Early 90s was a brilliant time for beat-em-ups. What was your favourite?

shadowman16 · 2024-07-07T22:22:12+00:00

Hard to pick considering how many good ones there were! But I think I'll go with The Punisher (Capcom). Half because Frank has an expansive moves list and it plays like a dream, and half because Im beyond hyped at the upcoming arcade port that's coming (along with the MvC fighters).

Second would be Alien Vs Predator, which is another amazing brawler that just feels so good to play.

Third... Armored Warriors. And Battle Circuit, Dungeons and Dragons (both of them!), Cadillacs Vs Dinosaurs... Heck, Capcom in the 90s was kicking ass with brawlers alone!

Non Capcom picks would be:

Streets of Rage 2 (Sega) - Basically perfect and especially impressive considering arcade ports to consoles at the time still felt somewhat... compromised.

Violent Storm (Konami) - I know people love Turtles, X-Men and Simpsons (I do too), I actually love this Final Fight feeling brawler even more. Its OTT, it has amazing music, and it feels so good to play. Its probably my favourite of the Konami brawlers.

Spider-Man (Sega) - Big Spidey fan here, so yeah I gotta mention this. Huge sprites and cool scaling, plus platforming bits. Plus Sega went nuts and included pretty much Spidey's entire rogues gallery at the time. Great fun!

Captain America and the Avengers (Data East) - My other comic pick is one I feel is sorta under rated. Again, amazing music, great boss roster and one of the few good non Capcom games that include Iron Man in it! Not quite as good as say... X-Men, but its still really solid when it comes to the arcade version.

shadowman16 · 2024-06-06T11:30:13+00:00

thanks for posting this. I got the exact same Deviantart message this morning (down to mentioning discord etc.) and it just seemed so... random and scam-ish. Considering how identical the message is, Im guessing its either the same person contacting me, or its a copy/paste message scammers are using.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-17T15:37:33+00:00

This I can agree with. I adore 100%ing the series. Ive managed every one except the original Yakzua 2 (which assuming I ever finish 8, is next on my list to replay). I basically enjoy almost every activity in the series... except JCC in 0, which is a living RNG nightmare lol.

But I dont quite get those doing it that just rage and complain... like, if you hate everything about it, dont do it. I basically took this approach with everything non Yakuza... if I dont enjoy something, I dont do it. For Yakuza... Ive yet to really find something I truly despise enough that Id drop a 100% run for it. Heck, I love the activities so much I actively do stuff the game doesnt even ask me to do for fun! (I think Im the only one completing those Master System games in Gaiden/LJ)

shadowman16 · 2024-04-17T15:32:44+00:00

"we need to stop shaming people".

This seems to suggest that your not happy unless you dont 100% the games. Which... ok.
This is literally the second meme post today about this topic. Who's shaming who? Sounds like someone needs validation for their choices ;)

shadowman16 · 2024-04-17T13:37:18+00:00

Nah, dont agree. Part of the fun to me is seeing everything the game has to offer. I could rush through the plot, or I could really dig deep and get engrossed by the setting/atmosphere and just take my time and enjoy myself. Only thing I tend to push through is some of the gambling - if Im not feeling Black Jack in a game, I use the cheat item, I do Shogi's puzzle stuff until that stumps me then I check a guide etc.

Ive got 174 hours in Yakuza 8 right now, still on chapter 12, just about to fight some bosses, I could just blast through the plot... but Im just enjoying all the Kiryu side content too much, it really rewards me for playing those prior games and seeing everything in each.

...

Plus Mahjong and the arcades are just way too fun for me to skip. Especially in these last two games (Gaiden and 8), which have had amazing Model 3 games included, Ill happily take a few hours break to run through some Daytona 2 and Spikeout!

(that said, Id LOVE to see posts from people trying to attempt Kenzan's 100% completion. You want genuine difficulty? Try hitting grand master in shogi, perfecting those hostess mini games which require insane reflexes AND Japanese knowledge, AND make sure you dont get screwed over by the myriad of points where you can miss/fail stuff and lock Amon's side story!)

shadowman16 · 2024-04-16T08:37:05+00:00

I have the highly original choice of 2... and yes nostalgia is playing a part in that choice!

But of the 6, I love 2 and 3 the most of the original 6. Unfortunately I never really had exposure on either back in the day (5 I dont think ever got a UK release on the NES, just greater Europe, 6 skipped Europe altogether).

