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Chris MullinsCHRIS MULLINS'S NEO-GEO FAQ
PDF Version 2.0/TXT version 12.1/PostScript version 1.2a
FAQ is Completely Rewritten Updated 3/20/2002
TOTAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED: 53
FAQs
----Why did I create this FAQ, and what is expected of this document in the future?
Well, there were many reasons, but the first, was that there was no other current Neo FAQ out on the Internet. Ralph Barbagallo's FAQ was, in April 1997, 2 1/2 years without an update, and I felt a new update may have been necessary. I had to find something to occupy my time then; making a new FAQ was the first step. It has gotten much larger since I started the FAQ five years ago, and much more comprehensive at that. Nowadays, there are a large number of Neo sites that have a lot of general information, and devoted fans continue to fill the void left by former SNK-players. Since I am of the "former SNK and game players" category, updates to this FAQ will be further and farther between, as all of the information that I ever knew about the Neo is here. V.1.0 (4/10/1997) to v.12.1 (3/20/2002)
----What is the History and Rationale behind the NEOGEO?
Two hypotheses concern why SNK released a home version of their MVS set:
- SNK originally intended for the NEOGEO to be a home rental system, as it was too expensive for most people at launch time. After two months though, SNK stopped doing this, and started to sell them vigorously, to the best of their ability. They needed to move cartridges, and could do so by interchanging the home with MVS whenever the market desired it. If more home cartridges were needed, SNK could do the conversions and sell them (Shock Troopers: Second Squad comes to mind), and vice versa.
SNK needed to generate more publicity for their arcade games; it is better to hit the arcade owners with a $650 (later the retail MVS game price was around $1100) price tag than a $200 price tag. I do not believe SNK wanted to sell a lot of home carts; people playing these home carts spread the word about NEOGEO to their friends and other interested parties, and since these were still prohibitively expensive, they would head to their local arcades to play them. The arcades would then buy new SNK boards, making the company much more money than the "piddly" money coming from home sales.The Neo stood strong after undergoing a motherboard change for the video output (they needed to have better composite output from the Neo, as the first NEOGEOs had horrid composite output), and initial expectations were high as a result of good reviews. Despite sales pushes of the Neo-Geo utilizing Penthouse Magazine Ads, game leaflets, and large information packets; the American sales they were dreaming about never came to pass.
In late 1994, after Samurai Shodown 2 was released in America, the front office of SNK US changed with Chad Okada (the Game Lord) leaving for Sony while the Barones took over rein of the company. The Barones must have took generic cost-cutting measures or "milked the cow" as far as possible, because there was very little marketing and advertising to push Neo-Geo home sales. It is a small wonder that the Neo-Geo was sinking fast by 1995.
Despite rumors that Bakumatsu Roman Gekkano Kenshi would be the last fighter on the MVS, SNK prevailed on the arcade front with their Metal Slug series, lending a new lease on life to the Neo. Outside developers were brought in to make the last few games for the MVS (Noise Factory: Sengoku Densyo 2001, Eolith: KOF 2001, etc.), which effectively told that SNK was unwilling to make any expenditures in development themselves. The death knell was sounded on 30 October 2001, though interested parties in Southeast Asia quickly took up the cause of saving SNK's intellectual properties. One can safely say that the MVS as a platform will die in around 24 months, though I cannot even count the number of people who guessed wrong concerning the Neo's departure.
----Is the NEOGEO really worth the money?
Well, though there are a few games that I can say are worth the money (Magical Drop 3 quickly comes to mind), as a whole the system will quickly disappoint given the technology in newer systems. It is hard to convince the masses that 3D garbage is worse than 2D finesse, but even if one can do so, there are very few games that are examples of 2D finesse. Unless one plays the hell out of the games listed below, and understands that the Neo is more about playability than flash, then do not get one at all. As well, given the awesome development of emulation (see below), it is a moot point to collect Neo games, as the sheer expense in mere video games has caused quite a few personal collapses that I know of.Games that I personally think are worth full price (meaning high playability) are listed further down in the FAQ, under "recommended games."
----What is a NEOGEO or NEOGEO CD, and what are the specs for it?
The NEOGEO is a near-exact copy of SNK's MVS arcade hardware (except for board pinouts, of which they are rearranged), with MVS standing for MULTI-VIDEO SYSTEM. SNK usually makes games in this order: MVS Cartridge (all games are made on this format, no matter if they are released or not), Home Cartridge, and NeoGeo CD. Remember that there are very few games that are CD only, or are MVS only; but all CD games have MVS prototypes with FM synthesis music, such as Oshidashi Zintrick.Arcade operators have the MVS boards set up to where one can play up to 6 games (can access different ones with a push of the button) while standing at one machine. There are also 4 game, 2 game (2 monitor), 2 game (1 monitor) and single units. Specs are below:
Processor: Motorola 68000 (12 Mhz, 16-bit), Zilog-80A (4 Mhz, 8-bit)
(Technically a 16-bit machine, not 24-bit)
Resolution: 320x224
Color Palette: 65,536
Maximum Colors On-Screen: 4,096
Maximum Sprites On-Screen: 380
Minimum Sprite Size: 1x2
Maximum Sprite Size: 16x512
Maximum Amount of Game Planes: 3
Sound Channels: 4-FM synthesis, 7-Digital, 3-PSG, 1-Noise channel
Internal RAM: Work RAM: 64Kb
Video RAM: 68Kb
Z80 RAM: 2Kb
Memory Card (see below)
The NEOGEOCD has all, including a single-speed CD-ROM drive, 64Kb of Static RAM, 512Kb Video RAM,
cool loading screens, and 56 Megabits of Dynamic RAM. The CDZ has the same specs, except with more
cache and a faster CD controller (not a double-speed drive).
