The Best of the Best....2-D Beat em ups!
There are many genres of video games that I appreciate, enjoy, and downright love. I love action platform games. I love point-and-click adventure games. I love fighting games. I like racing games (Mario Kart, specifically). I like role-playing games. And the list goes on. But if there's one genre that I love very much so, it's the beat-em-up games of my past. I love picking characters that I can use with ease to traverse the better portion of the game until the very end. I love the attack combos. I love the music, the weapons, the story, all of it. Yea, it can be considered mindless fun, but to be honest, there's a lot of mental framework that goes into it. I even wrote an ode to them as a contributor to the website, Maglomaniac.com.
Have a look: http://maglomaniac.com/an-ode-to-the-side-scrolling-beat-em-up/
Now, with that said, what do I think are the best 2-D Beat em' ups?
Far be it from me not to make a top 10 list about them. For this list, I'll have games that fall in the beat-'em-up genre. This includes their cousin, hack-and-slash, as well as other aspects. This won't be too complicated as these games are practically my go-to games to have some great fun. To be fair about the choices, they are limited to one game per series. So, don't get bummed out by the subjectivity of this list. I'm sure I'll have missed some, so feel free to share. OK, enough talk! Let's fight!
Double Dragon
The godfather of all beat 'em ups. Yes, I know, Renegade came first. However, Double Dragon really brought the genre to the forefront. The creator, Kunio, started off with Renegade and a slew of other games that connected to that series, including River City Ransom and Super Dodge Ball. However, Double Dragon stood out tremendously with its quality aspects. Renegade had one amazing spiritual successor on its hands.
Here's the breakdown: The Black Warriors wanted the key to the Lee Brothers' martial arts style. Refusing to give it to their leader, these baddies kidnap Marian, who happens to be a good friend of one of the Lee's and girlfriend to the other. What follows is a 4-stage romp through the streets, the construction sites, and even forests to get to their lair and save the girl. You'll be employing punches, kicks, jump kicks, spin kicks, elbows, body throws, headbutts, you name it! All to take on the hoards of baddies who stand in your way to the damsel in distress.
Of all the games in the franchise, I had to go with this one for primarily two reasons. One: I haven't fully played all of the games in the franchise to really determine what was the best in the series (I've played Double Dragon II but never finished it, played the arcade version of Double Dragon III, finished the SNES one, and didn't bother with V). Two, in all honesty, compared to the others, the original is not only best, but it was the most ported, re-edified, and re-distributed. That's gotta be a sign that this is the best in the series, in my view. Double Dragon was and is the godfather of the 2-D beat 'em ups. 'Nuff said.
Of all the games in the franchise, I had to go with this one for primarily two reasons. One: I haven't fully played all of the games in the franchise to really determine what was the best in the series (I've played Double Dragon II but never finished it, played the arcade version of Double Dragon III, finished the SNES one, and didn't bother with V). Two, in all honesty, compared to the others, the original is not only best, but it was the most ported, re-edified, and re-distributed. That's gotta be a sign that this is the best in the series, in my view. Double Dragon was and is the godfather of the 2-D beat 'em ups. 'Nuff said.
Final Fight
As beat 'em ups came and went, and graphics were improving in arcades, Akira Nishitani of Capcom was placed with a task of epic proportions: following up on the arcade hit, Street Fighter. After some mixed signals, and malfunctions at the junction so to speak, Street Fighter '89 was born. However, it looked like the arcade classic that we know and love, Final Fight. The story of a boxing black belt, an urban ninja, and a professional wrestling mayor all teaming up to save said mayor's daughter from one brutal gang known as the Mad Gears. Yea, this was pretty much the go-to objective for most of, if not all of the beat 'em ups of that era, but I didn't care. It made sense as to why I wanted to crack some skulls together and this was no different. In the end, SF '89 became Final Fight and the rest is history.
What made this game stand out from the godfather game, Double Dragon, was that it was much simpler to beat down bad guys. As Double Dragon relied a lot more on well-placed blows and hits, Final Fight relied on simpler attack combos to take punks down. What made it more challenging? The sheer amount of bad guys coming for you. And boy, when they came for you, it was a fight to survive. Anyhoo, this game merited many ports, including Mighty Final Fight, a super-deformed, chibi, brawler for the NES. Why this over the others? Well, Final Fight 2 was good, but more like what Final Fight 1 should have been like on the Super Nintendo (Final Fight 1 on the Super Nintendo has heavily cut down, specifically to just one player). Final Fight 3 was solid as well, but not nearly as iconic as part 1. Though, it did tighten up the gameplay very well. Final Fight Revenge and Streetwise were poor attempts to move into 3-D with a fighting game and an open world beat 'em up, respectively. Final Fight One for the Game Boy Advance, however, was a great title and a fitting port on a Nintendo system. However, that doesn't make any other games any less qualitative. It just makes Final Fight one last battle you want to play..over and over again.
