Thanks for such an in depth look at this much overlooked arcade hardware. I run a large retro arcade here in Australia and as big fans of the Neo Geo and PGM systems, we’re proud to have original versions of Martial Masters, Espagluda, Demon Front, The Gladiator and Knights of Valor 2. I believe it’s important to still have a public venue somewhere to be able to access and play these gaming treasures
Sorry to burst you bubble, but, no this is definitely NOT worthy of being in the school curriculum. I mean, it's not exactly Christopher Columbus or Florence Nightingale territory is it. Video games may be played by a lot of people, including myself, and yes I am old, but millions more wouldn't even know what a video game was. I can guarantee you that for millions of people play computer games 10's of millions don't. I was 45 before I seriously got into computer games. Wasn't interested. In my school we never even had computers. They were way too expensive. But we had books. That is where most learning comes from. And I have yet to see a school book that contains the history of video game consoles.
@bingchilling Man, things are certainly different from my day.We never got taught anything like TV and Film back when I want to school. It was just Science, Mahs, French and History (as in World War 1 and 2.)
Hell he’s covering history for people in the actual generation these arcade games existed like me! I love these vintage tech channels and MVG is at the too of them along with LGR.
3:55 Just a small point of contention here on aspect ratio: These older machines used CRT's, so the aspect ratio is determined by the dot clock of the motherboard, not the pixel count (or the CRT). So it's not a 2:1 aspect ratio unless you convert the signal into digital square pixels, which never happened back then.
@@iyatemu There's never been a console or arcade that exactly clocks the pixels into a 3:4 image on the output stage. Some get very close like the N64, but it's still not exactly 3:4. The PAR of the SNES you mentioned is 8:7, but the DAR is not. People forget the SNES sends 240 lines, and there are a handful of games that use 239 of them. So the DAR has to account for all 240 lines, making the SNES DAR actually 128:105. I have a video I dedicated to this dot clock research on my channel.
Fun Fact: Spectral vs Generation fighting game is based on Japan-only RPG Spectral Force series and Generation of Chaos series made by Idea Factory, the same developers who made Hyperdimension Neptunia series.
i was confused as hell seeing Hiro in a fighting game, cause me and my brother had Blazing Souls Accelate on PSP where she's a hidden character, and i knew she originated in the spectral series.
I love that this turned into a hidden gems video more than anything, thanks for the heads up, some of these I didn't even know existed and I will be checking them out on my MiSTer.
I went all out on this consolized arcade machine a couple years ago. Spent like $700 on Spectral V Generation, had Demon Front, Martial Masters (maybe the most underrated fighting game ever made), Knights of Valour, etc. Even had an acrylic etched IGS panel on top to make it feel more like a console. Played the crap out of that thing. Some great games
Hey, pretty good show Taiwan! Even though it was made when 2D was well on its way out of the door, you could have told me its games were CPS2/3 or Neo-Geo and I would have been none the wiser. DDP Daiou Jou, Martial Masters, and The Gladiator look fantastic even for the day, and the first mentioned has effects that almost fool me into thinking there's 3D hardware!
I remember playing demon front at the local arcade and loving it, I've been trying to emulate it for years but never could figure what system it was for, thank you for this video, truly.
Man neo geo was legendary when I was growing up. It was so rare and had a mystique to it almost haha. It was so so unattainable though back then. This is so cool that you make this content man..nostalgic.
I was fortunate enough to be friends with a “spoiled” kid. By spoiled I mean his parents could afford a neo geo with ALMOST every cartridge released on the home system! He was as you’d imagine sadly…. Spoiled enough to be the envy of the neighborhood but ALSO spoiled enough that after too many outbursts of not letting him win, he had chased anyone away that would’ve been friends with him in less time than it takes to lose a round of Samurai Showdown.
I notice that some of the games on the IGS collection have some input lag, but when you set the language to Chinese, reduces it and setting the screen to less than full further helps. This is noticeable in Martial Masters especially. Setting it back to English after you play it in Chinese, seems to keep the input lag reduced; but you have to do this each time you start the game. Also notice that when you hit the home button while playing; the entire Switch OS, seems to lack until you turn the game off. Any ideas as to what could be causing this from a technical perspective? Hope a patch fixes these issues. Thanks for brining these awesome games into greater awareness. Great stuff!
Great to see you again MVG. I use to play the Poly Game Master by IGS back in Hawaii. It was an amazing piece of hardware that few knew and even to this day. Glad you're giving the proper exposer towards it bro. Such an underrated unit. I posted this up on the Neo-Geo thread for others to benefit on the forums over on AtariAge for you bro. Thank you for sharing this with us and keep up the great work you always provide for the community. 8^) Anthony...
