Created and Edited by Ralph A. Barbagallo III
rbarbaga@cs.uml.edu
(c) 1993,1994,1995 Ralph A. Barbagallo III
Disclaimer: HEY! This list
is in no way endorsed or connected with SNK
Home Entertainment.
-What is the NEO GEO?
The NEO GEO is the
home version of SNK's arcade MVS (Multi-Video
System). The MVS allows the
arcade operator to house many different
video games in one cabinet.
The NEO GEO allows home play of these
games via cartridges or CDROMs
(with the new NEO GEO CD).
In the arcade, the MVS is found in several different setups.
The first, is the one game console.
Essentially an MVS unit with a single
game in the cabinet. There
is also the 2 game/2 console setup which gives
2 independent screens for 2 player
multi-link games (i.e. Riding Hero etc.).
The most common is the 4 game setup,
but there is also a 6 game model as
well.
-What are the capabilities of the
NEO GEO?
The NEO GEO is an
outstanding home system. Of course, it's extremely
expensive but here's what you get
as far as hardware capabilities:
Microprocessors:
12.5MHz 68000, Z80
Resolution:
320x224
Palette:
65,536
Maximum Colors On-Screen:
4,096
Maximum Sprites On-Screen:
380
Voices of Sound:
7-Digital, 8-FM
(one source says it has 22 voices, 7 digital??)
The NEO GEO CD has these
same capabilities with 56 megabits of RAM
a single-speed, 250ms CDROM drive,
and internal backup RAM.
-Is the NEO GEO MVS arcade kit
JAMMA?
Yes, the NEO
GEO MVS arcade board is JAMMA, however it does use
an extra wire for the 4 buttons
and different board setups are used
for the different models (1,2,4,6
game etc.).
-What hardware is available for
the NEO GEO?
Here's just a sampling of some of the accessories available
for the NEO GEO:
NEO GEO Joystick: Pretty
self-explanatory. This 8 way, contoured, rather
large stick is the only input device I know of for the
NEO GEO. There may be other
joysticks that do work for the NEO GEO
(Apollo?), but I am not aware of
them. This joystick has the standard
4 buttons and two function buttons
on the top of the unit. Its large
size and heavy base give it that
'arcade feel'.
NEO GEO Memory Card: This
is the best piece of hardware available for the
NEO GEO. This tiny device allows 19-27 game positions
to be saved on a single card.
Positions can be saved so that a game can
be restarted from a saved level
etc. Therefore, earlier levels don't have
to be repeated etc. This
card also works with the arcade unit so your
saved games can be resumed in the
arcades as well.
NEO GEO RGB Cable: Available
from several sources, this cable allows the
NEO GEO system to be used with an RGB monitor such
as the Commodore 1084S etc.
I'm not sure on the manufacturer but I've
seen it in several catalogs for
around $30 or so.
ARCADE STICK: This third
party product from Game Innovation is a
sturdy-looking joystick featuring multicolored
buttons in a 6 button layout with
two start/select buttons over the
joystick. It also works on
the Genesis, DUO, and SNES.
NEO GEO SUPER PRO STICK: A critically
acclaimed arcade quality joystick
with slow motion and turbo firing. Also
available as a 2 player unit.
Configurable to work on other home systems
as well. Available from MAS
Systems.
ULTRA STICK: Another third
party product from Game Innovation,
this multi-system stick (including NEO GEO) is a cord-less
unit for tangle-free play.
It looks similar in design to the original
NEO GEO stick, but with Rapid Fire
etc.
ULTRA PAD: Finally!
A wireless control pad for the NEO GEO. This is
another multi-system controller from Game Innovation that
does work on the NEO GEO.
It has a 6 button layout with options for
rapid-fire etc.
NEO CD CONTROL PAD: This
is the pad packaged with the Japanese
NEO CD, but it does work with cart systems.
Easily among the best controllers
I've ever used.
