circa2113
Neo Newbie
One Among The Fence
Posts: 70
|
Post by circa2113 on Oct 20, 2006 21:58:57 GMT -5
Hello everyone. ;D I suppose I tell the story of how I got into neogeo...Just a disclamer, I'm quite the rambler. Ever since I was about 7 or 8 years old (I'm now 17) I have always wanted a Neo Geo. I remember waking up once every 3rd Saturday morning (I called it arcade day at the time) at around 8am, and my 2 cousins would come over (they were around 10 and 13 at the time) and we'd jump in my aunt's car and go to the local arcade. I fell in love with two very special games. The arcade (an amazing one by today's piss-poor standards) had a metal slug 2 cab and a beatup, almost-unplayable except for the 2nd player stick, Samurai Showdown 2 cab. I would spend the entirety of my "chore money" on these two while my cousins ran around and played ticket games and air hockey and the likes.  Little did I know, I was playing the godly neo geo. This arcade got a couple new Neo games in over time like fatal fury 2, a motorcycle game (can't remember the name) and a soccer game (sidekicks, I believe) and I loved them all. I became the "SNK-boy" according to the owner of the arcade and I basically grew up there. I played in tournaments and became a good player at various games, but I always went back to the SNK ones. When the arcade got in a copy of Neo Turf Masters, I actually showed up an hour before they opened so I could be the first to play.  After a while, the arcade lifestyle was dying out and my favorite place in the world closed down. I was around 12 at the time, and I went without anything neogeo for a couple years sadly. Then, about 3 years ago, I bought myself a NGPC on Ebay when the absolute last of them were being liquidated. (I payed like $30 shipped for a brand new one) It quickly shelved the GBA and I became obssessed all over again. I had Metal slug 1st and 2nd mission, KoF R2, and samurai showdown 2. (My collection is much larger now) This rekindled my love for SNK and I began to browse the web for info on playing the arcade games at home. This is when I learned of the AES. After saving up extra money from my minimum wage job continuously for the last 2 years or so, I've finally purchased a neogeo. I picked up an unmodded JPN AES (all I could really afford) and three games. (Only one has showed up so far) Including Fatal Fury 2 (for pure nostalgia, it turned out to be just as fun as I remembered), ghost pilots, and samurai showdown 2. I've honestly never been happier about any purchase in my entire life. It's as if I'm reliving my childhood one pricey cart at a time.  I've been playing FF2 almost non-stop as of late, and when my other games show up, I'll be glued to my television. Well, sorry to write so damn much, didn't really mean to. I look forward to posting here and learning all about this amazing console. I'll be honest, I really don't know much about it. Oh, and my name is Justin. Thanks to anyone who took the time to read all that. ;D |
|
phry
Neo Veteran
Merry Xmas Y'all!
Posts: 429
|
Post by phry on Oct 21, 2006 4:12:41 GMT -5
Welcome to the Neo Geo for Life Forum Justin!
It is so sad about the decline of the quality of arcades (both in the US and here in the UK) with many now just containing fruit machines and Dance Dance Revolution (though I have been playing Outrun 2SP and The House of the Dead 4 at my local bowling alley occasionally). However It's really exciting when visiting small seaside towns and finding old arcades that always stayed the same - cigarette burns and all. I remember my local arcade growing up (in a harbor town called Poole - proper pirate country!) which had a King of the Fighters 94 and Samurai Showdown 2 machine (sadly removed circa 1996). I spent too many saturdays there growing up - a pity now that it's just filled with gambling machines now.
It's that same enjoyment of those games that led me to re-discover the Neo Geo a year or so ago. I wound up getting an mvs arcade board / supergun kit to re-live my youth. Little did I realise all the great titles I missed out on since being depleted of Neo Geo, such as Blazing Star, Shock Troopers, Rage of the Dragons and Garou: Mark of the Wolves. Replaying the greats such as FF and SamSho and discovering classic titles I previously never heard of has been a blast!
