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Neo-Geo

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Neo-Geo is the name of a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released in 1990 by Japanese game company SNK. The system offered huge, colorful 2D graphics, and high-quality sound. A major platform for arcade games at the time, the system was also available as a costly home console. The two versions of the system were known as the AES (Advanced Entertainment System, the Home Version) and the MVS (Multi Video System, the Arcade Version).

Contents

History

Initially, the home system was only available for rent or for use in hotel settings, but SNK quickly began selling the system through stores when customer response indicated that people were willing to spend the money. Compared to the other consoles of the time, the NeoGeo AES was incredibly powerful, thanks to its high-end graphics and sound chipsets. The home system featured two CPUs: a 16-bit Motorola 68000 main processor running at 12 MHz and an 8-bit ZiLOG Z-80A coprocessor running at 4 MHz. The system's main CPU was 50 percent faster than the 68000 processor found in Sega's Genesis console. The NeoGeo AES also had the benefit of its specialized audio and video chipsets. A custom video chipset allowed the system to display 4,096 colors and 380 individual sprites onscreen simultaneously (compared to 64 simultaneous colors and 80 individual sprites for the Genesis), while the onboard Yamaha 2610 sound chip gave the system 15 channels of sound with seven channels reserved specifically for digital sound effects. Surround-Sound was also built into many games.

The console was planned to debut at $599 USD and included two joystick controllers and a game (either Baseball Stars or NAM-1975). However, this plan was quickly scrapped and when the system had its national launch it debuted at $649.99 with two joysticks, a memory card, and a single pack-in game, Magician Lord (the early Neo Geo boxes had a gold sticker announcing the inclusion of Magician Lord over the initially planned choice of two games), this package was known as the "Gold System". The system was also released in a "Silver System" package, which included one joystick controller and did not include a game or memory card. Other games cost $200 and up — each. With these "premium" prices though, most gamers weren't able to afford the system and so the console was only accessible to a niche market.

Scandinavian flyer showing MVS arcade cabinets.
Enlarge
Scandinavian flyer showing MVS arcade cabinets.

The Neo-Geo was only to be driven further into cult status by changing mainstream tastes which soon demanded flashy, 3D graphics. Yet, the quality of Neo-Geo games kept it alive in arcades, particularly in Japan, where the newest installment of the flagship King of Fighters was certain to cause a stir with each release.

The last game by SNK for the Neo-Geo system, Samurai Spirits Zero Special, was released on October 19, 2004. SNK decided to abandon the hardware due to the rampant software piracy of the games built for the system, which SNK believed was partially responsible for their bankruptcy in 2000. SNK ceased to manufacture home consoles by the end of 1997, but software for both formats and arcade hardware was produced for many years after. Measured from the introduction of the arcade hardware in 1990 to the release of the last home cartridge in 2004, the Neo-Geo's 14-year official span of support from its manufacturer makes it the longest-lived arcade or home system, significantly longer-lived than either the Sega Naomi or the Capcom Play System 2.

Despite the end of official support from SNK, many titles are still expected to be launched by third party developers. For example, a new cartridge-based game called Last Hope was released for the home console in 2006 by the independent NG:DEV.TEAM, running at 60 fps and showcasing the continued ability of the Neo-Geo even after sixteen years of its debut. The game features both handdrawn and CGI graphics with transparency and lighting effects as well as a techno soundtrack.

The GameTap subscription service currently includes a NeoGeo emulator and a small library of NeoGeo games.

Technical aspects

Each joystick controller was 280mm (width) x 190mm (depth) x 95 mm (height) ( 11 x 8 x 2.5 in.) and contained the same four-button layout as the arcade MVS cabinet.

The arcade machines had a memory card system by which a player could save a game to return to at a later time, and remarkably, to be used to continue play on the SNK home console of the same name.

The arcade version of the hardware is often referred to as the "MVS," or Multi Video System (available in 1-slot, 2-slot, 4-slot, and 6-slot variations, the latter being capable of up to six cartridges loaded into one machine), with its console counterpart referred to as the "AES", or Advanced Entertainment System (most likely to distinguish it from the Nintendo Entertainment System, the dominating console on the market at the time).