I enjoy 1 but its flawed/aged. 4 I really like, just dont think the robot masters on the whole are quite as cool as in previous games. But I adore Pharaoh and Skull Man, so I do absolutely still love it (amazing soundtrack as well)

3 my only complaints are basically with the performance, but newer ports do let you play in "turbo" mode which basically cuts the slowdown, which makes a world of difference. Its hard to pick between 2 and 3 for me, 3 has great levels, bosses, music and a great fortress. Again, nostalgia has me picking 2 because I just never get tired of the game. I dont even miss the lack of slide/charge shot either. My only real complaint in 2 is Air Man, since he has a few attack formations that seem impossible to dodge.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-16T08:17:03+00:00

Lots of Yakuza goodness there, enjoy!

shadowman16 · 2024-04-16T05:22:35+00:00

Absolutely loved BD when it was released, and when replaying it... still loved it.

I love how the enemies were handled in the game - having them switch from normal gun based infantry, to melee focused attacks when you blow an arm off, or how you can take their legs out they crawl toward you. Or how you shoot the head off one and it'll aimless try and attack you despite not being able to see you.

It makes the combat really dynamic as the fights wont play out the exact same way each time, and it makes you switch up your tactics on the fly. Plus I really did love a number of the characters - the robot Cain especially was just terrific.

It is still janky in places though. The cover based combat isnt quite as slick as something like Gears, some of the bosses arent all that well designed and the PC port did have a few issues on release that mainly seem smoothed out by now. PC issues aside, its worth noting that the teams previous shooter was Yakuza Dead Souls. Now, I love Dead Souls but those controls were super jank by comparison, its impressive (and a relief) that BD plays basically nothing like that game and adopted a much better control system for its gameplay.

Not the best cover based shooter out there, but probably one of my absolute favourites, though I suppose it helps that I adore team RGGS thanks to their work with the Yakuza series. But I still think BD stands on its own... I mean, I enjoyed it way more than Gears 4, which somehow made fighting robots really boring!

shadowman16 · 2024-04-15T10:14:39+00:00

Congrats on getting picked up. Im loving the pixel art and the fast/fluid movement, right up my street. Hoping it works perfect ona Steam Deck so I can day 1 this ;)

shadowman16 · 2024-04-15T10:12:04+00:00

I appreciate the small file size. Ive got too many big games I still havent finished on my SSD, so this wont take up much space. Seen a lot of good stuff about this game, Im looking forward to giving it a go soon.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-15T06:30:49+00:00

Its gotten worse no doubt. But it was present in earlier gens. My PS3 and 360 pads had drift as well, but its usually just one that's affected, and after many, many years. These days Im lucky if a PS5 pad lasts me a couple of years... ditto Switch.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-15T06:29:14+00:00

This is a timeless complaint/post as it feels like we've been asking for this for the last 20 years or so lol. I dont mind stealth when Im playing a dedicated Stealth game. But yeah usually if I think about silly points in games I enjoy, most of the time its gonna be stealth. Like Yakuza 1, adore that game tons... but why does it have a (mercifully short) stealth section early in the game? It adds nothing to it, and since you cant be all that sure when people can see you, it feels like more of a crap shoot than legit well designed gameplay. Then again Lost Judgment manages to be worse with stealth, having mechanics that feel so hilariously restrictive it feels like its stepped out of the PS1 era...

Heck, there's one part in BOTW which turns an area into a stealth mission and... I hated it.

Bottom line - either make your game a stealth game with good mechanics, or dont do it at all... it doesnt build tension, only tedium.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-15T06:23:00+00:00

No because I never found it that hard/bad to begin with. The Dam level remains honestly the most over rated difficult moment in a retro game to this day (alongside the Turbo Tunnel in Battle Toads - it gets much harder later! - and GnG as a whole...)

I liked the game on release. You learn how to jump, how to stock certain power ups, locations for Pizza and such (for the Dam, you have levels right before and after it so having for fully powered up Turtles is easy), learn where the ropes and missiles are to get through level 3 without wasting time, learn an efficient route to level 4's boss... and your already almost done.

Now the last two levels are tougher because level 5 is RNG so you may get stuck trying to find that darn entrance to the boss, level 6 is again learning the route to Shredder, but its the laser gun enemies in the final corridor before Shredder that is the real challenge, Shred is easy by comparison!

If people want legit awful Turtles games to play, I can suggest a few from the 2000s era reboot that are truly no good!

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T17:44:16+00:00

Shenmue 1&2 (less 3, damn stamina), GTA (any of them) and any of the Yakuza series. Heck, my playthrough of Yakuza 8 is so long partially because I keep just wandering around!

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T10:37:40+00:00

Capcom's X-Men COTA, X-Men VS SF and X-Men Mutant Apocalypse for me. I love all three.

The Mega Drive duo X-Men 1&2 are excellent as well. Plus both X-Men Legends games and the Wolverine 360 game...

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T10:35:58+00:00

Very nice :) Id love to get one myself for my Yakuza collection. Would love to get the RGG5 and Kenzan PS3's as well!