----How much does a NEOGEO system cost?
When the NEOGEO first came out in 1990, the system cost $650 with either NAM-1975 or Baseball Stars Professional, and games soon followed at $200 apiece. Now one can pick a Neo up for about $200 though new games run around $300 apiece, due to the extremely large megabit count of them. But one can find older, used games for a lot cheaper (about $40-50 apiece); which provide somewhat better value that way. Before emulation's prowess in the Neo realm, used carts were sought after since no one could rent these systems by 1994; with emulation, one can try out any of these games for free.
The NEOGEO CD came out in 1994 as SNK's plans for high volume sales of home carts (and arcade sales in America) never materialized on the cartridge medium. The CD system was the supposed answer to SNK's gamut of problems, with cheaper games and a standard medium to put them on. It's debatable as to the system's viability nowadays, as the last game released was KOF '99 and emulation is coming into its own. Certain used games are cheaper on cartridge (not so much anymore), and load time is a big problem (due to the demanding fighting games made for it, and it being a single-speed drive). Though the CD games are very cheap on the used market now, as a whole they are now bought for the arranged music and CD only titles. The NEOGEO CD cost about $250 new, and games used to run about $50-70 apiece new for it. The CDZ cost around $400 new when released as well.
----What Accessories are available for the NEOGEO, and can I get substitutes for parts?
Joystick: There are two kinds of joysticks available for the NEOGEO. The older of the two is a larger, more stable joystick, where motions can be done with relative ease. The joystick is very comfortable, and personally it has a good feel to it. But the newer joystick (released when the Neo CD came out) are lighter, more apt to break, and harder to even pull off motions on it. Some people don't like the fact that SNK doesn't make the older, heavier controllers anymore, but only the smaller, sleeker controllers. You can use these controllers on the CD, CDZ, MVS (with a direct joystick output), and Home cart system.
- Memory Card: This device on the NEOGEO Cartridge System can save any position in ANY game (from 19-27 game positions saved), and can be put in an MVS arcade cabinet so you can resume playing from your saved game in the arcade (8 Kbytes of RAM). One can also use any memory card (no matter the size) that has 68 pins and is JEIDA spec ver.3 or higher.
- Joypad Controllers: These are pretty good controllers for non-fighters, but please do not try to play fighters with these unless one is adept at playing them on other home consoles. Once used to a good joystick, very few will go back to a joypad for fighting games.
- RGB/S-Video Cables: One can have arcade quality graphics with an RGB cable (and good quality with the S-Video cable), but one has to make his own, as all of the old peripherals are not made anymore. Nylon Carry Bags: This is a very old accessory which I have seen very few of. The use is to carry one's Neo anywhere, though they are not that sturdy.
- AC and AV adapters: The AV adapters can be used by the Home Cart, CD, and CDZ system, provided you don't try to use the red jacks on the cart system. The AC adapters are DIFFERENT for the Home cart, CD, and CDZ systems. :( One must get stock SNK replacements, for which retailers such as BuyRite charge an arm and a leg forâ¦
There are other products out there made by third-parties and other companies, but are not listed here (like tons of specialty controllers, which were mostly made back in 1993-1994).
----What Accessories were Proposed, but never released on the NEOGEO?
There were some accessories for the Neo-Geo, mainly back in the earlier years of its life, but never surfaced. Below they are listed:
- The Neo-Geo Network: This was a network, which included games with built-in modems (only Minnasanno Okagesamadesu was released like that) for link-up play all across Japan and the USA (in theory). It only appeared in the USA in an advertisement for the Neo-Geo in 1990, though in Japan, it
- Keyboards: There were two keyboards for the Neo-Geo; the first is a Mahjong controller with 8 buttons (no joystick itself, no directional up and down), and the second is a computer-style keyboard, for the Neo-Geo network. Both were shot down in late 1991, as only prototypes exist. The Mahjong controllers do exist in small quantities in Japan, but are very rare to find.
- The Neo CD unit, which was supposed to attach on the Neo cart unit...relegated to vaporware status in 1993.
----Are Japanese games compatible with U.S. NEOGEOs?
Games are fully interchangeable between regions on all systems, but the region of the system determines the language of play on default. For example, if one has a Japanese system, all English games play in Japanese by default. Japanese, English, and European are the only language/region markers in use by SNK.
----Are there any Third Party Game Manufacturers for the NEOGEO?
There used to be several third party companies publishing in America, but now only produce in Japan(and let SNK publish them over here), such as Visco, Pallas, Video System, Alpha Denshi (ADK), Face, Saurus, Sunsoft, Aicom, DataEast, Tradewest, Hudson Soft, Nazca, Taito, Viccom, Technos, American Sammy, Monolith, Takara, Brezza Soft, Eolith, Success, NMK, Yumekobo, Playmore and Wave. They all publish games in Japan, or just stopped making games for SNK. To tell the truth, most of these were probably separate entities within SNK, such as ADK, Saurus, etc.
----What's this I hear about NEOGEO Emulation?
After 4 years of updates and teasers beginning with the Gekko emulator of NAM-1975, there are several well-done emulators (NeoRageX, Nebula, and Kawaks to name a few) that run all games dumped. There are still very minor kinks to work out, such as transparency flaws, but the emulation is almost perfect. As of 20 March 2002, only KOF 2001 and the Prototypes remain undumped, meaning that all other games are playable on one's computer.
Personally, I used to be turned off by emulation, but that was because I sold arcade MVS carts as a wholesaler in 1997-1999; I saw the gains emulation was making and knew that it can undercut my business. With my distance from gaming in general, the only way I'll play these games is through emulation now; as the costs I incurred as a collector years ago caught up with me in a big way. I could not believe how much money I would have saved if I never bought all those "rare" titles in 1996-1997. Emulation has landed in a big way with respect to the Neo, and personally I think it is a welcome one.