The programming code is the same on both the MVS and AES hardware. In fact, owners could move EPROMs from one type to the other, and the game would still run. The program specifics for both MVS and AES game options were contained on every game ROM, whether the cartridge was intended for home or arcade use. However, the arcade and home cartridges do have a different pinout. They were designed this way to prevent arcade operators from buying the cheaper home carts and then using them in arcades.

Rom sizes and startup screens

Specification for ROM size was up to 330 megabits, hence the system displaying "MAX 330 MEGA - PRO GEAR SPEC" upon startup. While no technical changes were required to achieve it, some games over 100 megabits followed this screen by displaying an animation touting "The 100 Mega Shock". The original ROM size spec was later enhanced on cartridges with bank switching memory technology, increasing the maximum cartridge size to around 716 Mbit. These new cartridges also caused the system to display "GIGA POWER" upon startup, indicating this enhancement. Image:Neogeomax330.GIF|Original Image:neogeo_100megashock.png|100 Mega Shock Image:Neogeo_gigapower.png|Giga-Power

Specifications

Technical

Display

Power

Dimensions

Storage

Collecting

Home cartridges

There is a thriving collectors' scene for the Neo-Geo home systems, especially the original AES home console. This is mainly because of the limited runs received by cartridges, the massive arcade library available, and the system's reputation as a 2D powerhouse. It is still common even to this day for both Neo-Geo consoles and cartridges to fetch extremely high prices on eBay and other auction websites, particularly english versions of cartridges as these were produced in fewer quantities. A handful of the rarest Neo-Geo games can sell for well over $1,000 on eBay. This gives the system an almost cult following, as owners see the system as more of an "investment" rather than an ordinary videogame console. This leads to high resale value on most Neo-Geo systems and games and makes the console a "must-have" for a number of video game collectors. The most expensive known cartridge on the Neo Geo home system is Kizuna Encounter (Euro Version) with only three known pieces and an market price of $25k-$30k when sold.

Arcade cartridges

Another sub-scene within the Neo Geo collector's market involves the MVS cartridges. Although these were initially designed for arcade use, a strong market has developed around collecting this particular format. The MVS market can be divided into two distinct groups: those who are looking for cheaper alternatives to the expensive rare home carts, and those who are interested in paying premium prices for complete arcade kits.

For those interested primarly in lower prices on rare home games, MVS carts, particularly loose carts or incomplete kits, can offer a cost effective alternative. Most MVS cartridges go for substantially less money than their home counterparts. This lower price can be associated with their lack of decoration as most were for inside arcade cabinets and lack cartridge artwork or box artwork, the high set-up cost of purchasing the MVS system, and the prevalence of bootleg cartridges. Many of the most common MVS games go for prices between $10-$150.

However, in recent years a growing market has emerged for complete MVS arcade kits. These consist of all the materials that would be initially sent to an arcade operator, including the brown cardboard shipping box (with label), the insert materials to decorate the marqee and arcade cabinet (including separate move lists), warning information, dipswitch settings, in some cases even posters and/or any packing materials. Because many of the items in an MVS kit were designed to be discarded by arcade operators, finding complete arcade kits can be difficult and thus the prices for some complete MVS kits can be quite high.

Because of the conflicting requirements and desires of the two MVS sub-groups, they rarely compete with each other for games.

Other Neo Geo systems

Several home console systems were created based on the same hardware as the arcade games, as well as two handheld systems under the name Neo Geo Pocket.

The Graphical Development of Neo-Geo

The Neo Geo was particularly notable for its ability to directly bring arcade-quality graphics into the home. As they system progressed, programmers were able to further tune the games to produce higher quality graphics than previous years and eventually beyond what was initially thought possible for the system.

