KOF 2k english - 100% legit

Well, my English KOF 2000 arrived this morning. My mom woke me up and handed it to me after it was delivered.

Even in my groggy state after just getting up off of only a couple hours of sleep, I could tell within seconds that this cart was no joke.

I know some of you guys don't want to believe it. There are many of you on this board who have been posting with the "utmost confidence" that this English cartridge is not official. You are basing this belief on the previous history of NGF, but you are ignoring the facts of this specific case. Furthermore, you haven't seen it.

I GUARANTEE those who see this cart will instantly realize, this is NOT a hack job. It is 100% legit official SNK produced merchandise. I have no reason to lie to everyone. Say what you will about NGF, the fact of the matter is this cart was *completely* produced by SNK. Its absolutely obvious to anyone who sees it. Even those of you who no matter what will not believe that this cart officially exists would be convinced if you just saw it.

Yes, I know many people have issues with NGF. Yes, I know they have bastardized the word "official" in people's minds forever. Yes, I know the price is way too high. Yes, I know it has the neogeofreak logo and website on the insert and manual. All of these are extraneous factors - the IMPORTANT thing here is, this game DOES exist and it is 100% official, I guarantee you.

If anyone here can hunt anyone down who has bought this game and doesn't think it is official, please get them to post in this thread. I guarantee you won't find anyone. Also, all other buyers, please post here and confirm.

What's going to happen is, despite the reports of people calling and getting information from SNK (such as Kiselgof and others) and what I say, I know many of you STILL won't believe. But, as more and more of you perhaps someday come across a copy or meet people with a copy, you will believe. And over the long run everyone will agree that this game was released officially in english. In reality it is very easy to tell a SNK produced component to a fake. A favorite phrase in the neo scene is, "the proof is in the pooding." And it is absolutely true in this case.

What I am truly hoping for is that for all future cart runs, we will be able to get an official English counterpart. Hopefully next time more copies can be made and other US complanies will be able to work out some arrangement to stock these games at the 250-300 dollar level. It really is a shame that this English cart isn't available from retailers and at a cheaper price. But this is truly the start of something new, even for NGF. And I would like everyone to have the option of English or Japanese. The high price and all the commotion surrounding this release is the "growing pains" of this process. Like you guys, I love the neo and would like to see these options available for the fans in the future.

So I've spoken my peace. If you guys would like to ask questions feel free. Please don't tell me its not legit, no matter what I say and expect me to reply. Because I know that it is, and those of you who know me know I'm no schmuck.

Peace and enjoy your KOF 2k (english or Jap!)

John Thacker
geddon01@msn.com

PS
If any of you REALLY want to get your hands on this cart but don't want to deal directly with Dion or NGF, I MAY be able to help you - please email me privately. No, not by selling my copy

[This message has been edited by Geddon_jt (edited December 26, 2000).]

What was the last US Neo cart to come out and who was the distributor?

Let me knoe that and ill clear everything up.

If its true then NGF will have credit for making the US KOF2K possible.

PS
IN what past US Neo carts, does it mention the distributor's .com or any info?

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Lord Illicious
Primal Massiah
Soul Reaver

Wu Dan Neo Devil of Illness

Put rhetorics aside, I think it all comes to personal preferences, since I would get Jp version any time over English version myself, this is not an issue to me. Many collect English version due to rarity, but I don't look at it this way. Even if all of the games are produced in large quantity and worth like $50 bucs, I'll still collect them.

I'm not in a good mood to play KOF 2K right now due to errors caused by NCS (they sent one instead of 2 copies), hopefully they'll resolve it quickly and professionally tomorrow.

I have only one response to that, Geddon.

"KOF2K English - 100% legit"

"NGF - 100% Shit"

Still comes out to the same conclusion, don't buy they're shit. I got my Jap copies, I'm set and I won't buy from them. Keep your ridiculous overpriced cart, almost twice the price of a regular one.

Instead of praising NGF, you should be thinking about a way to have a DIFFERENT company, a REPUTABLE HONEST company, handle English Neo Geo cart sales. Its possible, and I've already thought about how to go about it . . . hehe.

