Warlocks of the Fates Shinryu Senki NEO GEO PROTO 神竜戦記 new on youtube

[Razoola]

It would make sense when measured against most of his limited actions over the years.

It's very possible that leaking particular things and information would give the people who IP law and these properties or games matter to an idea of who he is and leave him in a very precarious legal or professional position.

NT was a good example of this. For many reasons, Tony had little or nothing to worry about. He was sitting on a ton of stuff and as it got closer to the end, he released a lot of it.

It would make sense if Xacrow was involved at least somewhat in the inner workings of SNK or their game development cycle. Either he was relatively important or has something to lose by releasing the stuff. Would also fit with why he wouldn't give a shit about Billy, an AW proto or whatever else. He's not interested in trading protos or collecting more arcade crap. He's not a fan, he's a guy preserving his work.




Meh, it's a theory.. and a shitty one at that.

While I do not know myself the answer of his position I would say that you are very close to the mark. He certainly was more than a collector, he is in the industry, I know he has/had advanced electronic skills.

 

[KRONOS]

Warlocks of the Fates in Neorage X?

There's a pic of NeoRageX with several Neo-Geo proto ROMs including Warlocks as usable. Maybe a hoax?

http://www.neogamez.net/foro/off-topic/neo-geo-proto-the-warlocks-of-the-fates/msg112532/

 

[Tacitus]

There's a pic of NeoRageX with several Neo-Geo proto ROMs including Warlocks as usable. Maybe a hoax?

http://www.neogamez.net/foro/off-topic/neo-geo-proto-the-warlocks-of-the-fates/msg112532/

I don't doubt that it's legit in some way.

The screen shots are obviously filtered in some manner and are screenshots.

The ROMs are out there somewhere, I'm sure. Floating around in secret MAME or Neo circles...

 

[greedostick]

I don't doubt that it's legit in some way.

The screen shots are obviously filtered in some manner and are screenshots.

The ROMs are out there somewhere, I'm sure. Floating around in secret MAME or Neo circles...

Agree completely.

It is probably a tight knit group of friends of someone who already owned that proto. But the neo page says it was dumped several years ago in anticipation of a "controlled" release. Which obviously never happened. Which makes me wonder if it ever will happen. Or why it never happened? We are probably going to have to wait till someone dies and it turns up in an estate sale. Or for someone to leak it via ROM. Although most are shut down, and a very long shot, it might be worth checking private video game torrent sites where you need a invite to get it.

That proto in the japanese shop does look fake though. Looks like a 17 year old drew and colored the whole thing. It could just be a pseudo copy. Which is why they won't let anyone play it. I would think a proto would have no label, or a super crappy one that has no art. The art on that cart is probably photocopied in black and white from some early concept art created for the game and slapped on a totally different aes game to get people excited. It does make me think though, the cart being AES. How many AES only protos are there? Seriously I don't know, but if I remember correctly all previous surfaced protos have been MVS. And judging from the graphics, this looks like an early release. So I would assume wherever the proto is, it is MVS. If that cart is legit, I would assume there are at least 2 protos. One AES and one MVS.

So it looks like this thing is in Japan. And if real the original owner is japanese. I doubt NGF or anyone else in the USA or UK would fly, or ship the game to Japan for a Japanese release when they can just rape money flaunting american's and european's with less effort.

So what I think it comes down to if anyone really wants to figure out what the hell is going on, is to

1. wait and don't hold your breath

2. go to Japan, visit the store and call this guy out. If he's not showing it that shits fake.

3. learn japanese and get in good in japanese based video game forums and see what they know. I assume the japanese collectors either know, or have compiled information as well, that could be compared with ours. There could just be a language barrier.

I personally don't think we will see this for a very long time, if ever unless some super dedicated people make it their life mission to get to the bottom of it.

 

[greedostick]

here is a google translation of the spanish thread

Segredo New!

You are not authorized to view the links Register or Access

You have to read!