One of the pack-in games with the original Japanese-release was NAM-1975, a side-scrolling shooting game that featured multi-layer scrolling backgrounds; however these initial Neo Geo games were, graphically speaking, a little less polished than SNK's non-Neo-Geo games. By 1991, games like King of the Monsters demonstrated the Neo-Geo's ability to produce graphic detail that matched contemporary arcade games from the period. In 1992, SNK's Art of Fighting marked the beginning of a series of 2-D fighting game innovations: this landmark game brought large character sprites in combination with zoom effects to intensify the action. This zoom feature was followed in the following year's Samurai Shodown, who's even more elaborate graphics and gameplay won it EGM's award as the 1993 Game of the Year and launched a successful franchise. The Neo Geo also became known for its shooters, with the first successful title coming with 1994's Aero Fighters 2; however, the following year's Pulstar managed to up the ante on both graphics and gameplay.

By the mid-1990s, SNK was trying to move onto a new platform, notably the Hyper-64; but when the new 3-D system failed to take off, it found itself still developing games for its old 2-D engine --leading programmers to come up with ways to increase the limits of what was initially thought possible for the system. Six years after its initial launch, Nazca surprised the video game industry with Metal Slug: an update of the the Contra series' run and gun shoot 'em up that featured cartoonish, hyper-active graphics and gameplay that also launched a very successful franchise. Since the Neo Geo was unable to produce the 3-D games what began dominating arcades in the 1990s, SNK focused on mastering the realm of 2-D: with 1997's launch of The Last Blade, SNK programmers demonstrated that the Neo-Neo geo was still capable of producing artistically rendered graphics to match the gameplay engine.

While the system became primarly known for its fighting games in the late-1990s, notable the King of Fighters series, 1998's Blazing Star updated the previous Pulstar with more detail. This trend of adding more detail to 2-D environments reached a plateau with 1999's [[Garou: Mark of the Wolves]] (an update of the Fatal Fury series) was well as 2000's Metal Slug 3, which was the most highly rated chapter in the six-part series on the Neo-Geo. By the final Neo-Geo-based edition of the longstanding King of Fighters series, The King of Fighters 2003, had stagnated to the level that was initially achieved at the turn of the century. In its 14 year lifespan of official support, the programmers for the Neo Geo appeared to bleed out all that the system's graphical chips were capable of.

The above commentary is best illustrated in the following sequential progression of screenshots of the above commented on titles:

Image:Nam-1975.png|1990
NAM-1975 (SNK) Image:King_of_the_monsters_01.png|1991
King of the Monsters (SNK) Image:Art_of_Fighting.png|1992
Art of Fighting (SNK) Image:Samurai_Showdown.png|1993
Samurai Shodown (SNK) Image:Sonic_Wings_2.png|1994
Aero Fighters 2 (Video Systems) Image:Pulstar-ingame.png|1995
Pulstar (Aicom) Image:mslug103.png|1996
Metal Slug (Nazca) Image:The_Last_Blade.png|1997
The Last Blade (SNK) Image:BlazingStar.gif|1998
Blazing Star (Yumekobo) Image:Garou-screenshot.jpg|1999
Garou: Mark of the Wolves (SNK) Image:Metalslug3 04.png|2000
Metal Slug 3 (SNK) Image:KOF2k3.png|2003
The King of Fighters 2003 (SNK)

See also

Selected video game consoles
First generation
Magnavox Odyssey > Pong | Coleco Telstar
Early second generation
Fairchild Channel F > Atari 2600 | Magnavox Odyssey² | Intellivision
Later second generation
5200 | ColecoVision | Vectrex | SG-1000
Third generation (8-bit)
NES | Master System | 7800
Fourth generation (16-bit)
PC Engine/TurboGrafx 16 > Mega Drive/Genesis | SNES | Neo-Geo | CD-i
Fifth generation (32/64-bit)
3DO | Jaguar | Saturn | PlayStation | PC-FX | Nintendo 64
Sixth generation
Dreamcast | PlayStation 2 | GameCube | Xbox
Seventh generation
Xbox 360 > PlayStation 3 | Wii

External links

References

Official

Stores

Fan Sites

 

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