Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-Ups

Use Roadkill, your pet rat, to quickly snatch Blend your attacks with smart blocking to
useful items from the desert beast’s mouth. overcome some of the harder enemies.

The worst example is a panel that Mortus sets The glass domes above will shatter and spit
on fire. The burning edge of the page slowly scuttling spider beasts at you.
catches up with you as you frantically attack
obstacles in your way. Unless you knew to pick Overall, Comix Zone looks stunning and is full
up dynamite or a grenade earlier, your only of unique ideas. It will frustrate many players,
option is punch your way through. But this gets but if you have the patience to really learn
worse when you realise that hitting obstacles the game, you should have a great time.
like crates and oil drums actually chips away
at your health quite dramatically. This is a
problem, because if you die you go right back
to the beginning of the stage.

If the studio had just made it that punching
obstacles didn’t take away your health, Comix
Zone would have been a lot more fun. The
combat is also pretty tough until you figure out
that a blend of attacking and blocking is your
best strategy. Sketch has a lot of moves to
choose from, so you need to replay the game a
few times to figure out the best tactic for each
panel and enemy type. His punch combo works
a treat on most enemies when combined with
uppercuts, which you can unleash by holding
up while pressing the attack button.

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COMIC MECHANICS

Comix Zone uses its comic format in clever ways. Here are

some of the tricks SEGA used to make its world feel unique …

ART ATTACK!
Mortus literally draws enemies onto the page to make
them appear while he sits at Sketch’s desk back in the real
world. Sometimes he’ll frantically draw with both hands
to spawn in two bad guys at once. When you die, he even
draws a big red cross over your body.

SUPERHERO! LET’S RIP!
Sketch can occasionally collect a pickup shaped like a Some panel borders look a little worn, which means
fist, which gives him a chance to turn into a powerful you can kick or slam enemies through them. It’s most
superhero. Once activated, he’ll raise his fist triumphantly satisfying when you use Sketch’s power kick to send a bad
to the sky, before slamming it down on the ground, tearing guy ripping through the border and into the next panel.
the page and killing all the enemies on the screen. It also looks fantastic in motion.

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SAY WHAT? MEANWHILE …
Just as in a real comic book, all of the characters in Comix Panels sometimes have a yellow box-out, which you’d
Zone talk using speech bubbles. Sometimes this can get typically see in real comics to let the reader know where
in the way of the action a little too much, but most of the the action is being set or as a transition to a new scene.
time the cheesy dialogue and taunts between Sketch and Watch these carefully in Comix Zone for hints and tips to
his enemies are pretty fun. help you beat puzzles.

HOP TO IT! UNFINISHED BUSINESS!
Every so often, you’ll be given a choice of multiple routes Towards the end of the game, you’ll enter a panel that
between panels. It helps give the game replay value, but Sketch hasn’t finished drawing yet. The rough pencil lines
it can also help you find secrets and power-ups. Simply are a nice nod to the fact that Sketch was interrupted and
push the direction you want and Sketch hops over the pulled into Comix Zone by Mortus before he had a chance
panel border and into the next scene. to finish the book.

BIG SFX!
Comix Zone simply wouldn’t be a believable comic book
world if it didn’t have chunky sound effect texts that
pop up on screen. It’s not just a visual trick, however, as
the sound of Sketch’s attacks smacking and battering
enemies gives you a satisfying power trip.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Arcade Zone 1995 SFC, SNES, WIN

IRON COMMANDO: Don’t let Jack’s powerful stance fool you; that In this situation you should go for the pistol thug
KOUTETSU NO SENSHI uppercut is basically useless. and ignore the other two.

There’s a very real chance that you won’t from it somehow. That’s because your basic
make it past the first stage of this savage melee strikes are just not dependable at all,
and weird Japanese brawler. That’s because certainly not when compared to any of the
it’s hard as nails, poorly designed and maybe weapons.
even a little bit broken, which is the kind
of combination that can give you waking If the studio had just toned down the enemy
nightmares fuelled by sheer frustration and life bars a bit, upped your character’s damage
rage. However, anyone who likes a challenge a touch and fixed some of the bizarre hit box
might get the itch to keep trying after each issues, Iron Commando might have been a fun
‘Game Over’ screen, just to see if you can import title. The visuals aren’t that bad and the
make it a little further next time. It might plot is some mad nonsense about a group of
even be the Dark Souls of side-scrolling terrorists trying to use a radioactive meteorite
beat-‘em-ups … Nah, let’s not even go there. to spawn mutants, or something.

The trick to surviving Iron Commando is to use Thankfully, you don’t have to look too far to
melee almost as a last line of defence, instead give Iron Commando a try, as it’s included
rushing around the screen to pick up firearms, on the Piko Interactive Collection 1 Evercade
bats and knives dropped by enemies. You’ll cartridge, alongside 19 other titles. The
start to get into a weird rhythm of punching handheld version seems to have been polished
and kicking goons to hold them off until one of up a little, as it feels less punishing than the
them drops a gun, then using it to chip away original release. However, it’s still pretty tough,
at enemies from a safe distance. This probably so be prepared for a stern challenge.
isn’t how Arcade Zone wanted you to play their
game, but you’ve got to try and get pleasure

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Software Creations 1995 GB, GEN, GG, MD, SNES

This is another licensed game from Software CUTTHROAT ISLAND
Creations, the team behind Maximum Carnage
(p278), The Tick (p293) and other middling
tie-ins. It’s based on the film Cutthroat Island,
which was directed and produced by Renny
Harlin of Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger fame.
The flick was tipped to be one of the biggest
blockbusters of 1995. Unfortunately, news of the
movie’s troubled production eventually went
public, it was utterly mauled by the critics, and
on release the movie ended up making just $10
million against a budget of $98 million. Ouch!

