Gamer_lafan
@gamer_lafan • 15,185 subscribers
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SNK developed the Hyper Neo Geo 64 as the next-generation successor to the Neo Geo, adding 3D capabilities, but it ended up being a major failure. After that, they moved to Atomiswave, a lower-cost version of Sega’s NAOMI platform. Some of its most notable games included The King of Fighters XI, Metal Slug 6, Samurai Shodown VI, and NeoGeo Battle Coliseum. The hardware itself was quite capable, supporting high-resolution graphics while keeping costs relatively low. However, its ROM capacity was very limited, making data compression almost essential. Because of this, even though it was a ROM-based system, it still suffered from loading times. I’ll be introducing some of these games in future posts as well, so stay tuned!
Gamer_lafan27,977 Aufrufe • vor 4 Tagen
I think the hidden command culture for selecting secret characters in arcades probably started with Akuma in Super Street Fighter II X. Not long after the game was released, rumors started spreading around arcades that some people had actually managed to pick Akuma. Then one day, at the arcade I used to visit all the time, I saw someone actually playing as him. I was so shocked that after the match ended, I asked him how to select Akuma. He told me he’d teach me… for 500 won. In the end, I paid the money with tears in my eyes and learned the legendary command. 🤣 Ryu → T. Hawk → Guile → Cammy → Ryu, staying on each character for one second, then hold the Start button and press all punch buttons at the same time.
Gamer_lafan93,085 Aufrufe • vor 15 Tagen
One of the unique features of the Neo Geo was its memory card support. Most games used it mainly for saving high scores, but some titles could even store stage progress. In Fatal Fury Special, after defeating Ryo Sakazaki at the end and saving to the memory card, you could reload the data and select Ryo Sakazaki in VS mode. Since the MVS and AES shared almost the same hardware architecture, the same memory card could be used on both systems. That was a really interesting feature. However, unless you had an MVS cabinet equipped with a memory card slot, you couldn’t use it, and because the Neo Geo AES itself was extremely expensive, most gamers didn’t even know this feature existed. The original memory cards used battery-backed saves, but the upcoming AES+ memory card uses ROM storage, so I’m really looking forward to it👌
Gamer_lafan72,588 Aufrufe • vor 12 Tagen
If you played Capcom arcade games in the ’90s, you probably remember seeing the Q Sound logo during the opening screens. Back then, I was really curious about what it actually meant, but there was no easy way to find out. I finally understood it years later after buying a Capcom Q GrandAm 25 cabinet. Most standard arcade cabinets simply output the mono sound signal from JAMMA directly without a dedicated amplifier. But this cabinet came with a separate amp designed specifically for stereo input. Because of that, when you connect the stereo outputs from CPS1.5, CPS2, or CPS3 boards to the amp, the sound becomes much richer and more immersive. What impressed me the most was that this cabinet lets you switch between Q Sound and regular mono audio, so I could compare them directly. The stereo sound definitely feels more spacious and cleaner. But the biggest difference comes from the speaker box mounted at the top. It’s made of wood and has a much larger internal space, so the audio quality is on a completely different level compared to the cheap speakers used in ordinary arcade cabinets.
Gamer_lafan91,711 Aufrufe • vor 21 Tagen
I lived in the US for a year back in 2003. Matrix Reloaded came out in May, and the hype around it was seriously insane, beyond imagination. In the movie, the main characters are using this super cool phone, and then in a close-up shot, I spotted the 'Samsung' logo right there on it. It felt absolutely mind-blowing and magical. I came back to Korea full of hope that this thing would actually go on sale worldwide. But later I found out it was only released in the US as a super limited edition of just 5,000 units (or so I heard back then). I was hugely disappointed… but eventually, I tracked one down and bought it from a collector. Even now, looking at it, the design is still so damn cool. I took it to a carrier to try using it for real, but they told me it’s a 2G phone and can’t be used anymore. That was another big letdown, I remember it clearly. Do you guys like the Matrix movies too? I’m a total huge fan!
Gamer_lafan564,450 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten
Back in the 1990s, Korea was geographically close to Japan, so cheap second-hand game consoles and games were often illegally imported from there. Because of this, consoles like the Hyundai Comboy and Samsung Game Boy series were officially released in Korea, but they were expensive, so they didn’t sell particularly well. Still, up through the 16-bit era, Korean systems used the Japanese regional code, which meant Japanese games could be played on officially released Korean consoles. That compatibility helped sales to some extent. The Samsung Saturn, however, was a different story. Samsung chose to use the American regional code instead, which meant Japanese Saturn games would not work on the system. From Samsung’s perspective, this decision was meant to prevent people from using illegally imported Japanese games. But in the end, it backfired. Not many games were officially released for the Korean market, and users also couldn’t play the huge library of Japanese games. People who bought the Samsung Saturn without knowing this often ended up disappointed because there simply weren’t enough games to play. The Samsung Saturn had a rather sad story behind it.
Gamer_lafan26,007 Aufrufe • vor 6 Tagen
Did you know that arcade cabinets with CRT monitors actually had three different resolutions? Most classic 2D arcade games used a 15kHz (320×240) resolution. This was the same resolution commonly used by CRT TVs and many 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit home consoles. Then Sega introduced higher-resolution arcade games with Virtua Fighter and Virtua Racing, which used 24kHz (496×384). Sega Model 1, 2, and 3 arcade boards are famous for using this resolution. One of the reasons the Sega Saturn versions of Virtua Fighter 2 and Daytona USA looked so different from the arcade versions was because of this resolution gap. Later 3D arcade games moved to 31kHz (640×480) resolution. Sega NAOMI games are one of the best-known examples. That’s why you need to be careful when buying an arcade cabinet. Early cabinets only supported 15kHz, while the commonly seen Astro City supported both 15kHz and 24kHz. Later cabinets like Blast City, Net City, and New Net City were known as “3-mode” cabinets because they supported all three resolutions. The tricky part is that both the game board and the arcade cabinet itself can have resolution settings. If the settings are wrong, you can end up running a high-resolution game in low resolution. So if you’re buying an arcade cabinet, make sure you carefully check which resolutions it supports.
