SNK Neo Geo

I keep on getting asked, why do I like spending time on Twitter and what do I get out of it. The answer is quite simple – I like socialising with like minded people. When geography gets in the way of socialising in person, the next best thing is to get on an online social medium. This is where Twitter excels – it has the power to bring like minded people together anywhere in the world. There are no borders in Twitter!

As mentioned in previous interviews, I have met so many wonderful people I am proud to call my friends – even if we have not met in person! One particular person I would dearly like to meet in the flesh, is none other than the SNK Neo Geo guru, (Harry) Steve Riner. I have conversed with Steve and his wife (Emily) so many times over the last year, it feels like we have known each other for ages. I have been meaning to get an interview with Steve for some time, and finally, that day has come. Just like others that have a passion for video gaming, Steve is an awesomely cool and super-friendly guy that goes out of his way to engage in conversation and also assist with queries, especially anything in reference to SNK and the Neo Geo.

We sat down with Steve, thousands of miles apart, and probed him with some hard hitting questions:

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: So, Mr. Harry Steve Riner, tell us how your love of video gaming began? What are your earliest memories?
Harry Steve Riner [HSR]: I began gaming when my parents bought my brother and I a NES for Christmas 1987. To this day, I am unsure if the NES was for us or for my dad and his friends! Earliest memory I have of playing was watching my mom get completely destroyed by level 1-1 on Super Mario Bros.

ARG: Were you a brand loyalist or did you jump from one make of console to another?
HSR: I was very much a Sega fanboy. When I got to an age to make gaming console decisions, it was all about Sega. The first console I asked for was the Sega Genesis. The CD add-on was requested shortly thereafter. I followed that up with a Saturn for Christmas. I love Sega.

ARG: Were you ever into gaming on home computers, like the C64?
HSR: I got into gaming on PC for a short period when we got our first PC. I only played FPS games back then. Weird thing is, it seemed that the best games on PC were from that genre. My favorite was Unreal Tournament. I have tested a few TI99/4A’s and played a game or two on them. I played educational themed games when I was younger on 5 1/4” floppy disks, like Number Munchers, Oregon Trail and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego.

ARG: What was your favourite video gaming generation?
HSR: Easily the 16 bit era. It felt like the Wild West back then. It was as if anything was possible and all the companies in the industry were VIDEO GAME companies! All the hardware companies were gunning for the title and the only true winner was us, the gamers. By this time I was armed with more gaming information via magazines, so I found it was a lot easier to make a decision on what to buy and on which platform. So many classics, on so many different platforms, it was easily the best era in gaming for me.

ARG: When did your love of SNK’s Neo Geo begin? What was it about the Neo Geo that put a stranglehold on your heart?
HSR: My first exposure to SNK was the same as almost everyone else – in the arcades. It was truly love at first sight. King of Fighters 95 did it for me and I have lusted after the hardware ever since. I knew about the AES back then (from reading EGM), but I also knew there was no way I was going to be able to convince my folks into getting me one. It wasn’t until about a year ago I started to look into collecting SNK stuff seriously. Now, here I am stuck in its very tight “stranglehold” – I like how you put that (smiles). I grew up playing cartridge based games. I was always looking for the biggest and the best cart based games. Once I found out that SNK had made a home console from their arcade hardware, I knew it was game, set and match on the cart based world! Its appeal was immediate – aggressive advertising, big bright red cabinets, large character sprites on screen, amazing graphics and intense audio. It all seemed larger than life and geared towards only the most hardcore of gamers.

ARG: You got me into Shock Troopers 2nd Squad (thank you very much for that), what is your absolute favourite SNK game?
HSR: Glad you are enjoying it. The Shock Troopers games are brilliant and have all of SNK’s signature ingredients! My favorite SNK game has got to be King of Fighters 97! No matter what, I always find myself coming back to it. As great as KoF98 is, and as much as everyone has labeled it the crowned king of the KoF series, it’s the additional elements of the Orochi Saga story arc coming to an end that sets it apart from KoF98 in my eyes. There are so many amazing games available for the SNK hardware – it’s really hard picking just one. I’ll do a top 3, because I feel the other two deserve just as much attention as KoF97:

1. King of Fighters 97
2. Real Bout Fatal Fury Special
3. Prehistoric Isle 2 (MVS only)

ARG: Being a family man, I know how hard it is to make time for our passion. How do you make time to play video games? Is the family into it too and do they like the old stuff?
HSR: I do most of my gaming when the kids are at school or after they go to bed. Good thing is, the wife and kids all play games to some extent. The littlest ones, my 4 and 5 year olds, love playing on the arcade machines. They aren’t really big gamers – my son is too busy playing with his Lego. My oldest is a Nintendo fangirl through and through (laughs)! She enjoys a razzle on the MVS from time to time, but most of her gaming is done on her 3DS or the WiiU. She is currently playing Pikmin 3 and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. My wife is as big of a gamer as myself. All her free time goes to gaming. She plays a good mix of all things current gen: 3DS, WiiU and PS3. She is currently play Pokemon Y, Monster Hunter 3 (3DS & WiiU), and will be soon starting The Wind Waker. With all of them gaming, they don’t mind dad stepping out for a few seconds to grab a credit or two on the MVS.

ARG: What other classic retro systems do you own? Are there old systems you are looking at adding to your vast collection?
HSR: I currently own: NES, SNES, Genesis, JP Victor Saturn, JP Sega Dreamcast, PS1 and PS2, Neo Geo Pocket Color, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, GBA, GBA SP, Neo Geo CDZ, Neo Geo CD (top loader) and a Coleco Telestar Arcade. I am currently looking for a PC Engine Duo R or Duo RX, and of course an AES. It’s weird that I don’t have an AES, but they are going for crazy money right now. I have a few others I’ve wanted for years, but those two are on the top of the wish list. I’m also looking into expanding my arcade PCB collection.

ARG: From our chat the other day on Twitter, we noticed that you had been busy hunting down numerous arcade cabinets – can you tell us more about this – how you came to this great haul and are you thinking of opening up a ‘Steve’s Joint’ arcade parlour?
HSR: I had stopped at this nearby place about two years ago to look at a used car, an old yellow Mercury Grand Marquis. While trying to find someone there to talk to about the car, I noticed through the full glass door that there were heaps of arcade machines inside. I left my contact details there several times and had never been able to catch the owner, until recently. About a week ago I stopped in while he was there and started talking to him about the cabinets. It was then that he told me he was trying to get rid of everything he had, and quickly! My mind immediately went to Neo Geo MVS mode – where is it and what did he have on offer. So this is how I’ve come to acquire the two new MVS converted cabinets. I worked out a deal with the guy for a few more cabinets;  a cocktail table and all SNK/MVS/Neo Geo stuff. There is plenty more in there and I’m attempting to work out a deal for the others – a sit down or some dedicated cabinets. So there may be more excitement to come. No plans of an arcade parlour right now, I’ve got one of the MVS’s lined up to be sited at a friend’s tattoo shop. I’m restoring the cocktail table for my father in-law for Christmas. He wants it done in Ms. Pac-man guise. Not sure on my plans for the other cabinets I picked up, maybe a classic multi-cade PCB setup. As my plans are still up in the air, I will keep you posted on what I come up with.

ARG: Do you have any plans to come to Australia (we would welcome you with open arms)?
HSR: I’d definitely love to travel to Australia. In fact, I’d love to be able to set foot on all continents. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to visit another country.

Right, time for some rapid fire questions:

ARG: Favourite console of all time?
HSR: Sega Saturn.

ARG: Favourite console game of all time?
HSR: Legend of Zelda /Mega Man 2 on NES.

ARG: Favourite arcade game of all time?
HSR: King of Fighters 97.

ARG: Joystick or joypad?
HSR: Joystick, but some genres need a pad.

ARG: PS4, Wii U or Xbox One?
HSR: WiiU. But it also depends on which systems publish the games I like to play.

We thank Steve for his time today. We definitely feel like we have got to know him much better. There were a few surprises in there, but that is what makes it exciting when speaking to a fellow gamer, especially one as cool as Steve. We can’t wait to hear more about his restoration project(s) and future arcade cabinet endeavors!

You can follow Steve’s exploits on all manner of social networks. Check him out on Twitter and Instagram.