Which Arcade Card game should I get?

[Mathius]

I know I make a lot of threads with this kind of theme, but it's a great way to learn and get info. Anyway, I have an ACD on its way finally! I am not the biggest fan of Neo Geo fighters so what others would you guys recommend? I know right off the bat that Strider is on my list. Are there any lesser known hidden gems out there? Also, if any of you wish to make an offer to me on any of these games please PM me. I would make a thread in "sales" but two threads about the same thing seems like a little much.

[nat]

Sapphire.

Also, I hear Madou Monogatari is fan-fucking-tastic.

[hoobs88]

Popful Mail always intrigued me.
I only own 2 ACD games- Strider and Kabuki Itouryodan.
The screen action in Strider is a bit choppy.
Kabuki Itouryodan is similar to Street Fighter II.

[nectarsis]

What nat said..also add Kabuki Itouryodan (fighter but a blast to play), and though it doesn't seem popular I enjoy Mad Stalker.

[Mathius]

Sapphire.

Also, I hear Madou Monogatari is fan-fucking-tastic.

I am going to get Sapphire as soon as I can figure out this issue on bootlegs. I don't really care if I get a boot as long as it is factory-like quality. I hooked up with this guy named Tobias at anime4ever which I found out about on these forums a month back. I think he's going to hook me up for less than $150. Is this a good deal, and does anyone know if he is trustworthy?

Popful Mail always intrigued me.
I only own 2 ACD games- Strider and Kabuki Itouryodan.
The screen action in Strider is a bit choppy.
Kabuki Itouryodan is similar to Street Fighter II.

I didn't know that Popful Mail was an ACD!!

[Mathius]

What nat said..also add Kabuki Itouryodan (fighter but a blast to play), and though it doesn't seem popular I enjoy Mad Stalker.

What is Mad Stalker all about in your own words?

[nectarsis]

What nat said..also add Kabuki Itouryodan (fighter but a blast to play), and though it doesn't seem popular I enjoy Mad Stalker.

What is Mad Stalker all about in your own words?

Side scrolling, big robot, explosions   

I didn't know that Popful Mail was an ACD!!

Popful is a bi-compatible title. n ot sure what "enhancements" the Arcade card gives it though.

[Mathius]

What nat said..also add Kabuki Itouryodan (fighter but a blast to play), and though it doesn't seem popular I enjoy Mad Stalker.

What is Mad Stalker all about in your own words?

Side scrolling, big robot, explosions   

Ooohhh

Is  Kabuki Ittouryoudan based on the Far East of Eden series?

[Opethian]

The Arcade card for Popful Mail is supposed to reduce some load times but the load times never bothered me without it

[Mathius]

The Arcade card for Popful Mail is supposed to reduce some load times but the load times never bothered me without it

I was going to wait and get the Sega CD version, but I might just get both now.

[hoobs88]

I didn't know that Popful Mail was an ACD!!

Popful is a bi-compatible title. n ot sure what "enhancements" the Arcade card gives it though.

PC Engine Catalog Project has it listed as both ACD and SCD. I never knew what that meant.

[Mathius]

Hey nat, The Brothers Duomazov need to get reviews up for Popful Mail and Strider.

[Tatsujin]

I think he's going to hook me up for less than $150. Is this a good deal, and does anyone know if he is trustworthy?

I don't think that this is a good deal for a boot. double it and you may get already an original copy. the boot shouldn't be more than 50~60. As a matter of fact, it shouldn't even exist.

[Tatsujin]

I didn't know that Popful Mail was an ACD!!

Popful is a bi-compatible title. n ot sure what "enhancements" the Arcade card gives it though.

PC Engine Catalog Project has it listed as both ACD and SCD. I never knew what that meant.

That what nec just had explained, it is one of the many bi-compatible titles with enhanced cut-scenes (usually more animations/frames or just more scenes in one row without interloadings). usually it has no influence to the game itself.

[Mathius]

I think he's going to hook me up for less than $150. Is this a good deal, and does anyone know if he is trustworthy?

I don't think that this is a good deal for a boot. double it and you may get already an original copy. the boot shouldn't be more than 50~60. As a matter of fact, it shouldn't even exist.

I agree it shouldn't exist, but paying $300 for a PC Engine game is just ludicrous to me. The most I ever spent on a game was $108 for a copy of Drac X. I am torn now. Thanks Tats!

[nat]

Sapphire.

Also, I hear Madou Monogatari is fan-fucking-tastic.

I am going to get Sapphire as soon as I can figure out this issue on bootlegs. I don't really care if I get a boot as long as it is factory-like quality. I hooked up with this guy named Tobias at anime4ever which I found out about on these forums a month back. I think he's going to hook me up for less than $150. Is this a good deal, and does anyone know if he is trustworthy?

He is 100% trustworthy, but..... $150 is too much for one of these reprints. He keeps nudging the price up year after year and now it's so high it's half the price of a "real" copy.