As for me, no "NGF" tainted shit on my shelf, thank you.

Originally posted by Lord Illicious:

What was the last US Neo cart to come out and who was the distributor?

Let me knoe that and ill clear everything up.

If its true then NGF will have credit for making the US KOF2K possible.

PS
IN what past US Neo carts, does it mention the distributor's .com or any info?

Click to expand...

Unless my leg workout this morning has forced all the blood away from my head, the last US Neo AES Cart was Garou: Mark of The Wolves, produced and manufactured by SNK-Japan and distributed by SNK-USA. This, however, has nothing to do with any future distributors in the aftermath of SNK-USA's demise. The presence or absence of a distributor's URL and/or contact information in no way officializes an AES cart.

If, as Geddon points out, all physical facts point towards the production and manufacturing of the English KOF2000 as deriving from SNK-Japan, the only legitimate complaint anyone may have is with the distributor itself - not the product.

Sincerely,

Kale

Well, considering that Geddon (someone with some sort of credibility) said that he has actually received a US game from NGF and that it's legit, I guess we can count that as a plus for NGF... for once, they have come through for someone without any major issues.

But, as like everything else, I take it with a grain of salt. I still have my beliefs, and that's ultimately what makes my decisions when buying games. I'm happy with my inexpensive Japanese version, and we have someone who was content paying almost double to get one with the paperwork in English. The cons still overweigh the pros when dealing with NGF... they have a LONG way to go before they repair their tarnished reputation, and for many people there won't be a second chance for them to do so. As for me... there's enough substance for me to make sure there isn't a first time.

That's all... enjoy your game, Geddon.

Originally posted by kiselgof:
The presence or absence of a distributor's URL and/or contact information in no way officializes an AES cart.

If, as Geddon points out, all physical facts point towards the production and manufacturing of the English KOF2000 as deriving from SNK-Japan, the only legitimate complaint anyone may have is with the distributor itself - not the product.

Sincerely,

Kale

Click to expand...

kiselgof, just wanna knoe when did SNK print a distributor's info in the cart and manual.

That is a big statement saying that they are the official distributors of the Neo cart so looking back at the past prints does matter in a way.
If NGF is SNK's official US distributors then any other future US cart release will have to be bought thru NGF.
That mean NCS, Buyrite, ect ect would have to go thru NGF and the carts they sell will have the NGF.com on it.

Know what im sayin?

------------------

Lord Illicious
Primal Massiah
Soul Reaver

Wu Dan Neo Devil of Illness


[This message has been edited by Lord Illicious (edited December 26, 2000).]

Since when have US versions suddenly become such a piece of crap? I'm not arguing in favor of/against NGF, but c'mon. I bet if I were to ask some of you to trade me your English version of say KOF96 for my jap version you would decline, cause the US is more "rare" "collectible" or whatever you want to call it. It is true, the price is high, yes NGF is the distro, but its still the US version. And yes, people have paid more the US versions before. Maybe not you, but others have. Just think about that for a sec before you snap something back, and if you want to trade my jap KOF96 for a US, lemme know

Has anyone asked any of the english speaking representitves how many(if any) "legitimate" english version carts were produced (approx.) and then asked the NGF how many they've recieved? Just a thought.

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How does it feel to be well done?...but I bet you taste terrible

kiselgof, just wanna knoe when did SNK print a distributor's info in the cart and manual.

That is a big statement saying that they are the official distributors of the Neo cart so looking back at the past prints does matter in a way.
If NGF is SNK's official US distributors then any other future US cart release will have to be bought thru NGF.
That mean NCS, Buyrite, ect ect would have to go thru NGF and the carts they sell will have the NGF.com on it.

Know what im sayin?

[/B]

Click to expand...

I personally am not aware of if/when SNK-Japan has previously printed distributor information in the manual. Whether or not they have done it in the past, the future is up for grabs to anyone with the power and influence to alter it.