As beat 'em ups came and went, and graphics were improving in arcades, Akira Nishitani of Capcom was placed with a task of epic proportions: following up on the arcade hit, Street Fighter. After some mixed signals, and malfunctions at the junction so to speak, Street Fighter '89 was born. However, it looked like the arcade classic that we know and love, Final Fight. The story of a boxing black belt, an urban ninja, and a professional wrestling mayor all teaming up to save said mayor's daughter from one brutal gang known as the Mad Gears. Yea, this was pretty much the go-to objective for most of, if not all of the beat 'em ups of that era, but I didn't care. It made sense as to why I wanted to crack some skulls together and this was no different. In the end, SF '89 became Final Fight and the rest is history.
What made this game stand out from the godfather game, Double Dragon, was that it was much simpler to beat down bad guys. As Double Dragon relied a lot more on well-placed blows and hits, Final Fight relied on simpler attack combos to take punks down. What made it more challenging? The sheer amount of bad guys coming for you. And boy, when they came for you, it was a fight to survive. Anyhoo, this game merited many ports, including Mighty Final Fight, a super-deformed, chibi, brawler for the NES. Why this over the others? Well, Final Fight 2 was good, but more like what Final Fight 1 should have been like on the Super Nintendo (Final Fight 1 on the Super Nintendo has heavily cut down, specifically to just one player). Final Fight 3 was solid as well, but not nearly as iconic as part 1. Though, it did tighten up the gameplay very well. Final Fight Revenge and Streetwise were poor attempts to move into 3-D with a fighting game and an open world beat 'em up, respectively. Final Fight One for the Game Boy Advance, however, was a great title and a fitting port on a Nintendo system. However, that doesn't make any other games any less qualitative. It just makes Final Fight one last battle you want to play..over and over again.
Golden Axe
Sega had made the leap into beat 'em ups with the classic game, Altered Beast. The game also mixed in platforming elements as well as great sound and music. It was one of the two games that breathed life into the dying arcade scene due to the crash of the video game industry. The other game was Golden Axe. It is the first on this list, and one of the first of its kind known as the "hack-and-slash" game. Instead of bare fists with some weapons, you always carry a weapon, preferably a sharp one and cut down your enemies, who also always carry weapons that are also preferably sharp. Golden Axe makes for one amazing title and an amazing leap for Sega into the world of beat 'em ups.
The story goes like this: Death Adder is bringing chaos and death unto the world, killing various people in his wake. Among them were the family members of the barbarian, Ax Battler, the amazon, Tyris Flare, and the dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead, who carries the renowned Golden Axe. These three rally together, weapons in hand and magic in tow, to fight their way through the various villages, towns, and such to reach Death Adder and slay him once and for all...oh, and rescue the king and his daughter, the princess. What you get are massive magic spells, slashing and hacking, some beasts to ride on, some maniacal bosses, and one heck of an adventure. So much so, that when it was ported to the Sega Genesis, it was one of the main-selling points of the system. What more could you ask for? In this case a few sequels, really. The Genesis, albeit later in its cycle, added a second and third part to the Golden Axe story. In the arcades, they also had a sequel, but a more direct one to the game as it mentioned Death Adder as the final boss returning to life. Other games include spin-offs like fighting games, 3-D ports of the first game, and a sequel that focused mostly on riding the animals. The final verdict: the original is best in more ways than one. Again, the sequels have quality, some more than most, but you never forget the first one or your first time, specifically with this game. Golden Axe is a golden oldie and one golden game to own and play.
Sega had made the leap into beat 'em ups with the classic game, Altered Beast. The game also mixed in platforming elements as well as great sound and music. It was one of the two games that breathed life into the dying arcade scene due to the crash of the video game industry. The other game was Golden Axe. It is the first on this list, and one of the first of its kind known as the "hack-and-slash" game. Instead of bare fists with some weapons, you always carry a weapon, preferably a sharp one and cut down your enemies, who also always carry weapons that are also preferably sharp. Golden Axe makes for one amazing title and an amazing leap for Sega into the world of beat 'em ups.
