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Garou: Mark Of The Wolves XBLA - Out Now!

Floex

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pancho

pancho

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The shared move lists are a big boon. Almost all of the characters share the same input list (with a few tweaks and exceptions here and there) which means you can switch between characters right from the off (providing you can do a 2xQCF movement for specials etc) - the same deal as with Last Blade 2. This means that the muscle memory threshold is greatly lowered, meaning you can move on to tactical play from an early stage.

It's a simple game to learn, with straightforward supers and specials and, by cutting out a lot of the fussiness of the earlier Fatal Fury titles, results in a much more focused and streamlined experience.

It was one of the last games from SNK proper (before the Playmore take-over), so the animation and sprite work on both characters and backgrounds comes from an art team at the height of their game. Likewise the character roster is awesome, without any weak links.

The game has its detractors for some of the above reasons, but I'm a true believer. I don't especially see the 3S comparison though.

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Preacher

Preacher

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The shared move lists are a big boon. Almost all of the characters share the same input list (with a few tweaks and exceptions here and there) which means you can switch between characters right from the off (providing you can do a 2xQCF movement for specials etc) - the same deal as with Last Blade 2. This means that the muscle memory threshold is greatly lowered, meaning you can move on to tactical play from an early stage.

It's a simple game to learn, with straightforward supers and specials and, by cutting out a lot of the fussiness of the earlier Fatal Fury titles, results in a much more focused and streamlined experience.

It was one of the last games from SNK proper (before the Playmore take-over), so the animation and sprite work on both characters and backgrounds comes from an art team at the height of their game. Likewise the character roster is awesome, without any weak links.

The game has its detractors for some of the above reasons, but I'm a true believer. I don't especially see the 3S comparison though.

Cheers. I'm buying it anyway, I just wanted to know a little more about it beforehand. Anyone else who'd like to furnish us with their wisdom, please do.

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Uzi

Uzi

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Cheers. I'm buying it anyway, I just wanted to know a little more about it beforehand. Anyone else who'd like to furnish us with their wisdom, please do.

Thank god theres folk like you who haven't played it before. Means I can play some multiplayer with you guys without feeling utterly useless.

I thought this game has a parry system like third strike, except you tap back instead of forward doing a well timed block which gives you a little sliver of health back or something and opp to counter? I read that anyway, sounds good. Never played it myself.

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Willei

Willei

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The game has its detractors for some of the above reasons, but I'm a true believer. I don't especially see the 3S comparison though.

The 3S stuff doesn't run that deep. It's mostly that they completely redrew the entire cast with far more animation than they'd had before (though RB2 was a step in that direction anyway) and included a new generation of characters with a couple of old favourites. Garou was a complete rethink of the game system as SF3 was, adding just defend, recovery rolls, variable jumps, completely rethinking guard cancels and ditching old favourites like the two-line battle system. Input was also made much easier compared to previous games.

Between the respective systems of 3S and Garou, there really isn't that much similarity. SF4 fans may appreciate that the backdash has some invincible frames though!

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Preacher

Preacher

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lane-changing must've seemed like such a good idea at the time. Can't believed it only got cut in Garou, though. I'm going to pick up Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol 1 on PS2 to reaquaint myself with the series (so I really need a PS2 fight stick. Anybody?)

EDIT: You know what? Say what you will about the older SNK beat em ups, but the backgrounds are awesome - the original KOF in particular had stages like Pao Pao cafe and London Bridge that show infinitely more imagination than anything in recent years, particularly SNK Playmore's stuff. Lane-changing aside, I'm hoping FF upheld the tradition for at least one iteration, before standards slipped.

Thank god theres folk like you who haven't played it before. Means I can play some multiplayer with you guys without feeling utterly useless.

I'll definitely be up for some games, but don't count on me being totally useless. :)

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Preacher

Preacher

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Then pretend to be :)

The way I'm playing beat em ups at the moment, I might not have to - having an absolutely shocking run of 1st round losses in SF IV champ tonight. ;)

So yeah, I'll be on for this tomorrow night, if anyone else is interested. Tag's "Into the Preach".