CAVE may not say it out right but Dodonpachi II is canonized in a way in DaiOuJou's after-action screens. Very rare export variant of DaiOuJou simply calls the game Dodonpachi III, and it was not dumped until recently.
Always love watching your videos to learn more. I try to watch a wife range of things on RUclips, daily. So anything retro gaming, modern gaming, tech, cars, music, comedians, podcast, etc is a must for me most times. So you sir, have provided me with invaluable information over the years. Even when I don't understand dev talk or coding/programming, I still listen as I know a tiny bit about computers. And I learn along the way. So thank you. Your videos are so interesting and coming from a dev yourself means a perspective many don't have. Super valuable.
The PGM is a cool platform. It was weird learning of another Neo Geo-like system while emulating arcade games, but that's due to its unusual origin being a system that came out of Taiwan and with the Asian market in mind. As much as Demon Front looks and feels like a Metal Slug clone, I like how they made it distinct with the art direction and certain gameplay features. Demon Front ends up being a slower game that is more defensive in my opinion. The Gladiator is fantastic, though some of the later bosses are really tough and hard to figure out. For that game, I don't mind credit feeding my way through it and I always have fun with it. The control scheme is interesting. I know the game holds quite a few major secrets that I only know about from some foreign RUclips videos. One of them showed a boss in the game that I have never seen elsewhere, though I have no idea how to encounter that one. I did follow along with another video and managed to successfully rescue the character, Fong Yu, that is a captive at some point to find one of the harder-to-find hidden paths which led to others. There's another part where you have to manipulate the enemies to trigger soldiers who throw logs to get them to position explosive barrels next to each other, then having the manipulate an enemy(by evading) who shoots fire to detonate those barrels. There is video of this. I remember ending up at an unusual stage that had palm trees. It's crazy how many paths and secrets are in that game. It's a shame there isn't more documentation about it.
I've heard of the IGS PGM years ago but no one seemed to have much information about it. Granted, I didn't look hard enough because I knew nothing about it. This got my attention. Wow. I'll have to look into this.
Thanks for the video, MVG! I learned a lot from it! Taiwan really were secret hardware wizards in the 90s, and every new thing I learn is so fascinating.
Mate big fan of most of your vids but LOVED this one. some history on the hardware, comparisons and info on the games. very excellent and hope to see more with similar topics!
Even though I have not frequently played any video game since the 1980s (more than 1 joystick/1 button is too much like schoolwork), these videos are fascinating. They're like alien archaeology. The effort that's been required to plook imaginary adversaries for the last few decades is very impressive. I regard them with bemused observance!
@17:22 whoa i had no idea KoF98 had a new edition devoloped on new h/w - gonna have to check this out! it never ceases to amaze me how little of the arcade library ive actually dabbled in despite scanning the entire library multiple times so thank you!
Just wanted to thank you for your videos. I don’t know much about classic gaming or many of the topics you cover but your videos are well-produced and enjoyable, even when I wouldn’t otherwise be that interested in the content in another format. Keep up the good work!
The Cave outuput on this board was legendary.Back in the day when i was into shmups I remember being let down when ketsui wasn't converted on ps2 as the other cave games were, despite being the most requested port. I read that there was a problem replicating a sort of reverse scrolling in one of the levels of the game on ps2, and so for their strict arcade perfect policy they decided to not porti it to ps2.
I lived in Shanghai in 2003-2007, it had a lot of PGM machines there, overall great system with awesome games, i spent a lot of coins on this beatemup about Three Kingdoms era.
Loved this deep dive. Thank you. And good to know the system and cardridges are pretty affordable. I might get one for Deamon front, I always wanted to try that title.
I converted a NEO GEO MVS into a pseudo "supergun" config and used a video converter for the change to a monitor. Unfortunately these systems were designed for a CRT and while HDMI can do a rough estimation at 16:9, you really do need a CRT. Also, the best part of the MVS is that now you have the option of multicarts which can go well over 100 games. But if you are a cart collector, the MVS isn't too bad price wise, except for the more premium titles like Pulstar, Blazing Star, and the KOF (King of Fighters) series. As for the IGS system, it truly looks amazing, but really beckons some kind of multicart as well. Even if it isn't perfect emulation, it would still be a better option than trying to collect each board and cart which could get very pricey. Wholeheartedly agree on the Switch IGS bundle, one of the other caveats is that some of the games are not even localized out of Chinese. It's at least a way to get a taste of what IGS creates. But if your savvy with emulators, and don't mind some graphical hiccups, then MAME is your best bet as it has a good suite of video options that while it won't solve all the issues, can at least make it a decent experience for these games.
I'm a big fan of the Dragon Worlds and Photo Y2k games. Especially photo y2k, a genre usually done on touch screen, but that prevents all the 2-player competitive aspects that the PGM games really played up.