The story goes like this: Death Adder is bringing chaos and death unto the world, killing various people in his wake. Among them were the family members of the barbarian, Ax Battler, the amazon, Tyris Flare, and the dwarf, Gilius Thunderhead, who carries the renowned Golden Axe. These three rally together, weapons in hand and magic in tow, to fight their way through the various villages, towns, and such to reach Death Adder and slay him once and for all...oh, and rescue the king and his daughter, the princess. What you get are massive magic spells, slashing and hacking, some beasts to ride on, some maniacal bosses, and one heck of an adventure. So much so, that when it was ported to the Sega Genesis, it was one of the main-selling points of the system. What more could you ask for? In this case a few sequels, really. The Genesis, albeit later in its cycle, added a second and third part to the Golden Axe story. In the arcades, they also had a sequel, but a more direct one to the game as it mentioned Death Adder as the final boss returning to life. Other games include spin-offs like fighting games, 3-D ports of the first game, and a sequel that focused mostly on riding the animals. The final verdict: the original is best in more ways than one. Again, the sequels have quality, some more than most, but you never forget the first one or your first time, specifically with this game. Golden Axe is a golden oldie and one golden game to own and play.
Knights of the Round
This is the first game on this list to not have any sequels of any kind to be compared with. Hence, it stands alone as its own great game. And why not? This was based on the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. I don't think there are many sequels you can come up with, let alone stories to come up with that can match this game or even add to its legacy. Nevertheless, in the 1990s, Capcom was pumping out beat 'em ups like candy and this was one of the few that came down the pike with great fanfare in my mind. I took to this game as much as I was took to Golden Axe really. A Capcom hack-and-slash game that was as massive as Final Fight. Sign me up.
To start, Merlin summoned Arthur, Lancelot and Percival to his side to commission them on a quest to reclaim the Holy Grail from evil forces. Insert your Monty Python jokes wherever you choose, folks. I'm sure it would be just as enjoyable as this game. Anyway, you have 7 stages to cleave through evil in order to get to the main castle and the main threat to England's freedom. What really stands out about this game to me were a few things. First, you can split up treasure and food to share between yourself and your partners. Second, you can block attacks, making survival a little more easier than just dodging, especially when you have characters to choose from of varying sizes and strengths. Third and final, you can level up your character by scoring points. So, this blended beat 'em ups with role-playing games. How sweet that is and was. It wouldn't be the last time but it sure made for one great experience, specifically on my Super NES, which is where I played it first. A 2-player home console arcade beat 'em up for my Super Nintendo from Capcom? I'm in gaming heaven! (Sure washes the taste of Final Fight SNES out of your mouth. LOL)
This is the first game on this list to not have any sequels of any kind to be compared with. Hence, it stands alone as its own great game. And why not? This was based on the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. I don't think there are many sequels you can come up with, let alone stories to come up with that can match this game or even add to its legacy. Nevertheless, in the 1990s, Capcom was pumping out beat 'em ups like candy and this was one of the few that came down the pike with great fanfare in my mind. I took to this game as much as I was took to Golden Axe really. A Capcom hack-and-slash game that was as massive as Final Fight. Sign me up.
To start, Merlin summoned Arthur, Lancelot and Percival to his side to commission them on a quest to reclaim the Holy Grail from evil forces. Insert your Monty Python jokes wherever you choose, folks. I'm sure it would be just as enjoyable as this game. Anyway, you have 7 stages to cleave through evil in order to get to the main castle and the main threat to England's freedom. What really stands out about this game to me were a few things. First, you can split up treasure and food to share between yourself and your partners. Second, you can block attacks, making survival a little more easier than just dodging, especially when you have characters to choose from of varying sizes and strengths. Third and final, you can level up your character by scoring points. So, this blended beat 'em ups with role-playing games. How sweet that is and was. It wouldn't be the last time but it sure made for one great experience, specifically on my Super NES, which is where I played it first. A 2-player home console arcade beat 'em up for my Super Nintendo from Capcom? I'm in gaming heaven! (Sure washes the taste of Final Fight SNES out of your mouth. LOL)
Dungeons and Dragons (tie)
What's this? A tie? Absolutely. To me, both games in the series captured the essence of what a good hack and slash game can be like and did so with a lot of fervor, depth and appeal. I can't choose one over the other, really. It probably explains why both games are ported together on current-gen consoles as a download. To me, this stands as the best, and I mean THE best adaptation of Dungeons and Dragons to video games any and everywhere. If you don't agree, play it and see.