With regards to being SNK's "official distributors," the claim is too wide-open to interpretations. Dion has shown me a picture of his recent order with SNK-Japan for the Japanese KOF2000 with an invoice addressed to him. I personally was unaware that you can purchase from SNK-Japan directly. In fact, I don't believe that even any of the US-based stores deal with the company directly and instead have to go through a middle-man. In my conversation with SNK-Japan personnel, they indicated that NGF-USA was ONLY granted English distributor rights to KOF2000. According to Dion's figures, the price paid for these rights is a fairly significant amount that only someone intent on moving numerous copies of the game would be willing to invest. Thus, IF there is another AES release sometime in the future from SNK-Japan, anyone with influence and money can invest in paying for the translation, printing and distribution rights along with purchasing the necessary minimum quantity of units. Anyone out there sitting on tens of thousands of dollars they are willing to invest can have their own URL and name printed on an official SNK-Japan production. I'd do it, but I am tens of thousands of dollars short.

Sincerely,

Kale

Andy, no point in asking how many "English" KOF2K carts were made. Why?

Well, you can bet money on the table that "NGF" has PLENTY of extra sets of inserts, manuals, and cart stickers, beyond whatever ones were made for their original cart run (which they claim to be 100 but you can bet thats one more lie in the series . . .).

So, anytime they need a new "English" KOF2K cart, just whip out the materials and convert another Jap one. Simple as that, and it makes the "rareness" of the U.S. version a pretty questionable story at best . . .

Originally posted by chimpmeister:

So, anytime they need a new "English" KOF2K cart, just whip out the materials and convert another Jap one. Simple as that, and it makes the "rareness" of the U.S. version a pretty questionable story at best . . .

Click to expand...

This is precisely why I would urge people to call and find out this information from SNK-Japan. How is it that no one else has bothered to call them and to find out additional information to help out the rest of the forum members? It is highly likely that this will be one of the rarest home cart releases, if not the rarest if the figure of 100 manufactured carts holds true. In addition to having to pay for the translating/printing/distribution rights, NGF-USA would have had to pay the going wholesale rate for all of the carts it pre-purchased. I have no idea what that rate is, but being generous and supposing it is around $200 wholesale per KOF2000, it still makes for an investment of AT LEAST $20K for every 100 pieces produced. Whatever this production run was, it was all absorbed by NGF-USA and they will be the ones controlling the market price from now on. Thus, the only remaining fear is regarding what happens once the first 100 "first-print" pieces run out.

Sincerely,

Kale

So i guess the KOF2K carts are from SNK and are real US carts.

But that means the NGF is only the Distributors of thoes 100 carts.

If NGF became the distributors of any other future SNK carts then places like NCS or Buyrite will have to go thru NGF for the US carts.

My question now is:
For any possible US Neo carts releases from SNK -
Who will distribute them if dealers dont buy directly from SNK of Japan?

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Lord Illicious
Primal Massiah
Soul Reaver

Wu Dan Neo Devil of Illness

Only one problem with your whole post, Kale.

You refer to "NGF-USA" as if it were a "real" company, when in fact its not at all; just two clowns trying to make some quick money on the side.

Most people recognize that, and thats where it stands. As for the "English" KOF2K, they can keep their tainted shit, I don't want it. Nor do most of the others in these forums. And CERTAINLY NOT FOR $590 PER CART, LET'S BE SERIOUS HERE!!! How stupid does he think we are?

But don't worry, they can always put them up on eBay in "private" auctions, to prevent innocent people from being warned about NGF's reputation and past practices. There are always new suckers available to feel their greedy wallets . . .

Food for thought. For less than the cost of the so-called "Official," "Rare," etc. KOF 2000 English home cart from NGF, you can pick up a four-slot MVS unit in decent shape, and give it a year, and you will be able to get KOF 2000 MVS version for less than a new Japanese one. For those that are fed up with NGF and their ridiculous home cart BS.

-BioMotor_Unitron

Originally posted by Lord Illicious:

So i guess the KOF2K carts are from SNK and are real US carts.

