Garou: Mark of the Wolves Review (XBLA)

While not the last game on the Neo-Geo, Garou was a fighting game that came out pretty late in the system’s life. There have been ports for a few systems over the years, including the PS2 and Dreamcast, but this may be the most satisfying one overall. Take the basic 2D fighting action of titles like Street Fighter II, then add a few more options and a cast of about a dozen rather deep characters and you’ve got the right idea. So, what will your 800 Points/$10 buy?

Essentially you’re getting a straight port of the Neo-Geo game. It has a training mode to hone your moves and a survival mode where you can face opponents one after another, but the real heart of it is the multiplayer. You could go through story mode for the basic plot, but it’s not fun since this is an SNK-style AI; it reacts to your moves with absurd speed, meaning you’ll often have to toss out nothing but jabs and light kicks to avoid being countered; so it’s the multiplayer where things really pay off.

Thankfully, Garou delivers on that front. You can play with someone locally, or play over Xbox Live. The latter works quite well; I wouldn’t call it truly perfect (no online fighter will be, I suppose), but it’s close enough that I had no serious complaints so long as my opponent’s ping time was good. The little lag you do get probably will throw off your timing for a few things, but there’s only so much to be done for that; it otherwise feels quite responsive.