The game is far from the worst in the side- Hilariously, none of the background onlookers
scrolling genre, but what hits you right away is move. Have they all been petrified?
just how dated the visuals are. Frequently,
the sprites wouldn’t look out of place in a NES shoot enemies at a safe distance. There’s also a
game. If it wasn’t for some of the just-okay degree of tactical play at work, as you can block
backgrounds and static cutscenes, you could enemy attacks with your sword, then counter
squint your eyes and be convinced this was a once you have a clear opening.
high-end 8-bit release. The music is also dreadful,
with gnarly spurts and farts of sound that loop Aside from some bits of okay gameplay, Cutthroat
over and over again until your brain hurts. Island looks terribly dated, sounds god-awful,
and although the combat system is surprisingly
That aside, Cutthroat Island’s controls aren’t not the worst, fighting enemies still lacks any
all that bad, giving you a blend of sword and real weight and just feels unsatisfying. Like
melee attacks to spice things up a little. For hidden pirate treasure, there are kernels of a
some added variety, you can pick up a second better game buried beneath the ugly surface,
sword to double up on damage and improve but, sadly, the developers clearly lost the map.
your combo strings, or use a powerful musket to

DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Beam Software 1995 SNES

WildC.A.T.S. (or ‘Covert Action Teams’ if you Use Spartan’s blast to keep enemies at a JIM LEE’S
prefer) was a comic series by award-winning distance while dealing big damage. WILDC.A.T.S.
artist and writer, Jim Lee. It follows a team of
immortal, half-human, half-alien heroes as enemies mix things up with weapons and new
they fight the evil and powerful Daemonites. attacks, but they’re mostly bland goons and
Lee’s concept proved so popular that it cyborgs that you can defeat with ease.
spawned a Saturday morning cartoon show
and in turn, a video game adaptation by You should play this one with a friend to keep
Melbourne-based Beam Software. the combat interesting. It’s worth a shot, as
it has nice, chunky sprites, decent controls,
The story puts you in control of different great cutscenes and lots of playable characters
members of the Covert Action Team, each with to check out.
unique specials and fighting style. Spartan is
your starting hero, who mixes up melee combat
with laser blasts that can be charged for more
damage. There’s also Warblade, who can climb
sheer walls and morph his body into weapons,
and Maul, who is the hulking tank of the group.
His shoulder barge is pretty cheap and can
destroy enemies quickly.

WildC.A.T.S. looks great and handles fine, but it
suffers from levels that outstay their welcome.
Just when you’re starting to get tired of a level,
the game throws more screens and enemies
at you to pad out the running time. That’s
a problem when you start seeing the same
enemy types repeating over and over. Some

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Gazelle 1995 ARC

PRETTY SOLDIER The animated specials work similarly to those Each of the Sailors feels different enough in
SAILOR MOON seen in SEGA’s Arabian Fight. combat to keep things varied.

Based on the Sailor Moon manga book series great two-button special that makes her pull
and anime, this fun and colourful brawler was off a spinning leg sweep. It’s great for ducking
the debut project of a Japanese developer low and getting out the way of enemy grabs
called Gazelle. Based on the first series of the and attacks. There’s definite replay value here,
animated show, Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon as you’ll want to spend a little time getting to
follows five guardians as they fight to protect find the Sailor that best fits your play style.
earth from the Dark Kingdom: an otherworldly
force trying to steal the life energy of humans Aside from the base combat, you can mix
everywhere to free their queen. things up with a variety of aerial moves, such as
a downward strike that lets you stun enemies
Thankfully, you don’t have to know the Sailor on the spot before moving in for an easy
Moon lore to have fun with this game. You and grapple. You can also dash, then perform a
a buddy can play as any of the five guardians, mid-air move that hits harder, such as Sailor
who each come with their own personality, Venus’ corkscrew kick. There are many such
combat style and special moves. Although the nuances and extra moves to discover if you
show is named after Sailor Moon, she’s actually want to put the time into this one.
the weakest and most vulnerable character in
the game. Her throws are slow, which leaves her Each character even has a smart bomb attack
open to sneak attacks, and her combo strings that feels quite similar to the magical attacks
feel a little awkward. in SEGA’s Arabian Fight (p204). Both games
impose fully-animated characters onto the
The other characters all have their strong screen, giving you a real anime vibe, before
points. Sailor Mars is a great pick as her flying seamlessly returning to the sprite-based
kick has long range, while Sailor Jupiter has a gameplay. In Sailor Moon, you’ll see the anime

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Sailor Moon has a wicked straight punch that’s The stages all feel varied and artistic, even this
great for slugging enemies. manky desert junkyard.

version of your chosen fighter pull off a Sailor Mars has wicked fire attacks that make
heroic pose or action, before letting rip with her a solid newcomer’s choice.
a screen-clearing elemental or weapon-
based attack. commonplace for brawlers in 1995. As a simple
yet fun fighting game, however, you should
Interestingly, Gazelle managed to get the still check this one out with a friend. Just don’t
show’s original cast back to voice the Sailors expect to know what’s going on half the time.
during their animated specials and throughout
the rest of the game. It’s frustrating that the
game’s music didn’t get as much love and care
as the voices, as it really is an erratic, cheesy
and downright annoying soundtrack. It really
starts to grate as the game goes on, and gets
worse when you’re getting your butt kicked by
the tricky bosses.

Overall, Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon is a fun
game with fantastic visuals and gameplay.
There are a few things holding it back from the
big leagues, however, such as a lack of weapon
drops and a few questionable hit boxes during
boss battles, which make them feel cheap. It
also lacks the multiple routes and destructible
scenery that had started to become

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Natsume 1995 GEN, MD, SNES

MIGHTY MORPHIN Even in their normal high-school forms, the The snowboard chase battle against Putty
POWER RANGERS: THE MOVIE Rangers are all pretty tough. Patrollers is a nice change of pace.

The Super Nintendo and Mega Drive each lack of interesting enemy types. The jagged
got different adaptations of the hit 1995 graphics are also pretty ropey compared to
Power Rangers movie. Natsume created the the wonderful sprites of the SNES version.
SNES edition, which is a 2D platform brawler
with an interesting mechanic that lets Both games let you pick which of the Angel Grove
you jump between the foreground and kids you want to control at the start of each
background. It’s almost identical to the stage, but only the SNES version bothers to really
brilliant side-step mechanic in Treasure’s try and make each of them feel different. You’ll
Guardian Heroes (p308). start off in kid form, but once you collect enough
power items you can transform into your Power
You’ll need to learn to jump between the Ranger alter ego and dish out extra damage.
two planes to avoid oncoming cars, dodge
enemy mortar fire and get past other inventive Fill the power meter a second time and you’ll
hazards that test your reaction times. Natsume unlock your Ranger’s signature weapon. For
really went above and beyond to keep the example, Pink Ranger Kimberley can fire off a
mechanic interesting, with tricky platforming burst of three arrows with her bow, while Black
sections that make the game feel closer to Ranger Zack can swing his axe for big damage.
something like SEGA’s Shinobi series than a You can even let rip with an ultimate special
fighting game. that clears the screen of enemies. Overall,
there’s little wrong with the superior Super
Meanwhile, the Mega Drive edition by SIMS Nintendo version, but SEGA fans definitely
and Banpresto is closer to a traditional side- got a raw deal with their edition.
scrolling beat-‘em-up. It’s definitely the poorer
game of the two, with simple combat and a

