So, can we expect to see all NG-games eventually?

[Samuray]

On Virtual Console, I mean.

I another thread there's been uttered some doubt about that, and now that I think about it, it makes sense. No system will get its complete library on the Virtual Console, at least not within the next ten years or sso. Why would things be any different for the Neo Geo-Channel?

I see two major problems: First, the frequency with which games are released. Three games a week?, Well, that makes a mere 156 games a year, for all VC-systems combined. It's rather unlikely that we'll get more than seven Neo Geo-releaes a year, but that's just speculation on my part.

The sesond problem is more severe. I believe that especially the later Neo Geo-games are too large, and while they could be either compressed or just fill up (unexpensive) SD-cards, I could imagine that Nintendo would be reluctant to release those. Thinking of "King of Fighters 2002" and "Garou - Mark of the Wolves" here.

Well, we could just agree to wait and see, but the topic is quite important to me; not too long ago I was considering buying Neo Geo-games again, to complete my (cartridge-) collection. I was surprised, of course, to find out that numerous games I was still missing were still extremely expensive, especially here in Europe. So when I leared of the Virtual Console Channel, that was a real alternative, especially taking into account those cool new Fighting Sticks.

The thing is, I'd really like to have all Neo Geo games complete on ONE system, be it Wii or Neo Geo. I was already stocking up Wii points and was about to order those sticks when it dawned on me that we will never see all those Neo Geo titles on VC, and that opinion in another thread reinforced this concern.

Since there are no employees of Nintendo or D4 (don't they make the VC-ports for Neo Geo?) are present here I doubt anyone will be able to tell me anything definitive. But I would very much welcome your opinions -- will the whole Neo Geo library be released eventually, or is that too much to hope for?

.Samuray

[serpent_01]

In order to have all the neo-geo games we would need all the devolopers/publishers approval..

Also SNK is making a King of fighters and Samurai showdown antholoy as a wii game like they did with metal slug.I doubt they would release those series of games on the VC.

[Radretrogamer]

If your goal is to complete your collection (before your hair falls out), id have to suggest buying the cartriges, because of storage issues and the rate of releases, you wont be seing a complete collection in a long time, if not ever on the Wii. though i heard the cartriges can get a bit pricey, and you could argue if certain games are worth what you would pay for it, as people do with the VC. at the very least, even with high cost, you will eventually have all the games by buying them online. i would think.

[Radretrogamer]

Also SNK is making a King of fighters and Samurai showdown antholoy as a wii game like they did with metal slug.

:D Oh SWEET! lookin forward to that. how did you find that out?

[starlac]

I would say that you probably won’t see Garou - Mark of the Wolves anytime soon, but this isn’t to do with size issues, more to do with getting the earlier titles out there first. I share your concern as it is one of my most wanted of the NeoGeo library, along with Waku Waku 7; although the later has to do with Sunsoft, who owns that game.

Confusion in carts sizes is partially to blame here and what those symbols mean. I mean the ‘Meg’ on the NeoGeo carts stands for megabit and not, as many seem to be thinking Megabyte, so maybe some size comparisons are in order.

Well you mention Mark of the Wolves, which is one of the largest NeoGeo games yes, coming on a 688 megabit cartridge (I looked it up in a copy of Edge Magazine that did a Retrospective on the NeoGeo, BTW: KoF02 is 681). It does sounds, and indeed is a lot of memory for the cartridge format, at least until you start comparisons which the nearest thing on VC which compares, the Nintendo 64…

For starters Paper Mario came on a 320Mb cart, roughly half the size of Mark of the Wolves, give or take. Sin and Punishment was on a 516 megabit cart (the biggest size N64 cartridge). How N64 games have quite nicely fitted on the virtual console thus far (although they take up a fair amount of space), but you can see that its not impossible to fit at least some Neo-Geo games on the Wii internal memory, the others would of course have to be stored on a SD card when not in use (unless Nintendo allows them to be active memory one day).

I think that Mark of the Wolves would just clip into 570-600 in terms of used blocks, meaning you could fit it on the Wii six times over. They would fill the channels quickly true, but they would go on. Of course this also depends on how the compression system will work for them.

Hope this helps.

[Samuray]

Well, I have no problem with buying more SD-cards, especially if Nintendo would implement the "boot game from card"-option in a later update. I'm just not sure if Nintendo would be okay with the size of the games, but as you've pointed out, "Sin & Punishment" and "Paper Mario" are no flyweigths either.
Then taking into account the "dead space" some of those larger Neo Geo games allegedly had....

I think it comes down to motivation on Nintendo's part. Are they WILLING to release all those games, or will laziness prevail? If that were the case, they could limit the Neo Geo VC-channel to the older titles.

I wrote an email to SNK but I'm not expecting any answer.

[Samuray]

"Samurai Shodown" was just announced for the Japanese VC....in spite of the "Shodown"-Collection that was also revealed a couple of days ago. Does that indicate that VC releases may be independent from available disc-based anthologies? Maybe.

[samaine]

Well... Its intriging, to say the least, but I believe that we will likely get the heavyweights of the Neo Geo on Disks instead of downloads... Yes, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting have compilations out for PS2 and a World Heroes Compilation was announced by SNK for PS2 in Japan, but the games in the disks are NOT heavyweights. Meanwhile, Samurai Shodown 5 fills the damn Neo Geo Cart and King of Fighters games are NOOOOOO lightweights, so we get Samurai Shodown Anthology, which will likely have Samurai Shodown 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 5 Special, and The King of Fighters: Orochi Saga which will have '95, '96, '97, and if we are lucky '98. The Metal Slug games were no lightweights either!

I would imagine that we will get Art of Fighting 2, 3, Fatal Fury 2, 3, and Special, and World Heroes 2, 2 Jet, and Perfect as Virtual Console Downloads, as well as the middleweight and lightweight games SNK missed from the NeoGeo Online Collections... King of Fighters '94, Savage Reign & Kizuna Encounter, and Waku Waku 7 & Galaxy Fight (Apparently, SNK is publishing these two games as part of the same collection series that Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, and World Heroes are part of. :p). I would also imagine that the Wii will get on disk Fatal Fury: Battle Archives 2, which has the heavier Real Bout games, and hopefully has Mark of the Wolves in for its US release, Last Blade 1+2, and The King of Fighters: NESTS Saga, which has '99, 2000 and 2001, and hopefully has 2002 for ITS US release.

But don't worry, most of the other possible ones, from SNK, ADK, Taito, Hudson, Takara, G-Mode via Data East, Atlus via Technos Japan, and even Sega via Sammy, are lightweights.

[Samuray]

A new press release speaks of a "selection of titles", so I guess that settles it.

:cry:

[Zombie]

As far as the Metal Slug series goes, an article I read recently pointed out that you could expect to see the MS games on VC after the anthology sales start plummeting.