With SNK undergoing a re-branding recently that hearkens back to their "glory days," so to speak, I thought it would be appropriate to gather some opinions as to what game(s) best represent the "SNK" that the company is trying to resurrect.
With that mini history lesson out of the way, let's get to the topic at hand:
Which single game do you put forward as your nomination for representing what SNK should strive to match in an effort to reclaim their former glory?
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This is a tough one for me since I'm a huge fan of so much of their 90's output, but I'm going to single out Garou: Mark of the Wolves as SNK's pinnacle.
In the same fashion that Street Fighter III: Third Strike represented Capcom's peak as a 2D, pixel-art fighting game development house, Garou was SNK's equivalent in so many ways. While its roster can't match the sprawling selection on display in SNK's King of Fighters series, Garou is a shines by offering the player a fast/fluid combat engine with all of the modern trappings of the time and presented in some of the most detailed and sumptuous pixel-art to have ever graced the genre.
With Garou being SNK's Third Strike, Garou also featured some of the best hand-drawn pixel animation in fighting games. The fluidity of movement in Garou is still just as striking today, especially given the fact that we're unlikely to ever see pixel art done on this scale again with SNK moving into 100% polygonal development with KOF XIV.
Playing the recently released PS4/Vita port of Garou over the last few days against real competition really affirmed my thoughts on this vote. While I have an extreme fondness for the Samurai Shodown series and Last Blade 2, I think Garou edges them out when you factor in how perfectly everything in the game comes together. The small roster is balanced and interesting, the presentation is up their with Metal Slug 3 as the best to ever grace the Neo-Geo hardware, and the combat mechanics are all honed to perfection. While most SNK-developed fighting games struggled to find the competitive scene that Capcom has always enjoyed, Garou was their best argument against that inequality.
With that mini history lesson out of the way, let's get to the topic at hand:
Which single game do you put forward as your nomination for representing what SNK should strive to match in an effort to reclaim their former glory?
_________________________
This is a tough one for me since I'm a huge fan of so much of their 90's output, but I'm going to single out Garou: Mark of the Wolves as SNK's pinnacle.
In the same fashion that Street Fighter III: Third Strike represented Capcom's peak as a 2D, pixel-art fighting game development house, Garou was SNK's equivalent in so many ways. While its roster can't match the sprawling selection on display in SNK's King of Fighters series, Garou is a shines by offering the player a fast/fluid combat engine with all of the modern trappings of the time and presented in some of the most detailed and sumptuous pixel-art to have ever graced the genre.
In typical SNK fashion, Garou's backgrounds were best-in-class and packed to the brim with details and impressive animations that brought the scenes to life.
With Garou being SNK's Third Strike, Garou also featured some of the best hand-drawn pixel animation in fighting games. The fluidity of movement in Garou is still just as striking today, especially given the fact that we're unlikely to ever see pixel art done on this scale again with SNK moving into 100% polygonal development with KOF XIV.
That attention to detail and motion extended to the character sprites, all of which shared an attractive art style and silky-smooth animation.
Playing the recently released PS4/Vita port of Garou over the last few days against real competition really affirmed my thoughts on this vote. While I have an extreme fondness for the Samurai Shodown series and Last Blade 2, I think Garou edges them out when you factor in how perfectly everything in the game comes together. The small roster is balanced and interesting, the presentation is up their with Metal Slug 3 as the best to ever grace the Neo-Geo hardware, and the combat mechanics are all honed to perfection. While most SNK-developed fighting games struggled to find the competitive scene that Capcom has always enjoyed, Garou was their best argument against that inequality.