Neo Geo 2 would’ve been cool had it been released, but I think arcades in America weren’t favoring arcades like in Japan, since they mostly care about game consoles since they’re powerful enough and we’re blurring the line between arcade games with console gaming!
From what I heard, arcades were way more popular for way longer in places like Latin america and China + surroundings, because either through tarriffs on foreign products or import laws barring the import of said devices, consoles were VERY slow to make it into the country and when they did they were SUPER-expensive, way too expensive to make it in. But arcade-machines often didn't suffer the same barriers, and since each arcade set their own prices it was WAY cheaper for the youth of these countries to go to an arcade and play than it was in the west. So in those markets, arcade style games lived on way longer.
@@goranisacson2502 arcades do well when they’re cheap to play and the console games are way too expensive to buy on consoles. That’s why I was able to play lots of arcade games as a kid, because Neo Geo was really expensive and the arcade fighting games like Street Fighter II Turbo played better on arcades.
They sure got their money's worth out of ARM7. I had no idea it was that old. I only last year got a device that was ARM8, so that's quite the lifespan. For that matter, the hardware was serious overkill for the time, even at only 20mhz.
Excellent video, niche topic but really appreciate seeing this. I'm picking up a PGM to play some Cave games and it's cool to dive into the history of how this ended up one of the only affordable ways to play these games on the original (albeit bootleg) hardware.
The Neo Geo hardware is kind of weird, there are no background layers and everything is made up of sprites even the background setpieces. The 16 colors per sprite limit isn't as bad as it sounds because there are 4096 color indexes divided up into 256 16 color pallets and any sprite can use any pallet. When they said "4096 colors on screen at once" they weren't lying it really can do that. It can also show 1536 sprite pixels per scanline (necessary because there are no tile layers*, only sprites) and uses 16-bit 5-6-5 color with green using the extra bit. *there is a text layer but that's non scrolling and only for HUD elements.
I never heard about IGS and it's Arcade PCB because in the late 90 we were enjoying the PSX and in the early 21st century I had Ps2. Of course there were emulation on PC but at that time the most you could get were 16bit era emulators, Mame and NeoRageX.
That's pretty cool. I had the pleasure of playing with a home NeoGeo thanks to a close friend growing up. It was a different time being able to be consumed with a video console for an entire afternoon. Looking at the PGM shown here was pretty neat!
RAD!!! I hope that IGS collection comes to other consoles and PC. Hopefully they fix the issues you brought up. It would be so cool to own these games but in the proper state to enjoy them.
Huh.. never knew about the ARM portion of the system/games. That could make for an interesting hybrid core on MiSTer both utilizing the FPGA and built-in ARM processor. Hopefully we see it one day!
You forgot to mention Ketsui got released on the PS4 courtesy of M2 part of the Shot Triggers line. Not to mention, Dodonpachi Daioujou is getting released on PS4/Switch as part of Shot Triggers but no release date on that yet since the recent presentation focused on Zero Wing and Hellfire and I hope the next M2STG presentation focused on Daioujou and I’ll definitely pre-order it once it’s announced (hopefully before Christmas but that’s just me).
The IGS PolyGame Master was nothing more than a knockoff of the Neo-Geo. A couple decent games, but the Neo-Geo clearly didn't need a "sequel" at that time. Even the PlayStation and Saturn struggled to play its games in the mid to late 90's. It was a beast that stayed relevant longer than most consoles, thanks tko SNK's forward thinking of the arcade and home console design. If I had to choose a true and official follow up to the Neo-Geo AES/MVS I would definitely choose the Sammy Atomiswave. It's where you'll find games like Metal Slug 5, and newer versions of KOF and Samurai Shodown, to name a few.
Such a shame the recently released IGS collection on Switch was less than ideal. Hopefully some day soon M2 or some other port specialist gives the games the love they deserve.
Oh, I didn't know the IGS collection was actually available in the west! A shame if the conversions are less than stellar though, despite the language switch-trick. Though I would like to know if the Gladiators still support 4 - player multiplayer, whether couch co-op or online only?
It's a shame that the Switch bundle isn't great (it basically had the same sound problems that the emulation of PGM games have on Mame), because honestly, IGS made a lot of great games for the PGM, and they also "saved" Cave with the success of Dodonpachi II: Bee Storm, so they have a lot of points in my book.
awesome video about awesome hardware that had awesome games on it! a little sad to hear that the IGS collection is kinda messy, i was really looking forward to grabbing it. hopefully they push out some patches that improve the experience and add more user options.
I'm so thankful for Emulation. My eyes watered while playing Neo geo games that I couldn't be able to afford back then. Thw 2d sprites are just so good especially with the right shaders and filters.