----Can I put my ROMs from my computer onto an MVS, Home Cart, or CD?
Theoretically, one could re-dump them onto an MVS or Home Cart (pirates do something similar as they copy ROMs to other Flash ROMs on Neo games; buy an arcade game from Hong Kong and open it up, and chances are that all one will see is flash ROMs), but knowing where each bit of information goes is best left to professionals. One cannot put them onto a CD (I don't think), and expect the Neo CD to play them.
----What is the Memory Card test and the Controller Test?
The Memory Card test does test and let you format cards, delete and copy saves, and read files. One presses and holds ABCD (on first controller) when a game is inserted, then one presses reset, and it is activated. The Controller Test tests to see if you have a broken controller, and it is activated by inserting a game, turning on the power while holding ABCD on the second controller. There is either a 0 or 1 when one presses any button in the test.
----Are there extension cables for my controllers available?
One can actually use PC controller 15-pin extension cables without any modifications necessary. Although I have had this information in this FAQ since April of 1997, I have never actually tried this. I've heard that this works, but I cannot verify this personally.
----What about the Multi-Link feature?
Some games (Riding Hero, League Bowling, Thrash Rally, and the two Versus Prototype games) for the NEOGEO feature the Multi-Link Feature, which means one can network two NEOGEOs together, with two separate TVs. But the Multi-Link Cable is essentially a wire with two male mini-headphone jacks, one at each end. I have never tried this either, nor do I know of anyone who has done this. I think that this was intended because the original MVS games had them, and that Home games are direct copies of MVS games.
----I keep seeing NEOGEO games with cardboard boxes, what is up?
The first 18 games were released in Japan with cardboard boxes not unlike the Nintendo (Famicom) game boxes. These are more rare than the other box forms, and are somewhat desired by collectors.
----What about these "Prototype" cartridges I'm hearing of?
There is a debate as to what can be considered a prototype game. Some have been talked about for release several times (GhostLop, QP, etc.), while others were never intended for release. Below is a partial list; other
sites on the internet may have a more complete list, so I would suggest performing an adequate search for them before claiming to know of Neo prototypes:
Baseball Stars 3
Crystal Legacy
Death Match
Droppers
Dunk Stars
Fire Suplex 2
Fun Fun Brothers
Fu'un Super Tag Battle Link-Up
GhostLop
Heavy Glove Boxing
Magician Lord 2 (CD only)
Mystic Wand
Ninja Gaiden
QP (CD only)
Reactor
Sunshine
Warlocks of the Fates
World Heroes Link-Up
Buyer beware though, as rumors purport that a few of the above have been pirated and copied for years in Latin America. The games that are MVS Only, if they are advertised as home cartridges, are merely converted cartridges.
----Which Game Magazines covered the NEOGEO?
Back from 1991, American magazines covered the Neo-Geo from day one, as there was a decent amount of hoopla surrounding it. I theorize that it was these initial reviews of the Neo that prompted the Neo home system to begin with (see first question). The coverage continued for several more years, in such magazines as Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Die Hard Game Fan, etc. But, in 1995, most of the magazines stopped covering the Neo (mainly because they were tired of going to the arcade to review the games), and readers had to turn to Japanese magazines for their Neo info. In 1996, Neo-Geo FREAK was introduced in Japan, which was the only all-Neo magazine to date. In December 2000, Neo-Geo FREAK closed its doors, shutting down adequate Neo coverage for good.
----What's the current status of the Neo?
Though everyone has been wrong as to the demise of this system, SNK's demise will spell the end of this system. Home cartridges from now on will be hobbyist, non-official releases, and the arcade development will cease in about 24 months. The Neo had a good run, but the system should have been canned in 1997 when Last Blade was supposed to be the last fighting game. Jeff Ferrier's startup Vektorlogic states, however, that they can fully reproduce the Neo boardset without SNK parts; Playmore and SNKNEOGEO (interested parties in SE Asia) have even threatened the company with lawsuits because they have been successful at duplicating Neo development kits.
Several other entrepreneurs are aiming to produce home releases of MVS only cartridges, but it may be futile; I tried to get into the market in late 2000 to no avail. I offered Breakers Revenge for $250 w/quality (not garbage, archetypal) insert, manual, and everything else, but the advent of emulation and the game's lack of appeal killed that prospect. Emulation has killed most of these offers, as near-perfect quality can be had for free.
----Why was SNK of America so complacent?
Firstly, after Bonnie Lais and Chad Okada left the company, SNK Japan brought in a new director's board to take charge of SNK USA (the Barones). It is legendary of their laziness at responding back to calls, and
their lack of will to service home sales with regard to their arcade sales. They knew where their bread and butter was, but forgot that fostering small sales is the key to garnering larger sales later.
----I want Blood in my games!
One can either input the code normally (which can be time-consuming), or one can have a language switch installed. In the following paragraphs I will explain how to do so in a NEOGEOCD(Z). This may also work for the cartridge system as well. Please don't turn the switch when the system is on, as it may damage the system. I will NOT take responsibility for your mishaps on making this, should an accident occur, as I have not tried this process. Now, here are the directions:
- Unplug all cables from the NEOGEOCD(Z), and remove any disks that may be inside.
- Turn over the NEOGEOCD(Z) and remove the four screws at the corner of the case. After removing the screws, carefully lift the TOP portion of the case so that it does not get stuck on the joystick connectors.
- Place the top portion of the case next to the bottom so that the CD data cable does not get removed fromcits socket.
- Look at the board with the joystick connectors. Carefully remove the Data Cable from its socket. Next, remove the six screws and carefully remove the board from its case. Also, be aware that there is a switch already present on the board. This is NOT a pre-installed language switch (DON'T TOUCH IT!).
