MERCH!
Giant Bomb - a website about video games and the people that make them

Favorite Beat 'Em Ups

Showing 1-10 of 10 items

Alien vs. Predator

1. Alien vs. Predator

Hands down my favorite of the genre. You have four distinct characters with different stats, you have useful weapons ranging from laser guns to spears, tons of enemies on screen, and special moves you access via Street Fighter commands. Unfortunately there was never a home port so unless your arcade had it or you're into the MAME scene you probably never played it.

Castle Crashers

2. Castle Crashers

One of the most popular Xbox Arcade releases of all times and for good reason. It combines Action/RPG mechanics to the brawler formula and it is a fun party game with co-op.

The Warriors

3. The Warriors

This is Rockstar's foray into trying to reinvent the Beat 'em Up genre for the 21st century and they did a damn fine job. Can you dig it?

Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom

4. Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom

I'm combining this with its sequel Shadow of Mystara. A fun take on the genre using basics of the Dungeon and Dragon rules like Clerics can't use bladed weapons and trolls being weak to fire. You also have multiple paths and an inventory.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time

One of the rare instances where the home port is better than the arcade port. You got additional levels and unlike the arcade version the game doesn't kill you for living too long. Only downside is no 4-Player Co-Op.

Streets of Rage 3

6. Streets of Rage 3

While I love Streets of Rage 2, I think 3 is the better game. I think its lack of popularity is due to being released late in the Genesis life cycle, you needed the 6 button controller, and they didn't include Max from Streets of Rage 2.

River City Ransom

7. River City Ransom

Barf!

The Punisher

8. The Punisher

I might be a bit biased because I am a big Punisher fan. This is pretty much your standard Capcom brawler but each stage features a section that features sidescrolling gunplay to break things up. Word to the wise the Sega port is dog shit.

Die Hard Arcade

9. Die Hard Arcade

This game is ugly as sin, the controls are kinda janky, and I'm pretty sure it is a retextured version of a Dynamite Cop game. All that aside it is just dumb fun and when I worked at K-Mart I would spend my lunch break pumping quarters into that damn machine.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

10. Cadillacs and Dinosaurs

This is a beat'em I recently discovered. I like the gimmick where the dinosaurs will attack both the players and enemies alike. Plus it lives up to the title and delivers on said dinosaurs and Cadillacs.