Ode to the side-scrolling beat 'em up/shoot 'em up.

Cafe Society
1

A thread about old SNES games got me thinking about the lost genre up of the beat 'em up game.

Games like Golden Axe, the TMNT series, Contra, Battletoads (And who could forget Contra VS. Battletoads?!). Games that threw plot to the wind in favor of gameplay, tons of enemies, and lots of fun.

Am I the only one who wishes they were still putting out more like this? On a side-note, what was your favorite?

My nomination for all-time best goes to Gunstar Heroes. If you’ve played it, you know what I mean.

2

Definitely Ninja Gaiden, an friend and myself spent months trying to finish that game. To his day I still find my self humming the theme.

3

I have fond memories of Kareteka for the old Apple IIe. The princess at the end killing you if you hit her was a particularly nice touch.

4

Target Renegade on the Spectrum! Two player, gang bashing, punk smashing brillance.

5

streets of rage! alienstorm!

and my all time favourite, final fight. the haggar spinning piledriver was the best move ever, only superceded by streetfighter.

i had a big fondness for the turtles, simpsons and x-men sideways scrollers that all ran off the same game engine

6

I’ll vote for The Ninjawarriors on the SNES as the best one ever. Very basic gameplay, but a tough-but-fair challenge, fast paced, awesome graphics, and a rockin’ soundtrack make it a classic.

7

Karateka.

I can still hear the opening sequence of music.

And the death music that immediately followed as I hit the wrong button and took a step back off of the cliff.

8

Ever play NinjaWarriors at the arcade? On the full size system? THREE MONITORS WIDE???

9

RE: Karateka

So what the hell were you supposed to do when you meet the Princess?

OP:

Ninja Gaiden gave me fits. Battletoads was even worse. I don’t think I finished that game.

Oh but the original Double Dragon…Good times, good times.

10

Rolling Thunder took all my quarters. It just kept getting crazier and crazier.

11

You had to stand up and run to her. If you approached her in your karate stance, she kicked you and killed you instantly.

Do games like Lifeforce count for this? In that game, you were a tiny ship shrunk down small enough to sail down a blood vessel, shooting germs and such that had invaded a human body.

12

They dont come much better than Target Renegade.

13

Earthworm Jim…nuff said.

14

Altered Beast!

15

Lifeforce kicked major ass – even better than the Gradius series, IMO.

Oddly enough, the original Japanese name was “Salamander.” WTF? And I believe the original plot involved invading a giant space alien’s insides, not a human’s…

16

The semi-recent “Dungeons & Dragons” arcade games are pretty much the pinnacle of the beat-em-up. Multiple character classes, a variety of enemies, items, spells, bosses, secret areas, multiple paths through the game…gotta love it. Shadow Over Mystara is a classic, and plays pretty well online through emulators.

As for shoot’em’ups, that term applies more to games like the Gradius & 1942 series, and THAT genre is still very much alive and well, although more so in Japan. Score another point for emulators, you can get some quality shooters that never/rarely showed up on this side of the ocean, and it’s one of the few types of games where an inability to read Japanese doesn’t hurt you at all :wink:

Lifeforce was great, but it had nothing to do with a human. It’s some sort of living bio-machine-planet-sized-thing.

17

I’ve been playing “Snipes” on and off all week. I bet no one else even remembers that one.

18

“Rolling Thunder” and “Shinobi” were both AWESOME!

19

River City Ransom is the only beat 'em up I really enjoyed.