Great video. A lot of the technical stuff goes over my head, but I love learning about obscure video game hardware that I, personally, never heard of. Keep up the great work, MVG 👍🏾
Anyway what makes NEO-GEO AES so special is that the fact, that NEO-GEO doesn't mix graphics or sound on single circuit board like other cartridges. It's like 2 cartridges in one if you will. When you got something like With A memory bank switch. All games are going to have in your face and ears GRAPHICS AND SOUNDS. Other than this project it's the only video game system in this world that did it 1st which is the NEO-GEO AES or MVS. And to be honest no one deserves anything like this cheap!!! If everybody was Getting a product like that cheap it would all be destroyed within a year because no one would care cause it's cheap. I hope you understand what makes that so special Thank you😊
Nice info thanks! I've considered buying Neo Geo and PGM hardware but there's not quite enough games I really want to play to justify, so the MiSTer is the perfect substitute, I really hope there's an IGS PGM MiSter core one day!
10:40 I think you mixed up two games there. The one on the left is the special edition of Mushihimesama, not DoDonPachi DaiOuJou (easy to mix up with its "insect"-theme XD). Nevertheless a very good and informative video, I did not know of this piece of hardware, even though i knew the games for it for the most part.
Hello There is a modern day equivalent to the Neo Geo call the Exxa Arcadia. It a custom PC with a 4 slot cartridge. The carts are basically M.2 SSD's. But the Arcadia is very cool in a age where arcades have largely left module design. There a lot of really cool games. Like Blazing Chrome with arcade only levels and characters
These games look beautiful. How can we get our hands on them for play? Could any of them ever come to Carbon Engine for release on modern consoles? I have my wallet at the ready… Digital is okay, but I want physical.
The lack of classic japanese arcade machines in Taiwan today is baffling. Maybe all got hoarded up or sent off of the island but I can't find them anywhere.
I always thought of Knights of Valour as a Dynasty Wars and Warriors of Fate sequel. Didn't play or even hear of The Gladiator yet, so I should check it out as a fan of Beat 'em ups (well, nothing will ever beat Guardian Heroes on Saturn :D).
PLEASE make a follow up video on what the new revision s of the hardware were like and what hy they were made - 2010 is 13 years later which makes me reallywonder why they were made. THANKS!!!
Thanks for such an in depth look at this much overlooked arcade hardware. I run a large retro arcade here in Australia and as big fans of the Neo Geo and PGM systems, we’re proud to have original versions of Martial Masters, Espagluda, Demon Front, The Gladiator and Knights of Valor 2. I believe it’s important to still have a public venue somewhere to be able to access and play these gaming treasures
Where is the arcade located? I live in Sydney and I might be interested in visiting.
@@richardfan7157 We're in Brisbane. 1UP Arcade is the name
I just wanted to thank you for covering stuff like this. It's basically documenting history for future generations.
Totally right, maybe that type of content will be at highschools in the near future.
Sorry to burst you bubble, but, no this is definitely NOT worthy of being in the school curriculum. I mean, it's not exactly Christopher Columbus or Florence Nightingale territory is it. Video games may be played by a lot of people, including myself, and yes I am old, but millions more wouldn't even know what a video game was. I can guarantee you that for millions of people play computer games 10's of millions don't. I was 45 before I seriously got into computer games. Wasn't interested. In my school we never even had computers. They were way too expensive. But we had books. That is where most learning comes from. And I have yet to see a school book that contains the history of video game consoles.
@bingchilling Man, things are certainly different from my day.We never got taught anything like TV and Film back when I want to school. It was just Science, Mahs, French and History (as in World War 1 and 2.)
I had tohacked this s*** back in the day. I'm that old.. lol
Hell he’s covering history for people in the actual generation these arcade games existed like me! I love these vintage tech channels and MVG is at the too of them along with LGR.
3:55 Just a small point of contention here on aspect ratio: These older machines used CRT's, so the aspect ratio is determined by the dot clock of the motherboard, not the pixel count (or the CRT). So it's not a 2:1 aspect ratio unless you convert the signal into digital square pixels, which never happened back then.
The image aspect ratio would still be 3:4, the pixel aspect ratio is 2:1. Something like the SNES is 8:7. 5:6 is another one.
@@iyatemu There's never been a console or arcade that exactly clocks the pixels into a 3:4 image on the output stage. Some get very close like the N64, but it's still not exactly 3:4. The PAR of the SNES you mentioned is 8:7, but the DAR is not. People forget the SNES sends 240 lines, and there are a handful of games that use 239 of them. So the DAR has to account for all 240 lines, making the SNES DAR actually 128:105. I have a video I dedicated to this dot clock research on my channel.
Fun Fact: Spectral vs Generation fighting game is based on Japan-only RPG Spectral Force series and Generation of Chaos series made by Idea Factory, the same developers who made Hyperdimension Neptunia series.
i was confused as hell seeing Hiro in a fighting game, cause me and my brother had Blazing Souls Accelate on PSP where she's a hidden character, and i knew she originated in the spectral series.