It's been good to get back in the game.
and thank you for writing all of that! ;D
|
|
circa2113
Neo Newbie
One Among The Fence
Posts: 70
|
Post by circa2113 on Oct 21, 2006 8:03:50 GMT -5
It's that same enjoyment of those games that led me to re-discover the Neo Geo a year or so ago. I wound up getting an mvs arcade board / supergun kit to re-live my youth. Just curious, what is the absolute cheapest way to get set up to play MVS games? I know saying cheap on NeoGeo boards is somewhat ironic, but AES games are usually anywhere from twice as much to ten times as much as their MVS counterparts. It would be great if I could pick up some of the fighting games that cost $100+ for $15 or 20.  I know there are AES-MVS converters, but from what I've seen, those run $250-$300. I've also seen custom made "consolised" MVS boards which are definetly out of my price range. Would it be possible to get set-up for less than the price of the converter? I'm guessing no, but I really have no idea. Sorry to ask so many questions right away. Thanks for your reply, by the way. I know what you mean about arcades. I currently don't have one within 2 or 3 hours that's worth going to. Hence, my new desire to get AES games. I did have one nice arcade find recently, though. When I was in Arkansas (possibly our worst state, no offense to any one who lives there) last month, I found a Neo machine in an nasty old pizza shop that was still functioning. It had a copy of.....you guessed it Samurai Showdown 2! It's amazing how them being so behind with their arcade was such a lucky day for me. My parents couldn't understand why I was so happy to see a 10-12 year old crusty-looking cab, but I thought is was pretty damn cool. It was actually the main reason I finally decided to put my hard earned money into an AES. I would like to give a personal shoutout to all of the nasty, run down, backwoods, our food tastes as bad as it looks pizza parlors out there who keep the dream alive, whether intentional or just out of the pure laziness/cheapness that many small shops possess . ;D -Justin |
|
|
|
Post by Candycab on Oct 21, 2006 12:34:23 GMT -5
It's that same enjoyment of those games that led me to re-discover the Neo Geo a year or so ago. I wound up getting an mvs arcade board / supergun kit to re-live my youth. Just curious, what is the absolute cheapest way to get set up to play MVS games? I know saying cheap on NeoGeo boards is somewhat ironic, but AES games are usually anywhere from twice as much to ten times as much as their MVS counterparts. It would be great if I could pick up some of the fighting games that cost $100+ for $15 or 20. I know there are AES-MVS converters, but from what I've seen, those run $250-$300. I've also seen custom made "consolised" MVS boards which are definetly out of my price range. Would it be possible to get set-up for less than the price of the converter? I'm guessing no, but I really have no idea. Sorry to ask so many questions right away. Thanks for your reply, by the way. I know what you mean about arcades. I currently don't have one within 2 or 3 hours that's worth going to. Hence, my new desire to get AES games. I did have one nice arcade find recently, though. When I was in Arkansas (possibly our worst state, no offense to any one who lives there) last month, I found a Neo machine in an nasty old pizza shop that was still functioning. It had a copy of.....you guessed it Samurai Showdown 2! It's amazing how them being so behind with their arcade was such a lucky day for me. My parents couldn't understand why I was so happy to see a 10-12 year old crusty-looking cab, but I thought is was pretty damn cool. It was actually the main reason I finally decided to put my hard earned money into an AES. I would like to give a personal shoutout to all of the nasty, run down, backwoods, our food tastes as bad as it looks pizza parlors out there who keep the dream alive, whether intentional or just out of the pure laziness/cheapness that many small shops possess . ;D -Justin Any way you go about doing an MVS setup is going to be in the 2 to $300.00 range for the most part, I would say build youre own consolised setup so you can piece it together as you have the cash to buy the parts. They are actually pretty easy to build ,even for someone who is new to soldering or messing with electronics. As for the convertors on the market, personally I wouldnt waste the money on the ones Ive seen. There seems to be alot of issues with game compatibility and proper fit, though I recently saw one that actually fits the AES about as well as any AES cart. The older Phantom one's were always extremely tight fitting which made them a chor to use for most people. If you go the convertor route you could get lucky and find a used one on the cheap but I wouldnt hold my breath on that. LOL I guess with the Neo after all these years you still have to be willing to shell out the big dough to play ,but its definitly woth it ;D Welcome to the forums bye the way |
|
circa2113
Neo Newbie
One Among The Fence
Posts: 70
|
Post by circa2113 on Oct 21, 2006 13:21:16 GMT -5
Thanks alot. Any chance you have a link to a website with some type of guide for building a consolised MVS? It doesn't have ot be super detailed or anything, just something to get me started. I figured if I picked up the board and a few parts here and there it could be my weekend project over the next couple months or so.