Keep in mind, this very same guy was selling this EXACT product a couple years ago for $40. I'm sure "his price" on these hasn't increased by $110. I'd be surprised if it's increased at all-- I find it far more likely he's still selling copies of the original run, on which he didn't seem to have a problem making some $$ at the $40 price point.

[Tatsujin]

it's kinda shaky. the only thing I can imagine of is the fact that he is running out of his own boot copies and he's not able to make new ones. so now he is slighlty increasing the price with every copy left his stock.

[SignOfZeta]

Yeah, he's probably down to his last couple of copies of Sapphire.

$150 is a horrible price. I'm not sure I remember anyone paying that much for the boot unless they thought it was real. Hold out for $60, although that seems kind of crazy IMO as well. I payed something like $40, I think.

As for what your first Arcade Card game should be...its tough if you don't like Geo games since those are its strong point. At least get Fatal Fury Special since its cheap as hell and one of the best.

Strider will not blow your mind. I'm not a big Strider fanboy, so I haven't compared all the versions, but you might as well have the Megadrive version from what I've seen.

Sapphire is the best overall game for the AC.

Popful Mail underwent a massive transformation for the MegaCD. The PCE version is a lot like an old computer game. The characters are square and the screen is cropped and all that. I'm not saying to not buy it, I'm just letting you know.

3x3 Eyes has the most impressive 16-bit cinemas (the opening at least) I've ever seen. If you can get it for $10 or whatever, do it, just for that. Its a digital comic though, so don't expect to have much fun with it, regardless of what languages you speak.

Honestly the Arcade Card is kind of like a less sucky version of the SuperGrafx. They both do some impressive stuff, but the best PC Engine games are Super CDs.

[shubibiman]

Fatal Fury Special is a very good conversion but I honestly think that World heroes 2's port is the best of all the Neogeo ports for the ACD. But I think gameplay-wise, nothing compares with Kabuki Itouryodan which is a bit more expensive but not that hard to find.

I was a bit disappointed by Metal stalker. I love mechas but the gameplay is not that good.

[Gogan]

I agree Sapphire is a must. I have dealt with Tobias before and from my exp., you can trust him. Funny the game would be 150 tho as I picked it up not long ago (2-3 months) for 45 or somethin like that.

[termis]

Sapphire -- It's actually really good shooter in its own right, and it truly is a technical tour-de-force for the PCE.  However, as a game (not a collector's piece) it's definitely not worth triple digit+ prices in my opinion, original or not.  I have no shame in saying that I downloaded this game, and will probably never own the original.

All NG ports are pry the best of the 16-bit versions, you can't really go wrong with any of them, if you're into those kind of games. 

Kabuki Itoryodan isn't bad, though I don't think it's spectacular either. 

Strider's gameplay is a bit broken and the graphic color choices are a bit strange compared to other ports, but the PCE version's red book audio BLOWS AWAY all other versions.  The BGM music alone is almost worth the purchase in my opinion.

[Nazi NecroPhile]

There's no such thing as a hidden gem among the Arcade Card titles (there's only a dozen of 'em), so here's the easy answer: get 'em all!  Madou Monogatari is cute, fun, top notch.... and expensive; Sapphire is a great shmup but even pricier; so I'd start off with Kabuki Itouryodan, as it's a pretty choice fighter, not a port of something you've probably played to death already, and best of all - it's rather cheap.


My Sapphire boot also came from that dude, so you needn't worry about him being a scammer.  I wouldn't buy one now though, as $150 is just nuts for a fake; I'd rather blow a few more bucks and get the real deal or wait 'til someone sells their boot for a good price.  Alternatively, his website still lists $45 copies sans manual and with 'discolored' discs.

[Mathius]

What does he mean by discolored discs?

[Nazi NecroPhile]

What does he mean by discolored discs?

Look at the last two pics on his page - what should be a dark blue band is purple and what should be blue text is cyan.

[Mathius]

What does he mean by discolored discs?

Look at the last two pics on his page - what should be a dark blue band is purple and what should be blue text is cyan.

That's cool. I was just hoping that it didn't mean that the disc was a CD-R.

[Mathius]

It looks like I was confused on the pricing. The "discolored" boots are $45 and that's the one I am going to have him set me up with.

[Gogan]

Actually, that's the one I got, it works great, still a pressed boot, not cd-r. The manual is just a front, back, and spread inside. Great deal imo.

[BlueBMW]

Who do I contact to get one of these cheap reprint copies of Sapphire?

[Mathius]

http://sapphire.anime4ever.de/

I just sent my payment.

[BlueBMW]

http://sapphire.anime4ever.de/

I just sent my payment.

Excellent!  Thanks for the tip!

Now to locate an Arcade card and region mod my duo.. hmmm

[WoodyXP]

You gotta get'em all.  Even the crappy wrestling game. 

[Nazi NecroPhile]

Even the crappy wrestling game.

They're both crappy.

[shubibiman]

No : they're both wrestling games, no need to say they're crappy