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imp

imp

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Funnily enough, I've been playing this on mame this week, but I have a question, what's the proper button layout for a stick? I assume since it's a neo-geo game, the buttons on the cab are laid out four in a row, but it just seems really weird to me to have the buttons set up as:

Jab P, Jab K, Strong P, Strong K

Have I got it wrong? Are they supposed to be laid out in diamond formation or am I just overly fussy?

EDIT: forgot about the control explanation on the bloody opening! I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

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DC

DC

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Loved this game on the DC. Butt was my char of choice and I'd pick it up were it not for the fact that I no longer have LIVE or a stick. Anyone who has a TE needing to be used needs to get this game though.

That little ninja cunt always gave me a hard time when trying to complete it on 8 stars without continuing to get the endings.

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Goemon

Goemon

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I'll probably pass, I've yet to see a port or emulation of a Neo Geo game thats isn't completely pissed all over by the original cart. And I don't play the two Real Bout's I have, never mind playing another Fatal Fury. I'm not as enthused as I was when it was originally announced. But then, I'm not a typical user, as I've got a cab pretty much just for use with Neo geo :)

*goes off to play Kof96*

How about the fact that playing this version will allow you to have potentially thousands of online opponents as opposed to sitting on your cab playing against the AI?

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Dandy_Sephy

Dandy_Sephy

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You don't like Street Fighter III ? In the sense that SFIII is the most indepth of the SF games to date, it's a bad thing for SNK to have a version of that?

It's also one of the most marmite games going. It may be in depth, but its hard for a lot of people to get past the character design, presentation etc. The hardcore crowd love it, everyone else not so much. I'd also note that very few people talk about SFIII, it's almost always Third Strike. It took the second revision before anyone took a serious interest.

Being in depth is all well and good, but you need to get past barriers to enjoy it

I'm guessing it's because he doesn't own a 3S cab.

Your attempt at taking the piss is pathetic, and sub meh standard. And anyone with any knowledge knows there aren't any dedicated cabs ;) (some generic monsters maybe). Also the game is hideously expensive for its age, and CPS3 is notoriously unreliable :)

Instead, it's because I spent several weeks playing it in mame when I got my first cab.

You have to remember that SFIII isn't universally liked. There are people who don't like the parry system, because it allows people to be safer when jumping than in SFII or IV - just one example. I like III myself.

Exactly, it's not like SFIV where the few people who don't like it are crying into their SFII cps1/2 boards/carts.

lane-changing must've seemed like such a good idea at the time. Can't believed it only got cut in Garou, though. I'm going to pick up Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol 1 on PS2 to reaquaint myself with the series (so I really need a PS2 fight stick. Anybody?)

EDIT: You know what? Say what you will about the older SNK beat em ups, but the backgrounds are awesome - the original KOF in particular had stages like Pao Pao cafe and London Bridge that show infinitely more imagination than anything in recent years, particularly SNK Playmore's stuff. Lane-changing aside, I'm hoping FF upheld the tradition for at least one iteration, before standards slipped.

Real bout, great. The previous ones? Urgh, no thanks.

As for stages, my fave SNK stage is the garden in 99 that changes from sunshine to torrential downpour over 3 rounds

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Willei

Willei

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Funnily enough, I've been playing this on mame this week, but I have a question, what's the proper button layout for a stick? I assume since it's a neo-geo game, the buttons on the cab are laid out four in a row, but it just seems really weird to me to have the buttons set up as:

Jab P, Jab K, Strong P, Strong K

Have I got it wrong? Are they supposed to be laid out in diamond formation or am I just overly fussy?

EDIT: forgot about the control explanation on the bloody opening! I guess I'll just have to get used to it.

All the Neo-Geo games show that layout in the opening, but it's very common to play the game with the four buttons in a box like SF2 with two lopped off the end. Try both and see what you think, when you get to the stage where feint combos and the like are committed to muscle memory you won't be able to change!