- Look at the jumpers near the Data Cable (at southwest position from the Data Cable, when the diagram near the Data Cable is facing north, relatively). If you have an American NEOGEOCD there will be a jumper located at JN1. If you have a European system, the jumper will be at JN2. On a Japanese NEOGEOCD(Z), there is no jumper set.
- Look at the jumper diagram near the Data Cable. Now you have to decide what modes to switch from and to. If you have any remaining jumpers, remove them with a soldering iron. Also take the time to decide whether you want a remote switch, or one soldered to the board.
- (FOR JAPANESE TO USA MODE) If you decided on a remote switch, solder a piece of wire to one terminal of JN1 and solder the other end of the wire to one of the terminals on the switch. Next, solder another wire to the other terminal of JN1 and then to the other terminal on the switch. You now have a working USA to Japanese mode switch. You can now cut a hole in the case of your NEOGEOCD(Z) and mount the switch( if you want to). If you wanted to switch between Europe and Japanese mode just substitute JN2 for JN1 in the above example. Also, if you did not want a remote switch, you can optionally mount the switch directly to the board. This makes it really hard to change modes when you want to.
(ALL THREE MODES) If you wish to have all three modes you have several options. First, you can buy a three-way switch, that must support both JN1 and JN2 open, JN1 closed and JN2 open, and JN2 closed and JN1 open. Or, you can install two switches. In the second part, you could use USA mode by leaving the JN2 switch in Japanese mode and setting the JN1 switch for USA. European mode can be used by leaving JN1 in Japanese Mode and setting JN2 for European. Japanese mode would be accomplished by leaving both switches in Japanese mode. Please do NOT leave both switches in either USA or European mode.
- Now reassemble your NEOGEOCD(Z).
- Now reattach everything and try a game in Japanese mode and then try it in American mode. If it works both times, you have a successful switch!
If you don't want to do this yourself, please contact MAS Systems, as they can modify your NeoGeo to show the blood with the flick of a toggle button. Not all games require a language switch to get blood and Shiranui Mai's "bounciness", but even recently some do require it (Metal Slug comes to mind).
----I heard that MAS SYSTEMS does various modifications to Neo-Geo Cartridge Systems. Please tell me about it.
I'll try to explain the best I can, but since I haven't owned a Neo in four years, I'll only go by what other reliable sources told me about them. Here it goes:
- Stereo-SVideo Mod: This mod enables you to use S-Video and Stereo outputs on your Neo-Geo system (instead of composite video and monaural sound). I think it costs about $100 to have done, courtesy of MAS Systems.
- Debug Mod: Or known as the "Arcade Mod", or the "Game Developer Mod", this mod does quite a few things. Firstly, it's a language changer for older titles. Then, it's a "Game Genie" for the Neo, enabling you to access secret characters by using access codes and such. As well, one can have unlimited continues, damaging hits, and the like. It costs about $80-$120 or so to have done.Japanese Switch Mod: Many people can do this, as the process is described above.
----Can I convert MVS Games to Neo Home Games?
The conversions require one taking the MVS chips out of the casing, putting them in the home cart, and re-wiring them to work. Plain and simply, this is what you need:
- $100-125+ per cart (depending on the charge that the converter uses)
- A host cart, to convert the MVS game to (118 Megs or bigger)
- The MVS Cart you want to convert
MAS Systems' number is at the bottom of the FAQ. Almost all of the so-called 'prototypes' out there are merely converted carts. One can tell converted carts, because when opened they contain tons of re-wiring; regular cartridges are clean inside. Jeff Kurtz had a list of what "sacrifice" carts are needed for MVS->Home conversion, of which the list can be found with an adequate internet search.
----Are you sure about the "converted" carts? Are they worth buying?
To give you an idea, about 2 years ago, I converted a copy of Breakers Revenge for my own personal use, on my own. And let me tell you, it took a lot more than $125 and a cheap game to transfer the MVS cart to. I used to "homebrew" them myself, but the cost became quickly prohibitive to collecting. I quickly left the collecting market, and with the advent of emulation and cheap arcade boards, converting MVS games in order to work in home systems easily fell out of favor. In short, they are not worth buying as cheaper alternatives provide the same level of functionality (arcade board setup in the home, emulation).
----Man, the NEOGEO CD is too slow! Can't I put in an 8x CD-ROM drive in my NEOGEO CD?
Well, it may depend on one's computer skills, as it depends on wiring the CD interface to the controller on the NEOGEO CD.. But all that work may be for naught, because most of the access time depends on what speed the games are produced at. Most are still produced at 1x,so anything higher than a 6x or 8x drive is not necessary at all. A 4x drive may not be necessary, so unfortunately one is stuck with slow access times.
The translation itself is EXTREMELY difficult, and only one place (MAS Systems) has pulled off a translation. And, it was a Saturn-CDZ, which had no speed increase in it at all. With the advent of Neo CD emulation, load times are extremely fast and games have no slowdown whatsoever. CD games are worth buying if only to play with an emulator, because the emulators currently out are that good. I would actually suggest selling the original system and playing the games with an emulator if possible, as they (NeoCD I think is the name of my favorite) blow away the original's performance. No more reading chapters out of the Hunchback of Notre Dame while waiting for Bakumatsu Roman Gekkano Kenshi to load, I guess.
----I'm so sick of composite video. I want RGB!
