Who Had An AES Growing Up in the 90s?

redfield0009 said:

Don't lump me in with that mame loving fuck tard

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Avram Merkava said:

I should also start a thread about original Dreamcast owners from '99 to '00, and ask them to share their stories. That might not be as appropriate here, but, as we mentioned, there were a good amount of SNK games on the console. And I could actually co unt myself among the ranks of the original few who bought the DC when it was first released, sorta.

I bought my college girlfriend at that time, back in 2000, a Dreamcast, because 1) she expressed interest in video games, 2) it was price-reduced to around $100, and considerably less expensive than the other nex-gen consoles of the time, and 3) I was very, very whipped. When she dumped me, she gave me back a lot of the things I got her in a cardboard box, except the Dreamcast. At the time, I really hated the system, especially the controller. Now I really appreciate it!

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The dreamcast was never mythical like the AES. I got one in 2001 and support for the system died shortly after. It was fun grabbing creap games. Cannon Spike and Code Veronica were my favorite games.

I had not. The system and its game in particular were way too pricey for me even just to dream about it, let alone to think about it, back when I was a pampered but considerate teenager constantly throwing coins into local MVSs, and such. A younger friend of mine, though, managed to buy one. He was not a "rich kid" or anything, not really, just a Nineties kid who was pampered by his loving parents in a slight different way I was myself. Not only that, he was a very kind guy and good friend of mine, truly ni ce enough just to lend me the system and all the (two) games he had.

That was, like, in 1993.

But I still clearly remember the shock suffered by the 16yo myself, booting the machine and watching Garou Densetsu SP running on the tiny 14'' TV screen (yet SCART connected!) in my teenage room.

Those colors. Those tunes. Those animations. In my home, in my room, on my own TV. Just un-believable, literally.

I swear, I swear had an UFO got in though my window in those very moments, I would have not noticed it. Nor would I've been more or even just equally shocked, that is.

Shito said:

I had not. The system and its game in particular were way too pricey for me even just to dream about it, let alone to think about it, back when I was a pampered but considered teenager constantly throwing coins into local MVSs, and such. A younger friend of mine, though, managed to buy one. He was not a "rich kid" or anything, not really, just a Nineties kid pampered by his loving parents in a slight different way I was myself. Not only that, he was a very kind guy and good friend of mine, truly nice enough just to lend me the system and all the (two) games he had.



That was, like, in 1993.

But I still clearly remember the shock suffered by the 16yo myself, booting the machine and watching Garou Densetsu SP running on the tiny 14'' TV screen (yet SCART connected!) in my teenage room.

Those colors. Those tunes. Those animations. In my home, in my room, on my own TV. Just un-believable, literally.

I swear, I swear had an UFO got in though my window in those very moments, I would have not noticed it. Nor would I've been more or even just equally shocked, that is.

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With that game, I could imagine it was something else. We take for granted what SNK did with that system. It was a supergun basically.

Indeed. The visual quality and gaming experience were the real deal of the arcade-at-home dream and we know it well. But even more incredibly, to me at least, was the fact that all of that arcade gorgeuness was driven right on my home TV screen not by a bunch of raw yet poweful operator hardware, say the guts of any arcade cab, but by the sleekest home videogame console ever. I always had a thing for design, so while that sleek black system just sitting right on my schoolboy desk, my TV was showing not even an arcade-perfect port, but the real arcade game itself. And mind you, I was that kind of arcade junkie who spent days counting pixels in sprites, and animation frames in sprite movements. You get the idea. Un-believable.

Shito said:

Indeed. The visual quality and gaming experience were the real deal of the arcade-at-home dream and we know it well. But even more incredibly, to me at least, was the fact that all of that arcade gorgeuness was driven right on my home TV screen not by a bunch of raw yet poweful operator hadware, say the guts of any arcade cab, but by the sleekest home videogame console ever. I always had a thing for design, so while that sleek black system just sitting right on my schoolboy desk, my TV was showing not even an arcade-perfect port, but the real arcade game itself. And mind you, I was that minf of arcade junkie who spent days counting pixels in sprites, and animation frames in sprite movements. You get the idea. Un-believable.

