Lack of a vertical screen option killed a lot of the Neo-Geo's appeal for me. True, I'm also a Capcom purist over SNK, so I'm not speaking about their fighting games, and a Konami purist over Irem/Nazca, so I'll take Contra over Metal Slug any day. But the landscape-screen Aero Fighters 2 and 3 seriously aren't a patch on the Strikers 1945 games by Psikyo, the original AF developers; and earlier shooters pale in comparison to anything Toaplan ever did.

On the other hand, the faux-Capcom scrolling brawlers are quite fun, and the competitive puzzle games are where the Nooge shines for me.

Same is true for the big red chunky Taito F3 cart boards. I paid the equivalent of about $50 - $60 each for my Darius Gaiden, Bubble Symphony and Puzzle Bobbles a cluster of years back, now even the 'lower end' F3 games you'll be lucky to score from eBay for three times that.

Because of course you are.

I'd buy a proper portable Neo for sure. I think the only thing that ever really disappointed me about the old Nooge hardware was how it was limited to horizontal-screen games only. Vertical shooters just sucked on the thing, alas.

And if anyone thinks Neo carts are big and clunky, I see your Nooge and raise you the size of my big red Taito F3 system ones.