Have you got a PAL Neo-Geo with an RF, or composite cable? Here are two steps to RGB (I never did this, so approach with caution):
- You need to force your Neo-Geo to display through the NTSC signal. Why? Because unlike the PAL signal it is 16% faster, full screen, and above all, it looks as the programmers intended. To do this, just open your Neo-Geo by unscrewing the four screws on the bottom (3 of the screws are hidden under the rubber feet; just remove the feet with a little screwdriver). Once your console is open, locate a small piece of bare wire (very short) in the area of the top right corner of the motherboard; it is called PAL 1. There is no need to be uneasy, as it is marked as PAL 1. Now with a small cutter cut it in half, and make sure that no contact is made. That's all. If you did everything fine you should get full screen signal (NTSC).
- Now for the optimum display (RGB) make a SCART/RGB (European SCART) cable. You can either get one from a store, like Telegames UK, or make your own. I do not have any info on how to make one, however. If you did all well, you should now get a perfect display from your Neo-Geo. You COULD be a bit unlucky and get a composite display (not real good colors) through that cable on your TV set, after all that is what happened to me. Well, getting around is a pretty simple affair. All you got to do is to put your TV in Teletext mode, and it automatically switches to RGB! Then, with the appropriate button, remove the teletext page number, and there you have it!
----Do you think the composite video problem I have is in the system?
Well, first, make sure that you're using Composite video, with two AV jacks (one for monaural sound, one for video). If it still is excessively blurry, then read the following:
There are three types of Neo-Geo cartridge systems. The first type had poor composite output, but good RGB output; the motherboard was a one-piece board. Well, in late 1992-early 1993, SNK released a new type of system with a daughterboard to help the composite signal. It did just that, but the RGB output suffered despite composite's gain as a result. In late 1997, SNK seemed to finish the production of Neo cart systems in JAPAN (in the US, they ended sometime in 1995), but they were manufactured with the one-piece board. The output for both RGB and composite, however, is clearer than the other systems. But what's different on the Japanese systems, is that they have 6V AC adapters and not 5V ones.
----What is a NEOGEO CDZ?
A CDZ is merely a NEOGEO CD with better caching capabilities. IT IS NOT ADOUBLE-SPEED DRIVE, but was advertised as one. I've tested and opened the CDZ and CD, and there is the same drive mechanism. Right now, it is only available through Japanese importers, and plays CD games only in Japanese (on newer games, there is an option for the game to display English, Spanish, and Portuguese also). CDZs have high faults and low reliability with their drives; most will not last 3 years of regular use. The drive mechanism is similar to the Sega Saturn (first version)'s drive, and may work if you can wire it to the CDZ. Also, the power output is 115V, not 100V, and the board will probably fry if one doesn't use a step-down converter (from 115 to 100). One can be had from most electronics stores. Load time is not that much faster, so the cost of admission may not be worth it.
----What should I get, the CD or Cartridge System?
It all depends on two things, how much one plays games and how long one is willing to wait in load times. The cartridge-based systems have no load times, but the load time with the CD/CDZ units is downright atrocious. Emulation has fixed the problem of cost for cartridges and load time for the CD, but as far as physical systems go, the cartridge is clearly the better value. Cartridge systems have better reliability because of the inherent advantages of cartridges (less moving parts) and the disadvantages of CD-based systems (more moving parts). Almost any anomaly wrecks the Neo CD lens, so for value purposes they are not worth the money. One purchases a cartridge system for the lack of load times and cheaper used games, but emulation is free; only die-hard Neo fans would even bother owning one now. CD based systems have the load time problem, but usually have beautiful Redbook-audio music; emulation fixes the problem of bad load times. I would pick a cartridge system if I had to pick between the two, with a leaning toward the arcade cartridges with their inherent value and double use of making an arcade machine out of them.
----What should I get, the NEOGEO CD, or the NEOGEO CDZ system?
Neither, as I would buy the original games but use an emulator to play them. Believe me, the load times are very fast using emulators as compared to an original CD or CDZ. But if I had to pick between the two, it is the CD for being more reliable than the CDZ.
----I can't find the Home Cartridge games I want. Are you sure I can't use MVS cartridges in my Cartridge
system?
I speak about this from experience, because I bought a Ninja Master's MVS cart on 1/20/97, and it wouldn't fit in my home system. The original reason why SNK made the MVS and Home Cartridges incompatible, by the way, is because arcade operators couldn't buy the "cheap" home games for arcade use.
----What about an MVS->Home Cart converter?
There have been some made as of late that has piqued my attention (the !Arcade! adapter for example), however, long-term reliability concerns of these units are abound. There are reports of them not working with every game, and failure rates exceed that of the Neo CDZ. I'd say FORGET about these MVS->Home cart adapters, as one won't get the full functionality of the MVS system. This option is for the people who want the best of both by saving space, but for the cost of this thing, one can probably get a full size MVS cabinet.
----Are the NEOGEO MVS boards JAMMA?
The Neo-Geo motherboards are JAMMA compatible, and hook into any JAMMA harness. But in order to play an MVS game, one needs the main MVS motherboard (1 slot through 6 slot), the game cartridge and a Super Gun or an arcade cabinet with a JAMMA harness.
----Is It Possible to hook up my Neo Controllers to an MVS board?
It is possible on the *older* boards to hookup the Neo controllers directly to the controller ports (yes they are the same controller ports as all other SNK systems had). The new 1-slot MINI motherboards, however, do not have Neo home joystick ports.
----Then, should I get the MVS 1-Slot, because it's cheaper?
Most 1-slot boards do not have Neo controller hook-ups, which means modifications are necessary to hook up any controllers to the board. Neo MVS starters would be advised to get an older 1-slot or a 2-4-6 slot.
----Are 6-slots good to have in the home setup?
They work fine if one has a separate power supply. 6-slots need a lot of juice to keep running, and will eventually mess up the power supply if one is hooking the 6-slot to a MAS Systems Super Nova system. A dedicated cabinet with an adequate power supply will have no problem with it whatsoever.
----What system should I get, the home cartridge or the MVS cartridge system?