This was in 2000.
They have promised the protos one Chinese but there are no posted!

Look at the photo of the page

///////////////////////

Not sure if I am understanding this right. Is he saying a Chnese person pomised the protos?

 

[BBH]

I'm preeeeeeeeeetty sure that NeoRAGE-X screenshot has been around for a while, I remember seeing a screenshot like that posted around the time of one of the older proto "frenzies", maybe around the time that Xacrow posted all those screenshots. While we all would hope it's real, if the screenshot is really that old and nothing's come about from it in all these years...

 

[NeoTurfMasta]

I'm preeeeeeeeeetty sure that NeoRAGE-X screenshot has been around for a while, I remember seeing a screenshot like that posted around the time of one of the older proto "frenzies", maybe around the time that Xacrow posted all those screenshots. While we all would hope it's real, if the screenshot is really that old and nothing's come about from it in all these years...

Yeah, its coming up on a reverse search here:
http://www.oocities.org/sunsetstrip/amphitheatre/4023/NeoGeo/OldNews.html

Under the date 15/05/2000, but that date seems much older than I thought.

Protótipos: A algum tempo atrás eu achei, navegando por ai, uma página chinesa sobre Emuladores de NeoGeo. Nela haviam explicações detalhadas e com fotos sobre como rodar o NeoRAGEx, os emuladores de NeoGeo Pocket e também o emulador de NeoGeo CD. Até ai tudo bem... Mas, dando uma olhada melhor nas fotos, encontrei 3 bem interessantes. Dêem uma olhada clicando nos links. Uma delas é do jogo Musashi Ganryuki rodando no NeoRAGEx. Bem, este jogo não possuía proteção? Então como ele foi dumpado? Outra foto mostra o game IronClad rodando no NeoRAGEx. A muito tempo especulava-se que IronClad era um jogo lançado exclusivamente para NeoGeo CD. Porém descobriu-se que existem algumas poucas cópias raríssimas deste jogo em versão MVS. Agora a 3a. e melhor foto mostra uma lista de games no NeoRAGEx lotada de protótipos e jogos desconhecidos, entre eles destacam-se: Bang Bang Busters (?), Block Paradise (?), IronClad (MVS Raríssimo), Crystal Legacy (?), Dunk Stars (Protótipo), GhostLop (Protótipo), Jintorick (?), Last Odyssey (?), Brick Flop (?), Musashi Ganryuki (MVS Protected), Zupapa (Protótipo), The Divine Dragons (também conhecido como Warlords Of The Fate - Protótipo).

 

[KRONOS]

I showed my friend the youtube video of Warlocks and he's not a Neo-Geo fan really, but he commented:

"wow, all that work and it's never been released?"

We both graduated from The School of Visual Arts in NYC, he's an animation major so he get's the level of work that went into this. Truly a shame Warlocks, or all NG protos don't get a commercial release in this age.

Whosoever out there with the ROM image for Warlocks: please release it: It's a game that a lot of work went into to create and it's such a waste for people to never enjoy it.

I hold on to the idea the SNKP or whoever reads this thread.

こんのウェイブサイトで身みんなさんはネオジオの神竜戦記楽しい硬いですう。世界にわけてをお願いします。

Hope I wrote that right lol.

 

[vaillian]

The game looks only bad because its recorded with composite output every neo geo game looks like shit this way. I would still prefer this over any new indie gaming on the neo geo. It was still developed at that time and probably still has this feel from this age just in a more shitty way like Gowcaizer or Ragnagard.
Someone has to save this game and put it on the internet so people can download the roms for meme or conversions.

 

[Blur2040]

Has anyone ever attempted to track down the developers of this (and other unreleased protos)?

We're in a fancy, modern world now, where it seems like if one were to Google search the credits for a game, they might be able to turn up a linkedin or facebook profile for a developer. Now, I realize that there are certain language barriers...and cultural differences...however, all it takes is one person. If the mega-collector-type who owns these things aren't willing to dump, perhaps there is a developer out there who prefers to see their work released rather than not?

