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Exhuminator wrote:Is The King of Fighters XIII worth a damn?

It is, but it's post-Xbox/PS2, so can't be included here.

BoneSnapDeez wrote:

the7k wrote:The answer to most of these are gonna be "MVS." I know you said no AES, but MVS is the same thing and leagues cheaper.

The carts are cheaper, yeah, but the price of entry is still steep.

Superguns are getting cheaper, and a good 1-slot MVS board will run you about $125.

If space is no issue, you could go even cheaper by lurking Craigslist or going to an arcade auction. I have on at least three occasions gotten arcade machines for $50 or less. They weren't beautiful, but they worked. Just toss a 1-slot board in there, drill holes for extra buttons if necessary, and you're good to go.

I imagine that the load times on NGCD are prohibitive? I've played it on the PS2 anthology (though I never got around to SSV), but I'd like to switch to a console port.

I played the PSone version of SamSho4Special, and the loading times didn't seem that bad. I've never played the PSone version of SS2, so I dunno, but it is one of the best in the series.

Ya know, I'll say, since they're all on the PS2, go ahead and get NeoGeo Battle Coliseum, SamShoVI, and KOF2002UM. None are Neo Geo games (though I believe the Neo Geo version of 2002 is included with 2002UM on PS2), but all of them are worth having. NGBC is a legitimately fun game although a little wonky. SS6 is loaded with characters - I think it actually has every character that has ever appeared in a SamSho game. And 2002UM might just be the best KOF game.

I think the PC Engine Arcade CD port of Art of Fighting is pretty fantastic. It even fakes the zoom by doing a resolution change, from 320x240 (zoomed out) to 256x240 (zoomed in). Also, World Heroes 2 on the PC Engine is much better than the SNES version. Same for Fatal Fury 2 and Special. Better ports than the other 16-bitters.

the7k wrote:Samurai Shodown V Special is considered by a select few the best fighter on the Neo Geo. However, you'd have to get the SamSho Anthology on PS2, because that's the only time it's ever been released outside the Neo Geo hardware.

V Special has never been released outside of Neo Geo hardware. As a result it's the only major 2D SamSho game missing in Samurai Shodown Anthology (PS2,PSP,Wii) Had it been included would've made it a truly phenomenal compilation (Not that it already isn't, it's a wonderful collection even with V Special being noticeably absent).

o.pwuaioc wrote:I'd also like to steer away from compilations. I own SNK Arcade Classics already, but I'm looking for quality ports. What else should I get? What's the top of the top to buy, and for what system?

Kinda tough when some of the best quality ports of quite a few Neo Geo fighters are available in compilation releases ala the Neo Geo Online Collection catalog on PS2.

I say NeoGeo CD just for the authenticity of the controller and arcade ports, but the absurd load times are a valid complaint. I'd probably have to say that, in general, I prefer the Saturn and Dreamcast ports, but that might be because I'm a closet Sega fanboy.

Oh yeah, I believe it is the Genesis version of Fatal Fury 2 that's worth seeking out. It's either that one of the SNES version that has a dipswitch mode that allows you to mess with the game in extremely interesting ways, some actually say it makes it better than the original.

In terms of graphics and sound, I think the PC Engine Arcade Card Fatal Fury 2 and Special are the best of the 16-bit ports. The gameplay is also very good. Don't know about accuracy to the arcade original, though.

Well, with the right dipswitch settings in whichever of the Takara Fatal Fury 2 ports had it, you can make it play like an entirely different game, which is supposed to be a lot of fun. So I definitely wouldn't say go for it for accuracy.

That actually sounds kinda nice. It would be great if more games included the option to screw around with game variables.

not exactly what you are looking for in terms of graphical output but have you considered the Neo Geo Pocket Color?

Samurai Shodown!
Samurai Shodown! 2
King of Fighters R1
King of Fighters R2
Gals Fighters
The Last Blade: Shadow of Destiny
Fatal Fury First Contact
The Match of the Millennium: SNK vs Capcom

They are all in the SD style so might not be what you are looking for but they have incredible depth and are also all system exclusives and can be played with that clicky stick!