I would go for an arcade setup personally, given the high cost of better titles on the home system due to collector and yuppie hype. The arcade systems have had many more copies floating around, and since the only difference between the two is instructions and a game insert, arcade games hold an advantage.
Pricewise, the arcade games are much better in value; Metal Slug is the best example of yuppie hype versus normal supply-demand relations as the home costs $1100 while MVS costs around $40. Though emulation has killed off any practical rationale for home system use, the arcade setup can be used to generate income, which is something emulation cannot do. I personally prefer the arcade system to the home, in conclusion.
----What's "The Irritating Maze"?
SNK made one trackball game for the Neo-Geo called "The Irritating Maze". It utilizes a special MVS board (with air compressor hook-ups and a special trackball controller for the game), and a standard MVS Cartridge. One can't put the MVS Trackball game cart into a regular MVS board, as it will not work. There are no other games planned on the trackball platform.
----I want to get an MVS system (Arcade machine or Super Gun->MVS board), but where, or how do I go about finding one?
That's a tough call. First, decide if you have enough money ($600 or so for a newer 1-slot machine with a 25" monitor), and adequate space to hold a big arcade machine. If not, you can purchase a Super Nova (Super Gun is the generic name for this type of setup) system from MAS Systems, and attach an MVS board to it. But, if you want an arcade machine for Neo games, see below for some tips: Call up all the "Amusement Machines" dealers in the phone book n your area, and ask them these questions:
- Ask if there are any arcade auctions in the area.
- See if there are any machines for sale at the dealer.
- Ask if any other dealers in your area might have what you're looking for.
Then, one can check out the dealers (including the ones I listed below, and across the internet), and see if buying used or new makes sense personally.
Shipping is the most important deal, however, when it comes to purchasing an arcade machine. Even if one purchases one locally, he'll need to find a way to pick it up and deliver it safely to the destination. If you buy one from a dealer that's more than 100 miles or so miles away, the most effective way of shipping is by freight truck. This method adds about 2 weeks to your delivery time and costs about $250 or so to ship.
----Is SNK going to upgrade the MVS Board?
I've heard many rumors of SNK releasing an upgrade to the MVS board; a 32-bit upgrade of sorts, and the ill-fated CD drive in its early years represent such hype. With SNK's demise, the MVS will be dead soon and other systems more powerful than the old Neo will garner the last few developers away, killing any upgrade idea.
----What if my new MVS/Home cartridge game doesn't work?
If you've bought an MVS game from someone, and it doesn't work when you get the game, here are some things to try:
- When you push the game in, push it in slowly; try not to jam the game in the board.
- When you insert the game to its fullest extent, let it back out of the board by a couple of millimeters. You don't need to push the game all the way in.
- Clean the contacts with isopropyl alcohol
- The last reason is if you have a Japanese/English switch on the back of your Neo-Geo (cart or CD), enabled in Japanese, some newer games may not work (from Fatal Fury 3-onward). I speak from experience (I bought a system from GameDude like that, and games like Crossed Swords and Fatal Fury 3 wouldn't work), so switch it back to English and see if it works.Flip the first dipswitch at the back of the motherboard up, and then power the system on. This takes you
into the Neo's diagnostic mode.
----Why can't I find my favorite NEOGEO cartridge?
When SNK used to make home cartridge games, they made from around 25000 during the early years or so to 500 or lower recently (I don't have exact figures). If one wants them, buy them as soon as possible before collectors push up the market value to well past its worth.
----I'm tired of my Neo Cartridge (or CD). Where do I sell it?
Well, I'm assuming that you don't know anyone else with your kind of Neo system (like myself). What you do, is follow this checklist below:
- Try to determine a good market value for your game, by checking out the various newsgroups associated with this (rec.games.video.marketplace comes to mind), and go from there.
- Put Ads over the internet, telling how good of condition it is in, the price, does it come w/ box or instructions, and other general info that the people may need to make a judgment on the game. Try to direct them toward Neo-related sites and message boards as well.
- Put it up for auction on www.ebay.com (eBay Auctions), though I have major differences with them over their lack of any policing ability over the type of auctions conducted.
Sell your games to a company, such as GameDude, for some cash. These places usually will not give much for them, and are used as a convenience option only. Make this the "last resort" option because it garners you the least cash available.
That should be enough to get you on your way to selling games over the internet.
----Are there any significant oddities pertaining to the Neo-Geo and its games?
- Minnasanno Okagesamadesu, one of the Mahjong Cartridge games for Neo, seems to be the only Cartridge game without any Megabit Count specified on the box(no cart symbol with a number inside it). It was also the game which was made (in prototype form) with a built in modem, for the Neo-Geo Network..
- Twinkle Star Sprites, Alpha Denshi (ADK)'s last game on Neo, was made on Neo Cartridge in limited amounts. But, ADK ran out of instruction books for the cartridge version, so they made the rest with photocopied instructions.
- Tokuten Ou (Super Sidekicks), one of the first soccer games out on the Neo, had a glitch in championship mode wherein facing the third team(?), the game will glitch up.
- The Irritating Maze requires a TRACKBALL to play, and cannot be used with a joystick! Pop N' Bounce can be played with a paddle-type joystick, like in Arkanoid.
- Mahjong Kyoretsuden and Mahjong Story are two different releases by two different companies, but constitute the same game.
- The Neo-Geo Cart system may have underwent a final cosmetic change, as in 1996 issues of NeoGeo Freak there are red buttons on the joysticks and a red reset button (Japanese cart system, everything else is just like the regular cart system). This may be the last iteration of the Neo-Geo Cartridge system.
- Stakes Winner, by Saurus, has 80 Megs in Japanese, and 98 in English.