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Winds 1995 SFC, WIN

Fight larger enemies with a degree of caution to Some of the bosses are fun and memorable, GOURMET SENTAI
conserve all the health you can. like this robo-tanuki with big nuts. BARAYARŌ

The year is 20XX (again!) and Zeus Heaven a pickup that creates an AI-controlled clone of
Magic City has been rebuilt following its your fighter, which basically feels like having a
near-destruction in World War III. In this new second player on screen. You’ll need to work
reality, humans need a constant diet of protein together with them to survive, but true to most
to survive, making gourmet foods an essential two-player brawlers, you and your computer-
part of everyday life. However, an organisation controlled buddy can hit each other by mistake.
known as Bath is trying to drag the city back
into a state of ruin, unless heroes Bonjour, The cooking system is an interesting mechanic
Mademoiselle and Très Bien can stop them. that makes you fight harder to survive each level,
and to really think about things like spacing, crowd
So yes, this is a brawler about tasty food. control and being careful not to hit your clone.
Normally, when you pick up edible items in The development team at Winds was smart
scrolling beat-‘em-ups, they give you a health enough to make sure that the all-important
boost that keeps you fighting for longer. But AI character could hold its own in battle; if it
rather than restoring your life bar, food pickups was just a nuisance or was constantly getting
here have to be combined to cook tasty, health- its butt handed to it, then the game wouldn’t
restoring meals after each stage. There are be nearly as much fun as it is.
plenty of neat combinations to discover, from
healthy salads and fried mushrooms to mouth- And it really is fun, thanks to tight controls,
watering sizzling steaks. weird themes and three varied characters.
Although they don’t have the largest command
This means that you can’t actually recover list of moves, each fighter handles well. Mix in
health during each stage, which sounds like a some great music with superb visuals, and you
huge problem. However, every so often you’ll find have a recipe for a truly great side-scroller.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Treasure 1996 360, SAT

GUARDIAN HEROES Batter enemies for experience points, and then Side-step into the foreground or background to
spend stat points to get stronger. dodge projectile attacks.

This dark fantasy brawler is widely considered creatures hell-bent on manipulating humanity
to be among the best side-scrolling beat-‘em- for their own purposes. There are even moral
ups of all time. During the development of choices throughout the game that determine
Guardian Heroes, the team at Treasure the world’s ultimate fate, with some really tricky
referred to it as a ‘fighting role-playing decisions to make along the way. No pressure!
game’, which is actually a perfect description
of its hybrid gameplay mechanics and deep The combat in Guardian Heroes has a great
character progression systems. The scale feature that lets you jump between the
of the project was both ambitious and epic, foreground, middle-ground and background at
offering players four varied starting fighters the press of a button. It’s a strategic system that
to choose from, a vast command list of moves you can use to dodge attacks and skirt around
and over 30 stages with branching paths. enemies for a sneaky back strike. The mechanic
It’s little wonder that fans of the genre hold looks great, thanks to some glorious sprite-scaling
it in such high regard. effects that make your character look bigger
or smaller depending on where they are.
And yet, for all the fanfare surrounding
Guardian Heroes, the game initially released There are four initial heroes to pick from,
as a Saturn exclusive and only emerged much starting with tough sword-wielder Han, who has
later as a digital download on Xbox 360. The a wide range of melee attacks, sword juggles
game deserves a second stab at a wider and crushing throws. Pint-sized wizard Randy
audience on a range of platforms – it’s really and his rabbit familiar Nando come equipped
that good, with an epic plot that takes players with useful spells and strong staff attacks, while
on a kingdom-spanning adventure full of cleric-class Nicole has a range of support
mystical gods, warring states and demonic spells. Lastly, ninja Ginjirou is all about nimble

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The cartoon-style sprite art was best-in-class The larger enemy encounters are frantic and a
for 1996 and still impresses today. lot of fun. Just keep moving!

melee attacks and ranged kunai throws. Each Your companion is great help during fights, but
hero feels completely different to control, which can still take a beatdown.
adds a real replay factor.
gets you in a fighting mood. The sheer depth
There is also a range of computer-controlled of combat and the story mode make this an
friends who accompany you in certain stages. absolute must-have. Be prepared to pay a lot
For the most part you’ll be helped by a fabled for the Saturn disc if you’re a fan of original
undead warrior who holds a mysterious sword software, as prices can be high.
that happens to be integral to the plot. He’s
great backup in a fight, especially when the
screen fills with a crazy number of foes. Every
hit you land on an enemy gives you experience
points, which can be traded for stat boosts
between stages. You can build your character
towards damage output and a bigger health
bar, or expand their magic points and spell
power for greater ranged damage. The choice
is staggering and gives you a real sense of
progression as you feel your fighter getting
stronger over time.

Guardian Heroes is a truly lavish beat-‘em-up.
The stunning artwork and animation are
backed up with a killer soundtrack that really

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GUARDIAN HEROES
(AND VILLAINS)

Treasure came up with a huge cast to flesh out the

world of Guardian Heroes. Here’s a closer look at
the heroes and villains you’ll meet along the way …

HAN XENOVIA
This courageous swordsman is an ideal pick for your first This winged succubus is one of the many villains you’ll
Guardian Heroes playthrough, as his command list features face during your quest. Her identity is shrouded in mystery
simple moves that should feel familiar to most side-scrolling until a big reveal and, depending on your choices during
beat-‘em-up fans. Try using his rising spin slash at the end of the game, it’s possible to have her ally with you against an
standard attacks to score a bigger combo. even greater threat. She’s also playable in versus mode.

NICOLE GINJIROU
Although she’s similar to support class characters you He’s your guy if you prefer to get close to enemies with
might find in an RPG, Nicole can still deal out hefty risky short-range melee strikes. Ginjirou is also a master
damage if you know how to use her skills correctly. She of thunder magic, with the ability to summon columns of
can also heal and create protective barriers, which can lightning and shoot electricity from his hands. His move
be a huge help when playing with a co-op friend. inputs are more complex, but he’s great fun to play.

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SERENA UNDEAD HERO
This friendly knight helps you avoid capture at the start You first encounter this zombified champion in a
of the game. Serena can be unlocked as a playable graveyard, and he’ll be your companion for the rest of the
fighter and is a lot of fun to control. She has a neat sword game. Even though he’s a computer-controlled fighter,
projectile that can be fired along a single plane and the the Hero will still have your back in a fight, thanks to his
ability to counter incoming attacks. flaming blade projectiles and vicious sword swipes.

