garou: mark of the wolves
Neo-geo, 1999
SNK is a company with a rich history as a developer of fighting games, so it takes something special to be in the conversation for the best one ever – and Garou: Mark Of The Wolves is a very special game indeed. The final entry in the Fatal Fury series jumps into the future and introduces a new cast of characters alongside Terry Bogard – many of them with a connection to the original fighters, including Geese Howard’s son Rock.
Every aspect of Garou: Mark Of The Wolves is superb, from the memorable tunes to the finely-tuned fighting that introduces new mechanics to the series. However, the most immediate impact is made by the game’s graphics – the pixel art is of a very high quality as you can see, but what static screenshots can’t convey is the astonishing animation, with every character having an extraordinary number of frames. Nearly 20 years on, it’s still one of the most attractive 2D games ever developed.