Quality time with some friends and a Neo Geo

Playing video games(not necessarily NG) with friends is what it's all about.

I remember back in the day when I was working as a busboy at a fine mexican restauraunt. It was hard work. But I worked with a close friend and the authentic food was mouth watering (we had a choice of one entree and soup every workday - I was fond of the three beef tacos and three chicken enchiladas platter with avocado sauce on the side). Closing was always the best part of the day. That was when my friend and I would rush to get to our other friends house and play Tekken on the PS. This would be the scenario for the next month with this game. We were obsessed with tyring to best each other. We all perfected certain characters (Paul Phoenix) and staged mini matches to see who was the overall best player. I remember how much of an adrenaline rush I would get just from playing a video game. The best is when playing with close friends who appreciate and know how to play video games. But alas, as we grow older, many of our friends "mature" and give up games. Leaving us to enjoy games by ourselves. That's what I've been doing for the last couple of years. It's great playing video games by oneself, and reminds us that we still enjoy them. But from time to time I get sad and really miss my video game buddies. When that happens I get online and play Half-life and shoot the shit (no pun intended) with the other players. Perhaps part of collecting videogames is an off shoot of this loneliness (like single chicks who eat chocolate till they get diarrhea).

I'm curious as to how you guys spend your playing time and if you're blessed with having to share that with friends (better yet a hot female gamer) now and then.

Oh yeah, it's always good to share a hobby with others, and especially people who can enjoy and appreciate a system like the Neo Geo, in the midst of all this next-gen stuff. I'm lucky to have fellow Neo Geo fans here in town. The Rev, Tadao, and I have competitions on KOF, Magical Drop II, etc. And here lately, I've met another video game freak through work, and he's come by the house with another buddy of his, and I promptly kick their young Tekken playing asses all over the place on KOF, then proceed to still kick their ass at Tekken 2 and 3.

It's funny watching their (the non Neo Geo freaks) reactions to games like KOF, Last Blade, Real Bout, etc. It's usually along the lines of: "That shit is tight!" or "How come we never get to see these games anywhere?!" One guy even said, before I got to show him the Neo, and I quote: "Tekken 3 is the PINNACLE of fighting games." He's not so quick to say that anymore. (maybe because I'm still making fun of him for saying it...)

As far as lady gamers are concerned, I have yet to date an actual "female gamer", but it's always fun to show the girls I date the Neo Geo and Turbo. They usually dig stuff like KOF, Bonk, and Devil's Crush. And, it's usually the same reaction: "Why don't they have these games out in the public more?"

That's the beauty of video games, they grow with you. Hell, I measure my childhood by what games I played at the time. "I was still playing Atari then, so I was still a twerp..." And no matter if you go it alone, or with friends, your favorite games will always be there for you...

I have some guys from work I play against, and also some guys I am friends with from the local EB. Mulitplayer is where its at, and I am dying to let some of these guys get a chance at the neo; they are 2D fighting game fans, and I hope once they get a chance to play the neo it will convert them as it did me. By far the neo is the still the best system to have fighting game tournaments with, and has fighting games a plenty to choose from anyway. I am still trying to get my finace into some of this along with me, but I think she cares about dogs and related stuff more than gaming, which I suppose is normal. Either way, to be able to beat her ass at KOF would be oh so gratifying.

For me it was the 8-bit era, when we playd like 2-3 friends on a one game. Specially the NES console was our favorite. We finished
"Castlevania", "Metroid","Super Mario 2" and so on. One looked at maps, the other playd and the last one was prepared to take over the controlls if the one who playd got tired. Many hours where spent so. And the reward was the game endings. Those was the days...

Robi15

you know, it really is a shame that many of the tried and true gameplay mechanics of some of the best 16 bit games of all time were ruined when a 3D version was made. Now, some have actually been improved, but what they did to Castlevania when it became 3D is inexcusable.

