DCEmu Asks - Neo Geo a History & Whats the greatest Neo Geo Game Ever ?

Continuing our network wide feature for just about every console thats emulated and that we own, in time it can be used as a reference point for people to look at what games are the very best on each system

Firstly heres a look at each system and a description to remind you of the history of the console.

http://console-history.dcemu.co.uk/neogeo.JPG

Neo Geo

SNK (Shin Nihon Kikaku, translated as "New Japanese Project"), a small third party software developer for the Nintendo NES, decided to try their hand in the arcade market in 1989, it seemed like a bad business decision since gamers no longer flocked to arcades thanks to home consoles. Nonetheless SNK released the MVS (Multi-Video System). The MVS allows the arcade operator to house many different video games in one cabinet. The MVS's strengths lay in the design of its hardware. Its brain was composed of a 16-bit microprocessor (68000) and an 8-bit microprocessor (Z80). They were plentiful, cheap, and quite powerful for the time. Using them kept production costs down and made coding much easier, as both the 68000 and the Z80 were in common use at the time (Sega's Genesis had the same CPU combination, for example). The real magic of the MVS lay in its custom graphics chipset and its ability to hold up to four games at once, switching between them at will. While this multi-game concept had been tried before (one example being Nintendo's Playchoice system), SNK's hardware was far superior to any of the multi-game systems currently available, and its vast ROM storage capacity (up to 330 megabits, or 41.25 megabytes) allowed lush, detailed graphics. SNK took another gamble and created a home version of the MVS in 1990. When the NEO GEO was released at a high cost of $650 with either NAM-1975 or Baseball Stars Professional, and games soon followed at $200 apiece. The Special cartridges played the exact same software as it's MVS counterpart, but were quite expensive due to the game' high megabit count. At first SNK marketed the Neo Geo falsely calling it a "24-Bit System" (due to its combination of a 16-bit and 8-bit processor). After the initial advertising campaign, SNK decided not to advertise their home system anymore, since games could be seen in nearly every arcade.
SNK's gamble paid off. In 1992 an arcade game called Street Fighter 2 brought gamers back to the arcades. SNK took advantage of this by releasing similar arcade versions such as Fatal Fury, and Art of Fighting. The games were quite successful, and many more were spawned. Third Party developers such as Data East began also producing titles for the Neo Geo / MVS. SNK also created an innovating accessory that would become quite popular later. The Neo Geo 'memory card' could hold 19-27 save game positions, and worked on both the home and arcade. So a gamer could save their place in the arcade and take it home, and vice versa. The Neo Geo was a phenominal machine, but the high price tag catered to the hardcore arcade lovers only. Nonetheless it was an amazing machine that stood the test of time. The MVS alone managed to last over eight years in the demanding arcade environment, and its hardware has out-lived every other 16-bit arcade hardware. Walk into any arcade, and you're bound to see a Neo Geo MVS.

FACT: "330 Meg Pro-Gear Spec" always seemed to appear in Neo Geo game intros, and was the ROM addressing technology of the Neo Geo. Truth is that the machine has no such limit. Back in 1990, SNK had to give a certain Megabit count as their maximum, and so 330 was used. However current Neo Geo titles have surpassed this 330 megabit standard. For example the game "King of Fighters 2001" was 892 megabits in size.

Whats the Best Neo Geo Game ?

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Metal Slug 1 (2 - 5 are great as well)
SNK Vs. Capcom: Chaos
King of the Fighters '96

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eviltaco64

Metal Slug 1 (2 - 5 are great as well)
SNK Vs. Capcom: Chaos
King of the Fighters '96

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Wow never heard that one before.


Ill say KOF 98,Metal Slug 3,Garou


Those are some of the best games ever made period.

Samurai shodown 4

Fatal Fury: Mark Of The Wolves. No contest. Probably my favorite 2D fighter in existence.
Followed by Metal Slug 3 in a close second.

For me, this would have to be Metal Slug 2, hands down.