OK, the main focus of the first game was to traverse the different parts of the map to make it to the top of a mountain to take down a mighty dragon. You had a fighter who was balanced in combat, magic, and other skills, an elf who was a whiz at magic and ranged attacks, a cleric who had great defense, decent magic and pretty solid range with ranged melee attacks, and a dwarf who was slow, but incredibly strong. Since this game allowed for all four players, it was your choice to see who you wanted and how you wanted to move forward. You could use arrows, hammers, magic spells, and the like. The idea was to beat the evil ones around you in any way. For an encore, you got more of the same with more challenges, and two more characters: a magic user with the best magic in the game, and a thief who could open any and all treasure chests. Both games allowed you to stock up on supplies like an RPG, you could level up your character, and there were branching paths, allowing you to take whatever way was best for you. Be careful though as some paths were tougher than others. But with the right team with you, losing was far from an option. Just tell that to the dragon at the end.....
What's this? A tie? Absolutely. To me, both games in the series captured the essence of what a good hack and slash game can be like and did so with a lot of fervor, depth and appeal. I can't choose one over the other, really. It probably explains why both games are ported together on current-gen consoles as a download. To me, this stands as the best, and I mean THE best adaptation of Dungeons and Dragons to video games any and everywhere. If you don't agree, play it and see.
OK, the main focus of the first game was to traverse the different parts of the map to make it to the top of a mountain to take down a mighty dragon. You had a fighter who was balanced in combat, magic, and other skills, an elf who was a whiz at magic and ranged attacks, a cleric who had great defense, decent magic and pretty solid range with ranged melee attacks, and a dwarf who was slow, but incredibly strong. Since this game allowed for all four players, it was your choice to see who you wanted and how you wanted to move forward. You could use arrows, hammers, magic spells, and the like. The idea was to beat the evil ones around you in any way. For an encore, you got more of the same with more challenges, and two more characters: a magic user with the best magic in the game, and a thief who could open any and all treasure chests. Both games allowed you to stock up on supplies like an RPG, you could level up your character, and there were branching paths, allowing you to take whatever way was best for you. Be careful though as some paths were tougher than others. But with the right team with you, losing was far from an option. Just tell that to the dragon at the end.....
Streets of Rage 2
This is an update to the list and a change that was well-needed. Let's start off by saying that Sega did a bang-up job proving that its Genesis "does what Nintendon't". From arcade ports and console sequels to original games and design, the Genesis ushered in the next generation of video gaming. However, when it came to beat-em-ups, Final Fight turned the whole genre on its ear with huge sprites, more enemies, easier game-play, and true innovation. When word got out that Final Fight was tearing up the charts in arcades and ultimately would be making it to home consoles, specifically the SNES, Sega decided to make their own beat-em-up franchise to match that game series. As a result, we were given Streets of Rage as a series. I originally made this article with the very first game being the go-to in the series. However, after a nice house party, an itch for more beat-em-ups, and some curiosity, I finally procured every game in the series, played every game in the series, and can with total honesty say that Streets of Rage 2 is the best in the series.
Now, before you carpet-bomb me with being a flip-flopper or whatnot, hear me out. I was resistant at first to try these games out of loyalty to Final Fight. I'm still very much a fan of that series. However, it wouldn't be fair to myself or others or even in my best interest to continue a series after having a taste of the first game in the series. Before I get into that, here's the story: the city is in peril. Because of Mr. X and his corrupt dealings, there's crime in the streets and no one is strong enough to help. Enter Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, former police officers who are more than determined to clean up the streets of crime. In the first game, they teamed with their mutual police friend and partner, Adam Hunter, to do just that. In part 2, it's Eddie's brother, Sammy (Skate) and Axel's friend, Max, who help the two fight the returning Mr. X and saving Adam. In part 3, Skate returns and the heroes are joined by Dr. Zan. His quest is to help save the city from another evil force, this time relying on much darker, maniacal means to take over. Upon playing all three, I can honestly say that the second game is the best. And I can honestly see why everyone puts this game in their top lists. It gets a nod in my book, too. Part 1 is a solid title, even with a super move that calls upon police officers to bomb bad guys as a super move. Sweet! However, it's not nearly as polished as part 2, relying more on the Golden Axe effect. IMO, this isn't bad. It's just more challenging in many ways. As for part 3, it's like Golden Axe 3 as it tries to include more story, better graphics, and more characters. However, upon doing so, they didn't really make any substantial changes to make it stand out as an improvement from the predecessor. It has gotten more challenging, though, and that's a headache we all don't need. Thank you, Sega for your interpretation of Final Fight. It's all aces in my book. Now, if only if I can beat the darn game. LOL.