|
|
|
|
Post by Candycab on Oct 21, 2006 23:58:09 GMT -5
|
|
circa2113
Neo Newbie
One Among The Fence
Posts: 70
|
Post by circa2113 on Oct 22, 2006 0:50:25 GMT -5
Wow, those are some great links. There is a ton of helpful info there and the last one with the diagrams and all was wonderful. I really appreciate the help. This seems like such a friendly forum so far. ;D Would someone mind helping me put together a rough list of items I'll need to get started? I've decided to just go with a supergun instead of just a consolised MVS. There are plenty of jamma that would interest me. I figured the most basic items will do for now, I'm in no real hurry to finish the thing. If everyone here wouldn't mind, I think I'll start a thread to document my progress as I go. It would be a great way to get help and hopefully inspire others to build there own. -Justin EDIT: Just found this store www.arcadeshop.com/ it's only located like 20 minutes from my home. Hopefully I can make my way out there sometime and get some expert advice on the situation. They have a ton of stuff available, and maybe they could help me along the way.  |
|
|
|
Post by Candycab on Oct 22, 2006 3:08:46 GMT -5
Wow, those are some great links. There is a ton of helpful info there and the last one with the diagrams and all was wonderful. I really appreciate the help. This seems like such a friendly forum so far. ;D Would someone mind helping me put together a rough list of items I'll need to get started? I've decided to just go with a supergun instead of just a consolised MVS. There are plenty of jamma that would interest me. I figured the most basic items will do for now, I'm in no real hurry to finish the thing. If everyone here wouldn't mind, I think I'll start a thread to document my progress as I go. It would be a great way to get help and hopefully inspire others to build there own. -Justin EDIT: Just found this store www.arcadeshop.com/ it's only located like 20 minutes from my home. Hopefully I can make my way out there sometime and get some expert advice on the situation. They have a ton of stuff available, and maybe they could help me along the way. Yeah we are a pretty friendly bunch here The forums dont really get too much traffic as members posting goes , its generaly maybe 6 or 7 of us that are here on a daily basis. A build thread is definitly welcome ,and maybe Kaz can "sticky" it if its going to be updated on a regular basis ? Im sure everyone here will be glad to help you out if they can , building a Supergun is a smarter move than doing a dedicated consolised MVS for obvious reasons [ tons of boards out there to buy ] as for a parts list ... That should be rather easy. You can buy more or less eveything you will need from Happ Controlls but I would look at what other people are using first and go from there. Checkout Bob Robberts since most of his stuff is usually better quality than alot of the same items you will find at Happs [ Jamma harneses ,sticks etc ] You are essentially duplicating an arcade cabinet without the cabinet/monitor and adding an RGB convertor for the TV output. Raz has a parts list you can work off of. I couldnt tell you what RGB to go with so you may want to look at what others are using for that and depending on what you use for an enclosure you can buy a power supply that will fit any needs you may have space wise or go with a standard switching supply used bye most cabs, again something you may want to research a bit more. Supergoose over at neo-geo.com forums is a pro when it comes to building superguns so you may want to ask him about the convertor , hes a cool guy so Im sure he will help you out with that There is also tons of good info on all sorts of arcade hardware at Bob Roberts aswell, you will definitly want to dig around there for a bit. The Real Bob Roberts |
|
phry
Neo Veteran
Merry Xmas Y'all!