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JLM

JLM

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The great thing about this is that I've found out in two stages. The first was a few months ago "rumour has it, Garou is coming to XBLA", the second was "Garou out on XBLA this Wednesday". That's a beautiful thing. Skipped all the speculation, all the will it/won't it come out, just had the inital excitement of the rumour and then bam! release datee. If only that happened more often.

I loved this game on Dreamcast but I was never particularly good at it. Having a pool of opponents to practice against is extremely appealing. I have a number of the characters on my Mugen game, but other than that I haven't used them in ages. Marco "Bending" Rodriguez might be my first choice to ease me back in.

Absolutely true on what Nate Dogg says about 2D fighters by the way. I endeavour to play every single vs. fighter that comes out, but so many of them have gone down the road of "try to play it like Streetfighter - > it isn't like Streetfighter - > I am now shit at it". I got past it with the Guilty Gear games through sheer persistence, but I'm still absolutely balls at King of Fighters because of this handicap.

Any chance of Power Instict: Matrimelee on XBLA? As the releases get more and more niche, I'm starting to believe anything is possible. I love that game a bit too much I feel.

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crisy

crisy

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I wish they would bring this to playstation network, because this never came out on ps2 in pal countrys did it?

oh well maybe its best I just wait for kof 12, and spend my time with that beast instead(its out on the 20th in the US, its so close now!!).

also does anybody know if its worth buying the neo geo stick?(with the 4 buttons in a row), im thinking if its worth it

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MDY

MDY

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Impressions from NeoGaf:

- Looks like a straight-up Arcade Port with the PS2 Port's frontend. (The layout and background are the same)

- No Arranged Soundtrack - seemingly no great loss as MoTW's was pretty bad..

- Kain and Grant are already unlocked

- It has a full-on training mode with all of the options available that most console KoF ports have. (IE, settings to toggle the stage that you're training on, the amount of life you both have, and the ability to set a macro)

- To add to the macro thing, the default ones given are the same as the default PS2 ones..

- Terry's voiceclips aren't changed like in the DC port to the more familiar movename shouts rather than Rock You! and such

- No voiceclip delay (like the DC port)

- Does have Survival

- Lovely beautiful razor sharp upscaling; you can turn off the blur hell filter

- None of the DC version jankiness

- There are movelists that you can view during the pause menu.

- No (immediately obvious) way to remove the borders.. The images on them seem random..

- Not retranslated. Awkward (but entertaining) SNK translation remains.

Matches played online with local Japanese players, some lag. Nothing super drastic, but not as smooth as SFIV.

Probably the best non-AES home version, even if it lacks the arranged soundtrack and gallery.

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Preacher

Preacher

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- Not retranslated. Awkward (but entertaining) SNK translation remains.

It was never going to happen anyway, was it? But like they say, it's entertaining, and as much a part of the game as anything else, in my view. Japlish ftw.

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Michael J Glocks

Michael J Glocks

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Even the description on the marketplace blade is written in terrible broken english. That's what I call attention to detail.

Anyone here tried it online yet? Read conflicting opinions on the netcode over on SRK. The majority are saying it's terrible, but a few haven't noticed any input lag whatsoever. I've seen people on here raging about the online play for XBLA games that I've never had any problems with (TMNT springs to mind), presumably because they don't have their NATs configured properly or whatever, so I'm not sure what to think.

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Matteo

Matteo

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Guys,

I heard it's not out in Europe yet?

And regarding the online lag...It's a shame if it's very bad, but I want to see it with my own eyes. I'm skeptical that SRK is biased to anything non-Capcom.

Otherwise that forum would be called DoubleReppuKen.com lol

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Nate Dogg III

Nate Dogg III

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Well the sun just went behind a cloud there for a bit so I had a go.

It's not Street Fighter.

I'm rubbish at it.

I should probably have bought the trial rather than bought it straight off.

It's 4:3 with borders either side and there appears to be no way to stretch it.

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