Turtles in Time
Whenever this genre comes into discussion, this is one of the first games that comes to mind. It's got everything you could ask for in a beat 'em up. It has challenging bosses, endless bad guys, great music, great characters to choose from and even one awesome story. And who better to get a beat 'em up during this time period than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Yes, it's a lot to say and a total mouthful, but as weird a concept as it was, it was beyond cool for anyone growing up during the 1990s. And it was all based on a comic book that satirized....well, other comic books. Fun how imitation and satire can make for one amazing fad, yes?
Anyhoo, what can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? How about everything people already know? So, Krang and Shredder steal the Statue of Liberty and it's up to the Turtles to get it back. Although they started off going through the familiar haunts in New York, they end up traveling through time to track down Shredder, Krang, and anyone else that decided to be in on this crazy scheme. The nuances in this game make it very distinct from Capcom or Technos games as they somehow come up with a way to make it fast paced, heavy on combat and characters, challenging as ever, and not very repetitive. Every time I play it, I still get surprised and there's never a dull moment. Each Turtle has a distinction in their fight style, too, mostly based on their weapons and skills: Raph is the fastest, Leo is balanced, Mikey is weaker than Leo but has more range, and Donny has the best range and strength, but slowest. In conjunction though, they make for an amazing team. There was also the very popular ports of this game to the SNES and Genesis with the SNES adding a few new bosses and a stage or two for both. Only the Genesis was a completely different story, adding stuff from the first TMNT arcade game. And speaking of which, yes, this game is the best in the arcade-style TMNT games as well as possibly the greatest game to star these fab four reptiles. Don't believe me? They took the song from a live concert tour of the TMNT (that was considered pretty lame) and made it awesome by making it this game's theme song. Yes, that happened!
Whenever this genre comes into discussion, this is one of the first games that comes to mind. It's got everything you could ask for in a beat 'em up. It has challenging bosses, endless bad guys, great music, great characters to choose from and even one awesome story. And who better to get a beat 'em up during this time period than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Yes, it's a lot to say and a total mouthful, but as weird a concept as it was, it was beyond cool for anyone growing up during the 1990s. And it was all based on a comic book that satirized....well, other comic books. Fun how imitation and satire can make for one amazing fad, yes?
Anyhoo, what can I say about this game that hasn't been said already? How about everything people already know? So, Krang and Shredder steal the Statue of Liberty and it's up to the Turtles to get it back. Although they started off going through the familiar haunts in New York, they end up traveling through time to track down Shredder, Krang, and anyone else that decided to be in on this crazy scheme. The nuances in this game make it very distinct from Capcom or Technos games as they somehow come up with a way to make it fast paced, heavy on combat and characters, challenging as ever, and not very repetitive. Every time I play it, I still get surprised and there's never a dull moment. Each Turtle has a distinction in their fight style, too, mostly based on their weapons and skills: Raph is the fastest, Leo is balanced, Mikey is weaker than Leo but has more range, and Donny has the best range and strength, but slowest. In conjunction though, they make for an amazing team. There was also the very popular ports of this game to the SNES and Genesis with the SNES adding a few new bosses and a stage or two for both. Only the Genesis was a completely different story, adding stuff from the first TMNT arcade game. And speaking of which, yes, this game is the best in the arcade-style TMNT games as well as possibly the greatest game to star these fab four reptiles. Don't believe me? They took the song from a live concert tour of the TMNT (that was considered pretty lame) and made it awesome by making it this game's theme song. Yes, that happened!
X-Men: The Arcade Game
Konami wouldn't stop there, as another comic franchise got the arcade game beat 'em up treatment in what is considered another game that is in every conversation when talking of this genre. It's X-Men: The Arcade game. Based on the very short-lived 1980s cartoon (only one episode was made), Chris Claremont's X-Men iteration teamed up to take it to Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. To do this, they have to tangle with a litany of human-sized Sentinels, created by MasterMold, the alpha Sentinel, I suppose. So, it's up to Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler (don't make fun!) to fight through 7 crazy, jam-packed stages, relying on a litany of attacks, mutant powers, and sheer fortitude to get through.
