Neo Geo
The NEO GEO was no ordinary home console. It was a powerful arcade machine pushed into the shell of a home console. But the power had an equally powerful price on both the console and the games. And the games were HUGE, both in data and physical size, which made them very expensive to manufacture. To conquer this problem, SNK released in 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent, another console, the NEO GEO CD. As it was an Arcade machine, the games became typical arcade games. But you could actually use the memory card from the home console to save your game even in the arcades. The NEO GEO enjoyed a market lifespan of 14 years, selling the last cartridge in 2004.
Art of Fighting 2 was a fantastic game for this console. I bought it for 2700kr ($300+), inclusive shipping. Even though I was pretty poor and had to sell my Super Nintendo and all the games to be able to buy this, it was all worth it. This was the fighting game that made me a master feet fighter. I remember when a friend who did not know about my ability to play with my feet said "Your so good that you have to play with your feet if I'm gonna have a chance." Not that he had a chance but what a wonderful opportunity to get a bowl of ice cream, eat, play and kick ass.
Mega Drive | SNES | NEO GEO | |
---|---|---|---|
Release date | JP October 29, 1988 NA August 14, 1989 EU November 30, 1990 |
JP November 21, 1990 NA September 1991 EU April 11, 1992 AUS July 3, 1992 |
1990 |
Console price NA | $190 | $199 | $399.99 |
Game Price NA | 50$ | $60-$70 | Around $300 |
CPU | 16Bit Motorola 68000 7.6MHz | 16bit 65816 3.58MHz | 16bit 68000 running at 12.5MHz |
Memory | 72K RAM, 64K video RAM | 128K RAM, 64K video RAM | 64K RAM plus 68K VRAM |
Cartridge Size | 4 MB | 48 Mbit at FastROM speed total 117.75 Mbit |
330 Mbit later around 716 Mbit |
Resolution | 320x224 | 512x448 | 320x224 |
Colors | 61+3 transparent of 512 | 267 of 32,768 | 4,096 of 65,536 |
Sprites | 80, 32x32 | 128, 32x32 | 380, 16x512 (programmable) |
Sound | 10 channel stereo provided by a Z80 processor |
8 channel stereo | 15 channel stereo provided by a Z80 processor |
Favorite Games | ||
Name | Developer | Year |
---|---|---|
Cyber-Lip | SNK | 1990 |
Alpha Mission 2 | SNK | 1991 |
Crossed Swords | ADK | 1991 |
Robo Army | SNK | 1991 |
Sengoku | SNK | 1991 |
Sengoku 2 | SNK | 1993 |
Mutation Nation | SNK | 1992 |
Samurai Showdown | SNK | 1993 |
Samurai Showdown II | SNK | 1994 |
Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood | SNK | 1995 |
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge | SNK | 1996 |
Art of Fighting 2 | SNK | 1994 |
Magical Drop 2 | Data East | 1996 |
Magical Drop 3 | Data East | 1997 |
Metal Slug | Nazca | 1996 |
Metal Slug 2 | SNK | 1998 |
Metal Slug X | SNK | 1999 |
Metal Slug 3 | SNK | 2000 |
Shock Troopers | Saurus | 1997 |
Shock Troopers: 2nd Squad | Saurus | 1998 |