Stop saying fun fact.
@@longtallshorty5791 lol wtf?
@@longtallshorty5791 fun fact: nobody cares
@@longtallshorty5791 Got a problem with that, douchehorse.
13:10 holy crap, that boss sprite appearing on screen looks awesome and impressive for the hardware.
Pulstar and Blazing Star for the Neo Geo are very comparable, though
I love that this turned into a hidden gems video more than anything, thanks for the heads up, some of these I didn't even know existed and I will be checking them out on my MiSTer.
Someone will probably make a core at some point
@@analog_ape Jotego has already announced he will be doing a PGM core
@Retro Game Elements Demon Front
@@brotherbodhi237Isn't he working on the CPS3 core instead? He did a poll and people voted for CPS3 over PGM.
That was awesome. I wasn't even aware of this hardware until coming across your video. Thank you!
Wonderful video MVG! This is just what I like to see from you. Love learning about the hardware and emulation!
Holy crud. I was not expecting that Wavefront to sound the way it did, but it was amazing.
I went all out on this consolized arcade machine a couple years ago. Spent like $700 on Spectral V Generation, had Demon Front, Martial Masters (maybe the most underrated fighting game ever made), Knights of Valour, etc. Even had an acrylic etched IGS panel on top to make it feel more like a console. Played the crap out of that thing. Some great games
Hey, pretty good show Taiwan! Even though it was made when 2D was well on its way out of the door, you could have told me its games were CPS2/3 or Neo-Geo and I would have been none the wiser.
DDP Daiou Jou, Martial Masters, and The Gladiator look fantastic even for the day, and the first mentioned has effects that almost fool me into thinking there's 3D hardware!
A spiritual successor to the MVS with more new brawlers, shooters and fighters? Yes please!
I remember playing demon front at the local arcade and loving it, I've been trying to emulate it for years but never could figure what system it was for, thank you for this video, truly.
Man neo geo was legendary when I was growing up. It was so rare and had a mystique to it almost haha. It was so so unattainable though back then. This is so cool that you make this content man..nostalgic.
It's 24 fu***ng bits!!!
@@MitchMatrixx hahaha yeah it blew my mind something so much more powerful than the blast processing 16 bit mega drive lol.
I was fortunate enough to be friends with a “spoiled” kid. By spoiled I mean his parents could afford a neo geo with ALMOST every cartridge released on the home system! He was as you’d imagine sadly…. Spoiled enough to be the envy of the neighborhood but ALSO spoiled enough that after too many outbursts of not letting him win, he had chased anyone away that would’ve been friends with him in less time than it takes to lose a round of Samurai Showdown.
@@MrCarpeBurger You make yourself look like a terrible friend.
I notice that some of the games on the IGS collection have some input lag, but when you set the language to Chinese, reduces it and setting the screen to less than full further helps. This is noticeable in Martial Masters especially. Setting it back to English after you play it in Chinese, seems to keep the input lag reduced; but you have to do this each time you start the game. Also notice that when you hit the home button while playing; the entire Switch OS, seems to lack until you turn the game off. Any ideas as to what could be causing this from a technical perspective? Hope a patch fixes these issues. Thanks for brining these awesome games into greater awareness. Great stuff!
good to know thank you!
Great to see you again MVG. I use to play the Poly Game Master by IGS back in Hawaii. It was an amazing piece of hardware that few knew and even to this day. Glad you're giving the proper exposer towards it bro. Such an underrated unit.
I posted this up on the Neo-Geo thread for others to benefit on the forums over on AtariAge for you bro. Thank you for sharing this with us and keep up the great work you always provide for the community. 8^)
Anthony...
Why would you post the PGM in a Neo Geo thread? It's not a Neo Geo.
the M2 release of Ketsui on PS4 is one of the best rereleases of all time. Having access to one-off PCBs of the game is a total M2 touch.
Nice kit, was really popular in Neo Geo circles in the early - mid 2000s.
CAVE may not say it out right but Dodonpachi II is canonized in a way in DaiOuJou's after-action screens.
Very rare export variant of DaiOuJou simply calls the game Dodonpachi III, and it was not dumped until recently.
Wow, I never heard of this at all! Very cool learning about! The similarities to the Neo Geo MVS are uncanny!
Mad respect for mentioning CAVE. Thanks again for amazing videos.
Always love watching your videos to learn more. I try to watch a wife range of things on RUclips, daily. So anything retro gaming, modern gaming, tech, cars, music, comedians, podcast, etc is a must for me most times. So you sir, have provided me with invaluable information over the years.
Even when I don't understand dev talk or coding/programming, I still listen as I know a tiny bit about computers. And I learn along the way. So thank you. Your videos are so interesting and coming from a dev yourself means a perspective many don't have. Super valuable.
