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31-957: Ports of Real Bout were released in February 1996 for the Neo-Geo CD and PlayStation in Japan and Europe. In September 1996, a port was released in Japan for the Sega Saturn , which requires the 1MB RAM cartridge for the system. It was included in Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 2 compilation released in February 2007 for the PlayStation 2 . The compilation was re-released in the PlayStation Store on PlayStation 4 in March 2017. Real Bout changes

62-522: Is not an MVS game, but was ported directly to the Neo Geo CD). Two prototype games were in development: Bang² Busters [ Bang Bang Busters ] (Made by Visco in 2000. Released in 2010 for Neo Geo CD by N.C.I. ) and Treasure of the Caribbean [ Caribe no Zaihō ] (Made by Face in 1994. Released in 2011 for Neo Geo CD by N.C.I./Le Cortex). Next Generation (magazine) Next Generation

93-552: Is the original console design, while the top loader version was developed shortly before the Neo Geo CD launch as a smaller, cheaper alternative model. All three versions of the system have no region lock , but they are region aware, and some games will display English or Japanese depending on the console's region setting. The system can also play Audio CDs . The system itself was originally priced at US$ 399 . Approximately one month after launch, SNK reported that they had sold

124-463: The screen[shot] on the right is a load screen." In response to criticism of the Neo Geo CD's long load times, SNK planned to produce a model with a double speed CD-ROM drive for North America, compared to the single speed drive of the Japanese and European models. However, the system missed its planned North American launch date of October 1995, and while SNK declined to give a specific reason for

155-634: The Neo Geo AES and ported instead to the Neo Geo CD. These include Puzzle Bobble , Janshin Densetsu: Quest of Jongmaster (a Mahjong game also released for the PC Engine ), Power Spikes II , Neo Drift Out: New Technology , and Pleasure Goal: 5 on 5 Mini Soccer ( Futsal: 5-on-5 Mini Soccer ). A few games which were unreleased in MVS and AES formats were also released exclusively for

186-419: The Neo Geo AES system although with less expensive games. They gave it 1 1/2 out of 5 stars. In response to reader inquiries about Neo Geo CD software, GamePro reported in an issue cover dated May 1997 that SNK had quietly discontinued the console by this time. It was also the last home console produced by SNK. The system is also capable of reading Redbook standard compact disc audio. In addition to

217-490: The Neo Geo CD's entire initial shipment of 50,000 units. Criticism of the system's generally long loading times began even before launch; a report in Electronic Gaming Monthly on the Neo Geo CD's unveiling noted, "At the show, they were showing a demo of Fatal Fury 2 . The prototype of the machine that they showed was single speed, and the load time was 14-28 seconds between rounds. You can see that

248-624: The Neo Geo CD. These include Ironclad: Tesshō Rusha ( Chōtetsu Burikingā , BRIKIN'GER ), Crossed Swords II , ZinTrick ( Oshidashi Zintorikku ), ADK World , Neo Geo CD Special , The King of Fighters '96 Neo Collection , Samurai Shodown RPG ( Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidō Retsuden ; an RPG spin-off of the Samurai Shodown series that was also released for the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn ), and Idol-Mahjong Final Romance 2 (an arcade game which

279-468: The UK-based sister magazine to Next-Gen. In July 2008, Next-Gen.biz was rebranded as Edge-Online.com. Next Generation ' s content did not focus on screenshots , walkthroughs , and cheat codes . Instead the content was more focused on game development from an artistic perspective. Interviews with people in the video game industry often featured questions about gaming in general rather than about

310-554: The controls and battles, and improved the sense of exhilaration and ease of use by adding two health bars and flashy effects. To achieve this, they made the decision to bring most of the processing that was highly praised in Fatal Fury 3 to the foreground in Real Bout . In retrospect, Yasuyuki Oda believes Real Bout was a masterpiece. In Japan, Game Machine listed Real Bout Fatal Fury on their February 1, 1996 issue as being

341-492: The credit or responsibility for each article and review, even those written by individuals. The review ranking system was based on a number of stars (1 through 5) that ranked games based on their merits overall compared to what games were already out there. Next Generation had a few editorial sections like "The Way Games Ought To Be" (originally written every month by game designer Chris Crawford ) that would attempt to provide constructive criticism on standard practices in

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372-431: The delay, in their announcement of the new January 1996 launch date they stated that they had decided against using a double speed drive. Their Japanese division had produced an excess number of single speed units and found that modifying these units to double speed was more expensive than they had initially thought, so SNK opted to sell them as they were, postponing production of a double speed model until they had sold off

403-472: The details of the latest game or game system they were working on. Next Generation was first published prior to the North American launch of the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation , and much of the early content was in anticipation of those consoles. Apart from the regular columns , the magazine did not use bylines . The editors explained that they felt the magazine's entire staff should share

434-601: The equivalent cartridge. The Neo Geo CD was launched with a bundled control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version of the Neo Geo came with, however the system was compatible with controllers from the AES. The Neo Geo CD had met with limited success due to it being plagued with slow loading times that could vary from 30 to 60 seconds between loads, depending on the game. As of March 1997, there had been 570,000 Neo Geo CD units sold worldwide; production of all Neo Geo hardware

465-453: The fourth most-popular arcade game at the time. According to Famitsu , both the AES and Neo Geo CD version sold over 22,750 and 63.091 copies in their first week on the market respectively. Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Neo Geo AES version their "Game of the Month" award. Their four reviewers applauded the pits, the overhauled personality of the characters, the high end graphics, and