Yeah I know what you mean. I remember getting the original Super Mario Kart for the SNES. I had half my class sneak out of school at dinner time to come round my house and play that game. I dunno what went wrong with the 64-bit version, but for some reason it just didn't seem to play as well.

The one gaem I hate most though is Zelda on the N64. I remember getting the SNES version and playing it for 12 hours solid as soon as I got home, for some reason though the 64-bit version never seemed to have the same level of addictiveness.

I donno there. I have to say that the Zelda64 wokéd for me. I agree fully that "Link To The Past" is the best Zelda.

But eventually Zelda must get 3D. And the way Mayamoto designed it was great in my oppinion.

I wonder how much a Zelda, original GOLD version NES game with Mayamoto's autograph is worth? In mint condition!! I know one who owns it..

For Me it was the famicom that me and my friends got into, that and the commodore 64 led to many all nighters.
Nowadays Friends still come over for a game but mainly because it is somethin else they want to see me about,Btw I am 27 with a 3yr old boy and steady girlfriend,
So Gone are the days Of the allnighters
The late night snacks between rounds or levels where the game was the centre of the universe and if you didn't finish that game with the help of your enthusiastic mate then It was if the world would end.So late night discussions over strategy was much welcomed.These days I mostly play alone and not for so long and not with the same enthusiasm I once played with, I mean I still Try but Gone is that special somethin that really use to push me to finish the game in one night mentality, These days most games go unfinshed and my attention is drawn to somethin else for a short span of time, Well thats the 3d world for you, A lot of preety pictures but not as much depth where it counts, Perhaps Im just gettin to old and my time is up, But One things for sure When my kid gets a little older to be able to hold his 1st game pad, Ill have a new Gaming matey once again.

I think I did most multi-player gaming with the Atari 2600. My brother and I played just about everything together on that system from what I recall. That was where it all started and I still have fond memories of it. With the NES we kept it up, but it lessened over time with the types of games we were buying and companies were making. The more time passed, the more we diversified, and now it basically never happens. We did play Metal Slug 3 the day the box turned up at my house (I even skipped my university class to play it that day) and it was amazing. It immediately brought me back to all those old days of twin-player gaming, and was some of the most fun I'd had in years. Mostly I play the Neo by myself although when possible, a fellow Neo Freak meets up with me and we have fighting bonanzas. Both of us are really quite good or if wel play well, we can be downright amazing, so it's always fun. I have interested others in the Neo·Geo however they've now moved to other towns due to the universities at which they're studying, so that's that. I always try to interest people in the Neo, and usually it works. My only problem is that I don't meet people that often anymore. For anyone that has a chance to go multi-player though, go for it! It brings gaming to unknown levels of enjoyment.

It started with the Atari System, NES (esp. game like ARCHON. That game is must multi game!), Genesis, SNES, etc. My fondest memories are playing games like Mario Bros 1 & 2, Castlevania 1 & 3, Ghost & Goblins, Wizard & Warriors, River Side Randsom, double Dragons 1 & 2 etc...

Unfortunately, I don't get to pay multi. on Neo Geo that much (except my girlfriend who likes Magical Drop 3)-it's because I only have RF switch for it, and the graphic SUCKS (thankfully I am getting a A/V din cable soon). Most prefer playing Dreamcast and the likes. Only one person I know around here owns a Neo Geo-got to play games like Ironclad Brikinger and other rare Neo Geo games because of him.

When I lived in Boston I always had a chance to play games against my friends, but most of the time I would have to go it alone. Once I got the Neo Geo, I did manage to find a couple of other people who also had systems, and there would be many days where we would get together with selected games and play for hours. Even when I go up for my occasional visits, the same crew is still there and we still hook it up for a few rounds in CvS, KOF, Garou, or in one of the older Fatal Fury titles.

