Glossary

NEOGEO GLOSSARY

NeoGeo Glossary

A quick guide for many of the terms used in the NeoGeo scene.

AES / AES Cartridge

Term first coined by Dion Dakis of NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA in early 1999 to represent cartridges that were meant for consumer use (home cartridges). Stands for Advanced Entertainment System. The term originally described the system itself: the English language logo for the NeoGeo had “Advanced Entertainment System” stamped between the Neo and Geo -fulfilling the Japanese love for adding superlatives to their product descriptions. The term originally was not well approved by some people in the beginning because people were used to calling them "home cart." But as Dion kept pointing out, anything in the home could be called a home cart: (i.e. "MVS carts are home carts if they are in your home."). The term "AES" has now become a popular short hand for describing a home/consumer cartridge and is now 100% accepted, used, and understood by all. (i.e. “I traded my Neo CD system for his Metal Slug 3 AES.”). AES carts are not compatible with the arcade (MVS) system (except by conversion).

MVS / MVS Cartridge

Term describing cartridges for the Neo Geo arcade system. Stands for Multi Video System. The term is actually part of the name of the arcade system: the Neo Geo Multi Video System (See Neo Geo MVS). Although they contain the same “guts” (ROM chips and such), they are not compatible with the home system (different size outputs). They manufacturer did this to prevent arcade operators from buying the then cheaper home carts (MVS carts debut in the $500-$1200+ range, home carts in the $180-$300 range). MVS carts are not compatible with the AES system (except by conversion or adapter)

SNK

Company that created the Neo Geo. Stands for Shin Nihon Kikaku. Operated from 1978-2001. Began creating arcade games in the late ‘70s, created a number of popular series in the early ‘80s and ported many of them onto computers and the venerable NES. In 1990, SNK entered the home system consumer market with the NeoGeo, the first ‘premium’ home system. Hit with a serious of growing financial problems starting in the late ‘90s, SNK finally closed on Oct. 22, 2001.

1, 2, 4, 6-slot

The number of games allowed on a Neo Geo MVS arcade unit. Since the games game in separate cartridges to lower costs (and promote the home system), MVS boards were designed with slots for the cartridges. More 4-slot cabinets were produced than any other. 6-slots are very large boards, and sometimes cannot fit in all cabinets. 6-slots have been known to have reliability issues, but this can be averted through proper care.

Baggy / manual baggy (protective sleeve)

The clear plastic bag that contains the instruction booklet in new Neo Geo home cartridges. These are considered a component of a “complete” cartridge and are valued by some collectors. (Also see Protective Sleeve)

Big Game

A term coined by Chris Ray of NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA to describe a converted that cartridge that requires 2 sac carts because of B board/character board protection, while the A board/program board does not utilize chip protection.

Bios Chip

See "Debug modification."

Candy / Candy Cab

Term for the smaller, more space efficient Japanese arcade cabinets popular in arcades throughout the Pacific Rim.

Cardboard box / carton-box

The original Japanese release home cartridges came in cardboard boxes (similar to the cardboard boxes used in NES boxes, only much larger). The boxed contained a molded plastic tray that held the cartridge and manual.

Cases, New-Style

See "Snap-cases".

Case, Old-Style

These home cartridge cases were thin and had a clear cover for placement of the insert. The were the size of large books and closed snugly in a clam-shell manner. Inside they contained a molded plastic tray to hold the cartridge and manual. They were replaced by newer style snaplock cases in 1995.

CD only

A game that was only released in the NeoGeo CD format. These were created as incentive for buying the NeoGeo CD system.

CDZ

The NeoGeo CDZ is the second CD system made by SNK. It has been falsely claimed that it has a double speed drive. Actually, it has a larger cache for holding loaded information, and has a more efficient CD drive.
Still does not eliminate the notorious CD load times on later titles. Has been said to be less reliable than the original CD system.

Conversion

The procedure that takes an MVS cart and converts it into an AES cart playable on the home system. This involves the use of a sacrificial cartridge (sac cart) as a host for the new converted cart.
The game used for the sac cart is destroyed or can be converted back to MVS.

Converted Cart

A game that has been modded to AES by conversion of an MVS cart. See Conversion.

Debug/BIOS Mod

Modification that allows the Neo Geo home system to open up the debug/BIOS menu that arcade operators use (since the MVS and AES carts are the same program).
Required the installation of a special add-on chip to change the regular AES BIOS chip into the arcade chip.

DHP

Neo-Geo DHP Mailing List: The original Neo Geo mailing list is still going after 12 years. Achives can be accessed on the main DHP website (the pre-1997 archives are very incomplete).
Great way to look into the past. Has been nicknamed the NeoGeo Holy Scrolls by some.

