a few questions to those who owned a Neo Geo back in the days.

[wonamik]

Hi guys,

I got some questions to those of you that was around back in the days and bought Neo Geo games when they were still new.

1. Did the price for new games ever change? Or was it still $200+ for a game in 2000?

2. Since so few copies were made of some games how did you do to get hold of one? I heard you had to order them directly from SNK, is that true?

3. Is there any logical reason to why some game like Pulstar that wasnt released too late in the Neo Geo life span are still so incredibly expensive? sure Pulstar was only released in Japan but still....

4. Owning a Neo Geo in the early 90s must been so boss. But did it lose its appeal a bit when the PS and N64 was realesed? especially with the price difference?

Just some things I been thinking about

 

[mehguy]

Hi guys,

I got some questions to those of you that was around back in the days and bought Neo Geo games when they were still new.

1. Did the price for new games ever change? Or was it still $200+ for a game in 2000?

Yes, I believe a game in 2000 was around 300 odd dollars. I may be wrong.

 

[wonamik]

Yes, I believe a game in 2000 was around 300 odd dollars. I may be wrong.

Sick...especially since there was PS and Saturn versions of the games that was almost as good as the Neo Geo versions.

 

[Mr Bakaboy]

I bought KOF 2000 on AES for $320 in 2000.

I bought Metal Slug 3 for $280 same year new

 

[wonamik]

I bought KOF 2000 on AES for $320 in 2000.

I bought Metal Slug 3 for $280 same year new

Did you order them directly from SNK or did you go to a store or???

 

[pmindemann]

I worked at Toys "R" Us in the mid-90s when the AES was still being sold. I use the term "sold" very loosely, as I'm not sure we moved even one unit. I worked in the video game department, and even I didn't get to play with the thing... it was an object of lust then, just as now. I don't think the game prices ever came down. At least not that I'm aware (either during its life, or after). Fun fact: the super-expensive TurboGrafx 16 handheld and the Atari Lynx (also both out around the same time) sat on the shelves nearly as long... but even they seemed to sell faster. Barely.

 

[city41]

I bought Metal Slug X AES at release for $250. Ordered it from NCS (ncsx.com)

 

[Kid Fenris]

I worked at Toys "R" Us in the mid-90s when the AES was still being sold. I use the term "sold" very loosely, as I'm not sure we moved even one unit. I worked in the video game department, and even I didn't get to play with the thing... it was an object of lust then, just as now. I don't think the game prices ever came down. At least not that I'm aware (either during its life, or after). Fun fact: the super-expensive TurboGrafx 16 handheld and the Atari Lynx (also both out around the same time) sat on the shelves nearly as long... but even they seemed to sell faster. Barely.

Toys R Us sold the Neo Geo? Weird. I don't ever remember seeing it there. Only the specialty stores like Babbage's and Software Etc. seemed to stock it.

 

[city41]

Toys R Us sold the Neo Geo? Weird. I don't ever remember seeing it there. Only the specialty stores like Babbage's and Software Etc. seemed to stock it.

Probably a pilot program to see if the Neo was worth selling in all TrU stores.

 

[Jibbajaba]

Toys R Us sold the Neo Geo? Weird. I don't ever remember seeing it there. Only the specialty stores like Babbage's and Software Etc. seemed to stock it.

Oh yeah, man. I remember that it was set-up in a glass display cabinet along with other look-but-don't-touch items at TRU back in the day. There was the video game aisle that had demo units, the wall full of those laminated cards with slips of paper for each game, with accessories below and to the sides. The next aisle over (which at my TRU was the last aisle in the store) had a long-ass glass display cabinet with shit like the Neo-Geo AES and home computers that you could buy there, like the Commodore 64. They didn't even have the AES hooked up to a display so that you could see the games running. They just had the system and accessories positioned for maximum awesomeness, along with the boxes for both Baseball Stars Pro and Nam 1975.

 

[Kid Panda]

I know the TrU in Charlotte sold the Neo until 96.

 

[Xionicist]

4. Owning a Neo Geo in the early 90s must been so boss. But did it lose its appeal a bit when the PS and N64 was realesed? especially with the price difference?

Amongst my group of friends, not in the slightest. We were fighting game fans, and the offerings on both those systems seemed (and were) inferior to what we had on the Neo. I remember us standing in a Electronics Boutique making fun of Battle Arena Toshinden because of how badly it played compared to what we were accustomed to.