RANDY AND NANDO PRINCE VALGAR
If you want to get fancier, Randy and his pet Nando have Leader of the Black Knight order and prince of the
a more complex command list that blends staff strikes Puppet Kingdom, Valgar’s story can change drastically
with offensive magic spells, such as a fireball projectile depending on your moral choices at key points in the
and a fierce lightning strike that shocks foes. He can also story. You’ll definitely want to replay the game a few times
create a wall of fire to hold enemies back. to see all of the possible outcomes and big plot twists.

KATRINA ZUR PAH YAH
Part of the same order as Serena, this headstrong warrior This cowardly crackpot shows up every so often and
is often seen hanging around Prince Valgar and offers to sets his guards on you before fleeing the scene. While
fight on his behalf. She’s got a grudge against Serena and he’s a bit of a joke character, your choices can lead to
can give you a decent challenge with her counter strikes, him becoming the mega-powerful Super Zur, who has
fierce kicks and ranged elemental magic. the annoying ability to regenerate hit points.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Probe 1996 ARC, PS1, SAT
Entertainment

BATMAN FOREVER ARCADE You can’t control the Batmobile, but its design is The HUD and backgrounds are just a congealed
at least faithful to the movie. mess of colours and visual noise.

Not to be confused with the woeful Batman actually what happens. Another one has him
Forever beat-‘em-up for Mega Drive and Super leap into the air and unfurl his cape, while a
Nintendo, this is a truly bizarre side-scroller colossal ball of energy shakes the screen
that doesn’t know the meaning of the word violently until everyone is dead. For a comic
‘restraint’. It gives Batman and Robin what character who vows never to kill, the death
can only be described as god-like levels of toll he generates in this game is surely off the
strength and a constant stream of generic charts. Bats can also use his Bat Claw to swing
thugs to dismantle with their attacks and around the screen and slam thugs up against
high-tech gadgets. it, which also presumably kills them.

There’s no real plot here, just total arcade Developer Probe made no attempt to hide
carnage from the very first screen. Your melee the fact that this is an over-the-top arcade
attacks are sluggish and poorly-animated, but game; there’s a tonne of power-ups littered
they hit hard and it’s even possible to uppercut across the ground, including ‘Evil’ pickups
enemies so hard they fly upward and vacate the that cause negative status effects. One of
screen. Defeated enemies also drop Batman the most hilarious collectables shrinks your
logos that can be collected to fill your power character down to the size of an action figure
meter. Fill it up, and you’ll unleash a brutal for a while. It’s funny because even though
ultimate move that hurts everyone on screen. you’re small, your attacks still do the same
damage. So you get to watch this tiny Batman
One of these attacks sees Batman raise his laying waste to a legion of street punks.
cape as fireballs and bolts of lightning erupt
from his body, while giant versions of him warp
in and out of the screen. Seriously, that’s

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The screen slam move looks great, even if it Defeat a boss and you’ll be treated to a Street
does completely obscure the action. Fighter-style screen explosion.

On the flip side, you can get a version of this
pickup that shrinks all the enemies on screen.
You literally just have to walk over them to send
them pinging off the screen in one hit. It’s
pretty obvious that Batman Forever is excessive
and definitely good for a few laughs either in
solo play or with a friend. But once the joke
wears off you start to see it for what it really is:
an ugly, sluggish and janky brawler that gets
repetitive very quickly.

One of the main problems is that the character Your Bat Bombs are comically powerful and
sprites are rendered in that ‘photoreal’ style would surely blow people to bits.
that a few games used in the ‘90s, such as
Mortal Kombat, Guardians of the ‘Hood (p209) version, and while they weren’t kind to the
and Pit-Fighter. As a result, the fight animations SEGA Saturn release it still goes for an absurd
are quite choppy and the visuals look murky. amount of money on eBay today, with £100
It’s hard to pick out details, and even follow being asked for some boxed copies. It’s a crazy
the action, when the screen gets absolutely amount to pay for a game that doesn’t have a
rammed with enemies. lot going for it, but it’s nice that it still managed
to find a cult audience over the years.
Even though hype for the Batman Forever movie
was massive, critics panned the game once it
hit arcades. They also slated the PlayStation

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
SEGA 1996 ARC, PS2, SAT

DIE HARD ARCADE Stage one opens with John and Kris jumping You’re vulnerable while reloading, so pick your
onto the tower from a chopper. shots carefully at close quarters.

Die Hard Arcade had the honour of being one way, doing battle with bikers, sumo wrestlers,
of the very few 3D polygonal beat-‘em-ups army generals, robots, and many more that
on the Saturn. It’s a two-player game, very weren’t found anywhere in the film. That’s what
loosely based on the 1988 Bruce Willis film perhaps makes this game so appealing: it’s
about terrorists taking over the Nakatomi familiar yet different, and puts a spin on a
Plaza skyscraper in Los Angeles in an attempt beloved story that makes it seem new and fresh. 
to steal $640 million in bearer bonds from its
vault. Developed jointly by the Japanese SEGA The game itself isn’t bad, either. Each area
AM1 and the US division known as the SEGA features full 3D movement within the given
Technical Institute, the original Japanese boundaries. You must clear out every enemy
game is known as Dynamite Deka. SEGA had to move on, with individual areas often broken
the Die Hard license secured but no game to up by quick-time events that determine where
use it with, so they decided to brand it on this your next battle takes place. You also have a
one and publish it jointly with Fox Interactive. wide arsenal of weapons to choose from as
That’s why the game has a different name you move throughout the game. Guns, rocket
depending which region you’re in. launchers and machine guns are joined by
melee items like brooms and trash cans to help
The story here is nothing like the movie’s, instead beat down your foes. There is also a grapple
focusing on rescuing the president’s daughter system in place, whereby you can belt out
with your partner Kris Thompsen. Also, unlike the various combos, throws and wrestling moves.
film, you’re flown in deliberately by helicopter,
inserted on the roof, and must fight your way The presentation is extremely impressive for a
through the building to your final showdown. You game of this type on the Saturn. Some areas
meet all kinds of interesting enemies along the can have half-a-dozen enemies on screen at

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Find a spraycan and a lighter to make a crude You can stack multiple ammo clips to give
but powerful mini flamethrower. yourself a huge stockpile of bullets.

once, and there are often animated set pieces The cutscenes are woefully acted, which
in play, like fire trucks and giant exhaust fans. actually makes them brilliant.
The performance remains consistent no matter
how much is going on and the texture quality since 1994 and underwent numerous changes
is on a par with what you expect from that to its formula and play mechanics until its final
generation of 3D engines. The lone ugly spot release in 1996. It was, for a time, a typical
remains the Saturn’s difficulty with displaying beat-‘em-up fought on a 2D plane before
transparencies within a 3D engine. This moving to its 3D arena-style venue. Fortunately,
manifests as mesh effects for things like water the game we got ended up being so much more.
and spotlights, but luckily you’ll see these
things rarely, and they have no direct effect
on gameplay.