- Dunk Dreams is known as Street Hoop is USA, and Street Slam in Europe. Also, Miracle Adventure in Japan is known as Spinmaster in USA, and Spin Kids in Asia/Europe.
----Which games for the Neo-Geo are only available in Japanese?
All these games (Cart and CD) are only available in Japanese (NOT US) form. On MVS, most are in English (European) form. The list below means that none of the games below are in any English/European form.ADK World
Art of Fighting ~ryuukonoken gaiden~ Limited Edition
Bakatonosama Mahjong Manyuki
Band of the Fighters
Chibi Marukochan Deluxe Quiz
Crossed Swords 2
Idol Mahjong ~final romance 2~
Jyanshin Densetsu
King of Fighters '96 CD Collection
Mahjong Kyoretsuden
Mahjong Story
Minnasanno Okagesamadesu
Neo-Geo CD Special
Quiz Daisousa Sen
Quiz King of Fighters
Quiz Meintantei Neo Geo ~Quiz Daisousa Sen Part 2~
Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidoretsuden
Syougi No Tatsujin
----How come new cartridges don't come with sealable stickers anymore?
Up till ~Bakumatsu Roman~ Gekkano Kenshi (Last Blade) was released, SNK utilized sealable stickers on the side of the carts to determine that they were new. Since SNK ran out of stickers, and that most carts are kept in 'like new' condition, there was no need for them anymore.
----On NAM-1975, how come there is two cartridge stickers, one on top of the other?
From NAM-1975 up till after the release of Samurai Shodown, SNK just took production Japanese games and slapped a US sticker on the Japanese game on some of them. Showing their insolent laziness, SNK saved money by not removing stickers off of Jap games and just put the US ones over them. The games are legit; there's nothing wrong with them. But, the double-stickering of the games does look unsightly.
----What games are recommended for the NEOGEO (CD)?
Here is my short list of 8 games:
Art of Fighting ~ryuukonoken gaiden~ (Art of Fighting 3)(Fighting)
King of Fighters '95 or '98 (Team Fighting)
Real Bout Garou Densetsu (Real Bout Fatal Fury)(Fighting)
Ninja Masters ~haoh-ninpo-cho~ (Fighting)
League Bowling (Sports)
Metal Slug X or 3 (Action)
2020 Super Baseball (Sports)
Magical Drop 3 (Puzzle)
----What is the Biggest Game for the NEOGEO currently?
For games that are released, King of Fighters 2001 is the largest at 892 Megabits!
----Can the NEOGEO handle more than 330 Megs?
Of course, there is no limit to how much data can be fit onto a Neo cartridge, or any cartridge for that matter. The 330 Meg limit and technology is called the "Pro-Gear Spec", which is just a name for the ROM addressing technology of the Neo-Geo. Back in 1990, SNK had to give a certain Megabit count as their maximum (any could do), and they called it "Max 330 Mega". Now, there are games twice as big as 330 Megs (King of Fighters '98, Metal Slug 3, etc.).
----Are NEOGEO games compressed?
SNK made it a point NOT to compress a game, to boast about having the bigger game as well as enhancing playability and minimizing slowdown. SNK has used it sparingly as of late, but as a general rule they don't do much of it.
----What is GIGA POWER, which I've been seeing on intro screens on games like Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2. Is it more than a marketing tool?
Well, I have heard that it is more than marketing hype. Unlike Sega's 'Blast Processing', this 'GIGA POWER' allows SNK to address higher memory on the ROMs, making for games with a less grainy look to them. For games such as Real Bout Garou Densetsu 2 and newer, they utilize the 'GIGA POWER' technology for better quality (supposedly) games. For informational purposes, Bakumatsu Roman Gekkano Kenshi (The Last Blade) is the biggest non-GIGA POWER game, weighing in at 474 Megs.
----Are there any Back-Up units for the NEOGEO?
One could probably find one of the old Multi-Game Doctor units that are floating around; but since there are no more back-up units in production, one will have to pay a pretty penny to get one now (cost $1300 new). Unfortunately, I heard that it took about 10 minutes to load up a game on the device, and there are serious reliability issues with it.
----Are there ports of Neo games on other systems?
I have a listing of ports in English name, since most people are familiar with the English name with regard to ports.
NES
---
Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury 2
Fatal Fury Special
King of Fighters '97
PC-CDROM
--------
Art of Fighting
Fatal Fury 3
King of Fighters '95
Samurai Shodown 2
Samurai Shodown 4
Game Gear
---------
Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown
Bust-a-Move
Dreamcast
King of Fighters '98
King of Fighters '99
Last Blade 2
Garou: Mark of the Wolves
Twinklestar Sprites
Game Boy
--------
World Heroes Perfect
Fatal Fury 2
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
King of Fighters '95
King of Fighters '96
Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown 3
3DO
---
Bust-A-Move
Samurai Shodown
Sega Genesis
-----------
Art of Fighting
Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury 2
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Samurai Shodown
ViewPoint
World Heroes
Sega CD
-------
Fatal Fury 2
Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown 2
World Heroes 2
PC Engine/Turbo-Grafix 16
-------------------------
Art of Fighting
Fatal Fury 2
Fatal Fury Special
World Heroes 2
Super Nintendo
--------------
Art of Fighting
Art of Fighting 2
Bust-A-Move
Dunk Stars (proto Neo game)
Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury 2
Fatal Fury Special
King of the Monsters
King of the Monsters 2
Legend of Success Joe
Magical Drop 2
Puzzle De Pon
Samurai Shodown
Sengoku
World Heroes
World Heroes 2
Fm Towns Marty
--------------
Fatal Fury 2
Viewpoint
World Heroes 2
Sega Saturn
-----------
Galaxy Fight
King of Fighters '95
King of Fighters '96
King of Fighters '97
Magical Drop 2
Magical Drop 3
Metal Slug
Ragnagard
Real Bout Fatal Fury
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown III
Samurai Shodown IV
Samurai Shodown RPG
Stakes Winner 2
Twinkle Star Sprites
Waku Waku 7
World Heroes Perfect
Sony Playstation
----------------
Double Dragon
Galaxy Fight
King of Fighters '95
King of Fighters '96
King of Fighters '97
King of Fighters '98
King of Fighters '99
Last Blade
Magical Drop III
Metal Slug
Metal Slug X
Real Bout Fatal Fury
Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown II
Samurai Shodown III
Samurai Shodown IV
Samurai Shodown RPG
Viewpoint
X68000
---------
Fatal Fury
Fatal Fury 2
GAME LIST
I rate the quality of the game and the profitability of the game for arcade operators in these mini-reviews, which all include a short ditty about the game. (1 being worst, 20 being best)
All of the names are in Japanese form, or in translated Japanese form (not necessarily what SNK calls them in USA). (American translations of names that SNK uses for USA are below) 150 Separate Games Indexed
Removed because opinions of original authors may not be accurate enough...
