Do you have a NGPC now? Did you 15 years ago?

Vectorman0

SouthTown StreetSweeper
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If you have a NGPC now, but didn't 15 years ago, I'm curious as to why.

Did you not know about it then? Were you out of gaming at the time? Was the GBC stealing your attention? Maybe you couldn't afford it?

I thought I would ask this to get an idea of why it didn't get support during its lifetime from those who appreciate it now.



I ended up getting one shortly after it was released. Personally, I was torn on getting it because I already had a GBC, but I really wanted Sonic and Metal Slug. The manager at Stop-N-Save Software was nice enough to let me try his system; after that I was hooked and the decision to buy one was easy to make.
 

dspoonrt

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I got the NGPC I have now at release with King of Fighters R-2. Shortly after that, I talked my best friend into picking one up with Metal Slug: 1st Mission.

After that, we each got a new game every couple months. We were only 15 at the time, but it seemed like a great way to spend our meager savings from birthdays, school lunches, etc.

As much as I love my original NGPC, I think it's time to get a new one. After 15 years of play, it doesn't always load games right away, and it just feels weathered (the screen is scratched, the joystick isn't as clicky as before, the A button in particular is worn out, etc.).
 

evil wasabi

The Jongmaster
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When snk released the NGP In '98 I was in Japan so I bought one immediately. I think it was 1998.

Same for the ngpc.
 

pulstar

Mickey's Coach
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I picked mine up around 2000 in the UK (well the NGPC, never had a NGP). Prices were dropping like crazy and I picked up most of the games I wanted at the time.
 

ggallegos1

Cholecystectomy Required.,
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If you have a NGPC now, but didn't 15 years ago, I'm curious as to why.

Did you not know about it then? Were you out of gaming at the time? Was the GBC stealing your attention? Maybe you couldn't afford it?

I thought I would ask this to get an idea of why it didn't get support during its lifetime from those who appreciate it now.



I ended up getting one shortly after it was released. Personally, I was torn on getting it because I already had a GBC, but I really wanted Sonic and Metal Slug. The manager at Stop-N-Save Software was nice enough to let me try his system; after that I was hooked and the decision to buy one was easy to make.

I recall seeing a bunch of them in those packs with six games, and wanted to buy it very badly but never had the scratch to take that plunge. I was a kid and all my money was being spent on PlayStation, pokemon cards, or something dumb.
 

herb

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I remember seeing them around back then but being a 9 year old and only knowing about Nintendo, I thought it was some Chinese knockoff system. Shame I didn't look into more back then.
 

Electric Grave

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Bought mine at release along with most of my gadgets for it. Most of my games were also bought on release. UK games I bought early but I did pay a premium 'cause they were not easy to source. No regrets, my NGPC set is awesome!

4 NGPC
1 NGPC backlit modded by XX
1 Link Cable
1 DC cable

Got all the US releases that I cared for complete.
Got a bunch of loose carts in snap cases for cheap money.
Got a bunch of UK clamshell releases
Got a few JPN only releases

Lots of doubles for link action.

I went so crazy I have 2 sets of each Card Fighters. All beaten, all with 100% card albums, all done by yours truly.

I also got a bunch of NGP games, Samsho and KOF R-1 being the better ones aside from B&W Tennis.

NGPC4LF!!!
 

Reclaimer

Haomaru's Blade Shiner
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Picked up my NGPC day one, with all sorts of stuff added since then. :)
 

NeoSneth

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I got one 15 years ago, because I was a Neo fan back then. I wasn't too interested in Gameboy at the time. I don't know why.

The launch of B&W system followed immediately by a Color system didn't help it get off the ground. These were actually at Walmart, which is good exposure and distribution. I remember seeing the Sonic system in many Walmarts. There was a terrible advertising campaign, and mismanagement of SNK-USA at the time. These are all vague memories, and they are probably documented better in old posts from soon after it's demise.
 

WoodyXP

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Did you not know about it then? Were you out of gaming at the time? Was the GBC stealing your attention? Maybe you couldn't afford it?

Back in '99 I found out about it through a friend who had ordered it online. He had a NGPC and Sonic. The system and games were nowhere to be found locally so I didn't bother trying to get into the system.

Around 2007 I picked up a NGPC and pile of games at a recycle center in Japan. They were selling the systems brand new for $5 so I figured "why not"? Turned out to be a great decision as it's become my favorite hand held.
 

GohanX

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I bought my NGPC as soon as a store nearby got a system in stock, and the only game they had was Samurai Shodown 2. I loved it but was starved for games since the stores just didn't have them yet. I found Metal Slug next, then EB finally started carrying them and I grabbed Pac Man. Good times.
 

NeoGeoNinja

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Same as most here. I got mine in '99, here in the UK.