Dog-Tag

A NeoGeo “Special Seal” that was added to the spine of early English Neo Geo carts by SNK USA. The logo’s prominent feature was a rabid dog (pitbull). (Dion Dakis of NGF first coined it as the "Dog Tag logo" in 1997 and the name has stuck). This was later replaced by the standard “Neo Geo” symbol with “Advanced Entertainment System” written in the middle. Early European carts never used the Dog-Tag and instead used the AES symbol. See Euro-Tag.

Emulator

A program designed to simulate a home video game console on a computer.

EPROM

A memory chip whose contents can be erased by a mechanism using ultraviolet light and reprogrammed for other purposes. Bootleg (and some Authentic MVS) carts contain EPROMs that have been copied from the original ROMs of another game. These copies are known for frequent technical problems (from the transfer process) and potential failure. Also known as a PROM. Stands for Programmable Read-Only Memory.

Euro / Euro-tag (NeoGeo logo)

While the early US versions of Home Carts used a special “dog-tag,” the rest of early English carts (collectively known as Euro-carts) were stamped with the standard Neo-Geo/AES symbol that became the standard outside-Japan Neo-Geo symbol.

Fatal Fury (also: FF2, FFS, FF3, FFWA [Wild Ambition],)

Genre / Game Genres

NeoGeo games consist of 7genres: Action, Fighting, Puzzle, Racing. Shooting, Sports, and Variety. English Neo Geo carts that have the Neo Geo logo have stripes that go above the logo on the spine and to the right of the logo on the front cover. There was an idea by SNK to make the color of the stripe representative of the game’s genre: Red for fighting games, blue for shooters, and green for sports titles; but SNK never kept this uniform, and on many release simply reverted to the red stripes. Thus, nearly all official SNK produced carts were made with red stripes. Attempts to “genre correct” inserts to match SNK’s original attempts have been accomplished by NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA, these are 100% official and authorized by SNK-Japan, Aruze, Playmore, and proven official in US Federal Court.
Official NGF genre correct inserts. Action=Orange, Fighting=Red, Puzzle=Yellow, Racing=Grey, Shooting=Blue, Sports=Green, Variety=Pink.

Hotel Unit / Rental Unit

Special MVS unit designed to be connected to a TV. Very sturdy construction allows a TV to be placed on top of the stand-like unit. Contains an MVS unit that used home system controllers (can fit one old-style joystick inside cabinet). Uses a coin-slot. Was originally designed as a rental game system for hotel rooms.

Hyper NeoGeo64

Neo Geo Hyper 64 was a failed attempt by SNK to create a 64-bit arcade system to follow the immense success of the Neo Geo MVS. It also used a similar interchangeable-cart system. Only 7 games were made. 4 fighting, 2 driving, and 1 gun game. Many unreleased prototype games were in development and were never released.

JAMMA

The international standard connection used for arcade boards (PCBs) since 1986. Created to make changing games and converting cabinets easier for arcade operators. JAMMA stands for Japanese Amusement Machine Manufacturers Association. The Neo Geo MVS is JAMMA compatible.

JPN

Japanese version.

KLOV

The Killer List Of Video Games, an very useful arcade resource website at klov.com

http://www.klov.com

KoF

The King Of Fighters, usually followed by the year (i.e. KOF’94 – ‘01)

Korean AES

Officially produced English cartridges that were produced in Korea.

Link-Up Feature

Several of the early Neo Geo AES releases featured a socket on top of the home cartridge that allowed two home systems with the same cartridge to be linked together for up to 4-player action. There was never a link cable ever created for this feature. The three games were League Bowling, Riding Hero, and Thrash Rally.

Manual bag/baggy / protective sleeve

See "Baggy" and Protective sleeve

Marquee / Marquis

The special semi-transparent card that shows displays the game title (and sometimes basic instructions) on the lighted MVS marquee. Sometimes photocopied with very mixed results.

Memory Card

Self explanatory. The Neo Geo was the first major home system to offer this feature, which also allowed players to save games at the arcade (fully interchangeable with both formats). The Neo Geo memory card holds 2kb of info. There is Panasonic card that is also compatible with the Neo Geo that holds 1MB (more than you’ll ever need). They are PCMCIA cards.

Modded

A modded system is a home console that had been modified with added and/or enhanced features like added S-Video, Debug chip, etc.

MotW

Garou: Mark of the Wolves (latest sequel of FF series, FF was called Garou Densetsu in JPN).

MS / Slug

Metal Slug (also: MS2, MSX, MS3, MS4)

MVS boxes

These are the original cardboard boxes that all MVS games came in. They are blain brown cardboard and have the same MVS sticker on the spine of the box (to show what game is inside). Many MVS collectors prefer these cardboard boxes to after-market cases.