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Ahhh, memories. I remember powering on my Neo for the first time with Samurai Shodown 2 - having played it once in an arcade three years prior. 16 year old me had THE arcade game running through my personal television in my room. I was completely blown away. I never went back to ports after that - how could you? That's one of my very favorite memories.

Heh, Shin Samurai Spirits has been the one game surpassing even GarouDenSP in term of awesomeness. An the one reason for I ever forgot to meet with my highschool gf back in those days. I was at my local arcade. Mesmerized.

yagamikun said:

Ahhh, memories. I remember powering on my Neo for the first time with Samurai Shodown 2 - having played it once in an arcade three years prior. 16 year old me had THE arcade game running through my personal television in my room. I was completely blown away. I never went back to ports after that - how could you? That's one of my very favorite memories.

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That's why my next retro console purchase needs to be an actual AES, even though I have every single SNK game on the Hylo hack on my ASP. It gets back to what the principle of it that I mentioned originally.


And yeah, the form factor and design aesthetics. Thanks for mentioning. I know she's huge, but wow is she sexy. Black and gold. Nothing comes close. It was 90s opulence.

I'm a fisherman too, and I noticed Japanese are fond of black and gold in all of their top of the line products. The top of the line Daiwa fishing reels are also black and gold. It's the Japanese flagship colors.

Retrogame, particularly the cart-based retrogame, is also a physical gaming experience, isn't it?

Avram Merkava said:

Do you still have that unit? (Referring to the Dreamcast, not your girlfriend ;-)

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Yes I still own my original Japanese region free modded DC And for good measure a PAL and US one too b/c some games even with mod chip want to run on their native HW. My ex-girlfriend? Haha, funny after so many years she tried to contact me in a very lame way. Probably realising I was the best guy in her life... Problem, she was the worst nightmare for me, I mean stuff no normal thinking man wants to deal with... So yeah, DC made me more happy than she. That's the reason DC is still around, this girl not so much. Maybe I should tell her, haha!

Avram Merkava said:

I'm a fisherman too, and I noticed Japanese are fond of black and gold in all of their top of the line products. The top of the line Daiwa fishing reels are also black and gold. It's the Japanese flagship colors.

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I actually met two guys not too long ago who are fishing all the time (at my secret haven in the woods with a beautiful lake) and they even gave me their catch of the day the other day. And I own Get Bass, SEGA Marine Fishing and Get Bass2 on DC with the proper fishing controller. Fishing is so much fun like balm for my soul.

Shito said:

Indeed. The visual quality and gaming experience were the real deal of the arcade-at-home dream and we know it well. But even more incredibly, to me at least, was the fact that all of that arcade gorgeuness was driven right on my home TV screen not by a bunch of raw yet poweful operator hardware, say the guts of any arcade cab, but by the sleekest home videogame console ever. I always had a thing for design, so while that sleek black system just sitting right on my schoolboy desk, my TV was showing not even an arcade-perfect port, but the real arcade game itself. And mind you, I was that kind of arcade junkie who spent days counting pixels in sprites, and animation frames in sprite movements. You get the idea. Un-believable.

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I have a special fondness for the AES design too. I have all the games on MVS carts, but I have more nostalgia for the AES console design.

Shmuppy said:

Yes I still own my original Japanese region free modded DC And for good measure a PAL and US one too b/c some games even with mod chip want to run on their native HW. My ex-girlfriend? Haha, funny after so many years she tried to contact me in a very lame way. Probably realising I was the best guy in her life... Problem, she was the worst nightmare for me, I mean stuff no normal thinking man wants to deal with... So yeah, DC made me more happy than she. That's the reason DC is still around, this girl not so much. Maybe I should tell her, haha!