Now that I've moved to Jersey, all of my home gameplay has been by my lonesome. *dog howl*

I mean, it would be great to find others that are into the Neo thing around my way. I'm near the Chinatown Arcade, but anyone who goes there knows the type of spazoids that sometimes inhabit that area. I've met a couple of other people in my few years near NYC (like MasSnead and some other people not on the DHP list or this forum), but I haven't gotten it to the point where I'm meeting friends for a big day of Neo Geo gameplay like it used to back in Boston.

Hmmm... maybe if I DID find a good arcade in New Jersey I would find others...

I wish neo had some multi player games like 3-4 players at a time, Supersidekicks would rule that way

For me and my good friends it was the Super Nintendo Entertainment System that provided us with hours of multiplayer action. At first it was just me and my best friend Michael, we were 9 & 10 at the time... the year was 1990... the game was Super Mario World. We played that game until we beat it and completed Star World and turned the colors into an ugly brown and purple mess. The ultimate 1-player game I indulged in was a tie between (gasp!) Final Fantasy 2, and Zelda: Link to the Past, both on the SNES. With the introduction of Playstation and Saturn I found myself sticking to my old guns, the SNES and Game Boy (not color) and of course my Neo-Geo Cart system. With Super Mario Kart came bigger multiplayer fests... with Street Fighter 2 Turbo Edition came even more adrenaline-rushing, player bashing, controller-throwing mayhem. Then came (for me) the ULTIMATE 16-bit multiplayer game. Super Street Fighter 2 for the SNES actually had a TOURNAMENT mode. Up to 8 players, simply sharing the two controllers between one another when their turn arose, were able to get involved in the action... wow I must have spent one months worth of hours invested in perfecting my game to trash my friends and foes come weekend time. By then I was 15... the SNES was showing its age big time... I was prepared for my next evolution in video games... the N64... my SNES became obsolete and remains so to this day. My Game Boy is broken. My N64 is retired practically now, and my playground is the Sega Dreamcast. But the ONE system from my childhood that survived and remains hooked into a television is (you guessed it) my Neo-Geo Cart system.

Heh, I can't really show off my fightin' skills when almost all of my friends (except 2..hi Guy. Hi Ian.) are.....*grrr*....SCRUBS. I curse the day I taught them how to do a hadoken/Quarter circle forward motion. I get pissed, so I just STOMP their asses in Tony Hawk 2. Or River City Ransom. Or another one of my COUNTLESS (Okay, 150-something) NES games. Yes, it is a lot of fun introducing/reintroducing people to this confounded "SNK" company. "Hey, check out this chick. Her name is Mai." "HOLY SH-"

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You'll remember me every time you see the moon.

I know what you mean, anyone in the Seattle/Washington area? I just moved here

I lived there for a while, before coming to Maryland. I think I first arrived at Sep/Oct? The constant rain, and the fog....Not much sun=depressing. If you love the sea, it's a good place. Caught some baby sharks there (they were hard to kill )

I can usually only get my friends to play neo with me for an hour or so cuz i woop em so bad. But my roommates and i play hours of Vid Games a day. If you people could only see my setup. I have 16 systems hooked into 1 TV. Rather impressive.

A couple of beers and a lot of friends in a Friday evning and a Waku Waku 7 killer tournament. That's some quality time with friends for me.. Hahah.

I'm lucky to have a friend who appreciates 2D fighters.

My younger brother and myself would play Neo-Geo all day, and it wouldn't be abnormal
to see us playing RBFF for 4 hours or longer (we once played RBFF for 8 hours straight!
It was an all-out fistcuff fest to see who was the best!). He's a Yamazaki fan, and he is quite good with this character.

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NeoLord
Neo-News and much more!

First of all, this is a GREAT thread.

Luckily, my wife likes NEO GEO almost as much as I do so we play games like Metal Slug 3 together all the time.

I also remember how in college I often brought three or four of my friends (male and female) to my house and we would spend hours playing Samurai Shodown or Streets of Rage 2. I especially remember one day when we packed up my NEO cart and cd systems and took them to this girl's house who had a large projection screen TV. We must have spend six hours that day playing all those games. It was nuts.

