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Something that has really bothered me concerning games is the beat-em-up genre. I think it's probably one onf the best genres that so far has lacked real potential. day in, day out countless games are being made and fighting games are probably the easiest and frequent games being made, but somehow most of them seem to have been rushed in development, whilst some do impress.
Going right back to the arcade days, Streets of Rage was one of my favourite fighting games for my Mega Drive. Everyday, I looked forward to playing it so much. It was a basic game that had the certain continuity element about it. It had basic punch and kick controls, and was really repetitive, but I still liked it. By now you'll probably be wondering why I liked such a game, and I can tell you it was because of the gameplay. You must look from a different perspective to understand my meaning - in other words - don't compare it to arcade beat-em-ups today! Streets of Rage had the perfect formula for a beat-em-up. Stylish music, charismatic characters and you always had the urge to progress through the game to a different stage. It was a game where you progressed through streets fighting against several gangs, and what made it even better was the ability to pick up weapons. However, you couldn't just move wherever you like, the game limited where you move in your surrounding so you HAD to fight certain people to progress. Like a true arcade beat-em-up.
Streets of Rage was a progressive beat'em'up, but games today have taken a totally different route, which probably started with the Street Fighter series. I'm talking about what is now known as the 'typical' beat-em-up, one opponent against another in a set venue. Both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat took on this prospect and they both became very successful games. What made Street Fighter so appealing, was not just the movie, but also the atmosphere it created. It made you gain the desire to defeating your opponent, but added extras like nice backgrounds, characters who had their own special abilities and of course music, which made it all the more intersting. Mortal Kombat had basically the same baseline, but it had a darker atmosphere to it, which the movie clearly shows. The characters were more eccentric and "EVIL", and once you had successfully defeated your challenger you were given the opportunity to end him, fatally! Most would agree that the MK series really began the world of gory beat-em-ups, and surprisingly became hugely successful.
Both beat'em'ups still followed the progressiveness that Streets of Rage had, but in a different way. This time players had to progress to different venues or stages and fight specific challengers not the same people each time. The willingness of fighting against other characters with more difficulty made beat-em-ups a lot more interesting and you'll notice that this pattern has been followed up constantly, if you look at most fighting games recently created. Then, once all your mediocre opponents have been seen to, you have to fight the final boss, who is always harder than the rest. He/she may not have the fascinating moves the rest have, but they always turn out to be difficult. Bosses play an essential role in beat-em-ups. It gives you, the player a target, a meaning to the game as well as having fun.
I think why most gamers like this genre is because of the way it's all set out. There's the characters, levels, different modes like Tag and Survival, and lots of extras are being created to make the genre a lot interesting. Still, beat-em-ups must maintain the common request of great graphics and great gameplay. DOA2 is probably one of my favourite of the recent beat-em-ups for the PS2 because it has astounding graphics and a lot of creativity. There are a lot more creative moves and now developers have made the genre look a lot more hardcore by allowing your characters to go crashing through windows, pummelling to another level(MK also had this).
We are of yet to see the perfect beat'em'up if there is such a thing. If there is, I think I have the basic formula for it:
great
characters + music + graphics + gameplay + creativity +
new features + loads of moves
=
PERFECT BEAT-EM-UP!!!
We may not as of yet have played THE perfect beat-em-up, but in our time the Tekken, DOA and Mortal Kombat series, Soul Blade/Calibur, Street Fighter, Capcom Vs SNK and many more have impressed and satisfied us...for now!!!
Thanks for reading
Going right back to the arcade days, Streets of Rage was one of my favourite fighting games for my Mega Drive. Everyday, I looked forward to playing it so much. It was a basic game that had the certain continuity element about it. It had basic punch and kick controls, and was really repetitive, but I still liked it. By now you'll probably be wondering why I liked such a game, and I can tell you it was because of the gameplay. You must look from a different perspective to understand my meaning - in other words - don't compare it to arcade beat-em-ups today! Streets of Rage had the perfect formula for a beat-em-up. Stylish music, charismatic characters and you always had the urge to progress through the game to a different stage. It was a game where you progressed through streets fighting against several gangs, and what made it even better was the ability to pick up weapons. However, you couldn't just move wherever you like, the game limited where you move in your surrounding so you HAD to fight certain people to progress. Like a true arcade beat-em-up.
