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Post by Ex on Mar 3, 2018 19:26:11 GMT -5
 I noticed lots of folks around here enjoy the beat 'em up genre. What are some of your favorites from years past? What are some beat 'em ups you think stink? Can you recommend any good beat 'em ups off the beaten path? (Pun intended, I'll see myself out the door.) |
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Post by toei on Mar 3, 2018 19:56:46 GMT -5
The great ones:
-Die Hard Arcade
-Dynamite Cops
-Streets of Rage trilogy
-The Combatribes (SNES only, the arcade version is too frustrating)
-Double Dragon 2 (PCE-CD version)
-Super Double Dragon
-Kunio tachi no Banka (or whatever the full title is)
-Double Dragon Advance
-Hokuto no Ken (PSX)
-Captain Commando (arcade)
-The Punisher (arcade)
-TMNT: Turtles in Time (SNES)
-Vendetta
-Metamorphic Forces
I'm sure I'm forgetting some, and there are others worth playing (Sonic Blastman 2, Golden Axe, etc. for example) that aren't quite as good to me. The list of bad beat-'em-ups is frankly too long to get into. There are dozens of little-known beat-em-ups that are barely playable at all, and about 80-90 plain mediocre ones. I actually have a pretty exhaustive list at home. I'm a fan of the genre, and I've tried almost everything there is (excluding a lot of indie games that I may check out at some point), but I have to say the ration of good-to-bad games is lower in that genre than in most others.
I still need to replay certain prominent beat-'em-ups, especially some of Capcom's, so the list will probably get longer.
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Post by anayo on Mar 3, 2018 21:18:10 GMT -5
Hot Blooded Family (Sega Saturn) is alright.  |
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Post by Sarge on Mar 3, 2018 22:57:28 GMT -5
Strangely, I don't care much for the PCE version of Double Dragon II. Give me the NES version all day, every day.  I might be one of the few people that actually think that Double Dragon III on NES is really good, too. The only problem with it (and it's a doozy) comes in the form of extreme difficulty. I love Super Double Dragon, of course; I even imported Return of Double Dragon, the slightly-more-finished version. Both are fine games, regardless. While we're on the subject of Technos, River City Ransom has always been one of my favorites. I know it can be pretty directionless, but I love the way the combat feels, and the RPG elements also elevate it in my mind. I felt like the GBA port didn't have quite the same charm. I'm sure it was something control-related. But another Million-developed game, Double Dragon Advance, might be the absolute pinnacle of arcade-style Double Dragon. Seriously, if you have any love for the original, you need to play DDA. I think Konami had a lot of great beat-'em-ups as well. The one I have the most nostalgia for is probably TMNT. Not Turtles in Time, although it's good, too. Other games with this engine also turned out pretty well; The Simpsons arcade game probably clocks in as the best based on the property. While I'm skipping around, I understand the importance of Final Fight, but I wish it had more diversity of movesets like Double Dragon. My favorites of that series are Final Fight 3 and Mighty Final Fight. The former actually reminds me a lot of Streets of Rage, and the latter is just a blast of a beat-'em-up on NES. And speaking of Streets of Rage, the whole series is really good, with SoRII as the pinnacle. The first game has its charms (and probably the best soundtrack of the series, and perhaps on Genesis), and the third is best experienced with the Japanese version, Bare Knuckle III. I'm sure there are a ton I'm missing. Capcom put out a ton of great ones; stuff like King of Dragons, Knights of the Round, Captain Commando, The Punisher... the list is staggering! Some folks like the D&D games, too, but I can't seem to grok them. One last one that folks probably don't like that much anymore, but I like the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden a lot. Just... beware that last boss if you're operating on the highest difficulty settings. It took me forever to take him out.  |
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Post by chibby on Mar 4, 2018 13:53:30 GMT -5
While this isn't game that I have particular strong feelings of love for, every time I've played it I thought had a good time.  Though I think in part my enjoyment of this was limited to its exclusivity (I could only play it when I visited Anayo). When it was released on the Xbox Arcade for 360 I downloaded it and Anayo and I gave it a run, but I've never really felt compelled to go for it again. It's good though, they work in some light RPG elements that make it fun. Then here is a game that is one of my greatest loves:  Does this count as a member of the Beat 'Em Up Genre?  Finding half finished artwork was such a surreal experience. I posted about it in the music thread, because the music is tight, but this game as a whole is one of my favorites. None of it's individual elements are the best at what they do, but the whole experience is more than the sum of it's parts IMO. |
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Post by Xeogred on Mar 4, 2018 22:45:02 GMT -5
I grew up on Konami TMNT and Battletoads. Most people talk about TMNT II which is the one based off the original arcade beat 'em up, but I actually owned TMNT III: The Manhattan Project as a child and have a way bigger soft spot for that one. It has so many cool levels and even a fun story arc with floating islands and crazy stuff. Beat it all the time with my grandpa. I think I still like it more than Turtles in Time personally. Battletoads I don't think I knocked out officially until many years later with a friend and Game Genie, but it was a frequent rental when I was young. I was a big fan of the Simpsons arcade beat 'em up. Saw that one in arcades or Chucky Cheeses all the time. I think I got to stage 5 once with some random people, skimming a video that's the last level that looks familiar. Was exposed to Final Fight off and on at arcades too, then I got it for the SNES. But around that same time I was already playing Streets of Rage 2 and then 3 with friends. They are the pinnacle of console beat 'em ups in my book. Straight up perfection. For the fans, if you guys haven't yet check out SoRR... it's like the ultimate compilation of the whole series and incredible, you'd think it was a real official release that celebrated the series' awesomeness. Tons of unlockable characters like Shiva or Mr X too which is really fun. I beat Final Fight 2-3 again last year and it might be the last time I ever touch those, pretty forgettable efforts. I liked Batman Returns on the SNES a fair bit, but it does have a lot of weird stages and gimmicks, not sure how it holds up. I also do think I played the Konami NES Batman beat 'em up, but probably never got very far. Only the first level or two looks familiar in retrospect. |
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Post by dunpeal2064 on Mar 5, 2018 3:40:36 GMT -5
My all-time favorite Beat 'em Ups:
Streets of Rage 3: Not a super technical game, but its engaging enough to demand attention. Its ost and overall presentation are without peer in the genre for me, though. When I want to just kick back and experience some glorious killing to some wonderful sceneries and blistering hardstyle music, this is always where I go. Tons of characters to play around with, too, once you go through once and unlock em, and the character-unique weapon specials are damn fun. Getting free supers with a full meter is sweet too, since I tend to never use them in games that always damage you for them, and the mobility you get with vertical rolling is great.