Click to expand...

That is what Dion has promised in our conversations, that is what Anthony and John have confirmed, and this is what I hope to confirm for myself when I receive this in my hands on Thursday.

But that means the NGF is only the Distributors of thoes 100 carts.

Click to expand...

According to SNK-Japan, yes, until NGF-USA or someone else willing to invest the money commits to a business relationship with SNK-Japan. I would not be surprised, and would in fact be encouraged, if NGF-USA continues to pursue further business relations with SNK-Japan if only to establish stability for the North American Neo-Geo AES distributor scene.

If NGF became the distributors of any other future SNK carts then places like NCS or Buyrite will have to go thru NGF for the US carts.

Click to expand...

That certainly seems like a reasonable possibility. However, if these companies fail to secure pre-orders for a sizable amount of copies thus alleviating NGF-USA from the burden of risk in investing such huge amounts of money, I would not be surprised to see similar price markups on future releases.

My question now is:
For any possible US Neo carts releases from SNK -
Who will distribute them if dealers dont buy directly from SNK of Japan?

Click to expand...

I am purely speculating here, but I see three possible scenarios:

1) SNK-Japan receives assurance of minimum number of pre-orders from retailers, manufactures English-language product and sells directly to retailers.

2) A distributor such as NGF-USA secures exclusive distribution rights to an English-language product, receives SNK-Japan produced materials and sells to retailers and consumers in a manner similar to the former SNK-USA.

3) Failing to receive assurance of a minimum number of pre-ordered copies, SNK-Japan fails to manufacture English-language versions, perhaps selling unprinted translated materials to interested parties and leaving the circulation of said materials in the hands of parties willing to spend their own time and money in printing up and producing English-language versions.

Sincerely,

Kale

So in the end result assuming if NGF becomes the SNK distributor of future SNK US cart releases, then NGF will have the most highest and cheapest prices cuz who the hell will buy the US carts from NGF and offer them at a lower price.

Everyone else will seel the jap carts and NGF will sell the US ones.

Who will buy a US cart from lets say NCS or Buyright if you can get it directly from NGF for a cheaper but still insane higher price?

True, if someone else would just come out and handle the US cart distribution, then they prices might be reasonable and there wouldnt be a NGF.com on the insert and manual.
..........


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Lord Illicious
Primal Massiah
Soul Reaver

Wu Dan Neo Devil of Illness

No matter what, I'll stick with JPN cart.

LITTLE DOES ANYONE KNOW..BUT I HAVE CLOSE CONNECTIONS WITHIN SNK OF JAPAN AND THE NOW DEFUNCT U.S BRANCH...I HAVE OBTAINED EXCLUSIVE SAMHAIN RIGHTS TO THE FOLLOWING TITLES..THE FIRST OFFERING I WILL BRING TO THE TABLE MY FEINDS IS THE RARE AND ELUSIVE CAMBODIAN VERSION OF KISS MY ASS 2001..A LIMITED RUN OF 6 ARE BEIN PRODUCED AND IM THE OFFICAL DISTRUBUTION CENTER FOR THIS TITLE..PRICE IS $29.96..I ASSUME THROUGH PRICE JACKIN IT WILL SKYROCKET IN THE FOLLOWIN HRS..FOR MY CAMBODIAN FREINDS WHO ORDERED THE JAP CART I SUGGEST A TRADE ALONG WITH A LUMP SUM OF 1 MILLION DONG "CAMBODIAN CURRENCY TO THOSE WHO DONT KNOW"...NEXT SAMHAIN REALESE WILL BE "DION DOES NEO GEO LAND" A FUN FILLED BUTT ROMP IN THE "VEIN" OF BLUES JOURNEY!! JOIN OUR FREIND THROUGH THIS SIDE SCROLLER AND TRY TO MANUVER HIM THREW BUKAKE LAND..FUN FUN FUN..

Thanks for the kind words VinylBoy, enjoy it I will And I agree totally with the rationale in your post. Like I said, I'm not trying to convince anyone to buy this game - I'm just saying and confirming its authenticity and existence.