Gamer_lafan73,561 Aufrufe • vor 20 Tagen
This might not be a story anyone really wants to hear, but I’ll talk a little about myself. I’ve been a fan of Final Fantasy since I was a kid. Back in 2000, when I joined an online gaming community, I tried to use the nickname “Final Fantasy,” but someone was already using it. So I decided to go with something a little different and started using the nickname “Last Fantasy.” After using that nickname for more than 10 years, people probably felt it was too long, so many of them started calling me “LAFAN” for short. I ended up liking it too, so when I started using social media, I began using the shortened nickname instead. Some people even asked me if it meant I was a fan of the city of LA. 😆 I’m still a huge fan of Final Fantasy games even now. Do you also have a game you’ve loved for a long time?
Gamer_lafan91,050 Aufrufe • vor 26 Tagen
When Gran Turismo first came out, I remember thinking, “Do we really need to drive real cars even in a game?” I was more into arcade racing games like Ridge Racer or Daytona USA because they were just more fun. But Gran Turismo completely changed my mind. (1/2)
Gamer_lafan434,791 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
Among all the games released on the PlayStation, I think Final Fantasy VII was truly the greatest. There had been cinematic games before, but the visual quality of this game was on a completely different level compared to anything that had come before it. Maybe this was also the moment when game developers first fell into the AAA trap, struggling with blockbuster-level development costs. Personally, Final Fantasy VII was the most visually shocking console game I had ever experienced.
Gamer_lafan69,822 Aufrufe • vor 27 Tagen
When the Sega Game Gear first came out, it was truly shocking. The Game Boy was already impressive, but the Game Gear felt like a true next-generation handheld with its backlit color screen. You could even watch TV with the TV tuner, and it also let you connect other game consoles, which made it incredibly versatile. The downside? It could drain six AA batteries in no time.
Gamer_lafan39,243 Aufrufe • vor 18 Tagen
Back in the late 1980s, a friend gave me a single floppy disk as a birthday present. He told me it was something you could put games on and actually play, and I remember staring at it all day, wondering if something that magical could really be possible. I followed him to a computer academy, and that was the first time I had ever seen a computer in my life. As a reward for bringing me in, he even got a whole box of floppy disks. That was the moment I first stepped into a completely new world. And when I saw, just like in the video, games being copied onto a disk, inserted into a computer, and actually running… the shock I felt easily ranks in my top five moments of my life.
Gamer_lafan84,180 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
Has anyone here played Final Fantasy XVI, the latest numbered title that came out three years ago? Personally, I had a really great time with it, but it was definitely one of the more divisive games among Final Fantasy fans. What I loved most was the story and presentation. It felt like the kind of visual spectacle I had always imagined while playing Final Fantasy games over the years. The summon battles were absolutely breathtaking and felt truly cinematic. That said, because it wasn’t a traditional turn-based RPG and didn’t even have a real party system, a lot of people criticized it as “basically Devil May Cry with a Final Fantasy skin.” Honestly though, after Final Fantasy XV disappointed many fans by feeling overly stretched out and unfinished, Naoki Yoshida — the producer who famously turned Final Fantasy XIV into a huge success — was brought in to create a polished and complete experience as efficiently as possible. In that regard, I think the project was a success. I’m already looking forward to Final Fantasy XVII, whenever that finally happens. But realistically, it probably won’t come until after the third part of the Final Fantasy VII Rebirth remake project is released.
Gamer_lafan45,064 Aufrufe • vor 25 Tagen
I think a lot of people were introduced to Final Fantasy starting from 7. Since it was released on the PlayStation and became a huge global success, it naturally gained widespread recognition. But among older players, many still remember just how popular 6 was when it came out on the Super Famicom. Personally, Chrono Trigger was an incredible game as well, but compared to the impact that Final Fantasy 6 had on me, it felt slightly less overwhelming. Especially when I listen to that opening theme, I still get chills to this day.
Gamer_lafan52,466 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat
There were three Capcom games that always made me think, “Why was this never released on consoles?” Those games were The Punisher, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, and Alien vs. Predator. Thankfully, The Punisher was included in Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics, so it can finally be enjoyed on modern consoles. But the other two are still unavailable due to licensing issues. Hopefully, those problems get resolved someday so they can also be released on modern consoles.
Gamer_lafan17,274 Aufrufe • vor 10 Tagen
Maybe inspired by the synergy between the PlayStation and Namco’s arcade-compatible hardware, Sega also developed the Dreamcast and NAOMI together to make arcade-to-console ports much easier for their own games. Because of that, it wasn’t the massive leap that Model 3 had been, but it still ended up getting a huge variety of games from not only Sega, but many other companies as well. Popular titles like Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and Capcom vs. SNK 2 were also NAOMI-based games. What was disappointing, though, was the irony that Virtua Fighter 4 never came to the Dreamcast and was instead released on the PlayStation 2.
Gamer_lafan20,921 Aufrufe • vor 14 Tagen
There were two systems that let you play arcade games at home: SNK’s Neo Geo and Capcom’s CPS Changer. Their concepts were a bit different. The Neo Geo was basically an arcade machine turned into a home console, so you could see it as a regular game system. (1/2)
Gamer_lafan197,117 Aufrufe • vor 5 Monaten
