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

[elvis]

I agree the fighting mechanics far exceed almost any beat-em-up

Just to throw it out there: if anyone is interested in a scrolling beat 'em up with a slightly more complex move system, check out Sengoku 3 on Neo Geo AES/MVS.

Combos, juggles and special-moves a-plenty in that game, and sometimes it's not trivial to pull them off either.

[Gamerforlife]

I agree the fighting mechanics far exceed almost any beat-em-up

Just to throw it out there: if anyone is interested in a scrolling beat 'em up with a slightly more complex move system, check out Sengoku 3 on Neo Geo AES/MVS.

Combos, juggles and special-moves a-plenty in that game, and sometimes it's not trivial to pull them off either.

I always wanted to try that game

[Doctor Fugue]

It is indeed an awesome game. I believe it works in MAME, Gamerforlife, if you want to give it a try.

[Gamerforlife]

It is indeed an awesome game. I believe it works in MAME, Gamerforlife, if you want to give it a try.

Awesome

I'm hoping to get MAME running on my PSP very soon. Waiting on a Pandora battery to get shipped to me, though the PSP controls may not be best for a complex game like Sengoku III now that I think about it. I guess I can just try it on my PC first

[marurun]

Sengoku 3 also works in Nebula and NeoRageX (one of the modified, unofficial revisions). And I concur that it does seem to be a pretty fantastic game.

I also have to say I enjoyed SOR2 better than 3. 3 is really good, but 2 just has a nicer feel. The levels, music, enemies, etc... all just blend a little better together making it a more refined experience. That said, SOR3 does have some nice elements that make it a strong contender. And I really like that the BomberGames SORR project is allowing people to customize. That's a great option.

I also wonder, however, if Guardian Heroes wouldn't qualify for this list. Like Comix Zone it has a lot more going on, like magic and special moves and leveling up, but it also has hordes of palette swapped enemies rushing you and some cheap attacks baddies can pull on you, just like any other beat'em up.

[ott0bot]

I also wonder, however, if Guardian Heroes wouldn't qualify for this list. Like Comix Zone it has a lot more going on, like magic and special moves and leveling up, but it also has hordes of palette swapped enemies rushing you and some cheap attacks baddies can pull on you, just like any other beat'em up.

Aye the rub with that is that it is not in the 8 or 16 bit category. Great game though.

I think Comic zone qualifies. It's a beat em up in comic panels. Still a beat em up at heart.

Nice call on Sengoku 3, sweet game. Great fun.

River City Ransom is soo awesome and well deserves the praise it gets. Great 2 player fun, and hilarious little dialog blurbs. Another game that feels similar but has 2d platforming sections as well is Legend of the Mystical Ninja...but that falls out of the beat em up category for me.

SofR 2 and 3 are both fun games....whats the big deal really? Ohh and what about Bare Knuckle 3, isn't that better than 3, so really 2 is inferior to the Japanese version of 3. Ugh....they are just beat em ups, can't we all just get along. oh....wait...no we can't. Put on a leotard and hand me that broken bottle, you take the 2x4 and lets duke it out.

What about Splatterhouse for the TG-16? I dig the genesis ones too, but I think for an early beat-em up it's a blast.

[marurun]

Oops! Yer right. I tried to jump generations on him.

Let me offer up Double Dragon II on PC Engine Super CD. Best version of Double Dragon II around, even if the soundtrack is a bit odd at times. The fighting action is superb.

[timewarpgamer]

For me, the SoR debate boils down to the fact that while 3 has deeper gameplay, 2 is clearly better in every other category. So, SoR2 will be staying in my top 10. I'm going to give SoR3 another play session, though, and maybe I'll add it as an honorable mention. Of course, when I play SoR3 I'll have to put the TV on mute to spare my ears the discordant music.

Dr. Fugue, thanks for the Sengoku 3 recommendation. I'll definitely check it out.

As for the Comix Zone debate, I think that the game is definitely more of a beat 'em up than a platformer. And I'm prone to Next-Gen's point about showing the diversity of the genre, though Dr. Fugue makes a good point. When I want to engage in some repetitious face-bashing I never play Comix Zone. If we're going to debate Comix Zone's beat-'em-upness, what about Battlemaniacs? Only the first level really fits the traditional beat 'em up formula...

Marurun, when it comes to Double Dragon, right now my favorite 8-bit version is surprisingly the original for NES, from the same awesome developer that brought us River City Ransom. The graphics are pretty average, moving feels a little clunky, but the moves feel crisp and I actually really dig the music. I tried the PC-Engine version of Double Dragon and the gameplay just felt kind of sloppy, plus it didn't begin to tap the mighty TG-16's graphical prowess. Add on top of that a very so-so soundtrack (despite the CD-ROM format), and it just didn't really do it for me at all.

In terms of the actual list, I'm definitely adding Batman Returns. I love the variety in animations, and the bazooka-toting clowns in the first level are amazing. So much fun to see them firing with utter abandon, often hitting their "comrades." But if I add Batman Return, what do I drop from the list? Maybe cheat a little and include an honorable mentions section?

[timewarpgamer]

Thanks to everyone's input, and some extra game playing, I've revised my original list. Check out the latest one here: http://timewarpgamer.com.

[elvis]

Dr. Fugue, thanks for the Sengoku 3 recommendation.

*cough*