Lastly, the sound and music have the feel of a
big Hollywood action production. Everything
has a dramatic edge to it, calming a bit during
your battle scenes, and picking up again during
cinematics and quick time events. The weakness
here is the lack of variety; what you hear is great,
but it’s repeated far too often.

As is often the case with games, the story
behind the end product is just as interesting.
Die Hard Arcade had been in development

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Appaloosa 1996 SAT, WIN
Interactive

THREE DIRTY DWARVES The hand-drawn animation is slick and fluid, These wrecking balls swing in and out of the
which is quite the achievement. background. Tread carefully!

Famed developer Appaloosa Interactive combined, help you to defeat enemies faster
(of Ecco the Dolphin fame) brought us and more efficiently. The second variant is
Three Dirty Dwarves for the Saturn, a 2D multiplayer, whereby up to three people can
side-scrolling beat-‘em-up that featured play together, controlling their own individual
three-player simultaneous co-op and one dwarf, each capable of their own moves
heck of strange story. and attacks.

The plot goes that an army has engineered The visual presentation is fairly strong, thanks
four children to be super soldiers, but they to the abundance of hand-drawn animation
instead turn out to be geniuses. Mistreated that’s been applied to pretty much everything
and unhappy, the children decide to lead their you see here. From the smallest enemy to the
favourite board game heroes, the Three Dirty largest boss encounter, every single moving
Dwarves, through a portal to their world so they element of the visuals is animated as smooth
can be rescued. Things go horribly wrong when as butter. The music also does a decent job of
the fantasy enemy of the dwarves, the evil keeping up with the on-screen action, but it’s
orc army, follows them to Earth. All hell breaks nowhere near the level of the game’s polished
out, and now the dwarves must fight their visuals. The tunes are both quirky and fun,
old enemies while trying to save the children. though, so you can’t hate them all that much.

The gameplay here comes in two forms: the Lastly, the boss encounters are a major
first is a single-player mode in which you have highlight and worth checking out, as they
control over all three dwarves. You can switch often change both perspective and gameplay
between them on the fly, which gives you elements to give Three Dirty Dwarves a
access to many combo moves that, when great level of variety from start to finish.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Never Ending Soft 1996 GEN, MD
Team

The magic specials look genuinely great and The combat could have felt a little weightier, but SHUI HU FENG YUN ZHUAN
make you feel mega-powerful. it still handles well.

This is a rare side-scroller made in Taiwan is no bad thing. You get a nice roster of enemy
by the obscure Never Ending Soft Team. troops to tear through, each brandishing
You’ve probably never heard of this game different weapons and attack styles. You
before, but it’s had a weird resurgence in have to keep switching your tactics up on the
recent years, courtesy of a re-release by fly to get the drop on each of the different
publisher Piko Interactive. Shui Hu Feng Yun enemy types.
Zhuan was originally a bootleg project, which
debuted in 1996 on the Mega Drive as an When things get tricky, you can unleash a
unlicensed cartridge. magic smart-bomb attack, similar to the ones
found in Golden Axe (p86). You can use either
The game is set in historical China and follows a fire, ice or lightning spell to utterly decimate
three skilled warriors who must fight to defeat everyone on screen, with special effects that
an invading army. The plot is told through static don’t look bad at all. Try to save them for the
cutscenes that weren’t translated for the West, bosses if you can.
but credit has to be given to the team for at
least trying to add some narrative to its beat- While the game laid buried in obscurity for
‘em-up carnage. Few side-scrollers of this era many years, it was finally translated for the
bothered with cutscenes, so it’s a welcome West in 2015, and released on Mega Drive carts
effort here. as a Piko Interactive re-issue. This new version
was called Water Margin: The Tales of Clouds
Gameplay-wise, this one handles pretty well, and Winds. It was released again on Steam in
with combat mechanics that feel similar to 2019, and gained a further release as part of
those of games like Capcom’s Knights of the the first Piko Interactive Evercade collection,
Round (p160) and Warriors of Fate (p194), which so you don’t have to look far to give it a try.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Capcom 1996 360, ARC, PS3, SAT, WIIU, WIN

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: You’ll need several playthroughs to fully Smash every chest you find to unearth the
SHADOW OVER MYSTARA appreciate all of the character classes. game’s huge range of collectables.

This is the penultimate scrolling beat-‘em-up The first game’s four heroes are back, together
released by Capcom in the arcades, followed with some new character classes to bring the
only by the wonderfully strange Battle Circuit total fighter count to an impressive six. Even
(p324). The Dungeons & Dragons sequel if you only used their base melee command
marked the beginning of the end for what has list and two-button specials you’d come
to be the most accomplished and consistent away impressed, but Capcom went above
track record the genre has ever seen. When and beyond to include a crazy number of
you think about the studio’s history – from mechanics, giving you an experience that
evolving the genre with Final Fight (p70) to lives up to the D&D name.
mastering the beat-‘em-up crossover with
Alien vs. Predator (p262) – Capcom is a firm First up is the inventory system, whereby, with
contender for champion of the genre. a single button press, you can bring up your
character’s stock items, spells and other
Shadow Over Mystara is where all Capcom‘s trinkets, and cycle through them. It includes
staples came together in beautiful harmony. It’s your ranged and thrown objects, such as
the culmination of almost a decade of innovation, daggers, battle hammers and even a bow and
best-in-class game design and the studio’s drive arrow, which are all great if you need to hold
to always push the genre forward. The game is a enemies back to create space. These weapons
true sequel to 1994’s Dungeons & Dragons: Tower are limited, but you can stock up by spending
of Doom (p286), and it raises the bar to new money at the mid-stage store.
heights. It’s bigger, better and a fitting way for
the developer to (almost) bow out of the genre. Spell-based classes like the Cleric, Elf and
Magic-User can also access magic attacks
from their inventory. There are some D&D

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Switching magic and items leaves you Magic Missile is still an amazing spell for crowd
vulnerable, so pick your moment wisely. control, especially in this fight.