I didn't pre-order or anything. I went into a local indie store and they had a camo blue one in stock £59.99. I bought it along with SS2!, KOF R2 & Puzzle Bobble. The guy in the shop tried to talk me into Crush Roller, but I had a go and wasn't interested.

I got Metal Slug 1st & 2nd, FF1st, MOTM, Gals Fighters & Last Blade in the consoles lifespan too. They were £24.99 a pop over here.

I randomly picked up a copy of PacMan about 10 years later in a bargain bin. It was nestled alongside those shitty gambling games I could give 2 fucks about (they weren't exactly as glorious as Knight's Chance, were they?).

I still, at some point, would like to pick up Sonic Adventure and Cotton, but refuse to pay exorbitant prices for the latter. As much as I'm willing to pay a bit for my games, it's always a relative price of what it's worth to me. And the ONLY NGPC titles worth a lot of money, in my eyes, thankfully, are the common one's you can still get for fair prices (i.e. MOTM, Metal Slug, R2, SS2 etc).

Cotton will only ever be worth around £40 to me tops. I own Cotton 2, Boomerang and... some other (older) version on PS1 (not on Saturn). So in no hurry for NGPC version. Would just be nice to have and to play.

Forgot to mention, I still own all the original games I bought over/around 15 years ago before prices recently went decidedly dick.
 
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beigemore

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I bought the original NGP at launch from Babbages with a few games. It was fun, but just couldn't get into it for some reason. Sold it before the NGPC came out but never got the NGPC. I was happy enough with my Turbo Express, I guess.
 

cybersp78

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Have two now, one with backlight mod. Never even heard of it when it was released. Pretty much it was Gameboy or Game Gear. Actually didn't even know about the Turbo Express or Atari Lynx. Even now when people come over and see my collection they always ask what handheld that is.
 

atty101

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I was painfully aware of the NGPC 15 years ago. I had a Gamepro issue that strictly covered handheld games. I must have read the NGPC reviews a dozen times. I wanted one so badly but my parents ended up getting me a GBC.
 

NeoTurfMasta

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Soon after I saw SNK made a NGP back in 98, I read an article that there was a Color model coming soon to the US. So I waited for it's US release and got it the day it came out. Think I just got KOF R2 and Bust a Move the same day.
 

famicommander

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I got mine around the time I joined the forum, so like 2007 or so. I was familiar with it before that but it was the first Neo hardware I ever bought (I now also own an MVS and a CD toploader).
 

Neorebel

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I got my NGPC Slim Japanese version at a game shop in Chinatown NYC I believe in the year 2000. I purchased The Last Blade (my favoriteSNK franchise) with it, and went on to get a couple more games before I resorted to loose carts later on eBay. I was in college at the time and the gaming I did was mostly on Dreamcast against friends, not so much portable systems... I also did not have a lot of extra cash for games. BUT I was super excited about a new Neo Geo product, and I was won over by the look of the sprites, the animations, and how the fighting games felt fluid with the nice thumbstick and all. This really was the first time I had experienced proper fighting game play on the go. The Gameboy Advance IMO did not have it.
 

GutsDozer

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I got one the first Christmas it was out. I was really excited. A few months later they discontinued all games and future releases for it I was pissed. I sold it out of anger. I got another one about a year ago and come to appreciate the small but great library the NGPC offers. Me and Craig throw down on MOTM via link cable whenever the chance arises.
 
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I knew about the ngpc back when it was released and I wanted one but I bought a dreamcast instead. I got a brand new ngpc in 2005 when the unsold stock was resealed in blister packs with a few games included for about $50, those were all over the internet back then.
 

xsq

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I never heard about the NGPC when it was released, portable was pretty much only GB(C) stuff where I lived, someone had a Gamegear, but was ridiculed for it (don't recall why exactly). I found out about the NGPC in 2005/6 when I did some research on SNK in general... I poured all the money I had back then into my band (playing drums, chipping in for the PA stuff, gas etc.), so I only played the games via emulation (mostly R-1, R-2 and MOTM).

Got my first system January 2014 and have been hooked on it ever since. A real revelation, nothing beats the stick on this handheld. I also picked up a lot of games I didn't know about before... awesome.
 

F4U57

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Got mine around the time I joined the boards here, maybe earlier, can't remember.

I picked up KOF R2 and Biomotor Unitron complete UK versions with it. In the last 12 months I've gotten heavily into it once again and have been picking up UK releases where I can.
 

BerryTogart

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I have one now - I didn't have one because I can't remember that any single shop in Vienna would have sold it.
 

MattBlah

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I bought a NGPC here in the UK on launch. I sold it a couple of years later, mostly due to a lack of games. I do own one again now, but I don't really collect for it at all.
 
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