Together Retro: Beat-'Em-Ups

[prfsnl_gmr]

I started up Advance Guardian Heroes yesterday. It continues the story from Guardian Heroes (well...one possible branch...and kind of), but it plays very, very differently. That said, it is still top notch Treasure, and I am looking forward to playing through it. I am really bad at it so far, though, and I have been dying a lot...

[dsheinem]

I’m taking one last run through the Data East collection before parting with it and played either solo or co-op (with my 8-year old) this morning through Bad Dudes, Crude Buster, and a game that now seems kind of like a spiritual predecessor of the D&D/GH-stlye BUPs, Wizard Fire. Crude Buster is probably the most impressive of the three, but both it and Bad Dudes feel so stiff and clunky compared to many others of the era. Wizard Fire is more fluid, but is more notable for the ideas it includes than the skill in with which it executes them.

We also co-opped our way through Heavy Barrel, which is quite the twin stick tour-de-force and holds up well in comparison to competition like Ikari Warriors. Not a BUP, but a fun time nonetheless.

[Exhuminator]

Crude Buster

AKA Two Crude Dudes is such an underrated and hilarious game. I wish I could have played it as an eight year old.

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I have not forgotten about playing Guardian Heroes via the 360 version. I am going to sucker either my daughter or wife into beating it with me this upcoming Sunday. "I don't care if you think this game is old and lame, it's Father's Day."

[marurun]

Heavy Barrel is quite awesome and none of the console or computer ports truly captured the feel of it quite right.

Crude Buster/Two Crude Dudes is clunky, but it's also so crazy it turns out to be fun. And despite how horribly janky Bad Dudes vs Dragonninja is, I still love it. The NES port actually felt not too far off from the arcade, despite looking very different.

[Sarge]

Played through Crossed Swords, which can be considered a beat 'em up or hack 'n slash. It's a pretty interesting take on the genre, having Super Punch-Out style combat and some action adventure elements like shops and branching paths. While it looks great it wasn't as fun as I'd hoped; it's too long, repetitive and I found it too hard to read many enemy attacks and projectiles. If there's a way to access some options screen in winkawaks and it can make the game better, let me know.

https://minirevver.weebly.com/crossed-swords-arc.html

I concur with your assessment; I finished it for this TR as well. It's an odd one, for sure. The tells were really tough to read at times, and even if you did figure them out, it felt like you really needed to either use the shield magic or interrupt with an attack spell instead. I have no doubt that there are folks that can 1CC the game, but that person isn't going to be me.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Wizard Fire is more fluid, but is more notable for the ideas it includes than the skill in with which it executes them.

I dunno if you saw my earlier post, but Gate of Doom, the predecessor to Wizard Fire (these games were called Dark Seal and Dark Seal II in Japan) was just released on the Switch eShop. It's a bit of a clunker but still pretty fun.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Crude Buster

AKA Two Crude Dudes is such an underrated and hilarious game. I wish I could have played it as an eight year old.

-

I have not forgotten about playing Guardian Heroes via the 360 version. I am going to sucker either my daughter or wife into beating it with me this upcoming Sunday. "I don't care if you think this game is old and lame, it's Father's Day."

Oh...once you get into it and it branching paths, you’re going to want more than a day with Guardian Heroes. Thankfully, the single-player with AI assistance is perfectly fine.

[Exhuminator]

Oh...once you get into it and it branching paths, you’re going to want more than a day with Guardian Heroes. Thankfully, the single-player with AI assistance is perfectly fine.

I forgot this game has branching paths. I'm legit interested in giving it a shot. Bone said it's the best beat 'em up, and it doesn't even have bump combat!

[Sarge]

Just finished the brawler-adjacent Bucky O'Hare. The game clearly uses the TMNT engine, except you shoot at stuff instead. Well, you also melee attack at close range. You also get some bombs. I honestly can't say it did much for me; I was hoping for a lot more. Decent, but not much more. Nice graphics and voice clips, though.

Also, the music was mostly forgettable for me, but I love the NES soundtrack. That's the version of Bucky O'Hare you want to play, even with the hair-pulling difficulty.

[prfsnl_gmr]

I’m almost through Advance Guardian Heroes. Like all beat ‘em ups, it pales in comparison to Guardian Heroes. It also jettisons a lot of Guardian Heroes’ most interesting features, and since the action is way to intense for GBA hardware, it often slows down to a crawl. Still, it is full of charm; it references its predecessor a lot; has complex combat mechanics; and although it can be difficult, is overall pretty forgiving. I am not willing to place it among the best in the genre, but it’s pretty close. I am really, really enjoying it.