I have never heard of IGS before. Looks really cool. I'm going to go check it out now. Thanks MVG for showcasing this system.
The PGM is a cool platform. It was weird learning of another Neo Geo-like system while emulating arcade games, but that's due to its unusual origin being a system that came out of Taiwan and with the Asian market in mind. As much as Demon Front looks and feels like a Metal Slug clone, I like how they made it distinct with the art direction and certain gameplay features. Demon Front ends up being a slower game that is more defensive in my opinion. The Gladiator is fantastic, though some of the later bosses are really tough and hard to figure out. For that game, I don't mind credit feeding my way through it and I always have fun with it. The control scheme is interesting. I know the game holds quite a few major secrets that I only know about from some foreign RUclips videos. One of them showed a boss in the game that I have never seen elsewhere, though I have no idea how to encounter that one. I did follow along with another video and managed to successfully rescue the character, Fong Yu, that is a captive at some point to find one of the harder-to-find hidden paths which led to others. There's another part where you have to manipulate the enemies to trigger soldiers who throw logs to get them to position explosive barrels next to each other, then having the manipulate an enemy(by evading) who shoots fire to detonate those barrels. There is video of this. I remember ending up at an unusual stage that had palm trees. It's crazy how many paths and secrets are in that game. It's a shame there isn't more documentation about it.
I've heard of the IGS PGM years ago but no one seemed to have much information about it. Granted, I didn't look hard enough because I knew nothing about it. This got my attention. Wow. I'll have to look into this.
Thank you for covering this. Absolutely loved this video. ❤❤❤
Cave is by far my favorite shmup developer of all time.
I remember playing some of those titles in MAME pre-2008. Glad to see a comprehensive video on IGS PGM
Thanks for the video, MVG! I learned a lot from it! Taiwan really were secret hardware wizards in the 90s, and every new thing I learn is so fascinating.
Mate big fan of most of your vids but LOVED this one. some history on the hardware, comparisons and info on the games. very excellent and hope to see more with similar topics!
What an interesting video! Going in I thought it would be about the Neo Geo Hyper 64 and was pleasantly surprised
Even though I have not frequently played any video game since the 1980s (more than 1 joystick/1 button is too much like schoolwork), these videos are fascinating. They're like alien archaeology. The effort that's been required to plook imaginary adversaries for the last few decades is very impressive. I regard them with bemused observance!
@17:22 whoa i had no idea KoF98 had a new edition devoloped on new h/w - gonna have to check this out!
it never ceases to amaze me how little of the arcade library ive actually dabbled in despite scanning the entire library multiple times so thank you!
Just wanted to thank you for your videos. I don’t know much about classic gaming or many of the topics you cover but your videos are well-produced and enjoyable, even when I wouldn’t otherwise be that interested in the content in another format. Keep up the good work!
The Cave outuput on this board was legendary.Back in the day when i was into shmups I remember being let down when ketsui wasn't converted on ps2 as the other cave games were, despite being the most requested port. I read that there was a problem replicating a sort of reverse scrolling in one of the levels of the game on ps2, and so for their strict arcade perfect policy they decided to not porti it to ps2.
I lived in Shanghai in 2003-2007, it had a lot of PGM machines there, overall great system with awesome games, i spent a lot of coins on this beatemup about Three Kingdoms era.
Loved this deep dive. Thank you.
And good to know the system and cardridges are pretty affordable. I might get one for Deamon front, I always wanted to try that title.
I was worried this video was going to upset the PGM hardware prices but seems like most people are emulating. Lucky :)
I converted a NEO GEO MVS into a pseudo "supergun" config and used a video converter for the change to a monitor. Unfortunately these systems were designed for a CRT and while HDMI can do a rough estimation at 16:9, you really do need a CRT. Also, the best part of the MVS is that now you have the option of multicarts which can go well over 100 games. But if you are a cart collector, the MVS isn't too bad price wise, except for the more premium titles like Pulstar, Blazing Star, and the KOF (King of Fighters) series.
As for the IGS system, it truly looks amazing, but really beckons some kind of multicart as well. Even if it isn't perfect emulation, it would still be a better option than trying to collect each board and cart which could get very pricey. Wholeheartedly agree on the Switch IGS bundle, one of the other caveats is that some of the games are not even localized out of Chinese. It's at least a way to get a taste of what IGS creates. But if your savvy with emulators, and don't mind some graphical hiccups, then MAME is your best bet as it has a good suite of video options that while it won't solve all the issues, can at least make it a decent experience for these games.
I'm a big fan of the Dragon Worlds and Photo Y2k games. Especially photo y2k, a genre usually done on touch screen, but that prevents all the 2-player competitive aspects that the PGM games really played up.
