I always liked the weenie vs hot dog and the ad: "You need a pair of these (picture of steel balls) to own one of these (picture of Neo Geo AES)!"
They did the best they could marketing wise with what they had. Straight facts about the specs of the system vs. other systems. Also, it was aimed towards teenagers and up since no kid's parents would buy one. SNK was smart enough to know that. I am glad it was too expensive in those days. It makes it all more enjoyable now to play it after being deprived from getting one for many years.
You really did get what you paid for back then, an arcade system at home. I remember wanting one after finding out there was a home version after playing Baseball Stars, King of The Monsters, FF1 and then FF2 a little later on. The graphics, sound and gameplay of most of these games were just amazing for their time. This is before they refined their games more like KOF, Real Bout, Last Blade and Metal Slug.
BTW, since Last Blade 1 and 2 never got a proper port, I highly suggest trying these games out. Yes, they are worth $150-$200 on AES... no doubt about it. If you haven't played them, you don't know what your missing. I personally think it is the best weapons based fighter series made. Also, Art of Fighting 3 is a great unique fighting game they made. The character line-up is a little odd compared to 1 and 2, but the game plays very well in its own way. Check out some other games like: Shocktroopers 1 (One of the best overhead shooters ever made to me), Blazing Star, Top Hunter, Spinmaster and Windjammers. Those are some good somewhat overlooked titles.
