02 January 2013

Episode 114: Neo Geo

Neo Geo is the focus of Episode 114.  Neo Geo, the infamous video game console which sold for $1000 with games at $200 a piece.  This is the first time Brent and Rob play Neo Geo tracks on the podcast and they dedicate a whole episode to it.  The also restrict their choices to titles released from 1990-1993 in order to preserve the "legacy" aesthetic.  There's some really good music in this episode, so check it out!  Full track listing below.



Game - Composer - Song - Company - Console - Year (North American release unless otherwise indicated)

n/a - Yasumasa Yamada - Neo Geo Logo - SNK - Neo Geo - 1990

Alpha Mission II - Yoko Osaka - The Space Flight (Area 1) - SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Ghost Pilots - Masahiko Hataya (Papaya) - First Stage of Right Side - SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Magician Lord - Hiroaki Shimizu - Castle of Devils (Stage 4) - ADK/SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Thrash Rally - Hideki Yamamoto, Hiroaki Shimizu - Round 4: 1000 Lakes (Finland) - ADK/SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Ninja Combat - Hideki Yamamoto, Hiroaki Shimizu - Ending - ADK/SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Top Player's Golf - Kikuko Hataya - Carnaval (Main 1) - SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Quiz Meitantei Neo & Geo: Quiz Daisousasen Part 2 - Yoshihiko Kitamura (Jojouha Kitapy), Yasuo Yamate (Tate Norio), Yoko Osaka, Hiroaki Shimizu, Toshikazu Tanaka (Tarkun), Rikuo - A.D. 2042/Policewoman - SNK - Neo Geo (Japan) - 1992

Mutation Nation - Masahiko Hataya (Papaya) - Ending - SNK - Neo Geo - 1992

Quiz Daisousasen: The Last Count Down - Yasuo Yamate (Tate Norio), Hiroaki Shimizu, Makko - Story Select - SNK - Neo Geo (Japan) - 1991

Quiz Meitantei Neo & Geo: Quiz Daisousasen Part 2 - Yoshihiko Kitamura (Jojouha Kitapy), Yasuo Yamate (Tate Norio), Yoko Osaka, Hiroaki Shimizu, Toshikazu Tanaka (Tarkun), Rikuo - Credits (Story 2) - SNK - Neo Geo (Japan) - 1992

Blue's Journey - Yuka Watanabe - Boss - ADK/SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Eight Man - Yoshihiko Kitamura (Jojouha Kitapy), Yoko Osaka, Makiko - Stage 1-1 - SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Thrash Rally - Hideki Yamamoto, Hiroaki Shimizu - Title - ADK/SNK - Neo Geo - 1991

Super Sidekicks - Yoshihiko Kitamura (Jojouha Kitapy), Yoko Osaka - Team Select - SNK - Neo Geo - 1993

Football Frenzy - Yasuo Yamate (Tate Norio), Yoshihiko Kitamura (Jojoha Kitapy), Tina Terko - Credits - SNK - Neo Geo - 1992

6 comments:

  1. I have a theory on why golf games have awesome scores:

    Total creative breathing room for the composer.

    Think about it, with a golf game, you don't have to worry about "appropriate thematic content" or anything like that. This allows the composer to have a ton of fun. Plus you're listening to the tracks for a while (assuming they're course tracks) so you can do nice LONG tracks with instrumental solos, etc. You can have fun with the genre, style, instrumentation, and so on. There are some golf tracks that have jazz styles, orchestral styles, rock styles... etc.

    I would LOVE to write for a Japanese golf game for that reason.

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  2. I've never played a Neo Geo game in my life. I worked in an arcade in the mid 90s, and we had one of the Neo Geo machines with multiple games in it; all fighting games. I remember watching people play those games and they were all combos and summoning other characters and multiple things happening at the same time and all the characters were yelling and shit was just going nuts. In my opinion every fighting game since that experience has looked that way and has made me feel claustrophobic and nervous. I was much more comfortable watching people play the Mortal Kombat 3 machine, simply because I understood what I was looking at.

    Neo Geo always stood for something I wasn't, because it was so advanced and futuristic and expensive. It basically said to me "hey kid, you're not a real gamer unless you play me." Apparently the home console said that to a lot of people because I remember it wasn't exactly a success.

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  3. Ah, the Neo Geo... every man's dream. Well, maybe just mine. I've never played a real one, but I am very familiar with its games through less than legal means (piracy is bad, kids). Although most of what I know is post '94 so I really wasn't familiar with what was played during this episode. Which is great because I have a ton of new soundtracks to check out! I especially enjoyed Alpha Mission 2, Magician Lord, and 8 Man... but I think everything on this episode was a winner. Thanks for dedicating an entire episode to my favorite console I'll never be able to play!

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