Neo Geo 2 would’ve been cool had it been released, but I think arcades in America weren’t favoring arcades like in Japan, since they mostly care about game consoles since they’re powerful enough and we’re blurring the line between arcade games with console gaming!
From what I heard, arcades were way more popular for way longer in places like Latin america and China + surroundings, because either through tarriffs on foreign products or import laws barring the import of said devices, consoles were VERY slow to make it into the country and when they did they were SUPER-expensive, way too expensive to make it in. But arcade-machines often didn't suffer the same barriers, and since each arcade set their own prices it was WAY cheaper for the youth of these countries to go to an arcade and play than it was in the west. So in those markets, arcade style games lived on way longer.
@@goranisacson2502 arcades do well when they’re cheap to play and the console games are way too expensive to buy on consoles. That’s why I was able to play lots of arcade games as a kid, because Neo Geo was really expensive and the arcade fighting games like Street Fighter II Turbo played better on arcades.
They sure got their money's worth out of ARM7. I had no idea it was that old. I only last year got a device that was ARM8, so that's quite the lifespan. For that matter, the hardware was serious overkill for the time, even at only 20mhz.
I was impressed my Martial Masters when I played it on MAME, but I didn't know it was part of a bigger platform.
This is obscure as hell and I love it!
Excellent video, niche topic but really appreciate seeing this. I'm picking up a PGM to play some Cave games and it's cool to dive into the history of how this ended up one of the only affordable ways to play these games on the original (albeit bootleg) hardware.
The Neo Geo hardware is kind of weird, there are no background layers and everything is made up of sprites even the background setpieces. The 16 colors per sprite limit isn't as bad as it sounds because there are 4096 color indexes divided up into 256 16 color pallets and any sprite can use any pallet. When they said "4096 colors on screen at once" they weren't lying it really can do that. It can also show 1536 sprite pixels per scanline (necessary because there are no tile layers*, only sprites) and uses 16-bit 5-6-5 color with green using the extra bit.
*there is a text layer but that's non scrolling and only for HUD elements.
I never heard about IGS and it's Arcade PCB because in the late 90 we were enjoying the PSX and in the early 21st century I had Ps2. Of course there were emulation on PC but at that time the most you could get were 16bit era emulators, Mame and NeoRageX.
Thanks for the timely vid! IGS collection on switch is viable when played on a 4:3 monitor. Of course, audio issues remain.
the vibes on your editing are really something unique!
you really care about the music in it and it shows!
another great video!
That's pretty cool.
I had the pleasure of playing with a home NeoGeo thanks to a close friend growing up. It was a different time being able to be consumed with a video console for an entire afternoon.
Looking at the PGM shown here was pretty neat!
RAD!!! I hope that IGS collection comes to other consoles and PC. Hopefully they fix the issues you brought up. It would be so cool to own these games but in the proper state to enjoy them.
Huh.. never knew about the ARM portion of the system/games. That could make for an interesting hybrid core on MiSTer both utilizing the FPGA and built-in ARM processor. Hopefully we see it one day!
You forgot to mention Ketsui got released on the PS4 courtesy of M2 part of the Shot Triggers line. Not to mention, Dodonpachi Daioujou is getting released on PS4/Switch as part of Shot Triggers but no release date on that yet since the recent presentation focused on Zero Wing and Hellfire and I hope the next M2STG presentation focused on Daioujou and I’ll definitely pre-order it once it’s announced (hopefully before Christmas but that’s just me).
So awesome to see shmup content on this channel!
That was a brilliant video MVG, really enjoyed it. Gonna check this out as I'd never even heard of it before now.
These are the best type of mvg videos. Great job!!
Taiwan had the right idea, the rest of the world gave up on sprites too soon.
The IGS PolyGame Master was nothing more than a knockoff of the Neo-Geo. A couple decent games, but the Neo-Geo clearly didn't need a "sequel" at that time. Even the PlayStation and Saturn struggled to play its games in the mid to late 90's. It was a beast that stayed relevant longer than most consoles, thanks tko SNK's forward thinking of the arcade and home console design. If I had to choose a true and official follow up to the Neo-Geo AES/MVS I would definitely choose the Sammy Atomiswave. It's where you'll find games like Metal Slug 5, and newer versions of KOF and Samurai Shodown, to name a few.
The video that was missing on the PGM, thank you.
These types of videos are great! Keep them coming!
what a coincidence, I just learned about Martial Masters yesterday. Nice to learn about the hardware behind it!
Thank you for the blessed tribute!
Such a shame the recently released IGS collection on Switch was less than ideal. Hopefully some day soon M2 or some other port specialist gives the games the love they deserve.
Oh, I didn't know the IGS collection was actually available in the west! A shame if the conversions are less than stellar though, despite the language switch-trick. Though I would like to know if the Gladiators still support 4 - player multiplayer, whether couch co-op or online only?
