Beat Em Ups: Genesis vs Snes

[Doonzmore]

So a few weeks ago I was at an open house with a few friends. When nighttime came almost everyone started getting drunk so a friend and I decided to go inside the house (I had been in there before and knew my way around). I remember that there was an arcade cabinet downstairs so we make our way down there and to our surprise no one else was down there. Better yet, a Snes was hooked up to the arcade cabinet, and among the stack of games was a copy of Turtles in Time. We fired it up and almost finished it on two player mode. It was our first time playing the game and It was easy to see what all the praise was about.

So that night got me thinking, which system is better for beat em ups? Snes or Genesis? Double Dragon the Genesis is a lot closer to the arcade version, but Super Double Dragon has it beat by a long shot. Streets of Rage 1 and 2 are among my favorites of all time and the soundtrack to 2 is one of the best of any game IMO. I've heard Turtles in Time is superior to The Hyperstone Heist, but I have not played Heist yet so I can't comment on that. I just finished Knights of the Round on the Snes and loved it. Very underrated.

Your thoughts?

[Orion Pimpdaddy]

Whenever I play a beat-em up, on any system, I always compare it to the Streets of Rage series. It's as if Sega knew exactly what I wanted in a game when they made that one. Overall, though, I don't know which system is best for beat-em-ups. I think you mentioned all the heavy hitters, except for the Golden Axe series on Genesis. Each side has a lot of sleepers too.

[Rickstilwell1]

Yeah from my perspective I couldn't really pick one over the other because they both have so many exclusive Beat Em Ups

[E Nice]

......Better yet, a Snes was hooked up to the arcade cabinet, and among the stack of games was a copy of Turtles in Time. We fired it up and almost finished it on two player mode. It was our first time playing the game and It was easy to see what all the praise was about.

........I've heard Turtles in Time is superior to The Hyperstone Heist, but I have not played Heist yet so I can't comment on that. I just finished Knights of the Round on the Snes and loved it. Very underrated.


It's not exactly superior, it's just lacking the Mode 7 stuff and bosses. It has about the same number of stages, yes there's 10 stages in the SNES and 5 on the Genesis, but each SNES stage was only one level, while each Genesis stage ranges from three to two (maybe one for one of them?), which explains the lack of bosses in Hyperstone Heist.

Othe than the lack of throwing an enemy at the screen the gameplay is the same, and even better on the Genesis game I think. The Foot Soldiers aren't as easy to beat. Remember those Foot Soldiers that can block your hits, but you could still kill them because the last hits of your combo will break their guard on the SNES? That doesn't work anymore on the Genesis game. You have to actually use some of the other moves the turtles have to beat them rather than just mashing the same attack button. Shoulder ramming then flipping them.

Flipping them is where you notice (actually you notice before this) that the attack animation is better than the SNES had it. Flipping them on the SNES, they'd always have their legs in the air while on the Genesis their legs/feet hit the ground. You'll also notice the turtles have been given some slightly better detail to their shells.

Plus Hyperstone Heist has Tatsu as a boss. That's a plus right there. The only quibble I have is that he should have called out Foot soldier that block rather than the regular grunts. You also get to fight the TMNT arcade version of human Baxter Stockman, which makes me wonder what the TMNT arcade game could have been like had it ported to the Genesis.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'd say the Genny has a slight edge overall and hits the gold ring with SoR and Golden Axe series by themselves. SNES isn't exactly lacking though. Although, their Final Fight offerings are completely outdone with Final Fight CD. Hell, the SegaCD version outshines the arcade version in ways.

Out of that generation of systems the only platform sorely lacking in beat 'em ups comparatively is TG16/PC-E

[Parodius Duh!]

Pull the tabs out of yer SNES and it opens up a new world of Beaters. SNES all the way!!!!! If streets of Rage series was on SNES life would be perfect.

TMNT 4, Undercover cops, Final Fight 1-3, Kamen Rider, Chost Chaser Dansei, Captain Commando, Return of double Dragon, Knights of the round, King of Dragons, Battletoads & Double Dragon, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs..... do I need to keep going????

