| I m p
o r t s |
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| Import Updates |
| Neo
Geo King of Fighters 2000. Final Chapter. |
SNK's Asian
operations have ceased and their Hong Kong distribution partner is now helping in the
recall of USA and European software cartridges for resale and/or retrofit for the Japanese
market. The Asian versions of Faselei, Evolution, and Last Blade are now cancelled. NCS
will turn to Europe and attempt to stock these games for our customers who were waiting
for the Asian cartridges.
The development business for SNK's MVS and Hyper Neo Geo coin-op
systems and cartridges appears to have also ceased entirely. SNK will withdraw from the
arcade business after King of Fighters 2000 is finished and distributed. NCS maintains
relationships with a number of coin-op vendors and operators in Japan and this rumor had
floated recently through the ranks but it seemed too unlikely. This turn of events
essentially renders King of Fighters 2000 the last Neo Geo game for the MVS and home
cartridge. It remains to be seen if the franchise will be sold off but mass appeal for
SNK's fighting games remain solidly restricted to Japan and Asia. King of Fighters,
Samurai Shodown, and Fatal Fury have never sold well in the USA or Europe and the masses
have not taken to the SNK flavor of fighting. We respectfully exclude hardcore Neo Geo
Freaks from the term "masses". Those diehards who would never shirk from a $300
cartridge price tag and those who revel in "the Mother of All Fighting Games".
Earlier this year, SNK became a subsidiary of Japanese pachinko
manufacturer Aruze. The parent company has hacked and slashed and the only remnant
regarded as viable at the present time is the Japanese market for the Neo Geo Pocket.
Market forces rule any enterprise and it would be nonsense to place blame on any one
company. The people, also known as buyers, choose the sellers and determine viability in
any marketplace. For the Neo Geo markets, cult and niche weren't good enough. So it ends. |
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| Dreamcast
Twinsticks Reproduced |
Sega
has shipped a new production of the Dreamcast twinstick to vendors who placed pre-orders 4
months ago. Quantities are small but the controller will be available from NCS next week.
We have an extensive back-order list for this product but we'll sort names out and contact
our customers over the next couple of days. Due to tight allocation, we cannot accept any
new orders for this product at this time. If we can source additional quantities, we'll
offer them to those who have already been added to our waiting list.
The new production of Samba de Amigo Maracas controllers is expected
by the end of this month. |
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| Neo
Geo CD Restock? |
NCS has fielded
an offer from an SNK distributor in Japan for a wide variety of Neo Geo CD software. All
of the stock is new and there are roughly eighty different titles available. Individual
quantities are unknown but the complete collection is about 1000 pieces. As is usual in
these types of offers, it is all or nothing and we are considering the purchase terms and
cash outlay. Some of the titles include:
Metal Slug, Ghost Pilots, Sonic Wings 3, Sengoku 2, Top Hunter, Viewpoint, Kabuki
Klash, Gowcaizer, and Surreal Mahjong. Any indications of interest from Neo-CD fans out
there would be appreciated as we haven't focused on the Neo-CD in years and have little
clue as to the user base that would still buy CDs. Thank you. |
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