Questions about NeoGeo games, bootlegs and NGX

Ok, I posted this at Neo-Geo forum and this place is a looney house. It's just stupid talk, except for a few developments (Razoola, NeoTurf, Nightmare Tony) the rest is just drama or complete stupidity. It blew my mind how shit the forum has gone in a few months.

So here's the thread hopping for some answers or discussions:

"Hey


Since I'm kind new here and I'm not so familiar with history (or drama) from the past, so I was wondering a few questions:


1. If Ghostlop wasn't release and as far as I know only a single copy exist, the MVS full kit is a bootleg. Is that correct?
The same applies for the Treasure of The Caribbean and Bang Bang Busters full kit.


So, who makes those full kits?


2. Metal Slug was a very successful game, the same goes for Garou Mark of The Wolves. Why the US release is so rare?
I heard a rumor that the Metal Slug US version wasn't released at all. Is that correct?


3. With the NeoGeoX release we will probably get a part of the NeoGeo library on rom format. That means Blaze (is that the ccompany name behind NGX?) got the rights for those games.
If they do, would be possible for CD only games get a rom release? Like Ironclad did for the Wii VC?


4. Following that question. Does SNK still hold the rights for unreleased games? Like Ghostlop or even Last Odyssey? Do you think that if Blaze is interested they could buy the rights and release those games? Or they are lost forever?


5. Is there a list of all US games released by SNK and not by NGF? I ask this because as far as I know KOF2000 (as an example) were only released by NGF. So I'm wondering about the other titles.


Just to explain I'm not saying anything bad about NGF, or Dion or Chris, all I want is a simple list.


If you got the time to answer any of the previews questions here is my thanks in advance."

 

What I think...but may not be 100%...

1. None are official products, ie SNK / SNKP made. They are all made by converting existing MVS carts etc.
Ghostlop has a lot of hobbyist made pieces available, and over the years some groups have made the odd 'run' or their own 'LE' versions (MVS and homecarts).
B2B and ToC are courtesy of NCI who acquired protos / data files. B2B was released under licence from Visco, but of course the MVS and homecarts converted existing games.
ToC is essentially their own game loosely based on some data files they had. Iirc they didn't find an actual proto in the more normal sense.

2. Low print run?
MS had a US MVS and homecart release. (And cd)

3. I doubt it.
As I understand it the Wii version was actually the unreleased mvs / home rom and not the cd version. (?) Or at the very least, the unreleased rom was present in the Wii release. So the MVS and homecarts now are this unreleased rom, as opposed to a hack of the cd version, or the actual cd version of course.
It's not a simple matter of taking a CD only game and turning it into a working MVS or homecart. So NeoGeoX would need to cater specifically for CD games as well, and I believe it is just a mvs rom affair.

4. No idea, sorry. Did SNK even hold the rights to begin with? Don't know. They'll come out one day I'm sure, by some means.

5. Master list - http://www.neo-geo.com/snk/masterlist.htm - nothing NGF there.
You can also check the cart piccies section / price guide, KoF2k is listed on both, but nothing else NGF.

 

Thanks for all the answers

I had the idea the wii VC console rom was a CD conversion and not the lost rom.

So KOF2000 is the only game that you can't find an US SNK release, only the NGF?

 

No, I did a bit more digging and it seems the Wii version did indeed have the unreleased arcade rom.

So KOF2000 is the only game that you can't find an US SNK release, only the NGF?

Not 100% sure exactly what you're asking here.

Not every game that had an MVS release got a home release.

Every SNK home release there was had a JP version.

Many SNK home releases also had a US or EURO (or both) (and a few Korean) version, but not all. Check the master list I linked to, and you will see what games had an SNK JP and US release.

No SNK home release got just a US version. (Well subject to your beliefs on PSII of course.) If there was a SNK home release, there will be a JP version, and maybe a US.

KoF2K US is pretty much felt to only exist in NGF version, but there is debate as to whether NGF destroyed an original SNK insert and did their own or not. Not a debate for this thread (Some also claim to have an original non-NGF insert!)

NGF also produced other NGF US releases for most (all?) of the SNK homecarts that only had an SNK JP release. (If you can count a JP cart sticker and manual with a homeprinted US style insert as a US version that is - again not a debate for this thread.)

Hope that helps!

 

Great! Thank you

I bet that if I would collect AES it would be JAP releases for the less drama involved. The sad part is that you can't read the manual and most of the time it bring some curious information.
I know tons of JAP manuals got scanned and are available to download but it would be great if they did the same for US manuals, so you could have the best out of two worlds. Get the JAP release that is cheaper and read the manual in english.

 

AES is expensive, regardless. Getting the MVS version is way cheaper in most cases.

 

yeah gotta agree, since the games are 100% identical i have chosen to have MVS only as AES is ridiculously expensive (but always was even when new) however due to the amount of drama surrounding neo geo collecting its quite a scary market to get into, do love the games tho

 

yeah, and with the mvs, you take no risk paying silly money of a counterfeit game ^^

 

that too

 

Not silly money, but there are MVS boots all over the place. At least they are easy to spot if you open the cart.

 

Yeah I went to the MVS + Shockbox way. 62 games so far, almost half the library

 

is their any real way of spotting fakes from outside? i know labels get replaced but not sure if its because they are damaged or they put an english label over a japanese game? so that wouldnt be a good way of spotting

originally i thought my metal slug x was fake because it was in a blue see through shell rather than a black (this was when i picked up my cab and had never looked at a real cart before or even touched/played on a neogeo, just seen a couple of pics online and they were always black) but it now seems they come in various shell colours so its most likely the real thing, have a few other carts and they are mostly black with one see through clear case

thanks

 

would you be able to say how much you think that has cost you? no worries if not

 

I bought all but 2 games here in Brazil.
The most expensive game I bought here costed R$130 ~ $64 USD and it was Metal Slug 5. All my games are original, checked with http://mvs.gotwalls.com/index.php/Main_Page this database.

King of Fighters 94 to 2000 I payed R$25 each, bought on a lot.

The games I bought outside of Brazil was Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer $30 EUR and the extremely rare Samurai Shodown V Special MVS kit that costed me 24000 yens via yahoo auctions japan.
The same week another MVS kit showed up on ebay and sold for $860 USD

I know that for a few games I'll have to pay a lot but I think the first 100 will be cheap.

There are cheap games in the US that never made to BR's arcades, like baseball stars professional, cyber-lip and a few others. This would make the other 40 to build 100 cartridges.
The last 50 are the ones that would cost $60 USD+ that I think is really expensive.

 

thanks for that, gives me a very good idea, lot of work to do to be able to afford it all since theirs a lot of $$$$$'s in that reply lol

 

Ghostlop was buy by some french, they made themself between 20/30 copy of this game AES and Mvs, and they propose a full kit copy for 800 dollars i thinks

 

800 bucks!!??

That's why I hate the new era on the NeoGeo.
A dubious cartridge for 30k, Treasure of The Caribbean/BangBang Busters for $500 right from the source.
MVS Gunloard at $350 EUR.

This is insane.

 

again pricing just goes through the roof lol

 

CD is a good alternative ;D

 

Initially, but anyone can make one now of course.

I wonder how many CD games NCI has planned.