What Are the Best Beat 'em Ups?

[Rick Dangerous]

I enjoy

 

-The 8/16 bit Ninja Turtles Games

-The Streets of Rage Trilogy on Genny

-The Final Fight Series (SNES/Sega CD)

-Many co-op Battletoads Games

-The NES Double Dragon Series, and to a lesser extent Double Dragon IV on the SNES

-Mutant City Rampage on the CDi (great title, unfortunately one player only)

-Bad Dudes (Arcade)

 

I'm sure i'm missing something but these really stand out for me personally

[Cynicaster]

People use the word "timeless" to describe arcade classics like Asteroids and Donkey Kong, as well as platform games like SMB and Sonic, but that descriptor just doesn't apply to the beat-em-up genre, IMO. There were lots of them I loved back in the late 80s and early 90s, but I find them rather dull to play today. I think it's because of the de-emphasis on single-credit, skill-based game design and a move toward button-mashing, continues-based games that didn't have any kind of interesting scoring system.

 

I still play beat-em-ups from time to time just for a blast from the past. Some titles I like:

 

- Ninja Baseball Batman (arcade/MAME)

- Night Slashers (arcade/MAME)

- Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

- Double Dragon Advance (GBA)

[Games Retrospect]

People use the word "timeless" to describe arcade classics like Asteroids and Donkey Kong, as well as platform games like SMB and Sonic, but that descriptor just doesn't apply to the beat-em-up genre, IMO. There were lots of them I loved back in the late 80s and early 90s, but I find them rather dull to play today. I think it's because of the de-emphasis on single-credit, skill-based game design and a move toward button-mashing, continues-based games that didn't have any kind of interesting scoring system.

 

I still play beat-em-ups from time to time just for a blast from the past. Some titles I like:

 

- Ninja Baseball Batman (arcade/MAME)

- Night Slashers (arcade/MAME)

- Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

- Double Dragon Advance (GBA)

 

I agree with you. Some of the older beat 'em ups haven't aged particularly well (though that can be said about most video games) and that's because of the design decisions you mention. Of course, personal preference in a specific genre definitely helps even if a game doesn't hold up very well. By the way, thanks for all your recommendations, I haven't heard about the arcade games you mention, so I'll check them out.

[Games Retrospect]

I enjoy

 

-The 8/16 bit Ninja Turtles Games

-The Streets of Rage Trilogy on Genny

-The Final Fight Series (SNES/Sega CD)

-Many co-op Battletoads Games

-The NES Double Dragon Series, and to a lesser extent Double Dragon IV on the SNES

-Mutant City Rampage on the CDi (great title, unfortunately one player only)

-Bad Dudes (Arcade)

 

I'm sure i'm missing something but these really stand out for me personally

Thanks for providing a curated list with some of your favorites! I know most of them from when I was a kid, though I've never been a fan of Battletoads, haha.

[Hydro Thunder]

Cynicaster, I couldn't disagree more strongly. Respectfully of course.

It's perfectly ok if you're not a fan of the genre, but for some of us there's a long list of beat-em-ups that are absolutely the definition of timeless. I can pick up and play Streets of Rage 2 or 3, Golden Axe, Golden Axe: Return of Death Adder (my personal favorite of all time possibly) and enjoy myself more quickly than by playing Asteroids or DK. And that's not a rip on those two - I recently went to a newly opened arcade / barcade / pizza place that had those machines and just -loved- playing them on real hardware. But that doesn't make my favorite brawlers any less timeless.

 

And all that said, good call on Ninja Baseball Batman.

 

Also, extra props that I didn't see above to: Gaia Warriors (MAME), the adventure / brawler mode from Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (PS2 / Xbox / Gamecube), Captain Commando (Arcade), Alien Vs Predator (Capcom Arcade), Final Fight 3 (SNES), Streets of Fury (Xbox Live Indie), Fist Puncher (Xbox Live Indie), Dante's Inferno (360 / PS3), and Adventures of Batman & Robin (Genesis).

[+chicgamer]

-Mutant City Rampage on the CDi (great title, unfortunately one player only)

 

And I thought I was the only one . . .

[high voltage]

Chuck Norris Superkicks

Golden Axe, lots of humour

Street Fighter 2 fan here, especially with Cammy in it. Love the series anyway.

