Neo Geo CD Questions

I have been planning on getting a Neo Geo CD but I have heard several bad things about it. Mainly the load times, does the game load only once at the beginning or frequently?

Also, are all these games the exact same on the CD as in the arcade/AES, or are they watered down?

Is there red blood in the US games (Metal Slug.etc) or is it based on the system you own like the AES?

Finally, I am wondering how the load time on the following games I am looking to get are:

1. Pulstar
2. Metal Slug
3. Metal Slug 2
4. Twinkle Star Sprites
5. Puzzle Bobble

And which Samurai Shodown games have the least load times (and how long, how often)?

Sorry for so many questions, just don't want to get a system and be able to watch a cartoon in between the load times

Here's a link to a thread with lotsa infos:

All About Neo Geo CD

Also check out neogeocd.net, it offers CD faqs and a forum, infos about CD tech and collecting, etc.

Takumaji said:

Here's a link to a thread with lotsa infos:

All About Neo Geo CD

Also check out neogeocd.net, it offers CD faqs and a forum, infos about CD tech and collecting, etc.

Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself. Those two links will hopefully answer any questions you might have regarding the NGCD. Oh..and its not as bad as some people tend to think it is, its all about value and awesome soundtracks

I love the Neo Geo CD! Cheaper games and if you can just deal with some of the load times, the music is better on some games! And those web-sites are the best place to check!

Takumaji said:

Here's a link to a thread with lotsa infos:

All About Neo Geo CD

Also check out neogeocd.net, it offers CD faqs and a forum, infos about CD tech and collecting, etc.

Click to expand...

its the neogeo cd fans

yourself, me and neogeofl

the only guys who respect the machine and genuinely enjoy it

no teh big carts roxxxors, load times teh suxxxors around here with us

teh sechsey little machine

buster_broon said:

its the neogeo cd fans

yourself, me and neogeofl

the only guys who respect the machine and genuinely enjoy it

no teh big carts roxxxors, load times teh suxxxors around here with us

teh sechsey little machine

Click to expand...

Sweet baby jesus dont forget me i fucking love this machine

Yeah I like the CD, selling my AES because it just gathers dust but my CD is used on a weekly bases as I can afford the games I want for it

Maybe when I'm earning I can go back the the AES, right now at 17 it isn't really possible

Samurai Showdown CD is fine for loads on CD, i'd say over all its the best version you can buy anywhere, the music compared to cartridge, no comparison.

Samurai Showdown 2 really pisses me off on CD mind, the 55 second long load to see the title screen is dead annoying. I don't even mind SS4 as much because the title screen loads much quicker.

I'm considering selling my neo geo cd on ebay and getting a cdz from ckchan, I know blue's site but really does anyone know if it does offer much better loading times?

Hmmmm, well that initial load is the worst on all NGCD games innit, but once thats done it can be dead quick, check out Double Dragon, liek its so fast it might as well not bother with the now loading screens between fights.

buster_broon said:

its the neogeo cd fans

yourself, me and neogeofl

the only guys who respect the machine and genuinely enjoy it

no teh big carts roxxxors, load times teh suxxxors around here with us

teh sechsey little machine

Click to expand...

HEY! I am a Neo cd fan

madmanjock said:

Samurai Showdown 2 really pisses me off on CD mind, the 55 second long load to see the title screen is dead annoying. I don't even mind SS4 as much because the title screen loads much quicker.

I'm considering selling my neo geo cd on ebay and getting a cdz from ckchan, I know blue's site but really does anyone know if it does offer much better loading times?

Click to expand...

CDZ is the way to go. SS2 title screen loads in around 15-20 seconds, which is bad ass. I've been playing KOF 96 and 97 on it, and the load times are only like 5-7 seconds between matches. Hell, I even play Last Blade on it, and I love it. CD represent!

snesaes said:

CDZ is the way to go. SS2 title screen loads in around 15-20 seconds, which is bad ass. I've been playing KOF 96 and 97 on it, and the load times are only like 5-7 seconds between matches. Hell, I even play Last Blade on it, and I love it. CD represent!

Click to expand...

you've sold me, I guess my toploader will go on ebay at the end of the month

madmanjock said:

you've sold me, I guess my toploader will go on ebay at the end of the month

Click to expand...

I've heard the CDZ's drive burns out alot.
I saw one on Ebay that was broke. The guy selling it said that he had it fixed like 2 times before he decided to put it up for auction.
This is what made me get a toploader instead of a CDZ. Yeah the loading times are faster on the CDZ but the toploader is more durable, and will save you money, because you won't have to keep taking it to a electronics repair shop.

