Neo Geo CD: Is it worth it?
The Neo Geo CD can get a bad wrap online but I did opt for it over the AES system and I wanted to discuss why.
(This article was written before the Neo Geo X was official. The Neo Geo X, in my opinion, combines the price point of the Neo Geo CD without the loading times. Even though it can be argued that the Neo Geo X is just an expensive emulator, I think it’s a fantastic system that does those classic Neo Geo games justice. Check out my Neo Geo X: Is it worth it article here or watch the review.)
I always knew somewhere out there, lurking, was a prestige arcade based home console and after watching an episode of the Happy Console Gamer covering the Neo Geo AES and reading about Samurai Shodown and the Last Blade (Hardcore Gaming 101), I was sold on the idea of arcade quality at home. I originally thought I could ‘get by’ with ports on the Super Nintendo and Sega Megadrive (Genesis); that wasn’t the case. After receiving Samurai Shodown and Art of Fighting for the SNES and checking out Fatal Fury for the Megadrive, I knew the games had some real promise, they were fun, but the hardware was holding it back. A lot of SNK’s ports on other systems have that crippled feel and I decided the best way to play some of these neglected classics was on actual SNK hardware.
The SNK Neo Geo home consoles never made it to Australia, AES or CD. Some people have gone ahead and run consolised MVS units or have actually adopted whole arcade cabinets but I wasn’t interested in going down that route. Buying, converting, maintaining and collecting for MVS requires a lot of research, some know-how and a lot of time. Unless you can afford a complete kit, starting an MVS collection means you need to make a lot of purchases to get a full system together (boards, games, controllers, connectors).
When it came to buying a Neo Geo I had a choice to make. I could have stretched my budget and bought an AES (loose + one controller) with a couple of games, or a Neo Geo CD (Boxed + two controllers) with a few more games.
I scoured the internet for information on the pros and cons of each system, and it was obvious that the AES system came highly recommended whereas with the CD system, the faults were continuously highlighted. When it came to make a decision, it became obvious to me that CD was the way to go, and here’s why.
Cost
Cost was always going to be a big factor when discussing the Neo Geo systems. As I mentioned, I could have purchased an AES without a box, one controller and picked up a game or two. At the time of writing, I’m looking at about $270 for the Console, and between $25 – $30 ea for Fatal Fury Special, Art of Fighting 2 or Samurai Spirits (all loose). I’d still need to buy a power transformer and second controller, and Neo Geo controllers aren’t cheap (approx. $40 – $50) (prices gathered from Ebay and include postage and shipping).
My boxed Neo geo CD was a buy it now for $100 + $100 for express shipping, and it came with Real Bout Fatal Fury and two control pads (not the joystick). From there, I got them to pack in Samurai Spirits (Shodown) 2 for $7 and already I had two decent fighting games, two controllers and a boxed system. With a budget of about $300, I would have just managed to buy the transformer for $20 with the AES but with the Neo geo CD, that left about $70 to spend on some games to round out the library (Burning Fight – $40 and Top Hunter – $30).
Looking at the situation in retrospect, the AES may have been a better long term investment, but I didn’t want to invest in a Neo Geo, I wanted to play games on one. Which brings me to the biggest complaint about the Neo Geo CD, the lack of games and loading times.
Games and Loading Times
I won’t deny that the fighting titles are notorious for their loading; I knew that. What did come as a surprise was how quick any game that isn’t a fighting game loaded. Titles like Burning Fight, Sengoku, Last Resort or Top Hunter load initially onto the 50mb of RAM and then after that, maybe a few seconds between stages.
That was something I can cope with.
The CD unit does lack some of the later games there were released for the AES, games like Mark of the Wolves, King of Fighters 2001, Metal Slug 3, 4, 5 and Sengoku 3. This is a pretty big deal for a lot of reasons. CD owners miss out on two of the biggest fighting titles for the Neo Geo, as well as more than half of the Metal Slug series, arguably the best run and gun out there and Sengoku 3, a little known beat ’em up that still gets heaps of praise by the Beat ’em Up crowd. One problem here, even if I owned an AES unit, I’d never be able to afford these classic titles. These games do show up a lot cheaper for MVS, but that wasn’t an option for me personally, due to the cost associated with consolised MVS units.
The amazing fighting titles got me interested in the Neo Geo, but I have to admit it’s the diverse collection of arcade titles that kept me interested. I’m a very keen co-op gamer and the Neo Geo is perfect for that very reason; if it’s not a fighting game, you can be pretty sure it’s a co-op. Unlike with other consoles where some of your favourite games might not be two-player, the Neo Geo only has a small selection of titles where a second player can’t join the action immediately which brings me into point three.
Ultimate Co-Op Console
In my opinion, the Neo Geo IS the ultimate co-op console. It might not have the same franchise appeal with games like Turtles in Time, Streets of Rage or Final Fight but it does have a diverse collection of exclusive games.
Even though this console is so well known for it’s fighting titles, it’s the co-op games that make it really shine for me. So what’s that got to do with affordability vs function? It comes down to what you want to use the console for.
I could justify the Neo Geo CD because I prefer co-op multiplayer games over competitive ones. When I do play a fighting game, it’s generally for a handful of rounds before switching games anyway.
On the other hand, if you want to push your system to the limits, the CD version will severely disappoint you. I’ve always enjoyed collecting games that really demonstrate what the system hardware can do; Alien vs Predator for the Jaguar or Ranger X for the Megadrive but when it comes to Neo Geo CD, the older titles load quicker, suffer less slow-down and don’t access the disc as frequently. For collectors, games like Last Blade 2 and Pulstar are must haves and will look great in your collection but the Neo Geo CD tends to drain the fun out of them. As always, it’s important to sum up what you’re interested in doing with the system, what your budget is and if you’re in it for the collecting or the gaming.