[buzz_n64]

Final Fight series all the way baby! Although, I do have to admit, Streets of Rage has the best soundtrack.

[Baloo]

Genesis:

Streets of Rage 1
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Final Fight CD
TMNT: Hyperstone Heist
Altered Beast
Golden Axe
Golden Axe 2
Golden Axe 3
Double Dragon

Vs.

Final Fight/Guy
Final Fight 2
Final Fight 3
TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Super Double Dragon
Battletoads Vs. Double Dragon
Knights of The Round

Both have their heavy hitters. TMNT IV, Final Fight 3, Knights of the Round against Streets of Rage 2, Final Fight CD, Hyperstone Heist, Golden Axe, you're really asking for a throwdown.

Both are awesome for Beat-Em-Ups, and both have some awesome exclusives. I think they both balance each other out really. Although Sega CD is definitely the way to go for Final Fight.

[Steven]

I'm biased, but I vote SNES :)

On top of the popular ones, there's plenty of under-the-radar beat 'em up's that I've enjoyed (tremendously) over the years. These include but are not limited to: Power Rangers (hey, it was better than it had any business being), Stone Protectors, Pirates of Dark Water, Combatribes, Ghost Chaser Densai (JP only), Brawl Brothers, Peace Keepers, etc.

Oh, and I think Final Fight 3 never really got the credit it deserves. It plays the best out of all the SNES FF games.

[goatdan]

It's not exactly superior, it's just lacking the Mode 7 stuff and bosses. It has about the same number of stages, yes there's 10 stages in the SNES and 5 on the Genesis, but each SNES stage was only one level, while each Genesis stage ranges from three to two (maybe one for one of them?), which explains the lack of bosses in Hyperstone Heist.

I agree with pretty much everything you said. The story in the Hyperstone Heist is absolute complete garbage, but what Beat-Em-Up do you play for story? Beyond that, I think Hyperstone Heist is superior to TMNT IV in just about every way. Admittedly, I've always liked the, shall we say, "strategic foot soldier" parts to the long boss fights, so the less bosses of Hyperstone appeals to me.

In fact, I'd put the order of the TMNT beat-em-up games specifically like this, best to not-so-best:

Hyperstone Heist
TMNT III (NES)
TMNT IV (SNES)
TMNT II (NES)

Having said that, TMNT II is one of the best NES games there is, so I'm not trying to say that I think TMNT IV sucks or anything, it just doesn't have that gameplay 'it' that pushes it over the edge to me.

For the original question, I'd probably give the nod to the Genesis, but that is probably because I have played less of the SNES beat-em-ups than the Genesis ones (odd, as I owned a SNES but not a Genesis for years). Maximum Carnage -- one of my favorite beat-em-ups of all time (and perhaps my favorite genre period) is on both, so...

Both!

[Gameguy]

Vs.

Final Fight/Guy
Final Fight 2
Final Fight 3
TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Super Double Dragon
Battletoads Vs. Double Dragon
Knights of The Round
You forgot Bebe's Kids....

They're pretty evenly matched, but I have to go with the Genesis. The games just play slightly better overall. You also forgot The Punisher for the Genesis which was exclusive to the system(as well as Comix Zone), plus Captain America and the Avengers and the Spider-Man games(Maximum Carnage comes to mind). Usually for games on both systems they seem to play better on the Genesis for some reason. I'm sure there's more games that I'm forgetting but they don't really stand out as much, if I can think of any more good ones I'll try to list them.

[Doonzmore]

You forgot Bebe's Kids....


I'm not sure if I'd consider that a beat em up anyway. Yeah, you beat up people in the first round but in the 2nd you're destroying disheds before your guardian can catch them and in the third your trying to find your way through a haunted house.

I really played that game for too long...