PAST UPDATES
UPDATES:
v.1.0: First ever edition of this FAQ, with a limited gamelist.(4/10/97)
v.1.1: Important updates, include a revamped gamelist and new questions were put up.(4/23/97)
v.1.2: Added new questions.(4/25/97)
v.1.3-1.9b: Questions were corrected, and gamelist was added to.(5/29/97, around there)
v.2.0: New questions, and Other Info was added.(6/13/97)
v.2.1-2.5: Gamelist was updated.(around 8/20/97)
v.2.6: This is now the best gamelist of Neo games on the Net! I can back up these claims as well, and this
FAQ has a lot of added questions as well.(10/25/97)
v.2.7-2.8: Added questions, updated gamelist and reviews of my own.(12/10/97)
v.2.9: Added searchable area of my FAQ, updated my gamelist and reviews.(1/23/98)
v.2.9a-2.99c:Updated gamelist, added questions.(around 2/15/98)
v.2.99d: Bold print and more reviews accentuate this interim release.(2/22/98)
v.3.0: Revamped FAQ, with more questions, and my gamelist corrected. (2/23/98)
v.3.1-3.2: Corrections to this FAQ, including new reviews and questions.(2/26/98-3/1/98)
v.3.3: Added 4 new questions, updated my Game List, and cleaned it up somewhat.(3/6/98)
v.3.4-3.43: Another interim release, with new questions and game list updates galore.(3/31/98)
v.4.0-4.09: Barring any more updates, this will be the definitive update, and will answer all your questions to
the Neo-Geo. Also, it will be the last update, for a long time.(4/31/98)
v.4.1-4.98: A compound of updates, and my review page is almost finished! Some more questions were
added.(6/2/98)
v.5.0: Another update compounding, this will try to end up being over 100kbits in size, which it did. (6/8/98)
v.5.1-5.46: This FAQ will have some more updates done to it.(6/17/98)
v.5.5: Not much more info will be needed, just new game info....(6/26/98)
v.5.6: I just need any more info, as this will hit the 100KBits mark, for text version, soon.(7/15/98)
v.5.7-5.89: Coming closer to the final completion, lots more will be added. (7/16/98)
v.6.0: Updates again. (7/17/98)
v.6.5: Updates!(7/20/98)
v.7.0: Will probably be the last update. Almost everything is complete. (8/16/98)
v.7.5-7.9b: General updates.(10/4/98)
v.8.0-8.0b: Getting bigger, this will say all the megabit counts for each game that is released! (10/5/98)
v.8.1-8.5a: Now, it's actually 100kbits in size. (10/15/98)
v.9.0-9.5: Another standard release...with more questions and a complete Prototype list.(11/15/98)
v.9.6-9.6d: More megabit counts, and a new question answered....this is 2 years since my FAQ's inception.
Thank you to all who have read my whole FAQ over the years.(12/1/98-4/26/99)
v.10.0-10.4a: This will be the second version in 1999, with more updates! Complete MVS Prices!(8/15/99)
v.10.5-10.6: New update, with complete megabit counts!(8/16/99-11/20/99)
v.11.0/1.0: New reviews of Neo games, lenghy ones of each game. Start PDF v.1.0. (12/16/99)
V.11.0a-11.0f: This is the 3rd anniversary of the Neo-Geo FAQ, thanks to all who have read it.(4/20/2000-
8/13/2000)
v.11.0g-11.2b: Updates for 2001, and the 4th anniversary of the FAQ. (2/13/2001-8/20/2001)
v.12.0: I updated all the FAQs and most game reviews, as well as the game sellers portion. I put in SNK's
newest games, as well as mentioning the demise of the once great company. (12/2/2001)
v.12.1/2.0: I have completely rewritten all parts of this FAQ, took out several unnecessary answers and tried
to fix some grammatical errors. I also added the latest games and wrote some thoughts on personal insight
into SNK's practices. The revisions to the questions are enough to reread this FAQ again, trust me. After
five years, this document still keeps on trucking. (3/20/2002)
---------------
THIS FAQ IS NOT ENDORSED OR MADE BY SNK ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION. I would wish to thank (in no particular order) Spaceman Spiff, Frigerio Stefano, Christopher Olszewski, and Dr. Lawrence Bassin.
Special thanks to Ralph Barbagallo III, for making the first one to improve and learn on.
Copyrighted 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Chris Mullins, all rights reserved. Please do not take this property and try to respect my rights as an author, no matter how trivial the subject may be (video games).
~remembering a tradition that was once rewarding, but now only for the affluent~
Chris Mullins's NEO-GEO FAQ (PDF 2.0/TXT 12.1/PS 1.2) END
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