purest beat 'em ups?

[pragmatic insanester]

which beat 'em ups have every core mechanic of the genre and nothing else tacked on or content associated with other game types?

guidelines:

no platforming elements.
all enemies (even the absolute lowest form of cannon fodder) require more than one hit.
combos included.
enemies have both lifebars and names.
the screen scrolls with like "Go!".
no minigames, or if they have them they must be played outside of the main game (like an "arcade" "vs" option" thing at the menu).
weapons that can be picked up.
no long-ranged weapons (outside of like a knife or similar one use melee weapon).
bosses have underlings that he/she/it calls during the fight.
continuous battle. no periods for more than a few seconds between groups of enemies.

[klausien]

I have always held that Final Fight is the absolute KING of all brawlers. It does everything just right and has aged extremely well.

Yes, an obvious choice, but easily the best.

[Coleman]

Golden axe 1 and 2 definitly qualify in this genre but my favorite may not meet all of your qualifications... River City Ransom is my favorite beatem up ut I cant seem to think of any time were a boss calls forth minions... The screen also never says "Go" but its still great gaming goodness.

Others include TMNT X-Men the arcade game and the simpsonds arcade games.

[Parpunk]

i have a full size 4 player x men arcade 8-)

very awesome.but after beating it numerous times it just sits there now collecting dust :(

[GarrettCRW]

The words "Double Dragon" spring to mind for some reason....

;)

[Damaramu]

*reads opening post*

Yup, sounds alot like Streets of Rage! :D

[MrRoboto19XX]

*reads opening post*

Yup, sounds alot like Streets of Rage!

You forgot the "2" in that title. ;)

[Jorpho]

I believe The Punisher fulfills the requirements neatly.

Undercover Cops might also apply. And maybe The Combatribes wouldn't be too much of a stretch?

[cyberfluxor]

Dynamite Cop fall under this? :D I just love that game as a bawler, although it isn't as old as for say a lot of the previously mentioned games. By the way, if anyone does have a the DC game let me know if you're willing to sell, although it's only worth a few bucks it'd make me happy. 8-)

[Damaramu]

[quote="cyberfluxor"]Dynamite Cop fall under this?/quote]

Aren't there firearms you can pick up in that game?

[pragmatic insanester]

double dragon DOES NOT qualify. toward the end of the game there is some platforming. i'm gonna rule out dyamite cop too, for excessive firearms and too much open-endedness that lags the progression.

[Push Upstairs]

Beats of Rage.

[alec]

Sengoku 1 2 and 3...all must haves.

[M15fit]

Nekketsu Oyako for the Saturn and Psx, its a pure brawler. Not that well written or playable, but i played til i finished it.

Final fight is king,,,,

[MarioMania]

I like Final Fight on the SNES & the Arcade(CCC on the Xbox)

But SoR 2 come's in 2nd

[Ascending Wordsmith]

Sounds like Streets of Rage 2 to me as well.

And even though many people may hate me for saying it, there's a SNES game by the name of Rival Turf that has the exact same guidelines that Pragmatic mentioned, but the game usually falls into disfavor among many people.

http://www.consoleclassix.com/info_img/Rival_Turf!_SNES_ScreenShot2.jpg

In all honesty, I think it's a good example of a beat'em up as well. It's no SoR 2 by any stretch, but it sure is fun!

[B - Mark]

My suggestions for Beat em ups:
- Golden Axe 1 ( Arcade and Mega Drive / Genesis )
- Golden Axe 2 ( Mega Drive / Genesis )
- Streets of Rage 1 and 2 ( Mega Drive / Genesis )
- Aliens vs Predators ( Arcade )
- The Punisher ( Arcade )
- Captain Commando ( Arcade )
- Final Fight ( Arcade )
- Double Dragon ( Arcade )
- Cadillacs and Dinossaurs ( Arcade )
- Renegade ( Arcade, NES and Master System )
- The Combatribes ( Arcade )
- Rival Turf ( Super NES )
- Final Fight 2 ( Super NES )
- Burning Fight ( Neo Geo )
- Robo Army ( Neo Geo )
- Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones ( NES )