For starters, SNK excised most of the line's recurring characters by setting Mark of the Wolves a decade after the second most recent Fatal Fury. Andy Bogard, Mai Shiranui, Billy Kane, Duck King, Blue Mary, Kim Kap Hwan and that stomach-slapping fat guy are nowhere to be found. Only an older, better-dressed Terry Bogard returns, bringing with him Rock Howard, the apparently orphaned son of longtime Fatal Fury boss Geese Howard. As shown in the game's grim opening sequence, Terry adopted and raised Rock after Geese's not-quite-accidental death. With a few similar moves and a friendly rivalry, the young Howard and the older Mr. Bogard form the inevitable Ken/Ryu pairing of Mark of the Wolves, though at least Rock doesn't share Terry's fondness for embarrassing Americanisms like “C'mon! Get serious!” Note that the last word is pronounced “seery-ass” in Terry-speak.

Goofy catch phrases in tow, the two men head off to a second Southtown tournament, this one hosted by an ominous, elegantly attired blond man known as Kain R. Heinlein. They're joined by every manner of fighting-game archetype, including Kim Kap Hwan's contrastingly characterized sons Dong Hwan and Jae Hoon, hulking Mexican wrestler Tizoc (who resembles a bird-headed version of Tekken's King), explosives-wielding detective Kevin Rian, the voluptuous proletariat pirate queen B. Jenet, sharp-handed freak Freeman, and Hokutomaru, a clumsy student of Andy Bogard and a follower of the same ninja arts to which Mai Shiranui subscribed. And then there's Hotaru Futaba, a cheerful girl apparently designed to make players feel ashamed to fight her. The game may as well scroll up some pre-match text that reads, “Look! Here's an innocent young lass who has a plucky disposition, a squeaky-cute voice, a scarf-wearing pet ferret named Itokatsu, and the noble aim of finding her lost brother. Now beat her little brains out.”

And Hotaru's not the only memorable one in the mix. Kushnood Butt, despite having a ridiculous name and a design that may constitute an ethnic slur, is a hilariously macho disciple of the Kyokyugen karate school seen in Art of Fighting, Hokutomaru is an amusing goofball, and Rock has a moody, tortured demeanor as well as the coolest win pose since Rose's costume change in Street Fighter Alpha 2. A cynic would find it easy to dub the Mark of the Wolves characters as quite cliche, but they prove far more stylish and distinct than Duck King, Richard Meyer, Tung Fue Rue, or any of the other generic stereotypes that drifted into obscurity with their respective Fatal Furies.

SNK also manages to make the characters unique in gameplay, thanks to a clever setup: about 90 percent of moves are performed with basic quarter-circle and “dragon punch” motions, but each fighter has a heavily individualized technique. Freeman specializes in aerial attacks, Kushnood (I refuse to call him “Butt”) employs aggressive Ken-and-Ryu maneuvers, Gato is all hand-to-hand, Rock has a bunch of reversal tactics, and so on. By keeping controller manipulation simple, the game encourages players to focus on actual play instead of memorizing intricately performed special attacks.

Other innovations include the T.O.P. System, which allows players to designate any part of their life bars as a T.O.P segment. When a fighter's energy shares space with that segment, a character gets additional attack strength, the ability to recharge the life meter, and a special T.O.P attack. For additional strategy, players can change the length of their T.O.P., and though a shorter gauge grants a greater spike in power, it's also easier to loose that brief boost. There's also the “Just Defended” system, with which characters can parry an attack and take no damage, provided they do it at exactly the right moment. A block-shattering guard crush technique is also utilized, as is a “breaking” ability that allows players to cancel moves and link them into combos.

Besting the King of Fighters line in visual quality, Mark of the Wolves shows off an excellent level of animation. The pretty backgrounds are replete with in-jokes, particularly in Hokutomaru's stage, and the characters shine with details in their win poses, pre-match mannerisms, and personalized assaults. The soundtrack's well-composed, and the voices are on par with first-rate anime acting, even if B. Jenet's triumphant shriek of “Beautiful Victoreee!” may be the single most annoying sound sample in the history of gaming.

As in most SNK fighters, Mark of the Wolves features a mildly interesting story, setting up Kain and the fearsome sorcerer Grant as effective villains and giving every one of the characters a well-illustrated ending. Unfortunately, it's hard to do anything but chuckle at the plot, as the game bears SNK's characteristically hilarious translation values. Seemingly localized by someone with a respectable English vocabulary and little command of its usage, the dialogue ranges from mis-phrasings like “Being related's weird, huh?” to errors such as “Come to me, oh mighty on” (I think they mean “one”). The conversations lead to another irksome point, as players can't face Kain or see the characters' real endings unless they score high enough marks during the regular matches.

The only remaining problem lies in the game's relatively routine structure. For all of its innovations, it's still just another fighting game in an age that's seen both the glitzy anime flair of Guilty Gear and the complexities of Capcom vs. SNK 2. Mark of the Wolves yields such standard-issue extras as a survival mode, a practice session, and an art gallery, but there isn't much to ensnare those who have disregarded the often recycled nature of the fighting genre.

And yet Mark of the Wolves' simplicity is for the best. Not flashy or convoluted, it's enjoyable and addictive for the same reasons the original Street Fighter II was such an immersive pleasure: memorable characters, solid and detailed visuals, and gameplay that's both accessible and layered. It may not change the gaming world, but Mark of the Wolves is the superb achievement that the Fatal Fury series needed from the start.