NEO CD JOYSTICK: Along with
the release of the NEO CD in Japan, so did
a new set of smaller joysticks. These have a smaller
footprint than the original NEO
GEO sticks and have a sleeker, rounder
look to them.
Also available are
Nylon carry bags and padded system organizers
that allow easy transport for the
home unit. Call SNK for more info.
(see the end of the FAQ for SNK's
number)
The cable for the
Multi-Link feature is simply a cable with mini
phono plugs on each end.
They can be found at Radio Shack and other
similar electronics outlets.
-What games are available for the
NEO GEO?
In the U.S., all games
that you find in the NEO GEO MVS unit
either are available for the NEO
GEO home unit, or will be shortly.
Most games are produced for the
MVS first and then produced in cartridge
format for the home system a short
time later. With the introduction
of the NEO GEO CD, SNK has said
that the CD versions will most likely
come out before the cartridge release.
The arcade versions
usually cost a lot more than the home
versions initially, but then drastically
drop in price after the game
gets a bit older.
*NOTE: Some of these games
are Japanese releases, but you still can
get them at an importer.
'Nam-1975 (46 Mbits)
:Action/Shooter
2020 Super Baseball (46 Mbits)
:Sports (baseball)
3 Count Bout (106 Mbits)
:Sports (wrestling)
Aero Fighters 2 (98 Mbits)
:Shooter
Agressors of Dark Kombat (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Alpha Mission II (55 Mbits)
:Shooter
Andro Dunos (34 Mbits)
:Shooter
Art of Fighting (102 Mbits)
:Fighting
Art of Fighting 2 (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Baseball Stars Professional (50
Mbits)
:Sports (baseball)
Blue's Journey (47 Mbits)
:Platform
Burning Fight (54 Mbits)
:Fighting
Crossed Swords (50 Mbits)
:Action/Adventure
Cyber-Lip (50 Mbits)
:Action/Adventure
Double Dragon (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Dunk Stars (?? Mbits)
:Sports (basketball)
Fatal Fury (55 Mbits)
:Fighting
Fatal Fury II (106 Mbits)
:Fighting
Fatal Fury III (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Fatal Fury Special (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Fighter's History Dynamite:
Karnov's Revenge (?) :Fighting
Football Frenzy (48 Mbits)
:Sports (football)
Galaxy Fight (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Ghost Pilots (55 Mbits)
:Shooter
Joy Joy Kid (45 Mbits)
:Platform/Strategy
King of Fighters '94 (198 Mbits)
:Fighting
King of Fighters '95 (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
King of the Monsters (55 Mbits)
:Action/Fighting
King of the Monsters II (74 Mbits)
:Action/Fighting
Last Resort (45 Mbits)
:Shooter
League Bowling (26Mbits)
:Sports(bowling)
Magician Lord (46 Mbits)
:Adventure
Mah Jong (50 Mbits)
:Puzzle/Strategy
Miracle Adventure (?? Mbits)
:Platform
Mutation Nation (54 Mbits)
:Fighting
New Mah Jong (55 Mbits)
:Puzzle/Strategy
Ninja Combat (46 Mbits)
:Action/Fighting
Ninja Commandos (54 Mbits)
:Action/Shooter
Puzzled (46 Mbits)
:Puzzle
Quiz NEO & GEO (?? Mbits)
:Quiz/Trivia
Raguy (45 Mbits)
:???
