Top 10 beat 'em ups for 8/16-bit consoles?

[timewarpgamer]

My current list is here: http://timewarpgamer.com, just click on "Top 10" in the menu or scroll down to the 7 December blog entry for a direct link. Anyway, I was hoping to draw on your expertise to revise/improve it. Anything I should/shouldn't include?

By the way, please note that I'm not considering one-on-one fighting games (i.e. Street Fighter II) in this list, just old-school Double Dragon-style brawlers.

Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

[Doctor Fugue]

Sorry, can't get the link to work for the article from the top page.

Edit: But it does work if you go from the menu at the top.

Edit again, now that I've read it:

Lots of good choices; can't go wrong with some of them like SoR2, FFCD and Rare's Battletoads.

Obviously a lot of it will be based on taste, but I have never understood the critical darling that River City Ransom has become. I don't think it has held up too well. The same goes for Golden Axe...I used to be the biggest fan of Golden Axe, I have tons of nostalgia for it, but I don't like playing it anymore. It's just too clunky. And I think GA2 and 3 are better.

I personally think Comix Zone does not fit. It is indeed a wonderful game, and in my top 5 games for the Genesis, but for me it doesn't have the game mechanics to be called a true beat-em-up.

Some games I would consider for my own personal list:
Captain Commando (SNES)
Captain America and the Avengers (GEN)
Batman Returns (SNES)
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (GEN)
Streets of Rage 3 (GEN)
AvP (SNES)...[I have only played the arcade version, so I don't know if this version is awesome too]

Also, how about the Dungeons and Dragons games? I guess they aren't strictly 16-bit since they appeared on the Saturn, but they were just another pair of CPS-2 games and could probably appear on the Genesis with some graphical tweaks.

Unfortunately the Xmen game never made it home.

[timewarpgamer]

Doh! I think you're referring to the link in the most recent blog entry. Should be working now...

[Ack]

AvP (SNES)...[I have only played the arcade version, so I don't know if this version is awesome too]

Though they have the same name, technically I don't believe they're related. The SNES version saw release several months before the arcade, and while fun, lacked things like multiplayer that really could have made it shine. The arcade version is nothing short of awesome, but was never ported to any consoles(the only one it was ever announced for was the 32X). They have diverging storylines as well.

Now, apparently the Japanese version of the SNES Alien vs. Predator plays a little different. The Predator is a different color, moves very slowly but can run if a direction is double-tapped, has a longer charge meter for special attacks, and features 2-player battle mode, where one person can play the Predator and one an Alien. There was also a minor tweak to the title, so it's Aliens vs. Predator instead of Alien vs. Predator. Other than that, there are no differences. And while a cool concept, there were better beat-'em-ups out there. Stick to the arcade version, trust me.

[timewarpgamer]

Doctor Fugue,

Thanks for the comments. I just gave Batman Returns (SNES) a try, and it's a great recommendation. I'm definitely going to try to sneak it into my list.

Golden Axe is one of the games I grew up playing, so I guess my nostalgia is blinding me to its datedness, but the game still sounds great, and it's pretty deep in terms of gameplay, especially for an earlier beat 'em up. I may move River City Ransom a bit lower on the list, but the super-deformed art style, non-linear aspects, and RPG-style elements are just too cool. It's gotta stay on the list.

I've debated whether to include SoR3 for a long time. I can deal with the fact that the graphics are worse than SoR2, but having the annoying experimental music on top of that is a deal-breaker for me.

Wow, I totally forgot about Captain Commando. I used to play that game like crazy in the arcade.

[Mozgus]

I am so tired of seeing Streets of Rage 2 get all the praise, while 3 always gets ignored. 3 was better in every conceivable fucking way, but because it came out late in the console's lifespan, no one ever gave it a fair chance. If you compare them as games, SOR3 wins, no contest. But, if you compare them based on release date....that's just not fair. 3 added the much MUCH needed run ability, a ton of new moves and depth to the fighting system, a better soundtrack (which was kind of a miracle), and quite a lot of graphics refinements, especially in the stages themselves. It also had a VS mode, which was a pretty good little time waster. SOR2 feels entirely too simple and slow today, and gets boring after just 1 stage.

Spread the word, already.

[ThunderPrince]

man you are crazy!
SoR2 owns 3 hands down. no contest.
the only advantage 3 has over 2 are more animation frames and Hard Gay.

also what are you babbling about with the soundtrack? 3 just sounds like a bunch of scrambled noise, like koshiro made a fine soundtrack and put it through the shredder.

also there is no Max! and they nerfed the grand upper.

[Gamerforlife]

Actually, on paper, Bare Knuckles 3 sounds better than SOr2 in every way except music. They messed up the American version in a couple of ways though. A better localization, and a better soundtrack, and I think Streets of Rage 3 would have completely outdone SOR2.

[Mozgus]

Alright. Who let the crazies in?

[Ack]

It's a Top 10 and everybody has an opinion. What did you expect?