classics like Magic Missile, which fires multiple slots for bonus effects, like earrings that boost
homing projectiles at enemies, and the Magic- your spell damage and a Cloak of Displacement
User’s elemental spells, which decimate the that makes you invincible to ranged attacks. You
screen. The Cleric is perhaps the most interesting, can buy new weapons, level up your stats with
as they can employ status effects, such as using experience gained from kills, and much more.
Bless to charge all characters’ weapons with To say the game is replayable is quite an
additional damage for a brief period, or casting understatement. There are many secrets to
Hold Person to paralyse enemies in place. find, tonnes of branching paths, and moral
choices that alter your route through the game
Even the melee classes have unique abilities world. You can also spend ages playing co-op
and passive skills. The Thief can double-jump, with friends to work out the best character
hurl unlimited rocks across the screen using combinations and strategies to defeat each
her sling, and identify which treasure chests of the challenging bosses.
contain booby-traps. Meanwhile, the Dwarf,
Cleric and Fighter have shields that can be There’s just so much on offer here that you
raised to block incoming attacks, making them can’t help but applaud the development team
ideal defenders. If all of this wasn’t enough, for having the sheer audacity to include most
some characters even have evasive moves, like of it. There’s no question this could be the
the Magic-User’s backward teleport that can deepest side-scrolling beat-‘em-up ever made,
help him warp away from danger. but it also plays like a dream and has truly
gorgeous animation and art to back it all up.
All of this barely scratches the surface of what It’s a strong case for why Capcom should be
Shadow Over Mystara offers. There are even crowned as the genre’s one true king.
special items that can be equipped to armour

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Core Design 1997 N64, PS1, PS3, PSP, PSV, WIN

FIGHTING FORCE The camera can get a little muddled around Smasher is similar to Streets of Rage 2’s Max
scenery, but you’ll get used to it. Thunder, both slow and powerful.

In a way, Fighting Force was forward thinking Fighting Force was originally going to be
for its time. Not because it was a beat-‘em-up, the Saturn-exclusive Streets of Rage 4 until
of course – it’s probably safe to say this book Core Design started toying with the idea of
has well and truly established that there were a multi-format launch. SEGA was unwilling to
a lot of them by this point. No, Fighting Force go along with this, so pulled out of the deal
was prophetic for another reason: released in and removed all Streets of Rage branding.
1997, it predicted that the millennium bug Publishing duties then fell to Core’s owner
wouldn’t happen. In a sense. Eidos, as the pair had enjoyed success with
Tomb Raider the year before.
It tells the story of Dr. Dex Zeng, an evil
megalomaniac who is enraged when the world You can still see the influence of SEGA’s series,
doesn’t end on 1 January 2000 as he predicted. despite the publisher’s withdrawal. The four
Zeng’s a nutter who believes he’s the keeper playable characters fit pretty comfortably
of the world and ‘Father Nature’. He decides into the Axel, Blaze, Skate and Max roles from
that since his prophecy didn’t play out, it’s up Streets of Rage 2, and it’s easy to see how
to him to fix the mistake and make it happen the idea of taking down an evil criminal
by destroying Earth with the help of his mastermind by fighting your way through
underground connections, an army of militant a city and beating up his goons could have
followers and a few biological weapons. easily slotted into the series canon. That said,
Concerned by this, Zeng’s lab assistant Core’s game is still worlds away in practically
Snapper secretly calls on her friend Mace, every aspect (other than the main concept
who then forms, ‘one of the most volatile of punching people in the face, of course),
teams ever created’ (according to the manual) starting with the use of a polygonal engine,
to put an end to Zeng’s scheme. rather than a sprite-based one.

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Some enemy designs are weird and random, The targeting can get a little messy when faced
which makes the whole experience more fun. with multiple opponents.

The four playable characters fit the typical Your standard playthrough consists of 12
beat-‘em-up stat levels trope. Hawk is the stages, but this includes two branching paths,
standard tough guy who’s average in every allowing you to choose between different areas
sense; Mace and Alana are two women who slot you visit. After defeating the first major boss in
into the usual ‘quick but weak’ stereotype; and level six you can elect to go to either the Bronx,
Smasher is your inevitably slow, powerful brute. the mall or the park, and when you reach the
Despite this, the four don’t vary wildly in terms train station in level eight you can opt to get on
of overall feel. The differences between them a train to either an air base or a naval base,
are more subtle, so it’s arguably best to play as which each consist of two stages. The result is a
Smasher, since his extra strength can get you total of 16 different levels in the game, meaning
through the longer stages far quicker, which is you’ll need multiple playthroughs to see
good, as some of these can feel quite repetitive. everything it has to offer.

Each character is armed with a fairly similar Fighting Force was notable at the time for
set of moves. As well as your standard punch, being one of the few games attempting to
kick and jump attacks, there’s a separate carry the beat-‘em-up genre into the polygonal
button for back attacks, as well as the ability to era, at a time when its popularity was beginning
sprint. The latter allows for two running moves, to wane. While it can be criticised for a number
once of which is an extremely useful sliding of things, like its slow pace and the near-
move that can knock enemies down instantly endless stream of identikit enemies in some
and leave them open to attack while they levels, the game’s importance in the history
lie on the ground. of the genre can’t be questioned.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
IGS 1997 ARC

ORIENTAL LEGEND The inventory wheel is identical to the one in Ba-Chieh fights with a rake, giving him range to
Capcom’s Dungeons & Dragons games. compensate for his slow speed.

This little-known brawler is based on the 16th the game’s visual flair, as each of the five
century Chinese novel ‘Journey to the West’ characters feels unique. They have signature
which is about a monk and his comrades fighting styles and weapons that they drop if
travelling to Western Asia and India to retrieve you take too much damage. This is a problem,
sacred religious texts. Like the book, Oriental as your unarmed moves have short range and
Legend is full of fantasy elements, including aren’t that powerful, so you’ll find yourself
the characters Wu-Kong, who is an immortal fighting harder to keep hold of your weapon.
Monkey King, and the humanoid pig, Ba-Chien.
Oriental Legend also has a light inventory
Taiwanese developer IGS made Oriental system that lets you stockpile magic items and
Legend for its PolyGame Master (PGM) arcade thrown weapons to help you get out of tricky
board. The hardware wasn’t a massive success, situations. Some items are simple, like bombs or
but it was home to a few titles by developer axes, but others are just crazy, such as a giant
Cave, which used it to release a few entries pagoda that falls onto the screen to crush
of its shooter series, DoDonPachi. The extra enemies and a huge statue of the Buddha
hardware grunt let the team deploy slick that damages foes with beams of light.
character animation, detailed backgrounds
and sprite-scaling techniques. Though it’s rare, this game is well worth seeking
out. Some sections and bosses are frustratingly
IGS put a lot of creativity and power into cheap, but there’s enough variety and interest
making Oriental Legend stand out, taking you peppered throughout the journey that it should
from magical kingdoms in the sky to mystic be considered essential if you’re a fan of the
towers with floors guarded by fierce animal side-scrolling genre.
warriors. Thankfully, there’s substance beneath

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Fill-in-Cafe 1997 PS1, PS3, PSP, PSV

Enemies of all sizes can be thrown, which feels The action really heats up when you’re faced PANZER BANDIT
amazing when hurling a huge mech. with multiple enemies.

