Official SNK Neo-Geo Book: NEOGEO: A VISUAL HISTORY ネオジオ〜目で楽しむ軌跡〜 (Publisher Bitmap Books)

KRONOS

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Best ways to stay informed:

1. Subscribe to the Bitmap Books newsletter - https://www.bitmapbooks.co.uk/

2. Twitter: @bitmap_books & @NeoGeoCollector

3. Keep following this thread - I will aim to post at a similar timeframe to any announcements via the BB newsletter and on Twitter.

Thanks,
Frazer

A great approach to this book would be reviewing all the past SNK books and compare that to what hasn't been published and try to get as much info and pics for print as possible.

For example, I'd love to see/read about ADK and their role in creating the Neo-Geo. Also if possible, lots of info and clear emulated screenshots of Protos such as Sunshine, Mystic Wand, Fun Fun Bros., etc.

Maybe have more details and sketches on the development of early Neo-Geo titles and unreleased titles such as Mark of the Wolves 2.
 

xsq

Thou Shalt Not, Question Rot.,
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Back of the success of the Super Famicom book, Bitmap Books were considering other platforms. I got in contact with Sam, we discussed a plan for the book, brought in key contacts, reached out to SNK and that in short is how we got started. It was May last year I think when we had the initial calls about the book.
Thank you again for your answer and for getting this project off the ground. I'm (still) hyped!
 

frazer99

Living on the wrong, side of the Pennines,
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A great approach to this book would be reviewing all the past SNK books and compare that to what hasn't been published and try to get as much info and pics for print as possible.

For example, I'd love to see/read about ADK and their role in creating the Neo-Geo. Also if possible, lots of info and clear emulated screenshots of Protos such as Sunshine, Mystic Wand, Fun Fun Bros., etc.

Maybe have more details and sketches on the development of early Neo-Geo titles and unreleased titles such as Mark of the Wolves 2.

Hi Kronos, so we have reviewed previously published books and also translated certain sections as needed (fact checking primarily). We intend to ask those questions on the protos, whether SNK still have any records is another matter but like you i'm intrigued by these releases that never made it. MoTW2 - we have certainly asked about and we have obtained concept art for a number of titles which we plan to feature in the book.
 
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sr20det510

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This should be a great read, and way to pass time.
Can't wait to get my hands on it.
 

jdoll

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looking forward to this what is the cost and availability will it be widely available online or just at the publisher site etc

nice to know fans were involved
 

benjiedude

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looking forward to this what is the cost and availability will it be widely available online or just at the publisher site etc

nice to know fans were involved

You're gonna get roasted man. Read the thread and delete any evidence of noobness fast!
 

NeoGeo64

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I just signed up for the newsletter but I'm wondering how much the book will cost? Or maybe that hasn't been decided yet.
 

frazer99

Living on the wrong, side of the Pennines,
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I just signed up for the newsletter but I'm wondering how much the book will cost? Or maybe that hasn't been decided yet.

So we had a price point in mind however, we have been adding more and more content - currently the page count is north of what we were planning on (but I think that's a positive thing), ultimately more pages = more printing and shipping costs so that is something we do need to bear in mind. However, at the moment i'd expect the standard edition to be a similar price point range to existing Bitmap Books. The collectors edition is planned to come with extra's (more details in due course) and will be more expensive, the final price point won't be known for a little while longer. One thing to bear in mind is that shipping costs from Bitmap Books are very reasonable - in the UK shipping is free currently and for international shipping the prices are very low in comparison to other publishers. Also....the £ is rock bottom so any international buyers benefit from a favourable exchange rate.
 

KRONOS

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Hi Kronos, so we have reviewed previously published books and also translated certain sections as needed (fact checking primarily). We intend to ask those questions on the protos, whether SNK still have any records is another matter but like you i'm intrigued by these releases that never made it. MoTW2 - we have certainly asked about and we have obtained concept art for a number of titles which we plan to feature in the book.