There are a lot of things that go right about this game. For starters, the easiest thing is the music. Oh boy, can Konami make a soundtrack or what? Then, we have the different mutants to choose from. They all vary in size, speed, strength, and mutant power. I love the fact that everyone has a wide range of attacks to utilize in combat. As they all have flying attacks, jump attacks, mutant powers, and the ability to attack their opponents while they are down, they also have the ability to throw their opponents, attack them from behind, and mix and match different attack combinations. I believe Cyclops and Wolverine have the most, with Dazzler and Storm after them, and Colossus and Nightcrawler at the end. You do have to be careful throwing bad guys around. You don't want to throw them into your friends and hurt them inadvertently. And on the subject of bad guys, the bosses are all one extremely challenging bunch. It doesn't matter if there are four of you or even all six. Plan wisely against these token stealing baddies. And yes, every version of this game had at least 4 joysticks to use. If it was only 4, everyone had their individual choice of who they wanted. If it was the fabled 6 player arcade machine, then each player had a specific mutant. So, choose wisely. I was hoping this would be ported to home consoles, but it never was until sometime between 2010 and 2012 when an emulated version of this was sold for download on the 360 and PS3. It has since been de-listed. So, if you have this copy, consider yourself fortunate. This is one of, if not the greatest beat 'em up ever made.
Konami wouldn't stop there, as another comic franchise got the arcade game beat 'em up treatment in what is considered another game that is in every conversation when talking of this genre. It's X-Men: The Arcade game. Based on the very short-lived 1980s cartoon (only one episode was made), Chris Claremont's X-Men iteration teamed up to take it to Magneto and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. To do this, they have to tangle with a litany of human-sized Sentinels, created by MasterMold, the alpha Sentinel, I suppose. So, it's up to Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Dazzler (don't make fun!) to fight through 7 crazy, jam-packed stages, relying on a litany of attacks, mutant powers, and sheer fortitude to get through.
There are a lot of things that go right about this game. For starters, the easiest thing is the music. Oh boy, can Konami make a soundtrack or what? Then, we have the different mutants to choose from. They all vary in size, speed, strength, and mutant power. I love the fact that everyone has a wide range of attacks to utilize in combat. As they all have flying attacks, jump attacks, mutant powers, and the ability to attack their opponents while they are down, they also have the ability to throw their opponents, attack them from behind, and mix and match different attack combinations. I believe Cyclops and Wolverine have the most, with Dazzler and Storm after them, and Colossus and Nightcrawler at the end. You do have to be careful throwing bad guys around. You don't want to throw them into your friends and hurt them inadvertently. And on the subject of bad guys, the bosses are all one extremely challenging bunch. It doesn't matter if there are four of you or even all six. Plan wisely against these token stealing baddies. And yes, every version of this game had at least 4 joysticks to use. If it was only 4, everyone had their individual choice of who they wanted. If it was the fabled 6 player arcade machine, then each player had a specific mutant. So, choose wisely. I was hoping this would be ported to home consoles, but it never was until sometime between 2010 and 2012 when an emulated version of this was sold for download on the 360 and PS3. It has since been de-listed. So, if you have this copy, consider yourself fortunate. This is one of, if not the greatest beat 'em up ever made.
The Simpsons: The Arcade Game
Konami would finalize their trifecta of totally awesome arcade games with their final animated adaptation into the beat 'em up world: The Simpsons. At the time, the Simpsons were on the rise as a popular cartoon to watch via the Fox network. With its popularity reaching a fever pitch, it was only natural it would become a video game sometime. Starting with the NES, they broke into the gaming world and got everyone's attention. From there, they made the transition to arcade games with this classic. Just like X-Men and TMNT, The Simpsons is one of those games you have to mention on your beat 'em up list.