Fill-in-Cafe’s Panzer Bandit is very similar which makes your robot helper (if you have one)
under the hood to its previous release, perform ranged attacks on your behalf. Get
Mad Stalker (p293). It’s set in the world of near an opponent and whack the weak and
Kanadyne, where steampunk and magic strong attack buttons to get an impressive
live hand-in-hand, and stars a team who combo going. Then you can layer special
have been assembled to stop an evil doctor attacks on top by inputting Street Fighter-style
(we can’t confirm his actual name due to commands. Kou, for example, can perform
conflicting translations) from claiming the a fireball move which can be charged, and
treasures within a giant floating whale- a vertical kick which thrusts opponents into
shaped vessel called Skyship Arc. the air and sets them up for juggles.

There are four characters to choose from: Kou As in Mad Stalker: Full Metal Force, each of
is a blue-haired chap who’s accompanied by the 2.5D stages has a side-scrolling section in
a helper robot, which follows him and performs which you fight a series of enemies, followed by
special attacks; Kasumi is a female ninja who a boss fight, which feels more like a one-on-one
has a ground-based robot that looks like a fox; fighting game. One extra element that Panzer
Young Miu’s droid of choice is a giant mech that Bandit boasts, however, is the presence of
she rides on top of; and, lastly, Ein is an actual two additional planes. By hitting the L1 or R1
robot who’s both armed to the teeth and has button, players can jump to the background or
the bad habit of smoking cigars. foreground, as in games like Guardian Heroes
(p308). This adds an extra degree of strategy to
The combat is relatively basic, but satisfying, the combat, although it’s underused by your
with buttons for both weak and strong attacks. enemies. Overall, it’s an interesting game
These are accompanied by a special button, that deserves a look.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Capcom 1997 ARC, NSW, PS4, WIN, XB1

BATTLE CIRCUIT End a combo string with this force blast to send Capcom clearly had fun designing a cast of
enemies hurtling across the screen. bizarre alien creatures for you to fight.

All good things must come to an end. When mercenaries who bring in criminals for cash.
weighing up which developer had the biggest There’s even an alien plant monster who
influence on the side-scrolling genre, Capcom can grow in size, just like Groot. Together,
definitely takes the crown. It defined the the warriors embark on a lucrative contract
notion of what a brawler should be with Final to take down the evil Dr. Saturn and reclaim
Fight (p70) and then continued to evolve the a mysterious computer program known as
format in the years that followed. It dabbled the Shiva System.
with licensed games like The Punisher (p250)
and Alien vs. Predator (p262), while expanding Character upgrades make up a huge part
the genre by adding light RPG elements and of the game’s appeal. There are many new
upgrade mechanics into the mix. moves that can be bought at the mid-stage
store, each with their own complex directional
Sadly, 1997 would see Capcom release side- inputs, similar to Street Fighter’s specials.
scrollers in the arcade for the very last time. You’ll eventually have a huge command list
Their phenomenal run came to a close with of techniques that you can string together
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara in inventive ways to destroy your opponents.
(p318), followed by this, the zany intergalactic
fighting game, Battle Circuit. No matter how All of the fighters handle brilliantly, and each
you cut it, the studio deserves to be crowned as has their own wildly different moves and
champion of the genre, and this fun release outrageous special attacks. For example, Brian
was a nice way for them to bow out gracefully. Bruno is a brash human rogue who has robotic
arms capable of blasting enemies with bursts
Battle Circuit could, weirdly, be compared to of energy. You can rush enemies with a rocket
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, as it stars punch that can be unleashed by inputting the
a gang of interstellar bounty hunters and same command as a Hadoken, then you can

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Hammer your attack button to whip enemies Flying kicks make short work of these biker
multiple times and evaporate their health. mercenaries, who look like characters from Akira.

follow it up by pressing down, up, then punch rocker who can stun you with his guitar riffs.
to lift enemies into the air with a rising special You’ll also fight a seductive sea maiden called
that dishes out extra hits. It feels so satisfying Barbara, who commands an army of cute
to nail a seamless chained combo. jellyfish who stun you with electric spin attacks.
You almost feel bad for kicking the gelatinous
The cast of hunters gets stranger and more tykes in their smiling faces. Almost.
complex. Most notable is Pola Abdul, a young
girl who rides on the back of an eyepatch- Capcom’s developers clearly had a blast
wearing ostrich called Pinky. Then there’s making this game. You can really feel their
Andrey, a dashing hero who can buff himself enthusiasm throughout each stage, thanks to
with a defence boost and stretch his limbs to the bizarre characters, over-the-top animation
pull off a range of rubbery attacks. The hardest and strange environments. It’s almost as if they
fighter to control is Alien Green, a strange, were left alone to let their imagination run riot
slithering mass of extra-terrestrial plants which one last time before bidding a fond farewell to
has the ability to self-heal. The gloopy blob the scrolling beat-‘em-up genre.
moves strangely and it’s initially quite hard to
tell where its hit-boxes are when attacking bad Battle Circuit was a relatively obscure title
guys. Lastly, Diana is an intergalactic fashion back in 1997, due to the declining popularity of
model who has a whip attack that works like arcades in the West. But it’s also a fitting end to
Chun-Li’s rapid kicks. Capcom’s juggernaut track record. Luckily, the
game was included in the Capcom Beat-‘em-up
To cap it off, Battle Circuit is genuinely funny, Bundle, which is available on a variety of digital
with some weird and inventive boss battles. platforms. You’d be bonkers to miss it.
The second level takes place in a strange night-
club owned by Johnny, an Elvis-impersonating

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Athena Co. 1997 SAT

CROWS: The combat is fine when you’re not contending Every hit feels great, thanks to the animation
THE BATTLE ACTION with the poor combo mechanic. and mad reactions of your enemies.