496-411: The game as a refinement drawn from the countless hours SNK had spent making 2D fighting games. While they derided the game's lack of originality, particularly its similarity to the previous installment Fatal Fury 3 , Maximum assessed it as "a well-rounded and entertaining fighting title". They particularly approved of the oversway system, the barriers preventing easy ring outs, the balanced difficulty of

527-474: The humor. Andrew Baran described the game as "intense, both in speed and pyrotechnics". GamePro deemed it a major improvement over Fatal Fury 3: Road to the Final Victory , citing the greater effectiveness of the characters Bob and Mary, the more refined combo system, and the inclusion of moves which were taken out of the previous game. They criticized the reduction from four action buttons to three,

558-505: The level of the Power Gauge: Real Bout also introduces stages with ring-outs, a gameplay feature previously introduced in 3D fighting games such as Virtua Fighter , but the out of bounds areas are guarded by barriers. If a fighter's attacks force the opponent to hit a barrier enough times, the barrier is destroyed, and a fighter can win by knocking the opponent out of bounds. The normal chain combo system, including in

589-641: The mid-air, is similar to that of X-Men: Children of the Atom . The game retains the character roster from Fatal Fury 3 , with the boss characters ( Ryuji Yamazaki , Jin Chonrei and Jin Chonshu ) now part of the regular cast. Duck King , Billy Kane and Kim Kaphwan , who were all last featured in Fatal Fury Special , are added to the cast. Series antagonist Geese Howard reprises his role from

620-496: The multi-AV port (nearly identical to the one used on the Sega Genesis model 1, though they are not interchangeable), all Neo Geo CD models had composite RCA A/V and S-Video out jacks on the rear of the console. The CD system's 56 Mbit / 7 MB of RAM was split accordingly: While the Neo Geo CD library consists primarily of ports of MVS and AES titles, there are a few MVS arcade games which were not officially released for

651-425: The one-player mode, and the two-player battles. Neo-Geo CD The Neo Geo CD ( ネオジオCD , Neo Jio Shī Dī ) is a home video game console produced by SNK Corporation , released on September 9, 1994. The system is the same platform as the cartridge-based Neo Geo released four years earlier, but converted to the cheaper CD media format which retailed at $ 49 to 79 per title compared to over $ 200 for

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682-439: The opponent. A dedicated button is now used to make an "oversway" (or change plane) towards the background or foreground. Real Bout introduces a Power Gauge, which fills up as the player performs normal or special techniques against their opponent or defend themselves, similar to many super move gauges featured in other fighting games. The Power Gauge allows players to perform one of three types of Special Techniques, depending on

713-427: The original Fatal Fury as the game's final boss. Real Bout was Geese Howard's final appearance in the Fatal Fury storyline, as the game's ending with Terry or Andy depicts the character's demise at the hands of either brother by falling off the roof of his tower, refusing to be saved by them. This was reflected by SNK's tagline for the game, " So long, Geese! " ( さらば、ギース , Saraba, Gīsu ) . SNK redesigned

744-446: The play controls from the previous Fatal Fury games, reducing the number of attack buttons from four to three: a standard punch and kick button, a "Strong Attack" button which can be either a stronger punch or kick attack, depending on the character. The game retains the three-plane "oversway" system from Fatal Fury 3 , which features a main lane for fighting, with foreground and background planes used to avoid attacks or leap towards

775-414: The previous models except that it includes a double-speed CD-ROM drive, and different CD controller circuitry. Reviewing the Neo Geo CD in late 1995, Next Generation noted SNK's reputation for fun games but argued that their failure to upgrade the Neo Geo system with 3D capabilities would keep them from producing any truly "cutting edge" games, and limit the console to the same small cult following as

806-433: The reuse of Geese Howard as the final boss, and the music ("ranges from banal rock to obnoxious drek"), but concluded that "With its emphasis on gameplay, this is one of the best Fatal Fury games ever." A reviewer for Next Generation echoed this sentiment: "The characters from the Fatal Fury series are all here and their moves have all been balanced to make this one of the best Fatal Fury titles ever." He characterized

837-414: The stock of single speed units. The CDZ was released on December 29, 1995 as the Japanese market replacement for SNK 's previous efforts (the "front loader" and the "top loader" ). The CDZ was only officially sold in Japan during its production, however its faster loading times made it a desirable import for enthusiasts in both Europe and North America. The system's technical specs are identical to

868-410: The then-still unreleased Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn . Unlike competitors GamePro and Electronic Gaming Monthly , the magazine was directed towards a different readership by focusing on the industry itself rather than individual games. The magazine was first published by GP Publications up until May 1995 when the publisher rebranded as Imagine Media . In September 1999, Next Generation

899-499: Was a US video game magazine that was published by Imagine Media (now Future US ). It was affiliated to and shared content with the UK's Edge magazine. Next Generation ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was published by Jonathan Simpson-Bint and edited by Neil West. Other editors included Chris Charla, Tom Russo, and Blake Fischer. Next Generation initially covered the 32-bit consoles including 3DO , Atari Jaguar , and

930-419: Was discontinued in 1997, while new software continued to be released until 2004. The Neo Geo CD was first unveiled at the 1994 Tokyo Toy Show. The console uses the same CPU set-up as the arcade and cartridge-based Neo Geo systems, facilitating conversions. SNK planned to release Neo Geo CD versions of every Neo Geo game still in the arcades. Three versions of the Neo Geo CD were released: The front loader

961-490: Was redesigned, and its cover name shortened NextGen . A year later, in September 2000, the magazine's width was increased from its standard 8 inches to 9 inches. This wider format lasted less than a year. The brand was resurrected in 2005 by Future Publishing USA as an industry-led website, Next-Gen.biz. It carried much the same articles and editorial as the print magazine, and reprinted many articles from Edge ,

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