From the forum issue 128 - Favourite scrolling beat-'em-up

[NickThorpe]

Hi guys, letters page time again - what's your favourite scrolling beat-'em-up?

I'm going to avoid the obvious and go with Die Hard Arcade. It's another of Makoto Uchida's games (he was also responsible for Altered Beast and Golden Axe), but it's loaded with humour - punks falling in bins, absurd wrestling moves and ridiculously OTT weaponry.

[Hiro]

Golden Axe. It remains a masterpiece, with a great set of characters and enemies, well designed levels, excellent graphics and music. Some of the touches (the clouds, the hawk, the magic spells) are as spectacular now as they were in 1989. And I love to hit those gnomes!

Raffaele (his Amiga was bashed by Death=Adder)

[ArchaicKoala]

For me it would have to be Streets of Rage 3. The additional moves, alternative endings and hidden characters made this superior to SoR2, I mean who doesn't want to play as a boxing Kangaroo?!


Edit: Good call on Die Hard Arcade by the way, I played that game to death on a holiday in Skeggy many moons a go...

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Bucky O'Hare, perhaps? It's more of a shooter but designed as a beat-em-up. Plus it "concludes" the cartoon series, which is nice.

[nakamura]

Streets of Rage 2 is obviously awesome but Return of Double Dragon on Super Famicom is my fav. Get past those ugly graphics and there is a superbly deep combat engine in there with the excellent block and counter system.

[merman]

For laughs and giggles it has to be Street Hassle on the C64 (aka Bop 'n Rumble, released on NES as Bad Street Brawler and infamous there for its Power Glove support). A wrestler in shiny yellow pants beats up grannies, blind men, dogs and escaped gorillas with silly moves including the nipple twister and belly barge. Don't ban this sick filth!

[Liamh1982]

I am going to go for the bleeding obvious and say SoR II but giving an honourable mention to Taito's Arabian Magic. I don't know why I like it, I just do.

[ncf1]

It's funny, I played so many after the original Double Dragon (arcade) but could never find anything that surpassed it. There's just something about that game.. I can't quite pinpoint it.

[The Laird]

It's impossible to look past the majesty of Streets Of Rage II, as home console beat 'em ups go nothing else comes close. If we are talking about arcade games though it just has to be Capcom's superb Alien Vs. Predator.

[Hitman_HalStep]

i should probably say streets of rage but i actually enjoy final fight more,especially if i play as mike haggar.

[Nemesis]

An obvious answer to this question, but it has to be Capcom's seminal Final Fight for me. Huge sprites and iconic characters that have gone on to star in subsequent fighting games since. A close second goes to Knights of the Round, especially when on horseback.

[RodimusPrime]

Why not ask me to choose which of my children I love the most, Final fight, Double dragon, Golden axe.......put a gun to my head and I will go with Final fight.

[badda]

There's lots I like in this (nearly dead) genre. Target Renegade (Amstrad CPC version) was ace. Six-player version of Konami's X-Men (Arcade) was a revelation with a bunch of people playing it together. I'd like to mention Mechner's Karateka and Barnett's Fist 2 The Legend Continues, but both seem closer to one-on-one fighting games rather than true scrolling beat 'em ups.

All said though, my favourite beat 'em up is probably the original arcade version of Double Dragon. It captures a certain 'ooomph' to its impacts rarely bettered in later flashier entries in the genre.

[Shinobi]

Final Fight a fine fine game possibly the finest and the bench mark for every other scrolling beat em up.. Nobody can do Scrolling beat em ups like Capcom both Konami and Sega do come a close second..

Konami Vendetta was also brilliant totally unique stamping on people's hands when there hanging off a bridge etc.. Violent Storm probably the closest to Final Fight.. Special mention to Sega's Streets of Rage 2 and a Arcade a golden axe 1 & 2 and Arabian Fight massive characters, spirit scrolling and Naked S ale women;)

[Matt_B]

I'd have to go for Kung Fu Master, for being in at the beginning of the genre and remaining one of its exemplars.