Posts: 429
|
Post by phry on Oct 22, 2006 12:12:14 GMT -5
I'm going to have to agree with everything Candycab says on this one. Sorting out an mvs kit, although worthwhile, isn't easy. Personally I use a MAK Supergun - which is a pre-built Supergun primarily designed for Neo Geo, since it includes ports for AES controllers. I happened to get one quite cheaply on eBay with the required power supply and cables included - but they are often very expensive, paticularly ones modifed for s-video. The build quality isn't the best though but it's been working well so far. The cost of an mvs is indeed high, in time and cost, though you can get great savings on games. For example I got a mvs copy of Garou: MOTW for £35 whilst I saw an AES copy on eBay for £200. One thing to add about the mvs route is the decision on which board to go for. I use a single-slot mv1a board which although works well - has compatibility issues with some of the later Neo Geo games such as KOF 2003 and SamSho 5 Special. Personally this doesn't bother me too much as there's decent Ps2 conversions available - though I'd want to ungrade to a better board one day. This is a good site for the mvs board specs www.hardmvs.comThe best is probably the 2-slot as it features stereo sound, a socketed BIOS (more on that in a mo) and no compatibility issues as far as I'm aware (anyone please correct me if i'm wrong). MVS games, being arcade versions, don't have as many in game options as their home counterparts such as playable bosses and practice modes in some games. However a solution to this is the Universe BIOS. This awesome piece of kit lets you run almost any mvs game in 'AES mode', unlocks violence options (important for US boards and the region-based censorship in certain titles) and a rather nifty music player. Check unibios.free.fr/However, it must be argued that MVS games aren't as collectable as AES versions - and a purpose built console is much more user friendly than the insides of an arcade machine lying around. ;D |
|
circa2113
Neo Newbie
One Among The Fence
Posts: 70
|
Post by circa2113 on Oct 24, 2006 16:33:19 GMT -5
Thanks a ton for those replies everyone. I should have enough funds to buy some parts to get started with in the next couple weeks or so. Once I get a decent start, I'll start posting my progress here along the way. Hopefully I can get it built with out too many complications. Thanks again guys.
|
|
HexElf
Neo Newbie
Fighting game god
Posts: 91
|
Post by HexElf on Nov 4, 2006 21:16:25 GMT -5
First of all, welcome to the forum man! I took the liberty of replying to your questions in my topic here so they would be easier to find. I ready your little story in your opening topic and you’d be surprised how similar it is to my own! Nice choice on the choice of an AES too! Who needs those cheapskate MVS homebrews anyway? LOL
About Sweden
Gas IS expensive over here, I think it costs at least twice as much here as it does in the US and despite that we only recently got to a level where the price for a gallon actually started hurting badly enough for people to look elsewhere for transportation. Food I wouldn't know anything about but a Canadian friend commented on the fact that our jam is great since it's made out of actual berries LOL Seriously thought I think we’re mostly famous for our hot blondes and (to anyone that recently moved here at least) unpredictable weather. I’m afraid I can’t put my finger on this UVA business however…
About Real Bout vs Fatal Fury Special
Those play very much like two entirely different games. In RBS you have a super meter for one, you only have three attack buttons (the D button is for special movement commands like sidestepping and turning around in mid-air) and it's incredibly combo heavy; using single attacks will hardly get you anywhere. Luckily creating cool combos is both fun and easy once you get the hang of it (and find out each character's combo charts) and the supers are a blast to watch!
The AI is also a lot more fair with much fewer cheap shots and less cheating; especially on lower levels. Krauser is still the boss and Lawrence still preceeds him while Billy settles in for a mid-game special match of sorts (usually after 2 fights) and Axel goes missing. Also instead of having Ryo Sakazaki as a secret boss, Nightmare Geese give you a run for your money Akuma-style!
As for character lineups, in RBS you lose Big Bear, Jubei Yamada and Axel Hawk in exchange for every character introduced since FF3; Ryuji Yamazaki, Hon-Fu, Blue Mary, Bob Wilson, Franco Bash, Mochizuki and the Jin brothers. Everyone else from FFS is still around. There are also several characters that can be unlocked via code (a code you get by getting to Nightmare Geese, win or lose) and aren’t present even in the sequel RB2.
These are Evil Mary, Shadow Andy, Senile Tung and Traitor Billy (also called EX characters) as well as Nightmare Geese who basically plays like a souped up version of his RB self and with some incredibly nasty combos and speedy moves. If you need the code sometime let me know, the FAQs out there for this game are so lacking that pieces of crucial information, such as the proper way to access the EX characters, are missing!
About Fatal Fury 2 vs Fatal Fury Special
Also I wouldn’t completely count out Fatal Fury 2 just yet, it actually has a few things over the Special version
- It has more cut scenes such as one showing Krauser beating up previous hotshots like Geese and his men.
- The characters have more win quotes than just one.
- It has fewer difficulty levels, no secret boss but also no difficulty requirement to get a good ending.