 

[Shuri]

JPN devs were a bit weird about credits in the '90, they used a lots of fake names or pseudonims to hide poaching from other companies. It might be a bit complicated.

 

[Jon]

This does kind of go back to the question, though: Where is Xacrow and is he still in the scene/alive? I can imagine the dude dropping and all of his shit just being binned by his family not knowing what all of the unmarked carts and weird boxes of crap are. I was chatting about this with Raz a while ago, and my memory is a bit blurry over it all, but I think he was saying he believed Xacrow was an industry person and sort of kept things on the DL due to his beliefs and feelings about piracy/bootlegging/etc. Makes sense, as he did seem to want to document the games a lot, but never wanted to release the ROMs.

The reason is simple: Billy annoyed the guy to death.

He kept emailing him (no doubt with the chadokada "at" aol "dot"com email) asking if he would give him the NGH numbers for $1000.

Some have pointed out in the past that, yes, it's five minutes of work, easy $1000 but, you just don't do that when you're dealing with the Japanese. Guy was probably so annoyed with the constant emails for information he just said, "fuck it, I'm out." Who knows? He may have been a little scared at his insistence for information.

I still don't know why Razoola would ever give out Xacrow's email to Billy. He may have, literally, sealed the nail in the coffin of ever seeing any of those protos.

Jon

 

[Viewpoint]

The reason is simple: Billy annoyed the guy to death.

I believe this shit 100%. Billy has a bad habit of offering people money thinking he can just buy them out. The chadokada shit even to this day still gets me why he's using that email as his own when people could be easily confused as to thinking he's the real one.

 

[SuperGun]

The reason is simple: Billy annoyed the guy to death.

This is simply not true at all.
I can count on two hands how many times I have emailed Xacrow from January 2005 to present day. (6 or 7 at most)
And I can count on one hand how many times he has emailed me back. (twice)
To call that "harassment" or "stalking" or "annoying" is crazy.

Oh and Razoola didn't give me (or anyone else for that matter) Xacrows email.
It was posted on his old website and stated more or less as such: "contact me xxx"

He wasn't only into the neo. Yes, he may very well be or have been "in the industry" but his primary passion was Capcom CPS2 (which was how & why he crossed paths with Raz) and also Mega Drive, believe it or not. He was a big Gunstar Heroes fan, and in one of my emails I offered him an early beta/proto of Gunstar for his collection as trade just for the numbers. (in addition to the 1K)

 

[NeoTurfMasta]

And I can count on one hand how many times he has emailed me back. (twice)

That right there should have been a clue.

 

[ne7]

Credits for the game are up on the credit wiki page btw...

 

[totoro]

Any links for noobs to catch up with Xacrow figure??

 

[Viewpoint]

That right there should have been a clue.

It should have but you know how some people just don't get the message easily enough.

 

[SNKorSWM]

After the first two times, the rest went straight to the spam filter, no doubt.

 

[KRONOS]

After the first two times, the rest went straight to the spam filter, no doubt.[/QUOTE

Xacrow's not releasing these ROMs because he could be sued and his reputation, both personally and professionally would be severly damaged.

Piracy is not as rampant in Japan. There is still some moral culture instilled in the youth there and I he probably feels it's wrong to distribute games illegally. Which it is.

Billy Pitt emailing this guy repeatedly isn't the reason he's not putting the games out.

If you're not Japanese, if you don't speak the language it's going to be very, very hard to build rapport and trust enough to effect a result. I lived there for years and this is what my experience has taught me.

 

[Fygee]

After the first two times, the rest went straight to the spam filter, no doubt.[/QUOTE

Xacrow's not releasing these ROMs because he could be sued and his reputation, both personally and professionally would be severly damaged.

Piracy is not as rampant in Japan. There is still some moral culture instilled in the youth there and I he probably feels it's wrong to distribute games illegally. Which it is.