>>>>
If NGF is SNK's official US distributors then any other future US cart release will have to be bought thru NGF.
That mean NCS, Buyrite, ect ect would have to go thru NGF and the carts they sell will have the NGF.com on it.

Know what im sayin?
>>>>

You're completely right Illicious. Some of you might look at this as a bad thing - but if this happens it would be great, we would be getting many options to choose where to buy our carts, larger orders from Japan will be placed and the price will be WAY cheaper (probably even matching the jap version). I think the neogeofreak logo might be something we will just have to get used to, but it doesn't affect the authenticity of the cart.

>>>>
My question now is:
For any possible US Neo carts releases from SNK -
Who will distribute them if dealers dont buy directly from SNK of Japan?
>>>>

Since SNK-Japan no longer has any distributors in English territories (except NGF), coupled with the fact that SNK-Japan will NOT sell English software to Japanese distributors, means that NGF is the ONLY place that can get and distribute English cartridges. SNK-Japan won't sell directly to retailers, even in Japan.

Originally posted by chimpmeister:
Only one problem with your whole post, Kale.

You refer to "NGF-USA" as if it were a "real" company, when in fact its not at all; just two clowns trying to make some quick money on the side.

Click to expand...

I needed to make a quick update on the URL situation. I have looked at some pics of French manuals, and I am sure some of you guys here have them and can confirm this, and the manuals state who was responsible for the translation. I suppose it's not too unreasonable for NGF to have asked for reference to their distribution house on the paperwork. I don't think that if SNK-Japan really had a problem with this situation that they would have gone through with the printing process.

With regards to company status, I don't know if anyone here can shed some light, so I will not render any opinions on this topic. Dion claims to have a tax ID number that would be required for his dealings with SNK-Japan and I would rather delegate the whole "Inc." and "Ltd." discussion to someone who has experience on the subject. The bottom line is that whether or not it's NGF-USA or another person with influence/wealth, it's good to see someone securing the rights to the English-language release of this game. It just happens to be that Dion was able to secure the rights and is now making some profit from this officially produced SNK-Japan version. I certainly can't hope to change anyone's mind in terms of dealing with NGF-USA, nor would I care to. I just wanted to point out that while we can disagree with NGF-USA on their consumer strategies, pricing policies and business practices, we have to agree that we are very likely seeing what is one of the RAREST Neo Geo AES home cart releases and an officially produced and manufactured SNK-Japan version of an English-language KOF2000. In this case, it becomes strictly a collector's issue. We can't argue about liking the Japanese artwork better or about sticking to the MVS or other platforms (I know there must be some Emu fans here).

BOTTOM LINE IMHO: The English-language KOF2000 AES release is directed at a collector/hobby/enthusiast audience. Comparable situation: Saleen Mustang. If you want the KOF2000 AES US version, only this NGF-USA version will be the first-print from the collector's standpoint. Overall, just another chapter in the history of the most luxurious home video game console.

Sincerely,

Kale

Well seeing as it's legit I still feel that it's not worth anything to me either. I have no desire to own a U.S. version if it means Dion had something to do with it. Period.

BonusKun

You never know, they (NGF) may have had the insert/sticker/manual professionally printed - costs a little more, but can be done. Then you could never tell the difference.

Not everything has to be done at Kinko's. Hell, even if SNK ran the prints for them (which is still a stretch), they most likely just sold NGF the materials and they (NGF) are doing all the swap work themselves.

Jeff

Since SNK cares so much about American marketing (because NGF works so hard to persuade ppl to buy American Version), I'll ask them to produce KOF 2002 Chinese version. All characters (include announcer) will speak English just like those Saturday afternoon chinese kung-fu movies. Then NGF can print whatever they want on the back of each insert.

It seems that the question has been finally answered by all and now even by NCS. On their page they say the spoke to SNK officers wo confirmed that it was official. No more debates. These older posts are the same as the newer posts. Nothing has changed.

Steve