Riding Hero (42 Mbits)
:Driving
Robo-Army (46 Mbits)
:Action
Samurai Showdown (118 Mbits)
:Fighting
Samurai Shodown II (198 Mbits)
:Fighting
Sengoku (55 Mbits)
:Action/Fighting
Sengoku II (107 Mbits)
:Action/Fighting
Shin Samurai Spirits (?? Mbits)
CDROM ONLY :Fighting
Soccer Brawl (46 Mbits)
:Sports (soccer)
Spin Masters (?? Mbits)
:Action/Platform
Super 8 Man (46 Mbits)
:Action/Platform
Super Side Kick (54 Mbits)
:Sports (soccer)
Super Side Kick 2 (?? Mbits)
:Sports (soccer)
The Success of Legend Joe (46 Mbits)
:Sports (boxing)
The Super Spy (55 Mbits)
:Action/Adventure
Thrash Rally (46 Mbits)
:Driving
Top Hunter (?? Mbits)
:Platform
Top Players Golf (62Mbits)
:Sports(golf)
Viewpoint (74 Mbits)
:Shooter
Wind Jammers (?? Mbits)
:Sports (frisbee)
World Heroes (82 Mbits)
:Fighting
World Heroes 2 (146 Mbits)
:Fighting
World Heroes 2 Jet (?? Mbits)
:Fighting
Zed Blade (?? Mbits)
:Shooter
*NOTE -some are arcade releases
only at the moment...and I concentrate
on the cartridge titles, so the CD stuff isn't necessarily up
to date*
Coming Soon:
Art of Fighting 3
:Fighting
Crossed Swords 2 (CD only)
:Action/Adventure
Crystalis (around 200 Mbits)
:Adventure
Fight Fever
:Fighting
Gururin
:Puzzle
Magician Lord 2
:Action/Adventure
Metal Slug
:Shooter
NBA Basketball
:Sports(Basketball)
Master Shougi
:???
Ninja Gaiden
:Action (?)
Panic Bomber
:Action
Pulstar (305 Mbits ?)
:Shooter
Quiz King of Fighters
:Quiz/Trivia
Reactor
:Platform
Samurai Shodown RPG (CD only)
:RPG
Samurai Shodown III: Blades
of Blood (298 Mb) :Fighting
Skates Winner
:???
Sonic Wings 3 (CD)
:Shooter
Super Sidekick 3
:Sports (soccer)
Super Volleyball II
:Sports (volleyball)
Viewpoint 2
:Shooter
Voltage Fighter Gowkaizer
:Fighting
-Are Japanese NEO GEO carts compatible
with the U.S. system?
Yes. They can
be used without any modification. However some
cartridges from countries using
the PAL television standard will
run, but the screen may appear
a bit jumbled without a PAL or
multi-standard TV.
-Is it possible to play Samurai
Shodown in a USA NEO GEO with red blood?
Yes. Most NEO
GEO games are programmed in 3 different languages:
English, Japanese, and Spanish.
The cartridge checks which system it
is running on, and displays the
text accordingly.
However, using this
method, SNK decided to censor the violence in
Samurai Shodown by changing the
color of the blood and eliminating the
violent finishing moves.
This can be averted.
Dragon Video or MAS Systems will modify any
NEO GEO with a toggle switch to
play games as they would in a foreign
system. This way, when Japanese
mode is toggled on, the system will play
Samurai Shodown as it were running
in a Japanese system; with the blood.
Newer games such as
King of Fighters '94 and Samurai Shodown II are
still censored, but contain codes
which will restore the game to its
original state.
-Is it possible to play arcade
MVS cartridges in home NEO GEO systems.
Yes. While the
cartridges are physically larger, the arcade MVS
games will run on a home system.
However, they require modifications to
work. Dragon Video and MAS
Systems will convert any MVS cartridge.
Some of the older MVS games can
be had for as low as $30. Check arcade
game distributors such as Video
Connection for MVS software.
-Who are the NEO GEO 3rd party game
manufacturers?
There are several.
Some of the 3rd parties' games are released
under SNK's label but there are
many independent game companies gearing
up for future NEO GEO titles.
American Sammy, ADK, Visco, Wave,
Data East of Japan, Tradewest,
and Sunsoft have signed on.
-How do I use the Memory Card?
Well, the Memory Card
has a few different options. To get the
Memory Card menu you must insert
a game, then the Memory Card,
and press all four buttons on controller
1. Move the joystick to the
desired option and hit A to select.
Card Format erases
all data on the card. This data is permanently
removed with this option.
