What happened to beat em' ups?

[SpaceBooger]

Wasn't there a FFXV beat-em up or something?

[Tanooki]

Hmm you know that post 2 pages back reminded me about that RCR game coming on Steam tomorrow, but also the fact I have that D&D game on there already (and had it on WiiU if Nintendo ever allows purchase carry over with Switch.) Also it reminded me that there is that RCR Tokyo Rumble for 3DS that kind of flew under the radar from a few months ago if that.

If I wasn't trying so hard to limit my interests so I can focus on the stuff I have I'd be doing some amazon/ebay clicking now for that RCR 3DS game and some nice year plus old console stuff that hit PC too.

When you get down to it the style of a beat em up never went quite away but the perspective changed. Not sure anyone will agree with this persay but, anyone here own or play RYSE for PC and xbox? In a way it's kind of like that beat em up style of game, just over the shoulder is all. YOu go through a predetermined area with many copy cat looking soldiers of the enemy who come at out and beat your ass any cheap way possible to rob you of your life (quarter if we're thinking 90s arcade) to go at it again. It has some RCR like mechanics where you can use money(xp) to buy better moves (like dragon feet etc in RCR) as well. You're just not using your hands and feet, but shield bashing fools and stabbing/slashing the crap out of of them but the core mechanics are one in the same. I only played it maybe 15min before i had to leave my friends house last night but it came across that way to me so I bookmarked it on Steam for later.

[MrNash]

Indie beat 'em ups release onto Steam. Recent examples would be Viking Squad, I am the Hero, Mother Russia Bleeds, and Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds.

[Juan Aguacate]

I think I may echo some stuff that's been said already, but there's been a lot of 2d ones recently

Viking Squad - Decent, but not great Castle Crashers clone

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Mega Battle - It's actually not a bad game that feels a little like old school Konami arcade beat 'em ups, but some aspects of it really ticked me off like that obnoxious Rita's Tower mode and the over emphasis on invincibility states for enemies

Double Dragon 4 - Haven't played it

A new Kunio Kun on the 3DS and another one coming out soon on PC - Haven't played them either

A King's Tale Final Fantasy XV - Awesome game and I'm glad it's being released for free in March

Mother Russia Bleeds - Awful game that falls very short of the Final Fight/Streets of Rage games it tries to emulate. This one really let me down and I wouldn't recommend that garbage to anyone

There's been some other awesome titles in recent years too like the Dishwasher Samurai series from Ska Studios, Revenge of the Wounded Dragons (sadly de-listed), Guacamelee/Dust an Elysian Tale (Beat'em up games with Metroid map exploration thrown in), Double Dragon Neon (shame those assholes never gave us online multiplayer though) and fun handheld stuff like Batman Brave and the Bold or that Thor game from Wayforward. Plus, stuff like Shank, Foul Play, Charlie Murder, Fist Puncher, 2d beat 'em ups are out there if you look for them. I would know, it's my favorite genre

I think musou games are the 3D evolution of the genre. Plenty of fun ones getting released all the time like Fate Extella, that new Berserk game, Dragon Quest Heroes, etc. The Senran Kagura games are okay.

Character action games are just too complicated to me and have discarded one of the things that made beat 'em ups so popular, their simplicity. I generally don't like character action games but I like old school beat 'em ups and musou games. Onechanbara Z2 Chaos is cool though, but it takes character action mechanics and simplifies them to make for a more accessible game.

The best modern 3d example of old school, beat 'em up gameplay I've played is probably Lollipop Chainsaw. It literally feels like something that could have been an old arcade game.

[dsheinem]

Mother Russia Bleeds - Awful game that falls very short of the Final Fight/Streets of Rage games it tries to emulate. This one really let me down and I wouldn't recommend that garbage to anyone

This is insane. The game is an on-point homage to those classic games and gets the feel of the combat pretty much exactly right while also adding a few new tricks and a lot of distinctive style. Critical consensus - including amongst those like myself who grew up playing the genre regularly - typically runs totally counter to your claims here...I can't imagine what you'd have wanted it to do better...

[BoneSnapDeez]

The best modern 3d example of old school, beat 'em up gameplay I've played is probably Lollipop Chainsaw. It literally feels like something that could have been an old arcade game.

How does a modern glossy 3D AAA game feel like it could have been an old arcade game? I haven't played this (it looks totally unappealing to me) so what am I missing?

I think we've veered off course too. Modern 3D hack and slash action games are not "beat 'em ups" in the traditional sense, which is what this thread was supposed to be about (if we go by the OP's post).

Aside from the indie games, the closest thing we have today are those beat 'em up / RPG hybrids. Dragon's Crown and Code of Princess come to mind.

[alienjesus]

The best modern 3d example of old school, beat 'em up gameplay I've played is probably Lollipop Chainsaw. It literally feels like something that could have been an old arcade game.

How does a modern glossy 3D AAA game feel like it could have been an old arcade game? I haven't played this (it looks totally unappealing to me) so what am I missing?

I think we've veered off course too. Modern 3D hack and slash action games are not "beat 'em ups" in the traditional sense, which is what this thread was supposed to be about (if we go by the OP's post).

Aside from the indie games, the closest thing we have today are those beat 'em up / RPG hybrids. Dragon's Crown and Code of Princess come to mind.

I don't think we went off course. The question was 'what happened to them' and the answer some of us have said is 'they changed or were supplanted by similar 3D action games'

These 3D actions games have a focus on taking on multiple enemies at once, crowd control, a general requirement to defeat all enemies before continuing, multiple combos to fight with - all traits of 2D beat-em-ups.

For me personally, I find it hard to care about most 2D beat-em-ups, new or old, because so few of them manage to live up to the standard of Guardian Heroes and Streets of Rage 2.

[BogusMeatFactory]

I don't think we went off course. The question was 'what happened to them' and the answer some of us have said is 'they changed or were supplanted by similar 3D action games'

These 3D actions games have a focus on taking on multiple enemies at once, crowd control, a general requirement to defeat all enemies before continuing, multiple combos to fight with - all traits of 2D beat-em-ups.

For me personally, I find it hard to care about most 2D beat-em-ups, new or old, because so few of them manage to live up to the standard of Guardian Heroes and Streets of Rage 2.

I am with AJ on this. For me the pinnacles were streets of rage and the dnd beat em ups. The genre changed to meet the times and for good reason. Most beat em ups were not 2d but one dimensional slogs built to eat coins

[TSTR]

where have all the cowboys gone

[Exhuminator]

Mother Russia Bleeds - Awful game that falls very short of the Final Fight/Streets of Rage games it tries to emulate. This one really let me down and I wouldn't recommend that garbage to anyone

This is insane. The game is an on-point homage to those classic games and gets the feel of the combat pretty much exactly right while also adding a few new tricks and a lot of distinctive style. Critical consensus - including amongst those like myself who grew up playing the genre regularly - typically runs totally counter to your claims here...I can't imagine what you'd have wanted it to do better...