Billy Pitt emailing this guy repeatedly isn't the reason he's not putting the games out.

If you're not Japanese, if you don't speak the language it's going to be very, very hard to build rapport and trust enough to effect a result. I lived there for years and this is what my experience has taught me.

I could understand his reputation being tarnished, but I'd be very surprised if he was sued. The game in question is for a dead system 10 years in, and the game itself is almost 20.

Not saying that it would be impossible, but it would be very unlikely.

 

[RabbitTroop]

Xacrow has the games, sure, but he doesn't have the only copy. Prototypes aren't one offs. There are lots of opportunities to stumble on pre-release software, old location tests, a box of old floppies in someone's garage that has finished source. Other versions will surface with time, and even if they don't there's really not a lot lost.

I'd love to play Last Odyssey, but who cares if I never do. I've got countless other video-pins, leagues better, thanks to Zen.

The novelty of having some of these protos is nice, but in the end they were all deemed in one reason or another to not be a good fit for the Neo, and were canned. Whether that was because the team simply couldn't finish it, it didn't test well, or it wasn't right for the market at the time doesn't really matter. They might all be great games, but these aren't the only great games we'll never see or play.

Hell, there's probably thousands of released titles I've never heard of that are amazing that I'll sleep-on and never see. I'm not going to cry over a handful of Neo games in a library of 140+ titles.

I'd also take any of the new Indie games over this. Well, maybe not that Pony game. OK, definitely not that Pony game, but Kurtz's Knight's Chance, and the entire catalog from NG : Dev has blown away a lot of SNK and the third party's earlier work. I don't disagree that it would be nice to play some of these lost pieces, but fuck... So many people saying they'd rather have these discarded titles that weren't released over the heart-and-soul poured into Knight's Chance or something like XYX/Fast Striker? Madness.

Makes me wonder why some of you are even here. Is it really for the games, or just to collect the SNK logo?

 

[Viewpoint]

Xacrow has the games, sure, but he doesn't have the only copy. Prototypes aren't one offs. There are lots of opportunities to stumble on pre-release software, old location tests, a box of old floppies in someone's garage that has finished source. Other versions will surface with time, and even if they don't there's really not a lot lost.

I'd love to play Last Odyssey, but who cares if I never do. I've got countless other video-pins, leagues better, thanks to Zen.

The novelty of having some of these protos is nice, but in the end they were all deemed in one reason or another to not be a good fit for the Neo, and were canned. Whether that was because the team simply couldn't finish it, it didn't test well, or it wasn't right for the market at the time doesn't really matter. They might all be great games, but these aren't the only great games we'll never see or play.

Hell, there's probably thousands of released titles I've never heard of that are amazing that I'll sleep-on and never see. I'm not going to cry over a handful of Neo games in a library of 140+ titles.

I'd also take any of the new Indie games over this. Well, maybe not that Pony game. OK, definitely not that Pony game, but Kurtz's Knight's Chance, and the entire catalog from NG : Dev has blown away a lot of SNK and the third party's earlier work. I don't disagree that it would be nice to play some of these lost pieces, but fuck... So many people saying they'd rather have these discarded titles that weren't released over the heart-and-soul poured into Knight's Chance or something like XYX/Fast Striker? Madness.

Makes me wonder why some of you are even here. Is it really for the games, or just to collect the SNK logo?

Best Post in this whole fucking thread right to the end. *Golf Clap

 

[BMN]

Makes me wonder why some of you are even here. Is it really for the games, or just to collect the SNK logo?

It is so simple.
We need this protos for collection, and close for good the snk on MAME.
And people can able to make is own emulator just for collectors.
Xacrow still don´t get it right? Fine.

 

[Pope Sazae]

It is so simple.
We need this protos for collection, and close for good the snk on MAME.
And people can able to make is own emulator just for collectors.
Xacrow still don´t get it right? Fine.

What the fuck is this supposed to be?