I don't usually chime in on these posts, but in this case I had to.
Point 1: "Look at how many posts are "NGF" related. Go ahead, be honest with yourselves and admit the truth."
You are 100% correct. A good percetage of the posts on Neo boards are NGF related, but these posts wear thin very quickly. It is NGF spam vs. NGF haters. This has been going on for a long while now and doesn't help the Neo or its parent company one bit.
Point 2: "NGF turned a dying system into a hard-core collectors machine."
False, the game production crew turned the Neo into the collector's machine it has become. Many of us are in it for the great games we played in the arcade not for whatever clout a 10 year old game system can bring us or the politics that pretends to surround it.
Point 3: "NGF keeps everyone motivated."
Yes, many are motivated due to NGF, unfortunately it is only to argue and bicker.
4: "The NGF name is now one with the NeoGeo/SNK name."
And always was in Japan, with the magazine, but not with you.
5: "Like said before, if NGF abandones the NeoGeo, the Neo market will crash and die."
It will do that soon anyway. This is a 10 year old system that is only taken seriously by old school gamers who are getting older and running across bigger motivating forces in life than "gotta have Sam Sho". Hate to sound pessimistic, but it is true. The system is a marvel for its time, but the sun is setting... quickly. I think a lot of people stateside are more impressed with SF3 and Guilty Gear X than anything that will be produced for the Neo, damn shame, but true.
6: "Just remember that. Especially those of you who have larger collections."
Those who have larger collections and were only in it for the perceived prestige will be the first ones to dump their carts on Ebay when something else catches their fancy. The true gamers who love what the games represent are the ones who will stick by the system and rarely sell any game they love and have only one copy of so price doesn't matter much to them, unless another abnormal cart like Metal Slug comes around.
7:"NGF members are true Neo Freaks and we would hate to see the hype around this system die."
I have no doubt the later part of this is true. You are making money from the system and its games. This doesn't make you true fans of the system, just what it can do for you.
8: "But be aware of what steps everyone here is doing. You're basically biting the hand that is keeping your system alive."
I cannot comment personally on your business transactions, but it sounds to me like you guys are biting yourselves in the ass by alienating half your customer base. Any steps taken to prevent fruad should be applauded, and damn I wish SNK would actually comment and take action on this. I, for one, have NO problem with people buying converted carts, even if it does cost 5 billion dollars more. It doesn't matter to me. What does matter is when the cart is being falsely advertised to be an official SNK product or when the advertising is designed to fool newcommers to the Neo so that they believe it is official.
9: "Every club, every post, many private emails, and personal telephone calls amongst yourselves deals with NGF on a daily basis.
Admit it. (if you can)"
This is no doubt true, but it doesn't have the same ring to it when you consider how few of them are positive towards NGF.
10: "Or ask yourself this question: "Does your girlfriend, wife, or friend know the name Dion, Chris, Jorge, or NGF?" We know they do. (atleast we know that they know the name "Dion." That is marketing at it's BEST."
Maybe many of them do, but again it isn't such a positive note when the reason they hear the name is when the person ridicules that name or curses it for fruad.
I know this is a lofty dream, but can we all just stop talking about NGF once and for all. If all that is going to happen is the beginning of long threads of "you suck..." or the likes can we just stop responding to anything posted by them. I understand completely the Neo community wanting to hear about what happened to people who were ripped off and maybe gang together to file charges or whatever, but does this really have to be a primary focal point of conversation? After all, haven't all the members on this board been informed, to some extent, of NGF's reputation? If we get new members who ask can we not just tell them to refer to previous posts and let it die? Please?