I definitely agree with an earlier message that basically said that your games mark certain chapters in your life and therefore permanently become part of you. Its very true.

testing

Oi ! The days of pre-teen gaming.. Who could forget that? Though you didn't have all the money you needed to get all the games you wanted, what few games you had you enjoyed, and got the most mileage out of. I remember those bygone days with tears in my eyes.. A time when every gamer buddy around seemed just as enthusiastic as you were.. Gaming was an all-night obsession.. Time was only interupted by homework and school. Who could forget the games that took center stage? Super Mario, Castlevania, River City Ransom.. I remember one game in particular for the NES by culture brain.. Little Ninja Brothers - a two player action/adventure/RPG. Probably the most fun I ever had with a game. The SNES sequel came out, but was not near as impressive.

I remember the college days as well. There was one point where my roomate and I had two TVs and one NEC monitor hooked up to a Genesis, Sega CD, PSX, NeoGeo, Jaguar, N64. We played Raiden, King of Fighters '94, Shadowrun, bomberman, Shining Force, 3 Count Bout, and Mario 64. Later on, when I moved in a new dorm, there were people in the room practically 24/7 playing N64 Mario Kart. Girls and Guys. We made that game a legend. To this day, I cannot even look at that game.

As far as the Neo Geo goes, I basically play it alone most of the time. Living out in the middle of the sticks with people 7-10 years younger than you isn't the most social place to get acquianted. There are a few people that I have converted to the Neo from my school days, however, and when I get together with them, we often play plenty of KoF, SS, and FFSpecial.

Now Dreamcast is a whole 'nuther story entirely. Its rich heritage of fighters ensures no shortage of quality time with what few friends I can round up to play against. Zombie Revenge, HOD2, MvC2, SNK ports, SFIII:3rd Strike, Gauntlet Legends, and the godlike Samba de Amigo ensures there is fun to be had. The first time I bought Samba de Amigo to an old college buddy's place, we had about 12+ people around the TV, girls and guys! It was nuts! This frenzy will start up again once we get out hands on dance dance revolution.

I guess our only hope to find like-minded gamers is PC online gaming and Seganet. It seems to be the way of the future. Unless you live in LA or NY, you won't find any fellow gamers in an arcade. Now that the home systems have caught up with arcade technology, arcades are going the way of the dodo bird. Let's just hope online console will give us more original, ground-breaking games like Phantasy Star Online, and less PC shovelware titles like Quake and Half-Life. Not that these games are bad, I just believe that if gaming is going online on consoles, games need to be developed specifically for this format. PC and console games are different animals.

As far as gamer girls go, they are about as common as a copy of Metal Slug on cart. They are out there, but few in number. let's face it- gaming is a boy's club. I've met a few gamer chics, but most of them were "made" by boyfriends who were gamers. Oh well. Everybody's got their own thing, right?

for me it was kof with 2 other friends
we would fight each problem is im a kof expert ive mastered kof and all other neo fighters to the point where they give up a fun night for.....kof on expert baby

I started playing Neo with AOF...But alone, cuz all my friends were in Super Nintendo or worst business... So (shame on me) i sold my Neo to buy a 3DO (big lol)

I bought back a Neo in 96 so...

When KOF96 came out, i've met two or three friends that were as insane as i was about the Neo... We used to play all night long on saturday night, with KOF96,97,98, becoming awesome players, and having great fun with the KOF series, but also other games like Tekken, Street Fighter EX, or every new fighter coming out.

Unfortunately, we argued, and since KOF99 i've returned to a most "alone" playing. Since my girlfriend is not really a 2D fighters lover, i only have one or two friends to play KOF2K with me.

But i don't remember a minute of these years, and i hope that soon i'll find a new "fight club" to spend some nights "watching the fight, having a KOF..true, true..." ^_^

See ya Neo Fans!