Mark of the Wolves (Neo Geo and Dreamcast)
It'd been a damn long time since I'd heard or seen a Neo-Geo when this game came to my attention. I read a review, and watched a movie, on the now defunct Gamefan.com , and I knew this would be something special. Even then, I had no idea how to get the game, or to acquire even a Neo Geo.

In the end, it took me over a year to acquire a Neo Geo and this game (among others, but this is a PRIZE). As should be expected from me, I won't just drool all over this game in the review... I did enough of that when I finally held the game in my greedy little hands.

Gameplay:
Most people will never experience this game, and that is unfortunate. I'll start by comparing the gameplay to what I feel is the closest comparing game. Most fighter fans have probably played Street Fighter 3 (any iteration) by now. Of course the game has a few new wrinkles, such as the parry system. MOTW has the "just defended" system, which is quite similar.

While similar to the "Real Bout Fatal Fury" series, this is quite a departure from the Fatal Fury's and KOF's. The fighters move like people, and the game uses quite a physics (okay, it's collision detection, but follow me) engine that just "feels" right.

Of course, there are also many "super" moves in this game, and while some are overly difficult to pull off, none are overly impressive. That is, we're spoiled by Capcom's Vs and Street Fighter series, and it's hard to impress us with further flash. This is made even worse if you've played Guilty Gear X - with that, I'll speak about the graphics.

Graphics:
I once said that Metal Slug 3 pushes the Neo Geo to it's limits, graphically. That said, this is the best looking fighter on the system, nothing quite compares. If you've played Samurai Shodown 4, consider this to be slightly better looking. We of course have great looking fighters and backgrounds in this game, and the only gripe are the super's which just don't seem up to par.

My single favorite graphical touch in this game is when Rock turns his back to us in a winpose, exposing angel-like wings. Want a peek?

Now tell me that wasn't hyper cool!

Sound/Music:
The music is just jazzy in this game. I don't find it on par with the KOF series by any means, but it's enough to make me happy. In fact, music is the only shortcoming this game has, maybe the development team just felt this game deserved a change of audio pacing from other SNK fighters, but it just doesn't gel with the rest of the game.

You just can't hate SNK sound effects, they're just perfect for every situation that the game contains.

Replay Value:
Don't plan on playing this with the local friends, I've NEVER found anyone else that will play MOTW with me for long... Not even when I purposely let them win! I think that this is just Capcomitis though, relating to the fact that there have just been way too many fighters released in the last few years, and interest has REALLY swung low.

Will you be playing this game years from now, if you make the purchase? Well, do you enjoy Street Fighter or KOF? Simply put, this isn't the be-all and end-all of 2d fighters that raving SNK fans make it out to be. Believe it or not, it's been bypassed in 2d graphics; a good example is Guilty Gear X, or even Street Fighter 3 as a series. This game IS a load of fun, IF you still enjoy a good fighter. If you decide to start a collection of Neo Geo games, then definitely make this game a priority.
But, what about those gamers that can't part with the cash quite that easily? This game is EXPENSIVE! If you can't afford the Neo Geo version, pick it up for cheap on the Dreamcast! It's well translated, and actually features an improved soundtrack!

Let me stress, if your favorite type of game is the 2d fighter, you will NEVER tire of this game, as I haven't in a few months tired of this one yet.

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