SNES Beat em ups

[Ack]

That's a shame. I played through Mutant Apocalypse for the first time a couple of years ago and thought it was awesome! I admit that I did have a few complaints about feeling like I was thrown in the deep end, but once I got used to it, I enjoyed it. Though if I recall, I preferred War of the Gems.

[Boyward]

Batman Returns is a great one. I remember Gamepro gave it a perfect 5.0 rating across every category and I think the high rating is well deserved. Konami did a great job with the music. There are some tracks on there from Danny Elfman's soundtrack plus some great original tracks that match the mood nicely. I like how it's snowing outside. Breaking clown skulls against shop windows and park benches is a nice touch, as is knocking their heads together for the knockout.

Too bad it's only one player, but I don't know how they could have justified co-op since Tim Burton's Batman is a loner.

[Gamerforlife]

Ninja Warriors Again immediately comes to mind, it's a really well balanced game with some unique characters and moves. Having movement restricted to left and right only also makes it different from a lot of other beat 'em ups.

I'll chime in on some stuff you guys mentioned already:

Turtles in Time on the SNES is the best version of the game IMO, and the best turtles beat 'em up ever made. The ground slam, and Mode 7 throws towards the player make that game so much fun

Batman Returns - A fun beat 'em up, but I feel like Bat's moves are too brutish. I feel like I'm playing as Bane, not Batman in that game. The Adventures of Batman and Robin is a better representation of the character, though it has less beat 'em up action than Batman Returns.

Final Fight series - I played them all, and I think FF 3 was easily the best. I loved the incorporation of Street Fighter moves (though it's hard to pull them off sometimes), running, and alternate paths. I thought having an AI second player was an innovative idea for the time. I have a soft spot for FF 3 since I own a complete CIB copy of it and it's one of the less common SNES games to find. In terms of characters though, FF 2 is my fave with Haggar, Maki, and Carlos.

X-Men Mutant Apocalypse - People who hate on this game are nuts. I think the article on HG101 kind of bashes it and I have no idea why. The music on that game is awesome (the Wolvie, Psyclops, and Psylocke stages have awesome music) and having so many characters to play as, plus a non linear style in the vein of Mega Man is awesome

Not to shamelessly self promote, but I cover a few SNES brawlers here

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/the-best ... eat-em-ups

I made sure to have an entry on the Rushing Beat series for Ack

[Ack]

Glad to know you like me so much! And I'm always happy to read a section praising King of Dragons.

So have you played through the hidden "Japanese" version of Brawl Brothers? And remind me to go buy Turtles in Time.

[marurun]

I can't speak to Final Fight 2 and 3, but I've always wondered why people love the original so much. Sure, the characters are large, but your move set is so limited. Streets of Rage made Final Fight outdated almost immediately. I understand the SNES FF sequels fix much of this.

I do really enjoy Brawl Brothers, more than I should. It's not that great a game, but I don't care. The enemies get so weird later on. It's like a beat 'em up that takes place in Bizarro World.

[Gamerforlife]

Glad to know you like me so much! And I'm always happy to read a section praising King of Dragons.

So have you played through the hidden "Japanese" version of Brawl Brothers?

Nope, but I plan to at some point. There are a few games in that article I haven't played yet. A lot of info in that article I've acquired from other beat 'em up fans. I actually spent a lot of time scouring the internet and visiting lots of forums to learn about games I haven't played myself before putting that article together.

Turtles in Time is great. It makes you wish other Konami beat 'em ups could have been ported to the SNES. Thankfully though, we can play X-Men Arcade and The Simpsons Arcade on PSN/XBLA now. Turtles in Time on the SNES is interesting though because they changed a lot of things in the game for the better.

[ExedExes]

And yes, I'm totally thinking about going home and playing Brawl Brothers some.

Jaleco's Rushing Beat series certainly needs some love. Let's not forget Knights of the Round & King of Dragons!

[WrathOskvro]

+1 for Ninja Warriors Again. I love everything about this game.

Also it's more of a platformer than a beatemup but I wanted to mention it anyway because not many people really know about it. X-Kaliber 2097. Very neat and has a soundtrack by Psykosonik.

[ExedExes]

X-Men Mutant Apocalypse - People who hate on this game are nuts. I think the article on HG101 kind of bashes it and I have no idea why. The music on that game is awesome (the Wolvie, Psyclops, and Psylocke stages have awesome music) and having so many characters to play as, plus a non linear style in the vein of Mega Man is awesome.

I'll second this one. It's full of Capcom quality. I also liked Maximum Carnage, even though it might have been rough in a few spots, but for LJN, we'll take a good game over a bad one anytime Any thoughts on the Power Rangers games? The Movie was a great beat em up, probably because Natsume (Ninja Warriors Again) developed it.

[Ack]

Any thoughts on the Power Rangers games? The Movie was a great beat em up, probably because Natsume (Ninja Warriors Again) developed it.

I can't say on the movie one, but the beat 'em up based solely on the show is unfortunately pretty bland and ridiculously easy. I breezed through it while testing it when I bought the and was surprised to discover I had gotten to the end.

And I totally played Brawl Brothers last night and will again tonight.