Streets of Rage was a progressive beat'em'up, but games today have taken a totally different route, which probably started with the Street Fighter series. I'm talking about what is now known as the 'typical' beat-em-up, one opponent against another in a set venue. Both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat took on this prospect and they both became very successful games. What made Street Fighter so appealing, was not just the movie, but also the atmosphere it created. It made you gain the desire to defeating your opponent, but added extras like nice backgrounds, characters who had their own special abilities and of course music, which made it all the more intersting. Mortal Kombat had basically the same baseline, but it had a darker atmosphere to it, which the movie clearly shows. The characters were more eccentric and "EVIL", and once you had successfully defeated your challenger you were given the opportunity to end him, fatally! Most would agree that the MK series really began the world of gory beat-em-ups, and surprisingly became hugely successful.
Both beat'em'ups still followed the progressiveness that Streets of Rage had, but in a different way. This time players had to progress to different venues or stages and fight specific challengers not the same people each time. The willingness of fighting against other characters with more difficulty made beat-em-ups a lot more interesting and you'll notice that this pattern has been followed up constantly, if you look at most fighting games recently created. Then, once all your mediocre opponents have been seen to, you have to fight the final boss, who is always harder than the rest. He/she may not have the fascinating moves the rest have, but they always turn out to be difficult. Bosses play an essential role in beat-em-ups. It gives you, the player a target, a meaning to the game as well as having fun.
I think why most gamers like this genre is because of the way it's all set out. There's the characters, levels, different modes like Tag and Survival, and lots of extras are being created to make the genre a lot interesting. Still, beat-em-ups must maintain the common request of great graphics and great gameplay. DOA2 is probably one of my favourite of the recent beat-em-ups for the PS2 because it has astounding graphics and a lot of creativity. There are a lot more creative moves and now developers have made the genre look a lot more hardcore by allowing your characters to go crashing through windows, pummelling to another level(MK also had this).
We are of yet to see the perfect beat'em'up if there is such a thing. If there is, I think I have the basic formula for it:
great
characters + music + graphics + gameplay + creativity +
new features + loads of moves
=
PERFECT BEAT-EM-UP!!!
We may not as of yet have played THE perfect beat-em-up, but in our time the Tekken, DOA and Mortal Kombat series, Soul Blade/Calibur, Street Fighter, Capcom Vs SNK and many more have impressed and satisfied us...for now!!!
Thanks for reading
Woah! A Bruce Lee game is coming on the X-box!
I've got to get me one of these!!!
Thanks for the info Tyrael!
I've got to get me one of these!!!
Thanks for the info Tyrael!
The problem nowadays is that scolling beat-em-ups that are converted to 3D don't seem to be very good, and an example would be Fighting Force on the PSOne.
Now, I am a big fan of beat-em-eps, with scrolling fighters being my favourite type. But, I haven't seen one that has really impressed me. I mean, Streets of Rage is still probably my best scrolling fighter, with Final Fight being my second. They a both old, but still good. But, if these classic games were converted into 3D, would they lose all of that brilliant gameplay?
What needs to be in a scrolling beat-em-up to make it a great fighter.
Well, one would be the moves. One of the main problems that Fighting Force had was lack of moves. It became boring to quickly doing the same moves over and over again. If there is a decent amount of moves, then it will be playable over and over again. In addition, there would also need to be interaction with the backgrounds. It would certainly add some spice to the moves; whacking peoples head on a car bonnet and seeing it dent, putting peoples head through car windows, that sort of thing. This is a feature that lacks from most scrolling beat-em-ups. And let's not forget weapons. What would a scrolling fighter be without weapons?
Other things such as the graphics, sound and the rest of the gameplay also need to be considered. An original plot may help as well. The plot for a scrolling fighter is nearly always 'save the girl', or 'save the world'. Maybe an original plot might help. The graphics also need to be in place. Characters need to look the part, play the part, and so do the backrounds. I personally am not to worried about graphics because I am emersed into the game and kicking bad guys about, I don't take too much notice of the graphics, never-the-less, nowadays, the graphics still need to be good.
There are actually quite a few scrolling fighters heading our way. The best one in my eyes is the Bruce Lee game coming out on the Xbox. This might be the game that will convince me to get an Xbox as I am a very big Bruce Lee fan. Other than this, the only other one that I really know of is Eve of Extinction, which is also looking quite tasty.
Now, I am a big fan of beat-em-eps, with scrolling fighters being my favourite type. But, I haven't seen one that has really impressed me. I mean, Streets of Rage is still probably my best scrolling fighter, with Final Fight being my second. They a both old, but still good. But, if these classic games were converted into 3D, would they lose all of that brilliant gameplay?
What needs to be in a scrolling beat-em-up to make it a great fighter.