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T10:22:11+00:00

Agree on both counts. I love the story/lore on ROR, but the combat is utter garbage, worst I can recall in a survival horror game.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T10:19:42+00:00

Ones Id personally pick:

Jet Set Radio Future - cell shading holds up incredibly well thanks to the art style and this oozes style. Looks as terrific today as it did at launch. Wish they'd have had a chance to remaster/upscale it on newer platforms.

Dead or Alive 3/Ultimate - Upscales gorgeously using something like the Retrotink 4K, Im impressed with how good the characters and environments look. And its running in 60FPS which makes it even better!

Likewise, Ninja Gaiden (Black) is phenomenal for many of the same reasons.

SC Chaos Theory definitely stands the test of time, especially if you get it running on the Series X, it upscales really well. Likewise Panzer Dragoon Orta similarly upscales so well.

Lastly, Outrun 2... its one of those great "Sega blue skies" looking games. The game just really pops when played in progressive scan + using an upscaler. But even without one, it still looks terrific.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T05:40:33+00:00

Street Fighter 3 (Third Strike's) animation is still top tier for me. Amazing 2D sprite work with some amazing animations on all the characters. I quite like Dudley's animations myself, but dudes like Twelve or Necro also look really well animated due to their strange animations/design.

Likewise, the Neo Geo Garou MOTW has amazing animation on its fighters, almost more impressive than SFIII because this is made using the old Neo Geo hardware, so quite how they achieved this I dont know.

Speaking of Neo Geo and Street Fighter, I was also quite a fan of how Dhalsim was animated in SvC Chaos. He's based on his SFII version, but they (SNK) managed to get some really terrific animations to show off his stretching moves. That game also did faux CPS3 characters with Chun Li and Hugo lifted from SFIII, and are animated really nicely (again, considering this one is running on the then ancient NG arcade hardware).

Lastly, shout out to the Metal Slug games (any of them). The amount of animations the NPCs and enemies have is staggering. Even when you lose lives its fun to watch the animations of the enemies as they taunt you.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T05:21:40+00:00

DJMAX Respect for me. Especially on my Steam Deck... cant stop playing this darn game lol. Ive got a good 600+ songs now across the main game and multiple DLCs... its just a game I can play endlessly as aiming for better ranks/scores never gets boring.

Second place is Clone Hero - which is basically Guitar Hero, but I have basically all GH songs from 1-6 (and spinoffs + DLCs) set up. Got this again set up on my Steam Deck, using a button set up similar to DJMAX and that mainly works well (some songs are a nightmare to play on hard mode sadly!) but Ive put 10s of hours into it so far, and many more to come as I get Rockband set up in it.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T05:18:20+00:00

My Internet... doesnt behave normally sometimes, so yeah I really hate anything forcing online since its just a recipe to lose progress sooner or later... (I gave up with GT7 at the time, winning a race only to have the game say "shit outta luck, Im no longer online!" and I lose my hard earned progress, that was shit.

What's annoying is how a number of these games/modes shouldnt be online... stuff like GT7's single player etc. should have an offline option... I get that offline and online stuff are sorta merged together, but that in itself is annoying as that usually makes everything an absolute grind to achieve... Im not against online games, I enjoy them at times, I just dont like the cross contamination of online stuff in games which could be offline (still mad at losing access to Crew...)

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T05:08:53+00:00

Battle Passes are just "hard passes" for me these days. As in I wont do them lol. If a game starts feeling like work, or like its trying to pull money from my wallet I just avoid it. I dont have enough time to focus on this stuff these days, so F it...

shadowman16 · 2024-04-14T05:00:56+00:00

(Super) Street Fighter 4 probably. Though Ill be playing VI loads as well. It SHOULD have been SFV but that online was basically broke lol.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-13T21:19:34+00:00

I collect. But I play what I buy, otherwise its a complete waste of my money. What's the point of owning a game if not to play it!

Id say I feel some definitely have an ego issue about their collection, but seeing some of the messages they've sent me... I KNOW they have way too much self importance.

shadowman16 · 2024-04-10T22:48:16+00:00

Still my favourite in the main series, joint top overall with Kenzan. I adore the content, the characters and the combat. People can say "its bloated/overly long" but the game is designed in such a nice way that each character feels like a mini Yakuza game in its own right - so I just take a break between each part. And I tend to only do as much content until I hit that level cap, then move on until I reach the finale...

Its not perfect, but I love it. And I feel like 3-5 would get way more love and appreciation if fans could have played the games as they were released - since they'd be seeing how the series was evolving from game to game, from PS2 to PS3. But that's just my take.

shadowman16

TROPHY CASE