Got a favorite list of games or genres? Maybe you'd like to see what other gamers consider the best of a genre or system? Well that's what we have the "List 'em" series for! So come, read, comment and participate in RF Generation's way of sharing our love for this hobby as well as paying homage to our personal favorites!
This week in the latest installment of "List 'em", we'll tackle beat 'em ups. The ass kicking, bat/whip/barrel/fist swinging goodness that's all in the fingers, not the brain. If you care to indulge me for a moment, try to imagine a day when shooters weren't the dominant genre in multiplayer or gaming in general. No I'm serious! Beat 'em ups were popular in both the arcades as well as the home consoles as one of the most prominent genres during the late 80's to mid 90's.
It's also one of those genres that's hard to define. Everything from 2D side scrolling, to fighting action RPGs to super hero and TV licensed titles fall under the banner of beat 'em ups. The one thing they all have in common is that they are fast, require a lot of skill to master, and have plenty of on-screen baddies for you to pummel.
So this week, I present to you my top 5 beat 'em ups of all time as chosen by me. All of these titles bring fond memories both old and new, most of them I still play regularly today. So without further ado:
Streets of Rage 2 (Sega Genesis) - Ok I lied. I wasn't going to rank any of these over one another but this to me is the best beat-em up of all time and is number one on my list. I'm sure many of you would agree that it is both among the best of it's type and is part of one of the best series of beat 'em ups of all time as well. Awesome music, fantastic controls and some of the best 16 bit console gameplay ever made, this game has it all and stands out in the Sega Genesis library. If you haven't enjoyed this game yet or were too young when it was originally released, do yourself a favor and track down a copy or download it from Xbox Live or Nintendo's Virtual Console, you won't regret it.
River City Ransom (Nintendo Entertainment System) - Now I freely admit, I'm not a huge NES fan. Sure I grew up playing the classics on that system and like everyone else I have my favorites. They just happen to be fewer and farther between for that system than most others. Even so, once in a while I'll find a game that I've never played before that may be "old hat" to most of you but is new to me. A few years ago purely on impulse I bought a CIB copy of River City Ransom having never played it before. Sometimes you just have to follow your gut instinct on an unfamiliar game, this time it paid off well.
What I like about this game is that it feels like Double Dragon, has a good sense of humor and has depth in that it's more than just a punch/kick side scroller, but a "Lite" action RPG as well that gives it more replay value. Awesome game and one of the best for the system.
X-Men (6 player Arcade cabinet) - Now what would a reputable top list of beat 'em ups be without mention of this gargantuan machine? Well it would probably be something like ScrewAttacks top 10 list as seen below. In any case this is both a memorable game and a memorable machine. Six player controls side by side on an arc with 2 large screens also side by side. Let's forget that most of the X-men characters have abilities in the game they don't in the comics, because this game kicks so much ass we'll forgive them for it. Sure you could play the game by yourself, or settle for those lowly 2 or 4 player versions instead, but where's the fun in that? Six players side by side can lay waste to anything on screen and it's a game as fun to watch as it is to play. Just ignore the bad "engrish" and you'll be fine.
My Hero (Sega Master System / Arcade) - Of all the games on my list, this is by far the most simplistic. Being a Sega Master System game and one of the "Sega Cards", I don't expect a whole lot of people will share my appreciation of it. One might call this a Double Dragon ripoff, but in fact it preceded it by a good two years or so and was a port of the arcade version from 1985. Simple controls and only one level that just gets progressively harder, the game never stops pummeling you until the game over screen. It makes for a fast, fun and furious session that can test the mettle of anyone who plays it. The Sega Control Stick is recommended for this game over the digital game pad. Believe me you'll need it for those high scores.
Spider-Man & Venom: Maximum Carnage (SNES / Sega Genesis) - This game fancies itself so special it had to have a red cartridge! Well to it's credit it is an awesome game and one of the best super hero titles ever made in my opinion. How many of you can still hum along to the "Green Jelly" soundtrack used in this game? The story actually follows a major plot being written in the comics at that time and Carnage was one of Spider-Man's nastiest foes that he had ever faced. So nasty in fact, that he has to team up with his former nastiest foe to deal with him. Great controls and variety in gameplay that makes each level feel new. It also has many peripheral characters on both sides of the conflict that serve both as boss and ally. A great game from a day when the name Acclaim actually meant something.
So that's my list folks, now it's your turn. Feel free as always to list as many or as few as you wish. For your viewing pleasure, here's the ScrewAttack top 10 list of beat 'em ups according to them:
I'm not really Keen on what in my collection or gaming history constitutes "Beat them Ups"
I imagine that No More Heroes could be called Beat 'em Up. Sure, we replace punching and kicking with a bad ass Beam Katana, but you're still being overwhelmed by an amazing number of baddies on the screen in what could be described as a very enjoyable experience. Who ever knew that something so bloody could be so fun? Certainly this game is my favorite game on the Wii, even Besting the behemoths Super Smash Bros and Galaxy.
I guess also that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II on the NES also could be in a sense a Beat 'em Up. As a kid, I was mesmerized by that game, certainly it wasn't Mega Man, but it still was an "OMG! This game is awesome because it was in the Arcade" game. Looking back, it was probably good on its own merit.
Also, you could sort of argue that Kingdom Hearts is a Beat 'em Up, but yeah, at the same time it is an RPG. Still, I love that series.
When someone asks me about some good beat 'em up suggestions, the Splatterhouse series is something I am sure to list. The TMNT ones are excellent and the list they have isn't bad.
Fully agree with Streets of Rage 2. To me it's the pinnacle of side scroller beat'em ups, as I always compared any 2D & 3D games of the same genre to it ever since.
5. Kung Fu Master (Arcade) I never did rescue Sylvia but I'm sure she was as happy as I was getting knifed by crazed oriental henchmen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_Master
4. International Karate+ (Commodore Amiga) Three player. Incredible sound and graphics for the time. I actually viewed this on Youtube last night for the nostalgia. Loved the way you progressed and got different coloured belts. Plus the rounds where you had to deflect bowling balls or whatever they were and the occasional human head lol. http://www.rfgeneration.com/cgi-bin/getinfo.pl?ID=E-030-S-03130-A
2. WWF Superstars (Arcade) MACHO MAN RANDY SAVAGE OOOOOOH YEAH! This game is still a lot of fun! I loved it during tag team beats when you could get out of the ring and wack people with the chair. The Royal Rumble section of the game is chaotic but enjoyable none the less. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WWF_Superstars
1. Final Fight (Arcade) My favourite beat em up game. I still like to play as Haggar for his cool wrestling moves. It was great to be able to interact with the scenery a little and pick up objects and smash other objects too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fight
1.TMNT 2 (NES) Ok, it's a gimmie. First one to actualy impress me with it's visuals and gameplay.
2.Final Fight 2 (SNES) The first was ok but I didnt care for how easy it felt. The second one always kicks my butt on max difficulty.
3.River City Ransom (NES) You have SD charcters kicking the c%$p out of other SD charcters while going to school? Mindless fun was never so good.
4.Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis) Music that pushed the system's hardware and gameplay that was great. Oh, and did I mention it looked great as well?
5.Sailor Moon (Super Famicom) Ok, it's a weak streets of rage/final fight clone. The controls are so simple they could be on the NES as you only use 2 buttons. One to jump, the other to attack. It's got hot anime chicks in short skirts though so it can be forgiven for the cheap bosses and lackluster attacks.
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