I've been a Neo Geo fan for years, but have never owned a system--I do own a Neo Geo Pocket color . A few years back I wanted to get into the scene, but money and lack of information kept me away. Now, I'm a little older, with a little more knowledge (and have a tiny bit more money ), and the Neo Geo is back on my mind. Unfortunately, like many Neo fans, I've been going back and forth on what system to invest in.
Originally, I was drawn to the AES system: no load times, classic arcade sticks, and cartridges. Then I started looking on Ebay to check cart prices and I was in for a rude awakening; prices ranging from $500-$1000 for some of my favorite games--no thank you!
So, then I started researching the CD version and the prices were much more tolerable.....but at what cost? I would assume most all fans would choose AES over CD given the choice; I almost feel like I'm settling if I were to choose CD. However, if you're strapped on cash, logic and sense have to take over.
I don't mind paying $200 or so for an AES system, but some of the games I wanted just were not accesible by my budget. One of my favorite games was Neo Turf Masters and I was heart-broken to find out it was one of the most sought after/rare/expensive AES title in the entire Neo Geo collection. Other titles I was interested in were Baseball Stars 2, Metal Slug, Mark of the Wolves, and Windjammers; coincidentally, every one of these titles was rare and expensive in the AES version....
With those type of game choices I was either going to have to spend a small fortune, or come up with a better solution. As of right now, I'm pretty sure I want to purchase a CD version. With the CD version, I can enjoy games like Windjammers, Baseball Stars 2, and Neo Turf Masters at an affordable cost. Thankfully, I was able to resolve the MOTW and Metal Slugs dilemmas by purchasing the Dreamcast and PSP ports. However, before I do make my final decision, I was hoping I could get some insight on some fairly general questions from more experienced Neo Geo followers here on this board.
1. How durable has your Neo CD been? I own a Dreamcast that essentially has no reliability anymore. The laser mechanism comes and goes in terms of reading my games these days....
2. For the games mentioned, what is your experience with the load times? I think most of those games I mentioned are smaller sized, correct? Other than Neo Turf Masters, Windjammers, and Baseball Stars 2, the only other game I would want (at the moment) would be Samurai Shodown 2.
3. I read that some CD games have missing animations to allow the game to run/load better. Would any of the above be affected by this?
4. Lastly, how would you compare the pad to the original AES arcade stick? Idealy, I would like to own two arcade sticks someday (they are compatible, no?), but for the time being I'm sure I'd be happy with two pads.
If you took the time to read this, I greatly appreciate any input you have to offer (I know this post was longer than it had to be). I guess I've been a closet Neo Geo fan for all this time and needed to get down my troubles in writing :.
Originally, I was drawn to the AES system: no load times, classic arcade sticks, and cartridges. Then I started looking on Ebay to check cart prices and I was in for a rude awakening; prices ranging from $500-$1000 for some of my favorite games--no thank you!
So, then I started researching the CD version and the prices were much more tolerable.....but at what cost? I would assume most all fans would choose AES over CD given the choice; I almost feel like I'm settling if I were to choose CD. However, if you're strapped on cash, logic and sense have to take over.
I don't mind paying $200 or so for an AES system, but some of the games I wanted just were not accesible by my budget. One of my favorite games was Neo Turf Masters and I was heart-broken to find out it was one of the most sought after/rare/expensive AES title in the entire Neo Geo collection. Other titles I was interested in were Baseball Stars 2, Metal Slug, Mark of the Wolves, and Windjammers; coincidentally, every one of these titles was rare and expensive in the AES version....
With those type of game choices I was either going to have to spend a small fortune, or come up with a better solution. As of right now, I'm pretty sure I want to purchase a CD version. With the CD version, I can enjoy games like Windjammers, Baseball Stars 2, and Neo Turf Masters at an affordable cost. Thankfully, I was able to resolve the MOTW and Metal Slugs dilemmas by purchasing the Dreamcast and PSP ports. However, before I do make my final decision, I was hoping I could get some insight on some fairly general questions from more experienced Neo Geo followers here on this board.
1. How durable has your Neo CD been? I own a Dreamcast that essentially has no reliability anymore. The laser mechanism comes and goes in terms of reading my games these days....
2. For the games mentioned, what is your experience with the load times? I think most of those games I mentioned are smaller sized, correct? Other than Neo Turf Masters, Windjammers, and Baseball Stars 2, the only other game I would want (at the moment) would be Samurai Shodown 2.
3. I read that some CD games have missing animations to allow the game to run/load better. Would any of the above be affected by this?
4. Lastly, how would you compare the pad to the original AES arcade stick? Idealy, I would like to own two arcade sticks someday (they are compatible, no?), but for the time being I'm sure I'd be happy with two pads.
If you took the time to read this, I greatly appreciate any input you have to offer (I know this post was longer than it had to be). I guess I've been a closet Neo Geo fan for all this time and needed to get down my troubles in writing :.