Very good and thorough video, nice job!
Being Taiwanese, I'm sad that I missed out on this. These look like great games.
Well speaking of Cave titles, only Bee Storm and DAIOUJOU TAMASHII got proper overseas arcade release.
It's a shame that the Switch bundle isn't great (it basically had the same sound problems that the emulation of PGM games have on Mame), because honestly, IGS made a lot of great games for the PGM, and they also "saved" Cave with the success of Dodonpachi II: Bee Storm, so they have a lot of points in my book.
Awesome video, got my sub. Keep 'em coming, please!
awesome video about awesome hardware that had awesome games on it! a little sad to hear that the IGS collection is kinda messy, i was really looking forward to grabbing it. hopefully they push out some patches that improve the experience and add more user options.
I'm so thankful for Emulation. My eyes watered while playing Neo geo games that I couldn't be able to afford back then.
Thw 2d sprites are just so good especially with the right shaders and filters.
IGS Game is very hit in asian arcade ! I love playing the games !
Great video. A lot of the technical stuff goes over my head, but I love learning about obscure video game hardware that I, personally, never heard of. Keep up the great work, MVG 👍🏾
Anyway what makes NEO-GEO AES so special is that the fact, that NEO-GEO doesn't mix graphics or sound on single circuit board like other cartridges.
It's like 2 cartridges in one if you will.
When you got something like With A memory bank switch. All games are going to have in your face and ears GRAPHICS AND SOUNDS. Other than this project it's the only video game system in this world that did it 1st which is the NEO-GEO AES or MVS. And to be honest no one deserves anything like this cheap!!!
If everybody was Getting a product like that cheap it would all be destroyed within a year because no one would care cause it's cheap.
I hope you understand what makes that so special Thank you😊
15:52 IGS classic arcade collection
Thank you MVG
Got 2 of these systems, one for horizontal, and one for vertical, got 5 games and play it a lot ... Love Demon Front and the shooters 🥰
How do you connect it to a monitor?
Just plugged it in my arcade machines through the Jamma harness
Oh wow! Nice find never heard of this one before
Great timing with the IGS Arcade Collection now out
MVG your content is gold!
Gonna be real, Demon Front looks like it runs way better than any Metal Slug, so it has that going for it (at first glance)
Excellent job, I never watch stuff like this but you held my interest!
Keep an eye on that barrel battery on your arcade PCB. I've seen those take out a lot of computers by quietly spilling their guts.
OMG I knew I had played a Metal Slug clone with gnomes somewhere, for years I was starting to think it was all a dream XD
Nice info thanks! I've considered buying Neo Geo and PGM hardware but there's not quite enough games I really want to play to justify, so the MiSTer is the perfect substitute, I really hope there's an IGS PGM MiSter core one day!
Nice episode! Kind of surprised there are still things in gaming I hadn't been familiar with 😅
10:40 I think you mixed up two games there. The one on the left is the special edition of Mushihimesama, not DoDonPachi DaiOuJou (easy to mix up with its "insect"-theme XD).
Nevertheless a very good and informative video, I did not know of this piece of hardware, even though i knew the games for it for the most part.
Super fun video such obscure hardware
Hello There is a modern day equivalent to the Neo Geo call the Exxa Arcadia. It a custom PC with a 4 slot cartridge. The carts are basically M.2 SSD's. But the Arcadia is very cool in a age where arcades have largely left module design. There a lot of really cool games. Like Blazing Chrome with arcade only levels and characters
Never heard of that system but the games looks great, Also the fact that a King of Fighters game ended in one of those boards.
These games look beautiful. How can we get our hands on them for play? Could any of them ever come to Carbon Engine for release on modern consoles? I have my wallet at the ready…
Digital is okay, but I want physical.
Wow - cracking video!
Loved this episode!
Aight all other things aside 3:18 omg THAT IS A BOP!
3:18 damn this is hitting different
fascinating stuff, thanks for this video
The lack of classic japanese arcade machines in Taiwan today is baffling. Maybe all got hoarded up or sent off of the island but I can't find them anywhere.
Love your channel and videos.
Just wish I was smart enough to know what you are talking about most the time.
Love this kind of videos mvg
ouuu I want to play the Gladiator, I never knew it existed. Thanks for this video. I Must play it!
The true Neo Geo 2 was the Hyper 64, you remember, that short lived thing that everybody seemed to hate
I always thought of Knights of Valour as a Dynasty Wars and Warriors of Fate sequel. Didn't play or even hear of The Gladiator yet, so I should check it out as a fan of Beat 'em ups (well, nothing will ever beat Guardian Heroes on Saturn :D).
PLEASE make a follow up video on what the new revision s of the hardware were like and what hy they were made - 2010 is 13 years later which makes me reallywonder why they were made. THANKS!!!
well... now I need to play some of those games.