The story goes like this: upon bumping into Mr. Burns and Smithers leaving a jewelry store, Maggie loses her pacifier and ends up sucking on a diamond instead. The evil duo can't have this, so they kidnap Maggie, diamond and all. It's up to the Simpsons to save her. On every 4 player machine, you have a specific member of the family to control, be it Homer, Bart, Marge or Lisa. Homer uses his bare fists, Bart fights with his skateboard, Marge carries a vacuum cleaner, and Lisa uses a jump rope. While all have varying strengths and weaknesses in their attacks, a very interesting nuance has been added to this game specifically. You can actually do double team maneuvers with each family member. Each combination has a unique attack that is helpful for traversing the levels. And you'll have to use this level of teamwork as the stages do not back down with challenges. Who'd have thought a comedic cartoon could be so...violent? (womp womp womp) Anyhoo, this game, just like X-Men, was successfully ported to the same systems as mentioned earlier, and just like X-Men, it was also de-listed. So, relish in the fact that you have this classic, because without it, you can only play it (legally, of course) at an arcade. Then again, it's worth the tokens, in my opinion.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - The Videogame
Scott Pilgrim. He's everyone's favorite Canadian slacker with a penchant for video gaming, pop culture and underachieving. All he needs is a level of insanity and he'd be DeadPool. But, I digress. This entry gets a huge nod from me for taking a bunch of nuances from the games I mentioned and cramming it into one massive beat-em-up that pays homage to the games and ideas before it.
Long story short, this game is based on the comic series that Scott stars in, with his friends, his band, and his love interests. And, just like in the series, you have to beat down seven evil exes. However, instead of reading about them, you're doing the fighting. This game draws inspiration from Double Dragon, River City Ransom, The Simpsons, and many other games in order to give you the experience that does the canon justice.
So, why isn't it on this list? Honestly, it draws from the games mentioned, but it doesn't really stand completely on its own as an original title. I could say that it's vastly a product of its time and not a timeless classic (seriously, I don't even reference Scott Pilgrim nearly as much as before, and I'm not sure if others do, too). However, this game does a better job paying respect to the games that made it than standing alone. Also, and this is a big one to me: it's only for the home consoles, PS3 and 360. No love for Steam. And to make matters worse, it was already de-listed due to an expired license. Crud. So much for a timeless classic. If you do have it, though, I agree it's worth the play-through. Just not sure if it's worth doing it again...
(UPDATE: As of January 2021, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has returned to all systems in download form. It's the complete edition with all the DLC available from the start. That's for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBox One, along with the PS5 and XBox Series X/S, I believe. I just finished completing it, and honestly, with the experience, it deserves to be on the list. And now it is. So there! LOL)
Konami would finalize their trifecta of totally awesome arcade games with their final animated adaptation into the beat 'em up world: The Simpsons. At the time, the Simpsons were on the rise as a popular cartoon to watch via the Fox network. With its popularity reaching a fever pitch, it was only natural it would become a video game sometime. Starting with the NES, they broke into the gaming world and got everyone's attention. From there, they made the transition to arcade games with this classic. Just like X-Men and TMNT, The Simpsons is one of those games you have to mention on your beat 'em up list.
The story goes like this: upon bumping into Mr. Burns and Smithers leaving a jewelry store, Maggie loses her pacifier and ends up sucking on a diamond instead. The evil duo can't have this, so they kidnap Maggie, diamond and all. It's up to the Simpsons to save her. On every 4 player machine, you have a specific member of the family to control, be it Homer, Bart, Marge or Lisa. Homer uses his bare fists, Bart fights with his skateboard, Marge carries a vacuum cleaner, and Lisa uses a jump rope. While all have varying strengths and weaknesses in their attacks, a very interesting nuance has been added to this game specifically. You can actually do double team maneuvers with each family member. Each combination has a unique attack that is helpful for traversing the levels. And you'll have to use this level of teamwork as the stages do not back down with challenges. Who'd have thought a comedic cartoon could be so...violent? (womp womp womp) Anyhoo, this game, just like X-Men, was successfully ported to the same systems as mentioned earlier, and just like X-Men, it was also de-listed. So, relish in the fact that you have this classic, because without it, you can only play it (legally, of course) at an arcade. Then again, it's worth the tokens, in my opinion.
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World - The Videogame
Scott Pilgrim. He's everyone's favorite Canadian slacker with a penchant for video gaming, pop culture and underachieving. All he needs is a level of insanity and he'd be DeadPool. But, I digress. This entry gets a huge nod from me for taking a bunch of nuances from the games I mentioned and cramming it into one massive beat-em-up that pays homage to the games and ideas before it.
Long story short, this game is based on the comic series that Scott stars in, with his friends, his band, and his love interests. And, just like in the series, you have to beat down seven evil exes. However, instead of reading about them, you're doing the fighting. This game draws inspiration from Double Dragon, River City Ransom, The Simpsons, and many other games in order to give you the experience that does the canon justice.