I actually met two guys not too long ago who are fishing all the time (at my secret haven in the woods with a beautiful lake) and they even gave me their catch of the day the other day. And I own Get Bass, SEGA Marine Fishing and Get Bass2 on DC with the proper fishing controller. Fishing is so much fun like balm for my soul.

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I need to do that DC fishing thing. Fishing is a wonderful hobby...when the fish cooperate. I've been having more fun with retro gaming these days.

Neo Alec said:

I have a special fondness for the AES design too. I have all the games on MVS carts, but I have more nostalgia for the AES console design.

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It's a work of art. I think I want it for that reason.

Avram Merkava said:

I need to do that DC fishing thing. Fishing is a wonderful hobby...when the fish cooperate. I've been having more fun with retro gaming these days.

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You can even play Soul Calibur with the rod controller. It has some kind of "gravity sensor" built into it (for throwing out the line and moving the line left/right/up/down when the fish bites). And I think it rumbles too. Sooper fun and satisfying when the typical trashy SEGA annoucer says: "Ohh a BIG one!" Get Bass2 is really serious like moving on the lake with your boat and staring at the sonar where to stop and go... fishing! At first my friends thought I'm little strange, then they couldn't stop.

Shmuppy said:

You can even play Soul Calibur with the rod controller. It has some kind of "gravity sensor" built into it (for throwing out the line and moving the line left/right/up/down when the fish bites). And I think it rumbles too. Sooper fun and satisfying when the typical trashy SEGA annoucer says: "Ohh a BIG one!" Get Bass2 is really serious like moving on the lake with your boat and staring at the sonar where to stop and go... fishing! At first my friends thought I'm little strange, then they couldn't stop.

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I've heard that! Sounds crazy.

Neo Alec said:

People always point to the number of units sold and call the DC a failure, but I'll go to my grave saying that the DC had captured the public imagination (at least in the US) similar to how the Genesis did, and was poised to perform respectably against the PS2. There was just a general feeling that the DC was everywhere, and well-loved by the general public. Not to mention a successful launch in the States. It was about to do well when they suddenly pulled it. They could have sold plenty of consoles at a $200 price point. I still think the only good reason for Sega pull the plug was piracy (similar to SNK and the Neo).

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I couldn't agree more with everything said here, the piracy might've been it, but Sega's weird decision-making at the time played a big factor too, it truly was quite a mess.

In the UK I just looked at a photo of the Neo Geo AES + games in a magazine and knew I'd never be able to afford one or the games at the time. It's also an interesting decision to make to buy one over a SNES or Megadrive. I'd be interested to hear if Neo Geo owners back then also owned these other consoles as well. I'm sure these people are all rich reallly!

Shmuppy said:

Every HW is limited but DC had the perfect mixture of 2D and 3D titles at the time. I mean as soon as I saw Sonic Adv 2 I was stunned about the awesome sharp and colorful graphics running @60fps. Saturn was a beast in 2D but wasn't powerful enough to bring up a 1988 SEGA Y-Board Galaxy Force or Power Drift @60fps. In short, Saturn was a complete mess from a HW point of view. Everything from design to production to coding that monstrosity is just a nightmare. It even can't do z-axis calculations the proper way. Hang-On 1985 and all other Super Scalers did. DC was very streamlined and pedal to the metal. Pretty much like Model2. DC is in my opinion the perfect console when 2D fully transitioned to 3D. Best of both worlds. Also, I'm heavily biased to DC so everything DC is good to me Btw interesting stuff on your channel.

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To be fair the Saturn probably could have done Powerdrift at 60fps with decent coding and optimization. A lot of these things are down to budget and time available. Powerdrift was never going to be a huge-selling game. It was most likely a quick conversion job

Maybe in someways the Neo Geo is more powerful than the Dreamcast. For example it has more 'memory' and no loading times. The DC version of Fast Striker had less animation because they couldn't fit all the gfx in memory. Again though I'm guessing if they had more time they could have probably streamed gfx in while the game was playing.

