sscott wrote:Only system I still want and don't have but not sure why, will just cost me loads of money in the long run. Will probably only ever own 3-4 games for it, pay-rise in September so I may be tempted then.
There's no harm in only owning a handful of games for it - the system hasn't got the vast library and variety on offer on a more mainstream machine like the PS2 or Xbox 360. Its not a system that you need to own a tonne of stuff for, so long as the games you buy are really good. You can get away with only buying two or three King of Fighters games and you will get the drift from that series. Yeah, it would be nice to own the whole series, but there is really no need unless you are a Neo Geo fanatic - A couple of Fatal Furies and a SamSho as well say, and you have a nice little selection.
Thats one of the things I like about the Neo - its all about quality, not quantity. A handful of great games and you are sorted - in fact, if you buy the best value game in each series then you can get a significant amount of the enjoyment that the system offers in a relatively short period of time, for a modest investment. Some games are very pricey as we all know, but there are some astonishing games for less than a hundred quid which offer a lot of value for money - great gameplay, depth, lots of characters and loads of moves.
At the top of my head, I would say buy King of Fighters '98, The Last Blade and Real Bout Fatal Fury Special and you have three games that are VERY different, but which offer lots of variety and value within their respective series. King of Fighters 2003, Garou: Mark of the Wolves and The Last Blade 2 are better games (respectively) than the above, but are a lot more expensive and thus offer less value for only a moderate improvement in quality.
For the guy who wants to not spend more than £20 on an AES game, to him I say good luck! However, the system offers some surprisingly inexpensive gems. None of them hold a candle to the machine's greats, but are never the less excellent little games in their own right - titles like Samurai Shodown II, King of Fighters '94, Fatal Fury Special and Fighters' History Dynamite are all reasonably priced and great fun for all their cost. You aren't going to see the Neo's true power with any of those, but they are perfect entry titles.
To anyone thinking about getting into the Neo, I would strongly suggest doing your research first - make sure you know what you are getting into with the system. It can be very expensive, but if you know what you are doing then you can avoid wasting money on shitty games, and titles that you don't really need to buy - avoid King of Fighters '97 if you have '98 for example, but '95 is well worth getting if you have '98 as it is of a different generation in the series. With careful, considered and most of all informed purchasing, you can gather up a lovely little collection of Neo Geo games for a modest investment. Don't go in though with very limited funds as you will end up with a very expensive console with nothing of worth to play on it....