Well, one would be the moves. One of the main problems that Fighting Force had was lack of moves. It became boring to quickly doing the same moves over and over again. If there is a decent amount of moves, then it will be playable over and over again. In addition, there would also need to be interaction with the backgrounds. It would certainly add some spice to the moves; whacking peoples head on a car bonnet and seeing it dent, putting peoples head through car windows, that sort of thing. This is a feature that lacks from most scrolling beat-em-ups. And let's not forget weapons. What would a scrolling fighter be without weapons?
Other things such as the graphics, sound and the rest of the gameplay also need to be considered. An original plot may help as well. The plot for a scrolling fighter is nearly always 'save the girl', or 'save the world'. Maybe an original plot might help. The graphics also need to be in place. Characters need to look the part, play the part, and so do the backrounds. I personally am not to worried about graphics because I am emersed into the game and kicking bad guys about, I don't take too much notice of the graphics, never-the-less, nowadays, the graphics still need to be good.
There are actually quite a few scrolling fighters heading our way. The best one in my eyes is the Bruce Lee game coming out on the Xbox. This might be the game that will convince me to get an Xbox as I am a very big Bruce Lee fan. Other than this, the only other one that I really know of is Eve of Extinction, which is also looking quite tasty.
YES!!! BRING BACK STREETS OF RAGE!!!!
But seriuously, it does seem that apart from Tekken and Soul Caliber, there are no real decent realistsic beat-'em-ups. Games like these need competition in order to improve, and I agree that this is one of the best gaming genres around!
But if they're not gunna create more, realistic-styled BEU's, then they should at least try something more 'un-realistic', and fun and fantasy, like Super Smash Bros.!
Clayfighter was a great game, but it seemed to die on the N64, just like Killer Instinct.
Surely we're all getting bored of seeing the same beat-'em-up on multiplae formats!
But seriuously, it does seem that apart from Tekken and Soul Caliber, there are no real decent realistsic beat-'em-ups. Games like these need competition in order to improve, and I agree that this is one of the best gaming genres around!
But if they're not gunna create more, realistic-styled BEU's, then they should at least try something more 'un-realistic', and fun and fantasy, like Super Smash Bros.!
Clayfighter was a great game, but it seemed to die on the N64, just like Killer Instinct.
Surely we're all getting bored of seeing the same beat-'em-up on multiplae formats!
Something that has really bothered me concerning games is the beat-em-up genre. I think it's probably one onf the best genres that so far has lacked real potential. day in, day out countless games are being made and fighting games are probably the easiest and frequent games being made, but somehow most of them seem to have been rushed in development, whilst some do impress.
Going right back to the arcade days, Streets of Rage was one of my favourite fighting games for my Mega Drive. Everyday, I looked forward to playing it so much. It was a basic game that had the certain continuity element about it. It had basic punch and kick controls, and was really repetitive, but I still liked it. By now you'll probably be wondering why I liked such a game, and I can tell you it was because of the gameplay. You must look from a different perspective to understand my meaning - in other words - don't compare it to arcade beat-em-ups today! Streets of Rage had the perfect formula for a beat-em-up. Stylish music, charismatic characters and you always had the urge to progress through the game to a different stage. It was a game where you progressed through streets fighting against several gangs, and what made it even better was the ability to pick up weapons. However, you couldn't just move wherever you like, the game limited where you move in your surrounding so you HAD to fight certain people to progress. Like a true arcade beat-em-up.
Streets of Rage was a progressive beat'em'up, but games today have taken a totally different route, which probably started with the Street Fighter series. I'm talking about what is now known as the 'typical' beat-em-up, one opponent against another in a set venue. Both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat took on this prospect and they both became very successful games. What made Street Fighter so appealing, was not just the movie, but also the atmosphere it created. It made you gain the desire to defeating your opponent, but added extras like nice backgrounds, characters who had their own special abilities and of course music, which made it all the more intersting. Mortal Kombat had basically the same baseline, but it had a darker atmosphere to it, which the movie clearly shows. The characters were more eccentric and "EVIL", and once you had successfully defeated your challenger you were given the opportunity to end him, fatally! Most would agree that the MK series really began the world of gory beat-em-ups, and surprisingly became hugely successful.
