Beat-Em-Ups, the dudebro games of the pre-3D world?

[GameMasterGuy]

Now, I didn't join the gaming scene until the N64, so I don't exactly know exactly what crowd/ how many people played these games, but judging by their overall similarities and sheer number, I think I can make a few assumptions.
1) They both come/ came in excessive numbers
I wouldn't say that most of the Genesis games I look at are beat-em-ups (shortened to bumps for the rest of this post), but there's definitely more bumps than other genre games. The same applies to this generation and dudebro shooters. If there's so many of them, they *must* be selling, regardless of...

2) Overall quality, or rather lack thereof
Don't get me wrong, there's good shooters out there- look at Mass Effect (sure, only half-shooter and didn't even have the multiplayer requirement for being a dudebro game until the third entry, but it's way better than Halo Mars 16 or COD Modern Black Ops 42). There's also good bumps, such as Battletoads. But seriously, look back on the average bump, take off your nostalgia glasses, and see just how repetitive they are, as well as how little effort was put into it overall. Both modern and (if I'm right) retro dudebro games do nothing to stick out from eachother.

3) Co-op emphasis
Yeah, can't really be a duebro game without this. You may share lives, but covering twice as much ground without any other penalty is priceless, especially when you can ram a boss from both ends. Bumps and shooters both get extremely easy in co-op.

4) Clones
If you sprite hacked Streets of Rage to look exactly like Golden Axe, would they *really* look that different? If COD and Halo were textureless, wouldn't multiplayer be axactly the same?

Any thoughts on this/ memories of this era so that I can find out whether or not this is true? Because the more I play the Genesis, the more this is starting to stick out.

[J T]

*eagerly awaits a response from GamerForLife, our resident expert on beatemups*

[BoringSupreez]

I never really thought about things this way. I wasn't playing beat-em-ups back then, because I was born in 1993 (and didn't touch a Genesis until I was 4 or 5), so I can't speak from experience. Sounds like a good theory though.

[dsheinem]

go f yourself with the "dudebro" bullshit

[prfsnl_gmr]

I was playing beat-em-ups during the Sega Genesis era, and they were not "dudebro" games. Back then, all video games were only for nerdy children, like me.

Ah, the good ol' days....

[Bikeage]

If COD and Halo were textureless, wouldn't multiplayer be axactly the same?

No. On the surface they are both FPS, but play very differently.

I actually avoided console beat 'em up's during the 90's. Most seemed like watered down arcade ports, and back then you could find games like Final Fight or Bad Dudes in convenience stores, bowling alleys, movie theaters and such, so i'd gravitate towards RPG's and action games, and leave the arcade experience for the arcades.

[Yancakes]

Back then, all video games were only for nerdy children, like me.

Ah, the good ol' days....

This.

[flex wood]

Nope. The genre started in arcades and was very successful so many games ended up with home ports.

Platformers were the dudebro games. Since Mario and Sonic were so successful many companies tries to copy that (ristar bubsy rocket knight).

Also what dsh said.

[GameMasterGuy]

Except that platformers tended to be varied, single player experiences, and the overall quality was much higher than bump ones. With the exception of Bubsy, all of those are great games.

[dsheinem]

With the exception of Bubsy, all of those are great games.

You have no grasp of history.