Missile said:

In the UK I just looked at a photo of the Neo Geo AES + games in a magazine and knew I'd never be able to afford one or the games at the time. It's also an interesting decision to make to buy one over a SNES or Megadrive. I'd be interested to hear if Neo Geo owners back then also owned these other consoles as well. I'm sure these people are all rich reallly!

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What's inte resting to note as a data point from this thread, and it might merit a poll, is that most of the original adopters/original 90s owners here saved up for it themselves. They weren't "rich kids," not that's there's anything wrong with being one. That's surprising to me! The stereotype we painted as bratty asshole middle school students were that the rich kids in the rich town were all getting these. And while there are a few stories here of people in that category, I think most are of older demographics who worked towards buying their own. Or maybe those are the examples standing out to me here.

Sega has never redeemed themselves for their grave sin of killing the Dreamcast prematurely, and i will never forgive those bastards. They’ve been a complete joke of a company and barely a shadow of their former selves since them. With the death of the dreamcast the video game industry might as well have died too.

Yepp, with the death of DC the video game industry changed for the worse. But killing the DC was the last straw to survive. Hayao Nakayama (then President) put all of his money/stocks like 500,000,000 into SEGA before he died. I agree, nothing like the '80s/'90s anymore... BUT at least we got OutRun2, Sonic Generations and Sonic Transformed Racing, AfterBurner Climax, Hell Yeah... and now PSO2 remastered on Steam for free and let's not forget about F-ZeroGX. Oh and Daytona3 is very nice as well, especially on my PC b/c SEGA doesn't want my money on Steam with 40P online action. Meanwhile on teh most pauafull upcoming console: Halo Infinite and Tetris, haha! Thank God for Steam!! And Mame of course... Videogaming is fucked to the max right now and both Sony and MS will push it even more into the mud. DLCs, Gamepass, online gaming fees... pfft. Nintendo? They are a seperate universe of greed, stupidity and arrogance.


The most important reason why DC failed was no DVD drive. IMO Hideki Sato (the father of all SEGA consoles) was kind of an idiot. Not only he messed up every SEGA console to this point, no he actually did a tremendous job with DC. Except, he decided for a stock modem. Now, he wanted I-Net, HDD and DVD. The upper ones said: "Only one of your three wishes." And what did he do? Modem! No games with actual online play, yeah PSO1+2 and Alienfront... No HDD to support that modem for download content as he envisioned. Even the PowerVR guys said to SEGA: Put in DVD!! His ego was his fall, Sega's fall. He even admitted that he could have done better. Yepp Sato-san, even my potato does a better job than Saturn --> from a technical point of view.

Consoles are definitely getting worse. this generation was my least favourite gen ever. The best game I played this gen was Resident Evil revelations 2 and even that's a 8/10 game at best.

it's funny how we've gone back to Graphic!!!!!!. Everything now is all about specs such as 60fps and 1080p. I watched a half hour video about all the information they gathered about the upcoming Metroid Prime game and the entire video was about the visuals. That's all they wanted know is what the graphics were going to look like.

Not how different it was going to be from the other Prime games or gameplay or level design or timeline or art direction or controls or new additions to gameplay. Nothing!. All they wanted to know was what the graphics was going to look like and if the game was going to support 60fps or 4k or 1080p.

If these fuckers get Sonic 06 to run at 60fps and 4k or 1080p they'll declare it the best game in the series. And this is one of the reasons why games today are as dull as fuck and why we get the same game over and over again with a different skin. Because visuals come first.

And the worst part is the games don't even look good. Everything looks the same. I still think Mario Galaxy looks better than most games released today.

Ip Man said:

I still think Mario Galaxy looks better than most games released today.

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Because Mario Galaxy is actually a great game to play. New gen games are mostly borefest interactive movies.

Atro said:

New gen games are mostly borefest interactive movies.

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Word

Atro said:

Because Mario Galaxy is actually a great game to play. New gen games are mostly borefest interactive movies.

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Absolutely. Even visually Mario Galaxy cost just a fraction of the price to develop to modern games and it's far more appealing to the eyes.