MVS cases

Specially created red cases that were produced to hold MVS cartridges. These clam-shell style cases include a clear cover to hold marquees, copied inserts, or homebrew inserts. A nice touch, but the wrong size was always an issue since copied inserts would be too small for the case.

MVS home set up

Originally created and coined by Chris Ray of NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA in 1997, it describes a MVS system configured to play directly to a television without the need of an outside device such as a SuperGun. Chris was the first person to make this a reality.

MVS only

A game that was never released on the home market on either AES cartridge or CD.

Neo Community

The informal, colorful, and rather anarchic group of gamers and collectors world-wide who share an interest in the NeoGeo and its progeny. They are known for their passion and individualism.

Neo Geo 64 / Hyper 64

see Hyper NeoGeo 64

Neo Geo MVS

Arcade PCB created by SNK that used easy to swap cheaper game cartridges (See MVS carts) instead of replacing the entire board. Came in several sizes (See 1-6 Slots). Format proved to be exceptionally popular, keeping the system alive from its inception (1989) until the present.

NeoGeo World / NeoGeo Land

NeoGeo themed amusement parks in Japan. Had more than one location, main location (NeoGeo World) was in Tokyo at the Tokyo Bayside (complete with Ferris Wheel). Closed with the demise of SNK in 2001.

Neo Store

NeoStore.com. Independent game store dedicated to the Neo Geo. Nice selection of items, but prices are a little too high.

http://www.neostore,com

Neo-Geo.com

Large NeoGeo website with forums, reviews, and international membership. Neo-Geo.com opened forums in August 2000 and rose to become a center of a NeoGeo community of funny and non-registered accounts by late 2000. Most of the members there don't have a NeoGeo, they just go there for the daily drama. Join and read their boards if you want to sift through rants and flames arguments with name calling and very little moderation. They will let all other non related topics to be discussed, including members calling out sexuality fears and posting pornographic photos. Very little positive discussions about the NeoGeo exist there. It has the potential to be a great site if they would practice some type of unbiased ,adult type, attitude and moderation.

http://www.neo-geo.com

NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA

NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA (commonly known as NGF): The pioneer company that based its name from the Japanese fan magazine, NeoGeo Freak. Formed by Dion Dakis and Chris Ray, the two biggest NeoGeo collectors in the world. Their continuing promotion, marketing, and constant efforts to bring out all the unreleased cartridges and collectibles to fans globally. Distributors of NeoGeo consumer goods for SNK of America from 1996 to 2001. NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA bought out all of the remaining consumer stock from SNK before SNK closed down. NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA was also the only team to ever release an exclusive English AES game in conjunction with SNK of Japan ala "The King of Fighters 2000." NGF has keep the NeoGeo alive and a little more fun with their web pages and open candor posts. NGF was also the very first team to market retrofit converted cartridges complete with art of insert, sticker, (some with manual) for every game that was originally MVS only. This is done to provide more games for NeoGeo fans. 2 Massive web sites show many pages of NeoGeo items and information.

http://www.ngfusa.com http://www.neogeofreak.com

NGH#

Product ID and game code numbers designating the order of when a Neo Geo game was produced. All official Neo Geo games until recently included an NGH number. These numbers do not always go in exact sequential order, leaving gaps accounting for games never completed/produced.

NGP / NGP BW

Neo Geo Pocket (released Oct.’98). The original, Black & White Neo Geo Pocket that was only released in Japan. SNK release the NGPColor a year later.

NGPC

Neo Geo Pocket Color, the second and most popular portable system by SNK. Debuted in 1999. It could link with the Sega Dreamcast.

PCB

an arcade board, the part that contains that game in an arcade machine, looks like large circuit board. The Neo Geo MVS is a PCB cartridge board.

Phantom-1 / adapter

An MVS-to-AES adapter that allows an AES system to play cheaper MVS carts. Can be unreliable. There have been many of these made from many different homebrew companies

Protective sleeve / Manual protective sleeve / NGF protective sleeve

New and exclusive protective manual sleeves or baggies that are used to place the manuals inside. These protective sleeves are much different from the older ones by the fact that the plastic is stronger and the bag has a special seal that can be opened and then resealed airtight.

Proto cart / prototype cartridge

Games that were either not released for a certain format or never officially released for the Neo Geo on any format in any territory, but have, in some way or other, been “rediscovered" or "found."

RBFF

Real Bout Fatal Fury (also: RBFFS, RBFF2)(see FF)

RGB

Special connection that delivers video in three separate feeds (Red, Green, Blue) for superior visual quality. Also known as Component Video. You must have a special scart compatible monitor/television. SNK produced an official RGB cable.