[Doonzmore]

Just for the hell of it I think I'll create a list of all beat em ups for the Snes and Genesis, including crossover titles. Here's what we have so far:

Genesis:
Two Crude Dudes
Streets of Rage 1
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Final Fight CD
TMNT: Hyperstone Heist
Altered Beast
Golden Axe
Golden Axe 2
Golden Axe 3
Double Dragon
Double Dragon 3
The Tick
Maximum Carnage
Captain America and the Avengers
Comix Zone
Separation Anxiety
Mystic Fighter
Battle Toads vs Double Dragon
The Punisher
Death and Return of Superman
Toxic Crusaders
Splatterhouse 3
DJ Boy
Mazin Saga Mutant Fighter
Cyborg Justice

Snes:
Final Fight/Guy
Final Fight 2
Final Fight 3
TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Super Double Dragon
Battletoads Vs. Double Dragon
Knights of The Round
The Tick
Maximum Carnage
Power Rangers
Combatribes
Pirates of Dark Water (isn't the Genesis version a platformer?)
Undercover Cops (Japan)
Separation Anxiety
Brawl Brothers
Peace Keepers
Captain Commando
Batman Returns
Kamen RiderGhost Chaser Densei (JP)
Iron Commando (JP)
UFO Kamen Yakisoban (JP)
Battle Zeque Den (JP)
Power Rangers: The Movie
Stone Protectors
Rival Turf
King of Dragons
Spawn
Wild C.A.T.S.
Captain America and the Avengers
Alien vs. Predator
Sonic Blastman
Sonic Blastman 2
Death and Return of Superman
Legend
Ninja Warriors
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (debatable BEU or not)
Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (debatable BEU or not)

[Steven]

SNES:
Final Fight/Guy
Final Fight 2
Final Fight 3
TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Super Double Dragon
Battletoads Vs. Double Dragon (Steven's note: AND, they team up, not fight each other)
Knights of The Round
The Tick
Maximum Carnage
Power Rangers
Combatribes
Pirates of Dark Water (isn't the Genesis version a platformer?)
Undercover Cops (Japan)
Separation Anxiety
Brawl Brothers
Peace Keepers
Captain Commando
Batman Returns
Kamen Rider


Ghost Chaser Densei (JP)
Iron Commando (JP)
UFO Kamen Yakisoban (JP)
Battle Zeque Den (JP)
Power Rangers: The Movie
Stone Protectors
Rival Turf
King of Dragons
Spawn
Wild C.A.T.S.
Captain America and the Avengers
Alien vs. Predator
Sonic Blastman
Sonic Blastman 2
Death and Return of Superman
Legend
Ninja Warriors (how could we forget this one! one of the best around)
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (debatable BEU or not)
Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (debatable BEU or not)

[123►Genei-Jin]

I'll add Gourmet Sentai Bara Yarou to that list as one of my favorite beat 'em up games ever.

[NerdXCrewWill]

This topic just reminded me how awful the Tick game truly is. Man, that game is by far the worst beat-em-up of all time. It's only one player. I played for 3+ hours and only encountered two enemy sprites (ninja and gangster, not including the fight with Chairface when you fall between skyscrapers). There are no special moves and no technique involved with the fighting. Level design is super generic and repetitive, barring the one level taking place in Ninja World (with more ninjas!). After the three hour mark, I looked up how many levels were in the game and found out that I wasn't even half way through. I couldn't stand to play for another 3+ hours and had to give up.

[Rickstilwell1]

Ghost Chaser Densei (JP)
Iron Commando (JP)
UFO Kamen Yakisoban (JP)
Battle Zeque Den (JP)
Power Rangers: The Movie
Stone Protectors
Rival Turf
King of Dragons
Spawn
Wild C.A.T.S.
Captain America and the Avengers
Alien vs. Predator
Sonic Blastman
Sonic Blastman 2
Death and Return of Superman
Legend
Ninja Warriors (how could we forget this one! one of the best around)
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (debatable BEU or not)
Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (debatable BEU or not)

And even though it's not that great, one of the Sailor Moon games is a Beat Em Up. I forget the subtitle. My ex used to make me play it with her and then she would get mad because I was hogging all the fun and action by kicking the enemies' ass.