Display Data Name will show the level saved
and the name of the games for each
memory file. Copy Data allows
the positions from one card to
be transferred to another card. This can
be done file by file or all at
once. Delete Data allows the files to
be scratched one by one.
File User's Name allows the owner's name to
be stored for identification.
End exits the card menu.
-What is the Controller Test Menu?
This is a somewhat
hidden menu that allows the NEO GEO user to
see if the joysticks are working
properly. To access this menu, insert
a game then hold down A, B, C,
and D. The Controller Test screen should
appear. On the menu, the
0 or 1 shows if the position/button has been
activated or not.
-Can I get extension cables for
the NEO GEO joysticks?
Since the NEO GEO
joysticks accept the same 15 pin connectors as
standard PC game ports, any PC
joystick extension cable will work.
Apparently there is no need to
reconfigure the pin order, they will
work without modification.
-What about the NEO GEO CDROM?
Finally, at the spring
1994 Tokyo Toy Show, SNK held a press conference
where they introduced the long-awaited
NEO GEO CD. Contained in
a new, rather boxy casing, the
NEO GEO CDROM contains virtually the same
hardware that was in the NEO GEO
when it was originally released in 1989
besides the addition of a single
speed CDROM drive and 56 megabits of RAM.
Also, instead of using the traditional
NEO GEO memory cards, game data will
be saved in an unspecified amount
of internal backup RAM.
The NEO GEO CDROM
can be had for around $400 on import. The discs go
for around $80 or so for new titles.
Most discs have rescored background
music utilitizing surround sound.
The limited edition
front-loading systems have now been replaced
by a sleeker, cheaper top-loading
system. This is the unit that will
be released in the US as well.
The US release WAS
severely delayed, but now SNK is hinting at
an Xmas release of the NEO CD with
a more-than-likely single-speed
drive.
-What's the deal with SNK's alleged
64-bit arcade system?
There have been rumors
floating around that SNK has a 64-bit modular
arcade system in the works.
Not much is known about this, although it
has been said that it has an emphasis
on polygon pushing. Some title
names that have been floating around
include a 3D Art of Fighting 3.
-Are there any backup units for
the NEO GEO?
Yes and no.
Yes there are backup units and no, they are no longer
in production. The NEO GEO
adapter for the Multi Game Hunter (Venus Computer)
was canned and the $1300 Multi-Game
Doctor has been scrapped too. However,
you may still be able to find the
$1300 setup somewhere...but is it really
worth it? It reportedly takes
4-8 minutes to load up a game on the
device.
-Is there any way I can find an
auto fire stick or other controllers?
Game Stuff apparently
does modifications to NEO GEO systems which
includes auto fire NEO GEO sticks
and other enhancements. Call or write
to them for more info. The
Apollo stick may also work with the NEO GEO,
I'm not sure.
Also, if you look
above there should be a list of several
NEW Neo-Geo controllers featuring
auto fire, cord less control, etc.
-What are the symptoms of having
a faulty or PAL NEO GEO?
Apparently, a lot
of NEO GEOs have been imported from other
countries to supply the US market,
and a lot of these have faulty
RF shielding and more serious problems.
SNK will, if under warranty,
fix these free of cost. Call
them for more information. Some of the
problematic games with the PAL
systems are Fatal Fury II and Ghost
Pilots.
However, some users
have said that when NTSC cartridges are used in
their PAL units, the games are
letterboxed (black bands on the top
and bottom of the screen to compensate
for the lack of vertical
resolution) or the extra space
is used as an on-screen storage area
for 'graphic garbage'. Also,
some new games have overscan graphics
which actually fill the PAL screen
because they go over the
NTSC borders.
-What about the Multi-Link feature?
When the NEO
GEO was first introduced, one of the more interesting
features SNK seemed to be promoting
was the ability to network 2 NEO GEOs
together. This feature was
never very popular, but it did appear in
two cartridges. Both League
Bowling and Riding Hero have a small jack on
the cartridge where a cable can
be connected linking the system to
another NEO GEO with the same game
inserted. The cable is not included
with the games, but it can be found
at most any Radio Shack or electronics
store. Basically, it's just
a small wire with two male mini-headphone
plugs on each end.
