There were two companies who released NG gaming movies, often known as combo videos:  The media giant Pony Canyon under their Scitron label, and Gamest, who famed for their printed material started a subusidiary in 1994 known as Gamest Video.

So then, what ARE these "NEO·GEO Movies" anyway?  What's the difference between Gamest and Scitron?  Why should I buy one instead of the other you ask (good luck even finding them!)?  Here is what the two companies' movies concern.

Scitron movies show vs matches by their professional players, vs cpu battles, a killer combos sections, and depending on the title, boss strategies.  Since all Pony Canyon releases were co-produced by SNK or ADK, they include features such as humourous character dialogues by the voice actors during play, well as bonuses like the game's television commercials where available.  Also, as these were intended to sell and gain fame for the companies, Pony Canyon churned out more releases than Gamest, which in some cases like World Heroes Perfect or AoF 3, are the only such videos for the games.  Also, there is often a concluding feature of the best matches and/or combos; which of the two tends to depend on the age of the video.  Arranged music accompanies the programme from KoF '94 onwards, and inserts were included with both forms of media.

Gamest does an incredible job.  They literally dissected the game, present loads of combos, give all sorts of strategic advice and help along the way, have boss battles and in lieu of dialogues, they explain how to do what they're doing, as they are doing it.  The videos are a perfect complement to their Gamest Mooks, though even on their own are incredible.  Inserts accompany the tapes.  On the downside, the Gamest tapes can be a little boring sometimes:  they can feel rushed, not as fun for the lack of seiyuu narrations and so on, but the quality of the content, more evident in earlier releases, usually makes it a no-issue.  Usually I say, though the main difference compared to their competitor is the constant inclusion vs cpu strategy, something Pony Canyon eventually dismissed as unimportant.

Unless you comprehend Japanese, you won't really be getting the full benefit of either company's videos, so keep that in mind before shelling out too much cash or forming an opinion as to what's better, based on what you may have just learnt.  Everyone has unique preferences, and you should never consider any of these the definitive combo guide for [insert title], as innovation, with stimulation, is what yields the best results, and there are, generally speaking, too many combos to display, many of which are so simple that it's not worth showing them, the rest of which only appear in fighting game books = more money for you know who.

Scitron LaserDiscs & Video Tapes

*Originally included a one-year pass to NEO·GEO WORLD

*Japanese national tournament video

(TV) Includes television adverts for the game

Gamest Video Tapes