obvious reasons (just look at that layout) but with a proper AES stick it should be no sweat.

Finally, just in case you haven't figured it out, you can decrease the size of your TOP gauge by pressing down when deciding the position in exchange for a bigger damage boost. This is an excellent way of putting pressure on your opponent even if they are winning.
Simply put the smallest one at the end of your life bar and watch your opponent freak out as Griffon moves in for the smackdown Justice Hurricane dealing a whopping 175% damage as a "last resort" (pun intended, we ARE on a NeoGeo forum after all.)

Very nice! Cool to see that the Phantom is working out for you, let me know when you start playing as the main man Tizoc (aka The Griffon) and I’ll give you some hints… ah hell, simply punish anything and everything with the Justice Hurricane! Using the Hercules Throw to land free lariats (short version) is fun too. As for the other games you’ve got coming in, here’s another 50 cents on those…

Neo Geo Cup 98
While I’d say Konami’s footie series just can’t be beat I still have to say NICE FIND, that game costs like a billion on the regular AES! Very cool use of the raster effects (almost 3D-like) and with some nice improvements, particularly design-wise, over the rest of the series. You simply can’t do better with this series I think. The AI is touched up too so that it won’t pulverize you every match.

Samurai Spirits
My favorite series of all time, one of the main reasons being this incredibly solid first outing. To me Samurai Spirits 1 will never grow old, it was simply the best by a long shot when it came out. Incredibly original characters (some of which have no equal in other games, even today) and overall near flawless design. The only bad things I can say about it is that the AI (particularly Hanzo and Ukyo) can be a bit too punishing at times even at lower levels and the balance is somewhat off (but better than many of the later games).
Keep an eye out for the main villain Ambrosia in the background of the last stage (so far you have only fought her avatars and helpers throughout the series, never Ambrosia personally) as this is the only time in the series that you get to see her in person. And although fans of Bridget (GGX) won’t mind. try to ignore the fact that she’s got a male upper body…

KOF99
Another fine game and by many considered their favorite in the series. Personally I would say KOF2000 has everything that 99 does and a little more but that’s not entirely true. If you are wondering where Kyo and Iori went now that there’s a new hero in town don’t worry. Not only did SNK include these two popular characters (as well as two clone versions of the former using a variety of his classic moves and even some of their own) but they also completely remade Kyo in a fresh new outfit. Unfortunately they have to be unlocked via code in the MVS version but since you’re using a phantom to play them in your AES they might be unlocked from the start. This was also the first game to introduce the Striker system and four man teams which inherently pawed way for a plethora of new characters and even more cameos. Be sure to check out Athena’s new outfit (my personal favorite along with the 02/NW one), Xiangfei’s unblockable 101-hit (!!!) super and all the weapons employed by new face Whip.