Both beat'em'ups still followed the progressiveness that Streets of Rage had, but in a different way. This time players had to progress to different venues or stages and fight specific challengers not the same people each time. The willingness of fighting against other characters with more difficulty made beat-em-ups a lot more interesting and you'll notice that this pattern has been followed up constantly, if you look at most fighting games recently created. Then, once all your mediocre opponents have been seen to, you have to fight the final boss, who is always harder than the rest. He/she may not have the fascinating moves the rest have, but they always turn out to be difficult. Bosses play an essential role in beat-em-ups. It gives you, the player a target, a meaning to the game as well as having fun.
I think why most gamers like this genre is because of the way it's all set out. There's the characters, levels, different modes like Tag and Survival, and lots of extras are being created to make the genre a lot interesting. Still, beat-em-ups must maintain the common request of great graphics and great gameplay. DOA2 is probably one of my favourite of the recent beat-em-ups for the PS2 because it has astounding graphics and a lot of creativity. There are a lot more creative moves and now developers have made the genre look a lot more hardcore by allowing your characters to go crashing through windows, pummelling to another level(MK also had this).
We are of yet to see the perfect beat'em'up if there is such a thing. If there is, I think I have the basic formula for it:
great
characters + music + graphics + gameplay + creativity +
new features + loads of moves
=
PERFECT BEAT-EM-UP!!!
We may not as of yet have played THE perfect beat-em-up, but in our time the Tekken, DOA and Mortal Kombat series, Soul Blade/Calibur, Street Fighter, Capcom Vs SNK and many more have impressed and satisfied us...for now!!!
Thanks for reading
Going right back to the arcade days, Streets of Rage was one of my favourite fighting games for my Mega Drive. Everyday, I looked forward to playing it so much. It was a basic game that had the certain continuity element about it. It had basic punch and kick controls, and was really repetitive, but I still liked it. By now you'll probably be wondering why I liked such a game, and I can tell you it was because of the gameplay. You must look from a different perspective to understand my meaning - in other words - don't compare it to arcade beat-em-ups today! Streets of Rage had the perfect formula for a beat-em-up. Stylish music, charismatic characters and you always had the urge to progress through the game to a different stage. It was a game where you progressed through streets fighting against several gangs, and what made it even better was the ability to pick up weapons. However, you couldn't just move wherever you like, the game limited where you move in your surrounding so you HAD to fight certain people to progress. Like a true arcade beat-em-up.
Streets of Rage was a progressive beat'em'up, but games today have taken a totally different route, which probably started with the Street Fighter series. I'm talking about what is now known as the 'typical' beat-em-up, one opponent against another in a set venue. Both Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat took on this prospect and they both became very successful games. What made Street Fighter so appealing, was not just the movie, but also the atmosphere it created. It made you gain the desire to defeating your opponent, but added extras like nice backgrounds, characters who had their own special abilities and of course music, which made it all the more intersting. Mortal Kombat had basically the same baseline, but it had a darker atmosphere to it, which the movie clearly shows. The characters were more eccentric and "EVIL", and once you had successfully defeated your challenger you were given the opportunity to end him, fatally! Most would agree that the MK series really began the world of gory beat-em-ups, and surprisingly became hugely successful.
Both beat'em'ups still followed the progressiveness that Streets of Rage had, but in a different way. This time players had to progress to different venues or stages and fight specific challengers not the same people each time. The willingness of fighting against other characters with more difficulty made beat-em-ups a lot more interesting and you'll notice that this pattern has been followed up constantly, if you look at most fighting games recently created. Then, once all your mediocre opponents have been seen to, you have to fight the final boss, who is always harder than the rest. He/she may not have the fascinating moves the rest have, but they always turn out to be difficult. Bosses play an essential role in beat-em-ups. It gives you, the player a target, a meaning to the game as well as having fun.
I think why most gamers like this genre is because of the way it's all set out. There's the characters, levels, different modes like Tag and Survival, and lots of extras are being created to make the genre a lot interesting. Still, beat-em-ups must maintain the common request of great graphics and great gameplay. DOA2 is probably one of my favourite of the recent beat-em-ups for the PS2 because it has astounding graphics and a lot of creativity. There are a lot more creative moves and now developers have made the genre look a lot more hardcore by allowing your characters to go crashing through windows, pummelling to another level(MK also had this).
We are of yet to see the perfect beat'em'up if there is such a thing. If there is, I think I have the basic formula for it:
great
characters + music + graphics + gameplay + creativity +
new features + loads of moves
=
PERFECT BEAT-EM-UP!!!
We may not as of yet have played THE perfect beat-em-up, but in our time the Tekken, DOA and Mortal Kombat series, Soul Blade/Calibur, Street Fighter, Capcom Vs SNK and many more have impressed and satisfied us...for now!!!
Thanks for reading