ROM (1)

An original MVS cartridge will contain ROM chips. ROM stands for Read-Only Memory. One of two basic types of memory. ROM contains only permanent information put there by the manufacturer; information in ROM cannot be altered, nor can the memory be dynamically allocated by the computer or its operator. The ROM chips in an original MVS game will be stamped with SNK.

ROM (2)

The nickname for a video game file on computer. ROMs are played on emulators. It is illegal to possess the ROM of a game you do not own. The usage of the term has little to do with the actual definition. See ROM (1).

S-Video

Modification for the Neo Geo home system that adds the ability to use S-Video for S-Video compatible Televisions. Superior quality.

Sac Cart

Sacrificial cartridge. Key component for conversion. See Conversion.

Signature Series MVS labels

Exclusive and custom designed MVS labels designed by NeoGeoFreak/NGF-USA. These beautiful labels were made for the serious NeoGeo MVS collector in mind. These labels are professionally printed and DIE-CUT to the exact measurements of old regular MVS labels. The major advantage is that the Signature Series labels include genre striping, Meg count, NGH product number, year released, and company/developer name. These create a true artistic and high class look for any MVS cartridge.

Snap-cases / lock box

SNK started producing these sturdier cases in 1995. Made of hard plastic, these clam-shell cases closed and were ‘locked-shut’ by a special flap. Other than the clear plastic-insert cover, the case was a one-piece mold and fit both the cartridge and manual inside. The interior bears the marking “SNK” which can damage a manual if incorrectly placed (rare, but confirmed occurrence). Very slightly bigger than the already large old-style cases.

Samurai Shodown (also: SS2, SS3, SS4, SS-RPG [Role Playing Game])

Stripes / Genre stripes

see Genre

SuperGun / SuperNova

An special home-system designed to play arcade boards on TVs. Can be cumbersome. An option for a person who wants the cheaper games via MVS, but does not want to spring for a full-size cabinet. Many SuperGuns exist in various shapes and sizes.

Unreleased cart/cartridge

Generally refers to a game that was not officially released on AES format but WAS released on MVS format. It may seem a little confusing, but the term came from saying "That game is an unreleased on AES." These games are most often what any "converted cartridge" is. (i.e. "I just bought my first unreleased cart, ZedBlade!") Now there are also "Unreleased MVS" carts. Meaning a game that is available on AES, but never released on MVS - like prototype games Fun Fun Brothers, Mystic Wand, Dunk Star, Bang Busters, Last Odyssey, etc....

Vic System

A Korean made AES Cart system. Officially licensed by SNK. Has “VIC” written on the console. Much lighter than the standard console.

Void Stickers

These stickers were designed to prevent a person from tampering with a game and then returning it (originally designed for rental outlets and resellers like Game Dude, now common in the industry). They are placed on the cartridge seams to prevent tampering. They leave a “VOID” residue if removed and show tell tale sings if anyone has tampered or tried tampering with the sticker in any way. If tampered with or removed they will void any warranty agreement given. The can be removed off plastic with proper cleaners. They cannot be removed from paper without severe damage. Used by many retailers world-wide, not always on all products. NeoGeoFreak offers a fully transferable lifetime warranty on any item they sell with their "Warranty sticker." (NeoGeoFreak also sells these warranties to interested parties.)

World Heroes (also: WH2, WHJ [Jet], WHP [Perfect]).

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Collector terms / ladder system
         Used to describe ones collection level status by other NeoGeo fans, gamers, and collectors.

- AES
     Aspiring Freak - newbie in the Neo AES collecting game. Under 50 AES carts
     NeoGeoFreak: - reaching 100+ AES carts with 5 being converts.
     Big Tymer: - person with 4 Big Games or 3 Big Game and 8 converted carts.
     Executive: - having ALL the NeoGeo carts and Big Games in your collection.
     Super Freak: - the pinnacle of AES collecting. Owning all the unreleased/converts cartridges.

*(A person can own SuperFreak items and not be deemed a SuperFreak collector)

- MVS
     Aspiring Freak - newbie in the MVS collecting game. Under 50 MVS carts
     NeoGeoFreak: - reaching 80+ MVS carts
     Big Tymer: - reaching 100+ MVS carts .
     Executive: - having the completed MVS cartridge line-up.
     Super Freak: - the pinnacle of MVS collecting. Owning all MVS carts and unreleased prototype games.

*(A person can own SuperFreak items and not be deemed a SuperFreak collector)

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Special thanks go out to Bobak who first created and put together this informative Neo Glossary and for allowing us to use and place this helpful guide on our site.
It's a great idea and we'll add to it as new terms as they come up.
(we edited listings of game companies and some retail shops which weren't needed)

Last Update O1/16/02 / 12:09am PST

New terms added: Signature Series MVS labels, Protective sleeve, Genre