Hey Punk! Fighting Game Genre FIGHT!!!

[allyourbase]

My friend and I were having a talk the other night and I wanted to present it to the forum to see what you guys think.
We were discussing the definitions of the "beat-em-up" and "fighting" genres of games. We had been talking about playing some "beat-em-up's" on SNES, so naturally I brought over what I thought to be some of the best of the genre, Final Fight 3, Turtles in Time, Rival Turf (best of the genre, lmao), Knights of the Round, etc. When I got to his apartment, he had pulled from his shelves Street Fighter II, Alpha, MK 3 and Ranma 1/2 for the session.

What ensued was an argument over the definition of "beat-em-up" and "fighting". Is it a US thing to call those type (turtles, final fight) games "beat-em-up" and a PAL/Europe thing to call them "fighting"? He's american but he cited several overseas auctions describing "beat-em-ups" as "fighters".
To me, a beat-em-up suggests a free-for-all slugger, much like what Final Fight, Streets of Rage etc. very much are. Calling something a "fighting game" implies emphasis on one-on-one, technical executions of moves and fighting styles, etc. A beat-em-up is a button masher...
Do I just have it backwards? What do you guys distinguish those titles as?


Bonus Level:

Name your favorite "Beat-em-up"/ "Fighting" titles.....GO!!!!

1. Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)
2.Turtles in Time would be 1st, but I can run it through in like 30 minutes now (SNES)
3. Final Fight/Golden Axe series

Fighting- Marvel VS. Capcom 2... I have never gotten over my unhealthy obsession of either Cammy or comic heroes

[MachineGex]

I see it the way you do on the definitions. I like Beat'em ups, but dont really care too much for fighters like Streets Fighter 2. One of our favorite Beat'em Ups is Battletoads vs. DD.

[ubersaurus]

I go with beat-em-up or "brawlers" for those Final Fight style games. If those are fighters, then what the hell do you call stuff like Street Fighter 2?

[allyourbase]

I go with beat-em-up or "brawlers" for those Final Fight style games. If those are fighters, then what the hell do you call stuff like Street Fighter 2?

Apparently a "beat-em-up" or "brawler" according to him (and several JP vendors)... Isn't that confusing? He specifically called them brawlers now that you mention it. Anyone ever hear this discrepancy?

[123►Genei-Jin]

I go with beat-em-up or "brawlers" for those Final Fight style games. If those are fighters, then what the hell do you call stuff like Street Fighter 2?

Actually a brawler is a different genre. Super Smash Brothers for example is considered a brawler by the fighting game comunity.

As for the other 2 definitions I'm in the same boat, "beat 'em up" for Double Dragon/Final Fight games.
"Fighting" for 1 on 1 VS fighting games.

[Sosage]

I've worked on two popular, at one time, online game databases. We use to have meetings that lasted forever on these sorts of issues. Yes. Actual office meetings. I miss those days. What we came up with, fairly quickly for these discussions since we would argue like crazy, was something like this:

Beat em' ups = games where you fight multiple AI opponents at the same time. Progression is not round based. See: Final Fight, Double Dragon, etc.

Fighters = games where you must fight an AI or human opponent one at a time. Progression is round based. See: Street Fighter II, Virtua Fighter, etc.

I know I am missing some important stuff in those definitions, but it was 10+ years ago. I also think everyone gets the point.

There is always a definition breaker. Always. Pit Fighter. Street Smart. Etc.

Actually a brawler is a different genre. Super Smash Brothers for example is considered a brawler by the fighting game comunity.

SMB is a fighter first and foremost. If you want to start classifying it down into sub-groups, I mean, I get it. Personally, I've never heard anyone call it a brawler, but I stick to the Street Fighter community. Not so much Smash Brothers.

[Aussie2B]

Short answer is, yes, they use different terminology in Europe.

[ubersaurus]

Actually a brawler is a different genre. Super Smash Brothers for example is considered a brawler by the fighting game comunity.

As for the other 2 definitions I'm in the same boat, "beat 'em up" for Double Dragon/Final Fight games.
"Fighting" for 1 on 1 VS fighting games.

As a member of this fighting game community, I can also attest that Smash's classification is not particularly cut and dry, but the general consensus is "party fighter."

[Jorpho]

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53823
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14643
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25417

As for terminology, I like "beat 'em up" or "scrolling fighter" for one case, and "versus fighter" for the other.

[A Black Falcon]

Short answer is, yes, they use different terminology in Europe.

You mean how they call platformers "jump & runs" or something like that some of the time? What do they do for fighting games (Street Fighter II) and beat 'em ups (Streets of Rage) then, reverse them as has been suggested here?

Oh, and I'd call SSB a fighting game... not a normal fighting game, it's probably in its own subgenre, but a fighting game.

[Aussie2B]

If I remember correctly, Europeans generally refer to fighting games as "beat 'em ups", and they refer to beat 'em ups as "brawlers".

[Rob2600]

Fighters = games where you must fight an AI or human opponent one at a time. Progression is round based.

Or more simply put, a one-on-one fighting tournament.

[Baloo]

Beat-Em-Ups:

Final Fight
Streets of Rage
Die Hard Arcade
Guardian Heroes
River City Ransom
Double Dragon
Golden Axe


Fighting games:
Soul Calibur
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat
Killer Instinct
Virtua Fighter
Tekken

Beat-Em-Ups have you fighting against a slew of enemies in different environments to get to a goal. The gameplay is pretty basic, with 1 or 2 different attacks, a multitude of weapons, and sometimes special moves. Most beat-em-ups are Co-Op games.

Fighting games pit fighters one-on one against each-other in an arena, and you mainly stay in the same place rather than move to different places as in Beat-em-ups. The objective is to kill/defeat your opponent using many different types of punches and kicks, but usually no weapons. Fighters are Versus games compared to Co-Op Beat-Em-Ups.

[kedawa]

I was under the impression that in the UK, Street Fighter would be considered a punch-up, while Final Fight is more of a roustabout.

[j_factor]

I usually try to say "fighter" instead of "fighting game", because "fighter" sounds more like a genre name, whereas "fighting game" could mean any game in which you fight. But I'm probably overanalyzing. I agree with most people here that beat 'em ups are games like Double Dragon. I think a fighter isn't necessarily 1-on-1 by definition, but it almost always is, and I also don't consider games like Smash Bros. to be fighters. I consider Smash Bros. and Power Stone to be "brawlers", but since some people think brawler is synonymous with beat 'em up or fighter, I also use the term "arena fighter" on occasion.

[kedawa]

I think of 'fighter' as being any sort of player-vs-player fighting game. That would include 1on1 fighters, arena fighters, and I guess some wrestling games as well.

Beatemups, to me, are either single player or co-op multiplayer and involve fighting though waves of AI enemies.

Of course there are various games and game modes that blur the line between these genres. Tekken has beatemup minigames, and many beatemups have versus or 'duel' modes, for example.

I'm not quite sure where to put Pit Fighter, but whichever barrel you put it in, it's going to be at the bottom, underneath all the roast turkeys and katanas.

[Mimi Nakamura]

Beat 'em up - Ex. Final Fight

VS Beat 'em up - Ex. Street Fighter II

[Nirvana]

Sosage explained it quite well. Both genres are incredible, though. Fighting games are my favorite genre.

SFIV is my favorite fighting game, and Final Fight 3 is my favorite Beat em Up.

[Jorpho]

Both genres are incredible, though.

Come on, you can't call a "genre" incredible! There is no shortage of spectacularly awful games in either category.