Together Retro: Beat-'Em-Ups

[CFFJR]

Yesterday I played through Streets of Rage 3, and then because I've never compared the two before, I also played Bare Knuckle 3.

I've always been aware of the changes, but to actually experience it is like night and day. SOR3 is such a skin of your teeth, just barely made it affair, to the point that it often feels unfair. BK3 on the other hand, is almost too easy. I lost exactly one life in that run, to the final boss. I don't perform that well in SOR2, a game I've played hundreds of times.

It probably helped that I was still fresh off of SOR3, but still, the difference in enemy numbers and health is just staggering.

I love the game either way, and the japanese version being less intense isn't a bad thing.

[TheSSNintendo]

I've finished it before, but I played some of Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom last night on Steam.

[Sarge]

Double Dragon Advance is down. Played on Hard. Jacked up the lives and continues, but didn't need them; I finished with three continues and two lives left. The game also unlocks an Expert mode on winning, and I'm pretty sure I've already finished that before, too.

The suited dudes on the moving truck still suck the most. That whole stage drained me of about four lives. Still, this is the best expression of the original arcade games, so if you enjoyed those, play this one too! It's also got a crazy diverse moveset, more than any of the series. I still find the crouching uppercut the most effective, however.

[laurenhiya21]

I finally got around to playing something for this, and what I played was Pu-Li-Ru-La. I beat it in one sitting since it's super short, but it was good! It's pretty simple (you can only hit things with your wand or deal a limited number of magic attacks), but the craziness of the game makes up for that. The first level isn't that weird, but every left afterwards is has just one bizarre thing right after another. It made the game fun for me to play though so I'm really glad I played it.



There's still plenty of time to play more beat-em-ups this month, so I'll probably try out the Sailor Moon arcade game next. That was really the only other game I had on my list to play so... I might have to find another game to play but we'll see.

[Nemoide]

So now that I know the secret cheat for continues, I managed to beat Double Dragon for SMS!
I think this is a pretty decent port in terms of accuracy to the arcade version, but the arcade version has its own pile of problems and having a couple more added from this port sure doesn't make it a game I'd recommend. I like that it's two-player co-op, it's hardly unplayable... but it's just not a great experience unless you're just using it as "something to play" while hanging out with a friend who also likes retro games. But even so, there are better options.

I remember starting Double Dragon II at Funspot in NH some years back and very quickly saying "screw this" when I realized how awkward the directional attack buttons are. I might be heading back there later this year and I might feel emboldened to actually give it another go. But in my memory, it reminds me in a way of Pac-Land: a kind of interesting concept for a control scheme that's really annoying for people used to more typical styles of control.

I never got into the game series beyond that. Part of me thinks I should since the NES version of the first game is possibly better than the arcade and the Genesis games look kind of interesting. I was actually first introduced to Double Dragon by the cartoon series. Even though it wasn't one of my favorites, I thought it was pretty cool when I was a little kid. Pretty sure it won't hold up if I tried to watch it now.
And I did end up rewatching the live-action movie tonight. That thing is so cheesy and ridiculous. I feel like it's a hidden gem for fans of bad movies. Too bad it's not easily available.

[Exhuminator]

I put two hours into Final Fight: "Streetwise" for PS2 tonight. I have to admit I didn't expect to be punching thugs using bullets. Nor did I expect to kick a German shepherd in its head, only for it die and leave behind a giant hamburger. There's adult toys for sale in a XXX movie theater, gay guys hit on me all the time, and hookers want to hire me to find their little brother. Also a Bible with a hidden drug compartment?! I beat an old lady at darts, won an arm wrestling contest, killed mutant zombies, and helped a tattoo artist design a new piece. I don't know what the hell is going on here people, but I think I like it.

[lordb0rb4]

Double Dragon Advance is down. Played on Hard. Jacked up the lives and continues, but didn't need them; I finished with three continues and two lives left. The game also unlocks an Expert mode on winning, and I'm pretty sure I've already finished that before, too.

The suited dudes on the moving truck still suck the most. That whole stage drained me of about four lives. Still, this is the best expression of the original arcade games, so if you enjoyed those, play this one too! It's also got a crazy diverse moveset, more than any of the series. I still find the crouching uppercut the most effective, however.

I gave it a go yesterday and the suit guys almost made me throw my controller away, you weren't kidding about them, i will give another go today and see how it goes.

[Sarge]

The best way to take them on is to get off-plane from them, and when they come up to your level, hit them with a crouching uppercut (A+B, then A). It takes a while, but they're definitely doable. The problem is if you get hit; that combo will suck your life down fast!

I also wouldn't be surprised if jump kicks worked well.

[Nemoide]

I put two hours into Final Fight: "Streetwise" for PS2 tonight. I have to admit I didn't expect to be punching thugs using bullets. Nor did I expect to kick a German shepherd in its head, only for it die and leave behind a giant hamburger. There's adult toys for sale in a XXX movie theater, gay guys hit on me all the time, and hookers want to hire me to find their little brother. Also a Bible with a hidden drug compartment?! I beat an old lady at darts, won an arm wrestling contest, killed mutant zombies, and helped a tattoo artist design a new piece. I don't know what the hell is going on here people, but I think I like it.

Wow, that sounds surprisingly nutzoid-awesome.

[Exhuminator]

FF:"SW" is definitely nutzoid. But awesome remains to be determined. I've only finished 2 of the 7 chapters thus far!

It's weird playing a beat 'em up with sane difficulty again after the nightmare of Urban Reign.