Growing up, my high-school was cool enough to actually have a stand-up Neo Geo arcade machine with this very game in it. Needless to say, I got so good at it that I could get my name on the high-score board with just a single quarter!

(of course, the way Metal slug is designed where you lose all your collected "POWs" if you die means that just about the only way to even get a decent score is to not die, and thus the single-quarter high-scores)!

I was able to beat the first three stages (through the train stage) without dying, and could often complete the fourth stage on just one quarter, but MAN does that game pour on the enemies in later levels. I even remember how I would get EXTREMELY pissed if another player hopped on the other controls and played with me, because while they might help me get farther, they would invariably steal kills, bonus points, and POWs from me.

Wow, talk about nostalgia. Now I want a Neo-Geo arcade system again!

[EDIT: Wow! I've been a member here for over 2 and a half years and this is my first post!! ]

I loved Captain Tomaday, Garou, and Blazing Star. as well as metal slig and KOF 95! Other faves would be windjammers,flipshot, and Cyber Lip. an awesome game with an awesome History.

for me :

Last Blade 1 & 2

Garou

Twinkle Star Sprites

Blazing Star

Metal Slug 3

Kof 2000

Shock troopers 1 & 2

...

So many great games, but for me it's what I have the most enjoyment and nostalgia with. So for me it's:

Magician Lord
Twinkle Star Sprites
Crossed Swords (would love a wii version) I can dream
Viewpoint
Magical Drop 3

Garou

and it looks like I'm not the only one that thinks that.

There's pretty many good games. My favourites:
Metal Slug 3, Samurai Showdown 2 & 4,
Last Blade 2, League Bowling and Crossed Swords.
Even though some games are quite crappy (like Nam 1975 and Cyber Lip), they have still a feeling that's no longer in many games (especially nowadays).

The Neo Geo harware went neck and neck with other hardware that was much much newer and was still bale to hold its own.

Not many fighters that match up to Garou

http://img58.imageshack.us/img58/3462/gar5et6.jpg

Garou

Last Blade 1 and 2

KOF 98

Twinkle Star Sprites

Puzzle Bobble

Samurai Shodown 2

Metal Slug 1 and 3

Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer, because they made into anime & movie.

Money Puzzle/Idol Exchanger

Maximum score on solo is 64, but I can only reach 57. :(

Have you ever been to HK or mainland China?I did 3 times before.People still play like crazy KOF 2002 in arcades,they absolutely love it.And they almost not touch Tekken(you know the reasons,any of you can kick faster than Kazuya Mishima) :)
I agree with them,its the best Neogeo game ever.

At the arcade in downtown L.A. you can still find some hardcore fighting fans. The best competition I can find for street fighter 2 and the king of fighters are there. There is no challenge anywhere else.

Anyway, Neo Geo actually had the best graphics of all the arcades at the time. I remember loving to play Magician Lord, Nam1975, Sengoku(I think), the Fatal Fury series along with the early KoF 94,95, Super Sidekicks, Aero Fighters 3, NinjaCombat. Too many to remember.

I can't believe no one mentioned Pulstar yet... R-type on steroids!

All the above mentioned games are great also!

I wanted a Neo*Geo system so bad when I was kid.. When I finally got a real job a few years ago, I took my first paycheck and bought a full 4-slot cabinet from a local vending machine company for $400 along with a milk crate full of games.

One of the best gaming purchases I have ever done - even today with full emulation there is something fun during parties to go head-to-head with people with a real cabinet...

Blazing Star, Garou, KOF98, SVC Chaos, Nightmanre in the Dark, Shock Troopers...

Well yeah emulation no matter how good will never compare to playing on real hardware. Especially if the hardware is the cabinet itself. I wanted to put Pulstar up there on my list, but it I already had a couple games and the topic really said favorites. It's one of them but the others i listed I have more fond memories of. Hell yeah though Pulstar is a good game. I like it better than Blazing Star (which is also good).