The Ninja Warriors Again: Pretty much the polar opposite of SoR3, this game is a technical masterpiece, and to me, is the most fun Beat 'em Up to play. It still has style, but like God Hand, you can tell all the effort went into its gameplay, movesets and character differences, balancing, enemy types and mixups, all that jazz. It takes a while to click, and doesn't do a lot to sell the player (Single-plane, the default character can't jump, fairly complex movesets, kinda tough), but I have yet to meet a person that gave this game an honest chance and didn't walk away impressed.
I can't think of many Beat 'em Ups I outright hate. I've played some bad ones, but never stuck around long enough to feel anything for em. I guess my guilty admittance would be that I don't love TMNT IV. Its not terrible, it was fun enough to clear, and there is some nostalgia there since I grew up with the Turtles, but I never find myself wanting to go back to it.
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Post by Ex on Mar 5, 2018 10:25:16 GMT -5
My all time favorites:*
Double Dragon (NES)
-Super well balanced, perfect length, great pacing, imminently replayable.
Double Dragon II: The Revenge (NES)
-Even better graphics, great co-op, more variety, terrible platforming.
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom (Arcade)
-Super great co-op beat 'em up-RPG hybrid. Amazing graphics.
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara (Arcade)
-Somehow manages to be even better than Tower, unbelievably awesome in four player mode. Shadow over Mystara is my all time favorite beat 'em up ever, with the caveat being I've never played it with less than three players.
Golden Axe 1-3 (Genesis)
-Gives me a proper Conan vibe, love me some oldschool swords 'n sorcery stuff. Great combat, great co-op.
Final Fight III (SNES)
-The apex of an already amazing series. Better than any Streets of Rage game.
Splatterhouse 3 (Genesis)
-Intense mature plot, unnerving atmosphere, ruthless protagonist, gory gore gore, challenging combat.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)
-This was the coolest thing ever as a ten year old. Still fun today.
The Ninja Warriors Again (Super Famicom)
-Just feels awesome to play, manages to be a great beat 'em up without a Z-axis. FUN.
Undercover Cops (Arcade)
-Super gorgeous pixel work, very satisfying chunky combat, really strong atmosphere. The SFC port is pretty great too, but MAME the original if you can.
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (SNES)
-Crisp clean art, captures the source material well, fun to use all the X-Men, great movesets. If you want a challenge here it is, TOUGH.
Beat 'em ups I don't like
Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones (NES)
-This game is so stupid hard it totally ruins the fun. What a travesty.
Comix Zone (Genesis)
-Nice graphics, cool concept. Terrible game balancing, and the latter half of the experience completely fails to live up to the first half.
River City Ransom
-Everyone in the world seems to love this game but me. Yes it's charming and has awesome aesthetics. However the gameplay gets boring after 5 minutes. Not even variety whatsoever to sustain its length.
I've never understood the fervor concerning the Streets of Rage series. I've played all three games, and never felt anything playing them beyond "meh it's alright". I felt like that even playing them back in the '90s. However I've decided at some point this year, I'm going to replay all three, and finish all three. So I can make a more informed judgement call.
*I'm surely forgetting more, but if they come to me I'll add 'em.
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Post by Sarge on Mar 5, 2018 10:53:01 GMT -5
I do think part of SoR's appeal is that thumpin' soundtrack. Not that they aren't great brawlers, to boot, but a great soundtrack can absolutely elevate a game.
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Post by Ex on Mar 5, 2018 11:07:55 GMT -5
I do think part of SoR's appeal is that thumpin' soundtrack. I agree that the series has above average music. Not sure how I feel about the rest of the series' games' content though. I will give all of them a fresh slate start when I get around to playing them. I'll try to leave any bias behind. Although years of seeing people ignorantly trash Final Fight in favor of SoR has surely caused subliminal turmoil.  Speaking of Final Fight, I still gotta get around to finishing Mighty Final Fight. I think the reason I still haven't, is the game doesn't support co-op. I much prefer to play through beat 'em ups with a friend. |
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I might be one of the few people that actually think that Double Dragon III on NES is really good, too. The only problem with it (and it's a doozy) comes in the form of extreme difficulty. I love Super Double Dragon, of course; I even imported Return of Double Dragon, the slightly-more-finished version. Both are fine games, regardless.