Thank you for the response, I wasn't expecting that:)

I'm glad there's an interest in revealing more information and pics on NG protos. If SNK themselves doesn't prove fruitful as a source of info, maybe current employees have contact with ex-developers who can provide more info & pics like Xacrow who released emulated screenshots a decade ago?

http://unibios.free.fr/xacrow/neogeo2.html

Maybe reach out to Shoutime, who's helped dump some rare arcade games and see if he can help get proto info for your book? He seems to have some info on Ninja Gaiden II for the NG for example.

http://shoutime.tumblr.com/

If this book shapes up great I'd definitely buy it.. I also hope you'll consider a .pdf version for those who buy a physical copy. Thanks again.
 
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frazer99

Living on the wrong, side of the Pennines,
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Update on the NEOGEO Book: So for the last couple of weeks, Massi Turfmasta and I have been heads down working on the book and an initial draft has been sent to SNK for review. I'd say we are around 85% complete at present so in the final stages of adding final content and review/checking. We are well above the original intended page count of 300. As a outline expect history, hardware - ROM, DECK, MVS, Pocket and Hyper 64 - the latter two we have added more content than originally planned but ROM and MVS is the main focus, box art, pixel art, character art, advertising, literature and master lists which Massi referred to.

In terms of the protos, whilst we have asked the question and essentially obtained the vast majority (if not all) of SNKs digital assets, its safe to say SNKs record and information management from early - mid, even late 90's was poor. Not entirely unexpected as at that time there was probably no thought given to why this information would be needed, or would be of interest in the future. However on a more positive note we have obtained information and images that have not been seen before including concept art.

The challenge with a book of this type is balancing the needs of the hardcore NEOGEO fans (the vast majority of which will be on here) and those who have an interest in the NEOGEO but are not particularly close to it. Personally I think we've managed to achieve that balance.

In the next few weeks we'll finalise the book with a final copy sent to SNK. We'll then start building for the launch - with a space on the Bitmap Books website, promotional video and so on so expect to see further info, images from the book etc at the start of next month.

Frazer
 

Steveotron

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Nov 19, 2013
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Wow. This book is going to be great, I have the one they did on the C64, really good quality book. looking forward to this a hell of a lot. anybody on here got the Artcade book that they do?
 

sheik

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I second the good experience with Bitmap Books. This new book sounds great but I'm actually a bit gutted it's not a kickstarter - Sam Dyer has done the best stretch goals of any book campaigns I've supported so I would have loved to have seen what Neo Geo goodies he could have put together!
 

frazer99

Living on the wrong, side of the Pennines,
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I second the good experience with Bitmap Books. This new book sounds great but I'm actually a bit gutted it's not a kickstarter - Sam Dyer has done the best stretch goals of any book campaigns I've supported so I would have loved to have seen what Neo Geo goodies he could have put together!

The plan at present is that those goodies will be packaged with the Collectors Edition.
 

DaytimeDreamer

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Subscribed to the mailing list. Is this going to be priced more or less the same as previous BB book collections?
 

frazer99

Living on the wrong, side of the Pennines,
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Subscribed to the mailing list. Is this going to be priced more or less the same as previous BB book collections?

The standard edition should be broadly priced in the range of other Bitmap Books yes. The reason I say broadly is that firstly, I believe this may be Bitmaps first licensed book (licence = royalty to SNK) which hasn't featured in other books. Secondly, the book is now close to 100 pages bigger than planned, that obviously equals more cost and increased shipping costs. Its free shipping in the UK and low-cost worldwide. In fact I think BB take a small hit on the international postage - it actually costs more than the customers are charged.

I must say i've been surprised to read so many questions about the cost of the book. Other NEOGEO books have been priced at around the 50 euros or more. With some (not all) fans spending significant sums on games I didn't expect price to be much of a barrier especially for an official book but nevertheless we understand that the book needs to be affordable. I'm confident that it will present value for money both with the standard and collectors editions.
 

xsq

Thou Shalt Not, Question Rot.,
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Great updates!
This sounds better and better by the day. Already saving up some funds. Also glad the HGN64 and NGPC got a bit more content.

But I would be bummed if BB lost some of his own money on this. Sure, I'll not be a US customer, but it just doesn't seem right.
 
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