[kedawa]

Genesis has DJ Boy, so it gets my vote.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'd suggest differentiating between sidescroll action games and beaters. A beat 'em up and a game where you punch and kick things can be very different types of games. Otherwise, your list could inflate quickly and turn out not what you intended. It's not my list, so I'll just leave it at that.

For example: If Altered Beast is considered a beat em here, then what of Splatterhouse 3 (which is obviously one) vs Splatterhouse 2 which is inclusive to a list w/ games like Altered Beast, but excluded without up and down character positioning and a somewhat iso-view which is considered a requirement or at least common for the genre.

[jonebone]

Wow, took until the last poster to mention Splatterhouse? Go figure.

Honestly it's just a toss up IMO. It all boils down to opinion and I don't think there's any factual data that says one system is superior to the other. If you are a huge beat-em-up fan, you owe it to yourself to check out the best each system has to offer.

[Icarus Moonsight]

Well, whether I like a given game or not is factual. It's not like I'd lie about it. LOL

[ugly_monster]

A beat 'em up and a game where you punch and kick things can be very different types of games.

Probably shouldn't have thought this was so funny, but I did.

I vote Genesis. I still to this day have never had a Super Nintendo, so I have no opinion on it.

[kafa111]

Just for the hell of it I think I'll create a list of all beat em ups for the Snes and Genesis, including crossover titles. Here's what we have so far:

Genesis:
TWO CRUDE DUDES
Streets of Rage 1
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 3
Final Fight CD
TMNT: Hyperstone Heist
Altered Beast
Golden Axe
Golden Axe 2
Golden Axe 3
Double Dragon
Double Dragon 3
The Tick
Maximum Carnage
Captain America and the Avengers
Comix Zone
Separation Anxiety
Mystic Fighter
Battle Toads vs Double Dragon
The Punisher
Death and Return of Superman
Toxic Crusaders

Snes:
Final Fight/Guy
Final Fight 2
Final Fight 3
TMNT IV: Turtles in Time
Super Double Dragon
Battletoads Vs. Double Dragon
Knights of The Round
The Tick
Maximum Carnage
Power Rangers
Combatribes
Pirates of Dark Water (isn't the Genesis version a platformer?)
Undercover Cops (Japan)
Separation Anxiety
Brawl Brothers
Peace Keepers
Captain Commando
Batman Returns
Kamen RiderGhost Chaser Densei (JP)
Iron Commando (JP)
UFO Kamen Yakisoban (JP)
Battle Zeque Den (JP)
Power Rangers: The Movie
Stone Protectors
Rival Turf
King of Dragons
Spawn
Wild C.A.T.S.
Captain America and the Avengers
Alien vs. Predator
Sonic Blastman
Sonic Blastman 2
Death and Return of Superman
Legend
Ninja Warriors
X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (debatable BEU or not)
Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems (debatable BEU or not)
You guys are forgetting about the best beat em up, ever. two crude dudes is my favorite game on the genny
http://emu-russia.net/gdb/gen/Two_Crude_Dudes_2.png

[retroman]

its all a matter of personal preferece for most..for me i choose the genesis..huge fan of the golden axe series, loved DJ Boy, Streets of Rage series, Batman Returns, and many more i could name

[kupomogli]

its all a matter of personal preferece for most..for me i choose the genesis..huge fan of the golden axe series, loved DJ Boy, Streets of Rage series, Batman Returns, and many more i could name

Batman Returns wasn't a beat em up on the Genesis. It was a side scrolling action/platformer. Unless you're just speaking of good beat em ups in general.

SNES gets my vote as overall it has the best, though the Genesis has good ones. My favorites are Batman Returns, Knights of the Round, King of Dragons, and Streets of Rage 2.