- Some stages look different; some better (Big Bear’s stage) and some worse (Cheng’s stage)
- The bosses have different move lists that makes them more challenging. Krauser can perform his Kaiser Wave at any time and Axel’s projectile is completely different (and can counter yours!) just to mention a few changes.
- The endings look a lot better in my opinion despite being pretty much the same.
About Neo Turf Masters
Yes it is indeed a great game and it is indeed usually an expensive one. The one I have came without a manual and the case was in pretty bad shape with sun-faded spots but hey the cart was in good shape and the price was right at about 150$ roughly. I was lucky on that one to say the least; the game is hard as hell to find! (Even on MVS and NGCD!)
Hope that answers your questions, take care now!
|
|
HexElf
Neo Newbie
Fighting game god
Posts: 91
|
Post by HexElf on Nov 4, 2006 21:16:52 GMT -5
Woha, hope that wasn't too long ^ ^;
|
|
circa2113
Neo Newbie
One Among The Fence
Posts: 70
|
Post by circa2113 on Nov 5, 2006 1:03:21 GMT -5
Woha, hope that wasn't too long ^ ^; No worries, great reply. Thanks for the welcome and that analysis of the fatal fury games was awesome. I never knew there was such a difference in real bout and ff. As for Neo turfmasters, it will definitely have to be one of those games I save for later. I just can't justify $150 for a game no matter how good it is. (which is strange since I'm on a NeoGeo board) I've got the NGPC version though, so atleast that's something. Thanks again for the detailed and informative reply, that must have taken forever to type out. |
|
|
|
Post by Candycab on Nov 5, 2006 4:59:05 GMT -5
Woha, hope that wasn't too long ^ ^; No worries, great reply. Thanks for the welcome and that analysis of the fatal fury games was awesome. I never knew there was such a difference in real bout and ff. As for Neo turfmasters, it will definitely have to be one of those games I save for later. I just can't justify $150 for a game no matter how good it is. (which is strange since I'm on a NeoGeo board) I've got the NGPC version though, so atleast that's something. Thanks again for the detailed and informative reply, that must have taken forever to type out. It really is worth the cash if you like the genre and fairly cheap if you take into account the $1600.00 or so the AES version is commanding these days [ though most AES prices are a straight up ripoff imho ] I lucked out and ended up getting a Conversion for $80.00 from Mike @ M.D. Game Sales when he still sold alot of MVS stuff back in 2000/2001 Great game ;D Even so ..... variety is the spice of life and you can get alot of it on the Neo for $150.00 One of these days Im gonna drop the $250.00 or so for a mint MR Do kit ,so I know exactly how you feel |
|
HexElf
Neo Newbie
Fighting game god
Posts: 91
|
Post by HexElf on Nov 5, 2006 18:23:12 GMT -5
Woha, hope that wasn't too long ^ ^; No worries, great reply. Thanks for the welcome and that analysis of the fatal fury games was awesome. I never knew there was such a difference in real bout and ff. As for Neo turfmasters, it will definitely have to be one of those games I save for later. I just can't justify $150 for a game no matter how good it is. (which is strange since I'm on a NeoGeo board) I've got the NGPC version though, so atleast that's something. Thanks again for the detailed and informative reply, that must have taken forever to type out. The NGP version eh? Well that's more than what I have, I ended up seeling my B&W machine for lack of places to get games and now that I found those places I figured it would be a good idea to get the color version anyway. Once I do NTF would be high on my list, but not higher than Samurai Spirits! 2 for obvious reasons (don't get it? look below) As for the pricing, once you go Neo there's no turning back you'd be surprised how much one can be ready to spend when some really desirable titles starts showing up on your monitor. The most I ever paid for a game was 275$ (and additional shipping as well as toll which came to a grand total of around 300$) for a mint copy of the fixed english version of Samurai Spirits 5 Special. To me it works fine justifying such a steep price simply by recognizing the fact that it was the last AES game officially published and I am going to be playing it for years to come. A Neo game isn't just for christmas I say, it's for life! As for the analyzis, don't sweat it! I do this kind of thing for fun, so don't hesitate to send me a PM if you want in depth analysis of any fighting game out there or if you need any info on virtually any Neo game published so far. That is all. |
|