Edited February 26, 2016 by high voltage

[Cynicaster]

Cynicaster, I couldn't disagree more strongly. Respectfully of course.

It's perfectly ok if you're not a fan of the genre, but for some of us there's a long list of beat-em-ups that are absolutely the definition of timeless. I can pick up and play Streets of Rage 2 or 3, Golden Axe, Golden Axe: Return of Death Adder (my personal favorite of all time possibly) and enjoy myself more quickly than by playing Asteroids or DK. And that's not a rip on those two - I recently went to a newly opened arcade / barcade / pizza place that had those machines and just -loved- playing them on real hardware. But that doesn't make my favorite brawlers any less timeless.

 

Maybe I should clarify. TMNT, Final Fight, Simpsons, etc. were the "it" games right when I was living my biggest arcade years. I loved those games and cherished every credit on them that I could muster with my meager adolescent finances.

 

When I played those games originally I had hard limits based on how many quarters I had to my name. That meant there were stakes, and every kick and punch would count. Now, the only times I'll ever play those games are on my MAME cabinet or at free-play retro arcades, where you can just mindlessly hit the credit button until you "finish" the game. When I first got back into retro gaming I immediately flocked to those old beat-em-ups hoping to relive that energy, but eventually I had to be brutally honest with myself and admit that, nostalgia aside, these games have lost something over time because of the factors I mentioned. The golden-age games, on the other hand, only became more fun for me because you're boxed in with one credit (no continuing) and persistence is rewarded with ever-higher scores. There is something to "work on"... there are stakes again.

 

I think the console-based beat-em-ups have aged much better than the arcade ones because a) they usually limit the number of times you can continue, which makes your number of chances count; and b) the home versions are not designed to be practically impossible for the purposes of draining quarters from kids' pockets.

 

It's cool though--to each their own. Like I said, I still play beat-em-ups from time to time. They're great multi-player blasts with friends, in particular friends who aren't big gamers and just want to play games that are easy to understand and learn.

 

PS--I should mention that Golden Axe is one of my all-time favorite games.

[gamegalaxy]

Streets of Rage 2 hands down!

[The Notorious MW]

Turtles in Time and the X-Men arcade game were the first ones that came to mind for me but as far as "Modern" Beat em ups I recommend Marvel Ultimate Alliance just a really solid fun Multiplayer game on the 360 though the sequel has a much wider roster to choose from

[Hydro Thunder]

 

Maybe I should clarify. TMNT, Final Fight, Simpsons, etc. were the "it" games right when I was living my biggest arcade years. I loved those games and cherished every credit on them that I could muster with my meager adolescent finances.

 

When I played those games originally I had hard limits based on how many quarters I had to my name. That meant there were stakes, and every kick and punch would count. Now, the only times I'll ever play those games are on my MAME cabinet or at free-play retro arcades, where you can just mindlessly hit the credit button until you "finish" the game. When I first got back into retro gaming I immediately flocked to those old beat-em-ups hoping to relive that energy, but eventually I had to be brutally honest with myself and admit that, nostalgia aside, these games have lost something over time because of the factors I mentioned. The golden-age games, on the other hand, only became more fun for me because you're boxed in with one credit (no continuing) and persistence is rewarded with ever-higher scores. There is something to "work on"... there are stakes again.

 

I think the console-based beat-em-ups have aged much better than the arcade ones because a) they usually limit the number of times you can continue, which makes your number of chances count; and b) the home versions are not designed to be practically impossible for the purposes of draining quarters from kids' pockets.

 

It's cool though--to each their own. Like I said, I still play beat-em-ups from time to time. They're great multi-player blasts with friends, in particular friends who aren't big gamers and just want to play games that are easy to understand and learn.

 

PS--I should mention that Golden Axe is one of my all-time favorite games.

 

I will absolutely agree that the "free continue" significantly affects the challenge level of these games, I still hold that for a lot of us the timelessness is undeniable. But I can see how that factor would be a big factor / downgrade to their present enjoyment, depending on the game and how continues are handled. Double Dragon Neon (XBLA and PSN) is a great example of giving limited lives / continues and provides a great challenge. Another one that I love is the Saturn Die Hard Arcade. You only get a few continues, but can earn more by playing an old school arcade game called Sub Scan loaded on the disc (which is ok, but not very fun, and thus how you really "earn" the continues and they become valuable like quarters used to be ).