 

[pmindemann]

Oh yeah, man. I remember that it was set-up in a glass display cabinet along with other look-but-don't-touch items at TRU back in the day. There was the video game aisle that had demo units, the wall full of those laminated cards with slips of paper for each game, with accessories below and to the sides. The next aisle over (which at my TRU was the last aisle in the store) had a long-ass glass display cabinet with shit like the Neo-Geo AES and home computers that you could buy there, like the Commodore 64. They didn't even have the AES hooked up to a display so that you could see the games running. They just had the system and accessories positioned for maximum awesomeness, along with the boxes for both Baseball Stars Pro and Nam 1975.

Bingo. It was behind the plexi display on a shelf with the other systems. I had to clean those big-ass plexi doors all the dang time... every snot-nosed brat would press his face up against those to get a better look.

I believe our store (in south central PA) had Nam '75, Super Spy, and Ninja Comat on display (just the boxes, not actually running, I don't think). Of course, I didn't much care about which games we had... I would have taken "Super Pink Hairdresser King" as a pack-in if it meant I could get my hands on the thing.

 

[kris79]

I remember my local game store carrying Neo Geo games on release. I remember 3 Count Bout, Samurai Showdown 2, and Top Hunter(brand new) being about $280 back in 1994. The video game store I am talking about is Game Hunter in the San Jose area. It was a small chain that also had stores in the Valco mall and San Mateo area. This store was the coolest video game store I have ever been into. They had a Neo Geo arcade set up with like a 60 inch big screen TV. Unfortunately they went out of business during the Dreamcast era. Being a huge Neo Geo fan this was the place I hanged out all the time.

 

[mehguy]

Sick...especially since there was PS and Saturn versions of the games that was almost as good as the Neo Geo versions.

Not even the close to the neo. Too many loading times. There was something special about those huge carts compared to cds.

 

[bklyn4ever]

A store call electronic boutique sold neo geo stuff. That's where I purchased my copy of Football Frenzy. I can't remember what I paid for it though.

 

[Master Tasuke]

i don't personally recall seeing AES related SNK products in the flesh in my childhood, but my mom claims she recalls seeing NEO offerings
at the SOFTWARE ETC. she often frequented back then for COMMODORE softs and such.

she once mentioned, after i got my current AES, that she indeed saw it there back then, really wanted to pick one up,
being thoroughly impressed with the looks of it all, but, of course, $600+ for a VG console with $200+ softs was quite out of any degree of reason...

 

[Bazza1000]

I don't recall seeing any for sale in the UK shops apart from once in telegames (small independent video games store that dealt with imports), only remember seeing them on TV and being amazed at the graphics and animation and wanting one massively.

 

[leepantalone]

I bought my first Neo brand new from a shop called Japan Video Games in Rosemead CA back in 1992. New games were around $175 to $200. Bought a few brand new.... WH2, AOF, SS, Fatal Fury 2..... a few more. The prices didn't change much, and I was still getting offers to buy games direct from SNK as they were released all the way up to 1999 or so, with KOF 99. They would send out flyers and order forms for each new release, allowing direct buying, once most stores stopped carrying the system.

I can still remember the display at Babbages and Software Etc.... freakin blew my mind.

For me, it never lost its appeal until the Dreamcast, PS2 and Xbox days.... then I started wondering why I was spending so much on the games.... it was still a private or exclusive club. Going in to Game Dude and buying a new home cart, or trading in carts was always pretty cool. Even in the heyday, there weren't may people buying the stuff so when you went in to a shop, it was cool.

 

[cr8zykuban0]

man, wish I would have been older around that time when the neo geo was sold in stores. The neo was one of those system you would only dream of owning but man those prices were killer!

 

[bklyn4ever]

man, wish I would have been older around that time when the neo geo was sold in stores. The neo was one of those system you would only dream of owning but man those prices were killer!

Yea, but now your all grown up and able to afford this wonderful luxury!

 

[cr8zykuban0]

Yea, but now your all grown up and able to afford this wonderful luxury!

very true! but I would have loved to witness the neo geo in the stores when it was first new, checking out the systems and games on the shelves. But I am very happy to own a neo nonetheless

 

[SNKorSWM]

Saw these at the top shelf behind the counter in Electronic Boutique back in the day. Consider that the same games are in the arcade downstairs, I wonder if they've actually sold any.

 

[NeoGeoNinja]

Not even the close to the neo. Too many loading times. There was something special about those huge carts compared to cds.

To be fair, the Saturn ports of non-KOF SNK titles were rather good. The only reason the KOF titles suffered on Saturn was the load times between fights (like on NGCD).

However, the SNK ports for PS1, on the whole, were pretty flawed. KOF 95 was the only port I seem to remember being decent. The rest were all severely cut down/limited.

 

[giggsy07]

Never had a Saturn or a Neo.Had to bike 10 miles to my closest arcade mvs.All i could do was some magazine drooling or buy a snes port and suffer