So, why isn't it on this list? Honestly, it draws from the games mentioned, but it doesn't really stand completely on its own as an original title. I could say that it's vastly a product of its time and not a timeless classic (seriously, I don't even reference Scott Pilgrim nearly as much as before, and I'm not sure if others do, too). However, this game does a better job paying respect to the games that made it than standing alone. Also, and this is a big one to me: it's only for the home consoles, PS3 and 360. No love for Steam. And to make matters worse, it was already de-listed due to an expired license. Crud. So much for a timeless classic. If you do have it, though, I agree it's worth the play-through. Just not sure if it's worth doing it again...
(UPDATE: As of January 2021, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World has returned to all systems in download form. It's the complete edition with all the DLC available from the start. That's for Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and XBox One, along with the PS5 and XBox Series X/S, I believe. I just finished completing it, and honestly, with the experience, it deserves to be on the list. And now it is. So there! LOL)
So, I had to choose a final addition to the list and I hit a snag. What other game could fit the bill as a top beat 'em up? The King of Dragons? Well, it was like Golden Axe and D&D combined in a way. However, its staying power was suspect. How about Captain Commando? Seeing as he is one of the official mascots of Capcom, that sounds fair, right? Well, not quite, as Captain Commando's game came out a bit after Final Fight and owes it most of its success, not really bringing too much new to the mix. There's the Rushing Beat series with the Peace Keepers. Nah, not nearly as prominent. What then? What stands out as one of the better if not the best beat 'em ups? There has to be something good that....wait a minute...good? Isn't bad sometimes good? It can be....then....I got it, my final choice!
Bad Dudes
Oh yea, this is the game that is not just synonymous with beat 'em ups, but also with the time period. It's literally dripping with testosterone, puffing out its chest letting the world know that if you ever had to play that one beat em' up, this is it. This is that game. It's got action, weapons, punches, kicks, ninjas, tank tops, black leather gloves, sweatpants, hi-top sneakers, martial arts....it even has Coca Cola for health recharges. Because real bad dudes drink cola to get their fight on. Oh, and get this...the good guys even yell "I'm bad!" when they finish a stage. YES!
Here's the story: President Ronnie (Ronald Reagan, yes) was kidnapped by the evil Dragon Ninja. Dragon Ninja's cronies are all that stand in your way between you and he...and he won't let the President go easily. What seals the deal for this game is this line, and this line alone: "Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?" I'm nodding my head just saying it. That's how awesome this game was. Of all the other games in the genre, this gets my seal of approval. It even had a spiritual successor in the game, Two Crude Dudes. That game takes place in the future and you and your partner are super buffed macho brawlers who have no problem picking up practically anything to fight with. Bad Dudes is the baddest beat 'em up you can get your hands on and play. And you can, as it has been ported to many systems at this point. It may not be as "bad" as the other 9 games, but I'd be doing myself a disservice if it didn't make the list.
Honorable Mention: River City Ransom Underground
Ok, so, in all honesty, I've never played River City Ransom. And after making my initial pitch towards Double Dragon, I can't, in good faith, add this or RCR to my list. However, this is definitely worth an honorable mention.
So, the fellows at Conatus Creative made a pitch to fans for an original pseudo-sequel to the very popular game, River City Ransom. Like Mighty No. 9 and Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, this game made the grade via crowd-funding, and in almost record time. What we got was an 8-bit revival game, following the story of the heroes of River City. I haven't gotten fully into the game, but I do know this: the boys of River City are back, and they aren't alone. With six, count 'em, six other characters to choose from, you have a full-on battle brigade to help clean up the streets. But be careful. With new characters come even greater dangers, including getting arrested by the police. It's got 4 players, improved graphics with a retro feel, a litany of amazing new moves and styles, and the usual RCR awesomeness, like bathing, eating, and brawling. From boxing and wrestling, to break-dancing and karate, this game practically has it all.
I had to purchase it, and I've yet to really crack the game as the same challenges that made the original game difficult are here. Plus, with no partners, it makes for a bigger challenge. Still, it's earned a place in my heart for taking a very awesome game and making a great follow-up, thanks to the fans and then some.
And there you have it. These are my choices for the top 10 beat em ups that are the best of the best in my view. If you disagree, agree, or just have something to say (within reason, of course), chime in below in the comment section. Did I miss any out even? Should I have put in honorable mentions? Let me know and I'll see what I can do. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to increase my beat em up library on Steam by two...and maybe more.
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