| Magical Neo | |
| Tossin It Up by Dwight F. Jones Jr. | |
| Introduction July 27, 2000 | |
Hello, My name is Dwight F. Jones Jr. and I am 21. I have been playing video games since I was 3 or 4. Well, I (along with everyone else on this page) have been a fan of the Neo Geo since the red MVS machines stormed America. Also, (as many of you can relate) I can remember the first time I touched an MVS machine. Back in 1990, I was around 10 or 11 and I was a diehard Nintendo fan. I remember having the arguments with my friends that the NES was better than the Genesis (even though I new the NES was whipped) and waited in anticipation for the Super NES to come out. Because my father was an army officer, we lived on an army post called Fort Meade, which is near Baltimore MD. I remember it was a few months before he retired and a Sunday after church that my video game loving life would be changed forever. Any Joe out there who has served in the military, military brat, or any one who has seen a combat movie knows about the PX or post exchange. Anyway, it was in the arcade at the PX that I frequented every time I went shopping with my mother. Well, I remember seeing a new machine which was hint, hint. I remember seeing the name SNK on older machines (i.e. Ikari Warriors, POW, Time Soldiers) and on many Nintendo carts I had played. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the beginning! Anyhow, I was fascinated by this machine which had four games in it's 4-slot cabinet which were Magician Lord, Ninja Combat, Nam-1975 and Baseball Stars Professional. The first and only game I got to play was Magician Lord. I was instantly zapped into Elta's world with him and was in awe of the awesome graphics and wonderful music. That tune from the first level would remain perfectly intact in my brain cells for many years to follow. I also remember watching this syndicated show called Video Power which was (if any of you have seen it or remember) about video games. This guy named Johnny Arcade was the host and he profiled different games and systems each week. Well one day, I was watching and too my surprise I saw something familiar. It was Ninja Combat on my T.V. screen and I was like whoa! Anyway, he was profiling the Neo AES and was talking about how it was compatible with the MVS via memory card. He demonstrated how he was playing Ninja Combat at the Arcade then was like "I'm late for dinner?" and pulled his card out of the slot. Then when he got home, he plugged his memory card into the home console and resumed his game. I thought this was amazing. But it would be some time before I would have an in your face run-in with a home cart system.My first run in with the home system came when I was on a routine trip to the mall with my mother and father. I remember leading my father to Babagge's (at the time, my favorite store), as usual, to look (con him into buying) at games with me. As we rounded the corner, I heard this familiar music and dozens of voices and recognized it instantly as Magician Lord's first level. Before the crowd dispersed, I pondered to myself how this was possible; especially, since there was no arcade in that mall. When everyone finally got out of the way, my eyes caught the sleek console with the Magician Lord cart plugged in. I immediately asked the clerk how much it was and when he told me it was $700 I almost died holding my breath in shock. Because I was ten, I didn't think that $700 was alot of money to my parents and I looked at my dad and he just had one word for me. No! So, off we were me feeling hopeless and my father saving $700 dollars. So for the next 9 years, I waited and waited and WAITED until one fateful day in the spring of 1999 when I purchased a Neo Geo CD system. Those 9 years without a Neo were rough. I had endured the 16-Bit wars and evolution into the world of 32-Bit and 64-Bit games; however, I still felt empty. I still didn't have the one system I wanted for so very long. To keep sane over the years, I compiled a scrapbook of any magazine articles, advertisements, letters I received from SNK and pictures of anything Neo Geo related. If anyone is a Nickelodeon fan, they had a show a few years ago called Nick Arcade hosted by Phil Moore in which players had to answer trivia questions and play games to earn points. Almost every afternoon, they had at least one Neo game on display. I recorded the show as much as I could and compiled a tape dedicated to when players stepped up to Neo games. But alas, I erased it, in needing a tape to record some Pay Per View Pro Wrestling. But I figured Nick Arcade would be on forever and as you can guess, it wasn't. Anyhow, to get me through the days without a Neo Geo of my own, I relied on playing translations of Neo games on my Super Nintendo. They didn't satisfy. By the Spring of '99, approximately 12 different gaming platforms were contained in my house which are the NES, Super NES, Sega Master System, Genesis, Game Gear, Game Boy, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Jaguar, Sega Saturn, Sony Playstation, Nintendo 64. Well to get to the point, one day I was surfing the net and I just stopped past SNK USA's website. From time to time, I would check out the sales they had for Neo stuff. That day changed my life forever. On this page, SNK was selling the last of their brand new Neo CD systems for $230 with two controllers and a game of your choice. What was so crucial was that they said that they weren't ordering any more of them. It was at that point that I knew what I had to do. I had just enough money saved up and I got on the phone and called SNK as fast as I could to try and reserve one. The secretary put my name on a list and as soon as I hung up the phone I was on my way to the bank to get a money order and to the post office. I waited for like 2 months before it arrived because they were coming straight from the Japanese factory but it was worth it. The day it arrived was scary, anyone who knew about SNK could have walked past my porch and took it. Thank God no one did. It was in that big brown box with SNK tape around it. I drove past my house twice to make sure I saw a box. Anyway, as soon as I got to the door I was so excited I opened the door with box in arms and ran up to my room and opening that box took like an eternity. When I finally opened it, I had to sift through that Macaroni styrofoam to retrieve the box. When I grabbed that box, I felt like a governent spy or something. I carefully pulled the unit from the box along with the controllers and the game I requested. All of you can guess what that game is!!! Magician Lord. Finally, I had a Neo System of my own! As of now, I currently own a meager 23 CD titles for this system but it is growing monthly. Although my ultimate goal is to obtain a AES, maybe even an MVS board and Super Gun, I am not complaining. As recently as this past December, I purchased a Neo Geo Pocket Color system which ultimately brings my collection of games for systems to 14 systems. Unfortunately, because I was too busy buying games for all of my other systems and thinking that the games would be available forever, I only have one Neo Pocket game. Because SNK USA recalled all of the games, I have to resort to auctions or any other way to buy games for it. Anyway, I know I can't compare to the rest of the diehard Neo Geo freaks on this page, but I'm trying! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| Tossin It Up | |