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:
Just watched Ebert and Roeper for a few minutes. Ebert wasn't there for the "King of Kong" review but Roeper and the substitute both gave it rave reviews.
That doesn't mean a whole lot but interesting nevertheless. Especially with Ebert being all "games aren't art" and all, I'd like to have seen his take on it just out of curiosity.
It was still dripping with "games are geeky fads" stereotypical drivel. You'd think after 30 years and an expanded demographic even so called "experts" wouldn't be so ignorant of gamer culture. Right before that Roeper had mentioned how "in tune" with popular culture is his, obviously it's only by his own estimation.
They did mention how it was a good legit documentary with depth and that it was interesting, even to non-gamers.
But really, we all know the truth behind both Billy Mitchell's famous charisma and his amazing abilities. It's his hair. It somehow enhances his reflexes and concentration by manipulating the space time continuum that causes a time dilation field around him. Still with me? Good. This time dilation field slows down time and bends the laws of physics allowing him to anticipate the game's reactions and plan his next move. The longer his hair gets the more control over space and time he has. That's why as he gets older he gets better, it's because he's letting his hair grow to offset any loss of skill based on his age.
I still haven't come up with a theory that explains what abilities his beard gives him but I'm working on it. Right now I'm doing a comparison study between him and Chuck Norris, there may be some correlating evidence to support a hypothesis, stay tuned for updates on that.
In the meantime, check out this trailer for the movie which is now in theatres:
Need some cash for school? Autumn game money? A chance at glory? Well this year's CGE has it all!
25 years to the day that Billy Mitchell set the world record for the arcade classic Donkey Kong, he set a new world record of 1,050,200 in front of a huge audience on July 14 2007. To mark this accomplishment and promote competition, Billy has personally offered a $10,000 prize to anyone who can beat his world record this weekend, July 28-29 at the Classic Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada.
So get out there and tag-team this giant of professional gaming and humble him with your mad hammer-swinging skills, and tell him www.RFGeneration.com sent you.
"Welcome to the Fantasy Zone!; get ready!" How many gamers over the past 20 years have heard that infamous line in arcades and TV's all over the world, no one will ever know. Space Harrier is one of those all-time classic games that tends to get overlooked or forgotten despite it's contribution and uniqueness. Colourful graphics, scrolling landscapes, challenging bosses all in a front scrolling 3rd person shooter which alone is rare among games. It also holds the distinction of being among the first hydraulic cabinets that move as the player controls his character. Many versions exist ported to different systems from the Sega Master System to the Nintendo Wii.
This game has always stood out in my mind for some of it's forward thinking ideas and elements that make it an endearing game. It's upbeat music, digitized voices and variety in level design, bosses and patterns make it a game difficult to master and faster than a lot of others of it's class. It's also one of the first games I can remember that had a fully animated and voiced death sequence for the players character.
I've heard rumors of a re-make for years now (not including Planet Harriers) and with Sega reviving old franchises like Alien Syndrome, After Burner, Golden Axe, it's fine time Space Harrier joins that list. Be it a Dual Analog, Motion Controlled or Stylus controlled game, with todays technology it could be a wondrous experience. Imagine the scrolling landscapes, on-screen enemies, character models and music these new next gen systems could produce.
Who cares if it has a story, purpose or even ending? There is still room in todays gaming culture for a title that rewards high scores with bragging rights, simplicity in approach and complexity in design. Most of the classic early 80's era arcade games have had a go at the new generation of gamers, so why not start the late 80's early 90's off with a bang? What better game to lead the charge than a brand new sequel to Space Harrier?
Gaming history was made June 1st 2007 at the Funspot 9th Annual International Classic Game Tournament in Weirs Beach, NH when Steve Austin...err I mean Brian Kuh broke his previous world record of 16 coin-op records in one day by beating 17 this year.
Imagine the skill and endurance it would take not to mention the practice to set such a world record. Even playing that much coin-op in one day gives me tennis elbow and backache just thinking about it. Last years's record of 16 in one day had such notable games as Chase HQ, Paperboy, Super Sprint and Xenophobe among others with a combined points total of over 17 million points.
Fellow classic gaming record holder Billy Mitchell himself commissioned a poster to commemorate this remarkable achievement. At this point I think only Jaime Sommers or Lieutenant Commander Data could possibly match a performance like that. Hats off to you Brian, I think you've easily secured your place among gaming elite. Looking forward to hear about his exploits next year at Funspot's 10th Annual.
This week in the latest installment of "
"Welcome to the Fantasy Zone!; get ready!" How many gamers over the past 20 years have heard that infamous line in arcades and TV's all over the world, no one will ever know. Space Harrier is one of those all-time classic games that tends to get overlooked or forgotten despite it's contribution and uniqueness. Colourful graphics, scrolling landscapes, challenging bosses all in a front scrolling 3rd person shooter which alone is rare among games. It also holds the distinction of being among the first hydraulic cabinets that move as the player controls his character. Many versions exist ported to different systems from the Sega Master System to the Nintendo Wii.