When your CDZ's drive burns out you'll be waiting for days to play your games, instead of a minute or two.

genjuro1 said:

I've heard the CDZ's drive burns out alot.
I saw one on Ebay that was broke. The guy selling it said that he had it fixed like 2 times before he decided to put it up for auction.
This is what made me get a toploader instead of a CDZ. Yeah the loading times are faster on the CDZ but the toploader is more durable, and will save you money, because you won't have to keep taking it to a electronics repair shop.

When your CDZ's drive burns out you'll be waiting for days to play your games, instead of a minute or two.

Click to expand...

Well, I've had mine for about a year and a half now, and I play it pretty much daily, and it's been fine. Some people have problems with it overheating, but most of the time, that's caused by putting it somewhere that doesn't "breathe" well, like carpeting, or in an entertainment center where more systems and DVD's players and stuff are. When I get home tomorrow, I'll post some load time if anyone's interested.

I love NGCD myself..even though I own a consolized MVS, and an AES...I still play my NGCD about equal amounts of time, the music is just so phenominal on there. The load times never really bothered me..but Ive been used to playing 3DO, Sega CD, Saturn and other old cd based systems that have similar load times.

I have heard all the rumors about the CDZ overheating issues myself as well...but I know ALOT of people that have them and have never had problems...and on the flip side I know at least one person who bought a NOS top loader only to have it die a few months later...so I guess my point is that all electronics can and do fail...I'm not so sure the CDZ is any more susceptable to failure than the other NGCD systems.

I plan on some day getting me a CDZ just so I can see first hand the differences...and just to have one..but as far as the top loader goes..mines never gave any troubles at all.

But anyways..to me the NGCD is well worth owning ..even if you own an AES/MVS..for the music, the CD exclusive titles, and to own a nice piece of SNKs history.

The CD system is a great option for the cost conscious Neo gamer.

Bluevoodu said:

HEY! I am a Neo cd fan

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Don't forget me

holy crap.. where did you go? lol.

Its been awhile, eh?

†B†V†

..........

I love my Japanese Neo CD top loader. I just got my stepdown transformer and I am having a blast.
The first thing that I noticed, almost instantly was the responsive controls on those pads. Maybe some prefer the joystick, but when I played Viewpoint on it, it just seemed really fast and good! Pads feel better for some Neo games. They click but they feel spot in my opinion. Not too loose, not too hard to get your 1/4 circle motions, 1/2 circle motions or double 1/4 or 1/2 motions. Buttons responded well, and I found my combos coming off right away.

The sound....OMG!!!! Kof94 England stage instantly springs to mind. I love cart music, but this redbook has been produced with such care and it simply enhances the gameplay and overall feel of the fight. Chonrei vs Chonshu in Real Bout had this sweet music come in that matched the fight perfectly. I am all over this system for sound. Visually, s-video out is a welcome feature on the system!

The load times probably seem a lot nastier when you read them online ( 18 seconds) etc . While I do notice some fighters take longer than other games which can have up to as little as 1 load initial load, the load times are no worse than any playstation game. I don't mind them at all and I also get a bit of fan service between rounds with some SD Neo characters to keep me amused in my short wait. The original poster wondered about a few things like blood and load times in the Samurai Shodown games....well as for blood, that is present on my Japanese system in all games that have any. I can only speak for Samurai Spirits/Showdown II on load times -- my copy of Samurai Spirits II is totally acceptable in my opinion. The game doesn't have teams to load like kof, so the speed is quite acceptable. It would probably load much like a 2d fighter like Darkstalkers on Playstation as stated above. I just don't understand the inflated load time myth this system has. Have any of you seen the PSP load Ridge Racer?? Perhaps "they" should hound that system for load times for a while!!!

I have had a disc i/o read error on a particular stage in Kof94, and the system has reset. I've noticed some scratches on there, but its how I got the disc when I bought all this gear on ebay. Oh well. Cds can suckass for that I suppose! Nothing the Playstation or current systems don't suffer from.

As a former Aes owner I find myself only loving this system and I am very keen to get my hands on more arranged red book tracks on some of my fav Neo games.

Ozbiker

play lb2 and c how fucked up load times are.

LOL the answer to that is dont play Last Blades on Neo CD.

KOF 94 on CD is an amazing example of how good CD gaming can be in comparrison to cartridge based units.

Pick and choose your CD games, and you will find 99% of the early games, especially low meg count ones are in fact better than their AES counterparts.

Alright, I play LB1 all the time on my CDZ, and I have no problems with it. Granted, the load times are a little long compared to some of the later games (SSIV and RB comes to mind), but I don't think their bad enough to deter you enough from buying it, unless you're a very impatent fellow. Plus the soundtrack on it rules. I even listen to it in the car when I go to work.