-Is there a NEO GEO mailing list?
Yes, there
is a NEO GEO mailing list. To subscribe, send the text
'SUBSCRIBE NEOGEO' in email to
listproc@dhp.com. In order to post
messages to the list, send mail
to neogeo@dhp.com. Upon subscription,
a message detailing usage of the
list will be sent automatically.
-Where can I get NEO GEO software
and hardware?
The NEO GEO is now
mostly a mail-order item. In 1991 the NEO GEO
could be found almost everywhere.
This is no longer the case. A lot
of retail chains have dropped the
NEO due to low sales. You can find
However, the NEO GEO is well supported
in the mail order community.
Great prices can be found by mail,
and they are often way cheaper
than the retail outlets that still
sell NEO GEO items. Such places include:
Dragon Video: (919) 954-0880
(919) 981-0958 FAX
MAS Systems: (714) 831-5760
25825 Via Lomas Unit 206
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
DIE HARD: (818)774-2000
18612 Ventura Blvd.,
Tarzana, CA 91356
Tommo: (213)680-8880 (dealers only)
Game Stuff: (213)724-5733
2327 S. Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Japan Video Games: (818)291-9282
710 W. Las Tunas
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Game Xpress: (818)760-GAME
(4263)
11390 Ventura Blvd., Suite 1
North Hollywood, CA 91604
Telesauraus: (313)477-0067
Boston Technology: (617)617-3865
21 Linden St.
Suite 125
Wollaston, MA 02146
Game Innovation: (800)-INNOVATE
P.O. Box 360
Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Video Connection: (800)-444-6854
1150 Industrial Pl. #110
Dixon, CA 95620 (arcade kits and games only)
*This is just a sampling of the
multitude of NEO GEO dealers.
-How can I contact SNK?
SNK Corporation of America
SNK Corporation of America
20603 Earl Street
Torrance, CA 90503
Phone: (310) 371-7100
FAX : (310) 371-0969
References: Bonnie Lais (orders), Chad "Game Lord" Okada (questions)
SNK Corporation
SNK Corporation
SNK BLDG., 18-12 TOYOTSU-CHO, SUITA-SHI
OSAKA, 564, JAPAN
Phone: (81)6-339-5577
FAX: (81)6-338-7175
SNK Asia Limited
SNK Asia Limited
SUITE 1101, TOWER 3, CHINA HONG KONG CITY
33 CANTON ROAD
TSIM SHA TSUI, KOWLOON, HONG KONG
Phone: (852)730-0420
FAX: (852)375-3203
SNK Europe Limited
SNK Europe Limited
11 ALBEMARLE STREET
LONDON WIX 3HE
ENGLAND
Phone: (44)71-629-0472
FAX: (44)71-629-0474
-Are there any 'Web resources for
the NEO GEO?
Yes, there are a few NEO GEO pages popping up here and
there. Try 'http://panther.gsu.edu/~gs01zzf'
for starters.
In fact, I got a lot of the info
for this new update from that
page, it's pretty good.
-The Game Lord is my hero, how
can I contact his highness?
Yes, my lad, we all
worship Sir Chad Okada..the masterful Game
Lord...alas, you can only hope
to achieve his excellence...
However, he is generous enough
to bestow conversation on us unwashed
masses. To parlay the illustrious
Game Lord with video game
banter, call (310)-214-9784...
--------
Sources: Electronic
Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Die Hard Game Fan,
Videogames and Computer Entertainment,
the SNK "Bigger Badder Better"
NEO GEO inserts and mailings, and
various contributers.
Special thanks to the people
that e-mailed me with specific information.
E-Mail any changes or additions
to rbarbaga@cs.uml.edu
All information and images contained within this
website are © Matthew Henzel & Video Game
Obsession 1996-[present]
Please
contact me if you wish to use anything.