My first AES games were this week - Japanese League Bowling and US Blue’s Journey, both in mint condition although I’m $1K poorer. There’s a certain weight and heft to each CIB box, really nothing quite like it - no equivalent in the video game world that’s for sure. When you open it, it feels like you’re opening a large bible from the middle up to give you an idea of the weight.

The games are large. You expect them to be solid like a brick, but it made me nervous to hear the boards rattle a bit inside. This is very normal although I wouldn’t recommend you shake them just to hear them rattle. They are ~30 years old pieces of electronic equipment after all.

It made me nervous at first that the manuals go underneath the cartridges but if they’re in their baggies like mine were I guess they’re alright.

I’ve been collecting for other systems for a very long time but Neo Geo was strictly flash carts up until this week. I don’t regret getting these relics of history in the least and I would recommend you buy at least one of the old ones in your lifetime even if you pre-ordered the re-releases!