[Gameguy]

I'm not sure if I'd consider that a beat em up anyway. Yeah, you beat up people in the first round but in the 2nd you're destroying disheds before your guardian can catch them and in the third your trying to find your way through a haunted house.

I really played that game for too long...
It goes back to a beat em up for the last 2 levels, aboard the pirate ship and in the basement of the park. You do fight enemies in the haunted house, I'm not sure if it's a pure beat em up though. The levels are pretty varied in spots, I almost consider the 2nd level with the dishes like a bonus round to change things up(the way the bonus rounds in Street Fighter II or Sonic 1/2/3 are different from the main game). I managed to get to the last level the first time I played the game, I really should try to beat it.

There's also Mazin Saga Mutant Fighter for the Genesis, it's pretty fun and I think it counts as a beat em up. There's also Cyborg Justice, but I think the game sucks which is why I didn't mention it before. I forgot about the Splatterhouse games but that's because I forgot that the 3rd game is a beat em up while the earlier games aren't, I just group them together while the first two are more memory memorization as the enemies are easy to kill(2 hits max) except for the bosses. A lot of the games people listed aren't that good so I won't count them as reasons to own a system for beat em ups over the other one. I found Super Double Dragon for the SNES to be slow and repetitive so I sold my copy off, the NES Double Dragon games played better.

As for The Tick, I agree that it's a pretty mediocre beat em up but I still find it fun. It's The Tick, it's just a fun concept for a game. Every so often you can team up with another character, I just like how they included Die Fledermaus as he's just as useless in the game as he is in the show. He doesn't fight any enemies with you and he leaves as soon as he's hit once, he's unlike any of the other characters you team up with. This is one of the games I have for both the Genesis and the SNES.

[Doonzmore]

There's also Mazin Saga Mutant Fighter for the Genesis, it's pretty fun and I think it counts as a beat em up.

Funny, I actually thought of that one (owned it for years) and put it down as Mystic Fighter and it turns out, Mystic Fighter is a beat em up as well! I agree it's pretty good.

List updated.

[Baloo]

You forgot Bebe's Kids....

They're pretty evenly matched, but I have to go with the Genesis. The games just play slightly better overall. You also forgot The Punisher for the Genesis which was exclusive to the system(as well as Comix Zone), plus Captain America and the Avengers and the Spider-Man games(Maximum Carnage comes to mind). Usually for games on both systems they seem to play better on the Genesis for some reason. I'm sure there's more games that I'm forgetting but they don't really stand out as much, if I can think of any more good ones I'll try to list them.

I did forget Comix Zone and The Punisher, though I thought the Punisher was mediocre at best. The Arcade one is excellent, but the port is pretty sloppy. Not a bad game but I wouldn't consider it one of the definitive beat-em-ups on the system. Comix Zone on the other hand is amazing, even though it's a bit of platformer-beat em up hybrid.

As for Hyperstone Heist Vs. Turtles IV, I think both games are really a blast, even though most write-off HH as some kind of sucky chop-job between games. I thought the gameplay itself was better, as well as the graphics, though the game itself is a little on the short side. Wrote a whole article comparing the two games on Sega-16, but since it's currently down at the moment and the articles are being restored to Wordpress, it can't be viewed right now :(

[Icarus Moonsight]

I'll up Growl for Genny, at the risk it gets overlooked.

[E Nice]

And even though it's not that great, one of the Sailor Moon games is a Beat Em Up. I forget the subtitle. My ex used to make me play it with her and then she would get mad because I was hogging all the fun and action by kicking the enemies' ass.

Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon and Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R, I think were both beat'em ups. I don't remember which one I played but it was ok, it wasn't bad or anything. I just remember one of the girls fought with a whip, which answered the question of what a beat'em up game would be like with a Belmont in it.

The Tick, I have to agree, it was bad. They blew their shot at making a great beat'em game with the cast of heroes and villians that show had. All the Tick did was just flick his fingers at the enemies, the same enemies, over and over again.

[mobiusclimber]

Are Magic Sword and Kendo Rage considered BEUs?