When I was a young gamer in 1990, there was word of a magical game system that cost $650 ($1560 in 2024) and had games that cost $200 ($480 in 2024). This console was the NeoGeo.
The NeoGeo started as an arcade cabinet that could switch out ROMs, which allowed for an easy transition to a home console in Japan in 1990. This is the same period as the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo systems.
The NeoGeo system, with its far superior hardware, made bold marketing claims of having 24-bit graphics. However, it was later revealed that it was a 16-bit system with an additional 8-bit processor. Despite this, the graphics were still better than both SNES and Genesis, sparking curiosity about the system’s capabilities.
No.
The system had two core properties, Samurai Showdown & Fatal Fury.
However, both of these were fighting games. Not only are fighting games not my favorite, but Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter series have already filled that void for Americans.
There were some solid baseball games, however. Baseball Stars on the NES was an all-time favorite of mine. You could make your own team, and players’ stats would update; it was incredible. The NeoGeo, for some reason, released a worse version in 1990 called Baseball Stars Professional, where you couldn’t update the teams or players. But in 1992, they released Baseball Stars 2.
However, this game was also available on the NES and at a significant discount.
The system never gained attraction in the United States, and thankfully, there was never a game like Zelda that made me want to buy the system for no other reason. And I was a kid with money to burn. I was able to buy a Sega CD and a Sega 32X, but I at least never got a Neo Geo. My brother did buy a TurboGrafx 16, though.