A small developer named Athena released just a handful of characters on screen at one
Crows: The Battle Action, a side-scrolling time and flat backgrounds devoid of parallax
beat-‘em-up that has ‘chibi’ characters scrolling. You do get some impressive animations,
(‘super deformed’ in Japanese). Don’t let the however. From contact hits to combo moves
art style fool you into thinking it’s a kids’ and special attacks, everything has a smooth
game, because it’s actually based on a flow and quality about it not usually seen in
Japanese manga about high school delinquents similar games from the previous generation.
vying for power and notoriety. In fact, the
Crows manga has sold over 32 million copies The music is excellent as well, and sounds
since its 1990 debut, and spawned two movies exactly like something you would have heard
by legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike. in a Technōs release a few years before. Sadly,
the gameplay falls well short of those games,
The overall presentation is extremely similar mainly due to the short stages, the poor flow of
to that of many Technōs Japan games like the combo system, and the terrible mechanic
River City Ransom (p92), Double Dragon (p36) of having to mash buttons to get off the
and The Combatribes (p109). This is because ground. This makes harder stages and enemies
Athena employed many former Technōs artists a chore, and the custom combos actually drain
and developers, and their influence is felt here your life, which leads to a frustration that
from the moment you press the start button. crushes the long-term fun factor.

You begin with a choice of two characters, Genre fans should still check Crows out to
but more are unlocked once you defeat them experience its more positive qualities; keep
in the story mode. The visuals aren’t anything your expectations realistic and you should
particularly impressive upon first glance, with get some enjoyment out of it.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Namco 1998 PS1

Beating up chumps adds precious seconds onto The targeting isn’t too great but you’ll get used TEKKEN FORCE
your time limit. to it soon enough.

This is a bonus side-scrolling beat-‘em-up thankfully you can pick up life-restoring
mode included in the home version of Tekken 3. chickens throughout the level to keep you
You can choose to play as any of the core going. It’s worth grabbing as many as you
fight roster and take on four levels that are can, as the sound of the game’s announcer
presented in a classic belt-scrolling format. shouting ‘Chicken!’ like his life depends on
Along the way, you’ll battle various members it will never not be funny. Seriously, find a
of the Tekken Force special soldier unit, who clip of it on YouTube.
only appear in small numbers, presumably
due to hardware limitations. While the first version of Tekken Force feels a bit
ropey today, Namco iterated on the template
While it’s a neat concept, unfortunately the and brought the mode back in future Tekken
controls are a bit clumsy, as you have to double releases. The version found in Tekken 6 is called
tap up or down to move vertically around the ‘Scenario Campaign’ and is by far the best
environment, which is kind of how you do a iteration of Tekken Force yet – even if it’s got
regular sidestep in the regular 3D game modes. the most mundane name for a bonus mode
It feels a little odd at first, but like most quirky ever conceived. The person who came up with
game mechanics, you should find yourself the mode names must have been off that week.
getting used to it after a while. Whichever version of Tekken Force you pick,
you should find that they’re not bad as a small
At the end of each stage, you have to take bit of bonus filler on the side.
down one of the game’s main fighters; the one
you get varies depending on which character
you’ve picked. You’ll have a rough time if you
reach them with very little health left, but

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
SEGA 1998 ARC, DC

DYNAMITE COP If in doubt, pick up the mic stand and use it like The gatling laser gun is truly absurd, but packs
a bo staff. a mean punch.

It could be argued that beat-‘em-ups are Yup, creatures. You see, Dynamite Cop is
most memorable when they’re at their silliest. memorable for featuring a weird and wonderful
This may illustrate why some of the best array of enemies and bosses, ranging from
examples of the genre have their fair share common or garden criminals to literal pirates
of absurd moments: Streets of Rage 2 (p184) dressed in eyepatches, enormous sushi chefs,
would lose some of its character without its large, weird men dressed as lobsters, and even
bizarre alien fight, and Turtles in Time (p154) a giant octopus that takes up nearly the entire
shines brightest when you’re surfing on screen. Die Hard Arcade had its silly moments,
futuristic hoverboards. It may also explain but Dynamite Cop is unashamedly nonsensical
why Dynamite Cop enjoys the cult following from start to finish.
it does, despite its short length.
This is only further enforced by some of the
Known as Dynamite Deka 2 in Japan, Dynamite weaponry you encounter during your adventure.
Cop is actually the sequel to Die Hard Arcade Melee weapons and guns are, of course,
(Dynamite Deka in Japan), obviously absent the common currency in this genre, but it’s fair to
movie licence. The first game’s main enemy, say you probably haven’t used too many like
Wolf Hongo, plus his pirate goons, has boarded these in other games. By the time you’ve seen
a cruise ship and captured the president’s every stage it has to offer, your weaponry will
daughter. It’s up to the law enforcement trio have included arcade machines, giant tuna
of Bruno Delinger, Jean Ivy and Eddie Brown to fish, an anti-aircraft missile launcher that
fight their way through the ship and rescue the creates an enormous mushroom cloud, a
presidential princess. That’s obviously easier French baguette, casino coin tubs and even
said than done, though, considering the various big sticks holding mannequin heads of Elvis
fighters, oddballs and creatures out to stop you. Presley and Marilyn Monroe.

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The hand axe does a nice rapid combo, but you Just like in Die Hard Arcade, you need to be
have to get in close. mindful of your ammo count.

Combat consists of punch, kick and jump approach it from the sea on a dinghy, or swim
buttons. Basic combos can be strung together underwater in scuba gear to infiltrate it through
with punch and kick attacks, but you also have an escape hatch. Each option gives you a
a power meter that builds as you collect large different set of stages, with some areas that
P-shaped power-ups dropped by defeated appear in multiple branches and others that
enemies. Grab five of these, and the power are totally unique. It means you have to play
meter glows green for a while, enabling you through all three routes in order to see
to perform even longer combos with your fists, everything the game has to offer.
feet and even firearms. Learning which button
performs which move is also important for the And it’s likely that you’ll want to see it all.
occasional QTE scene, in which you’re quickly Dynamite Cop may not be the tightest, most
prompted to hit punch, jump, kick, or a direction content-heavy beat-‘em-up, but it’s easily one
to avoid an oncoming enemy and reach the of the most entertaining. It’s great fun, whether
next area without taking damage. you’re standing on a dining table throwing pork
buns at enemies, launching an exercise bike
Given that it originally launched in arcades, across a gym at a shirtless Sylvester Stallone
it’s perhaps unsurprising that Dynamite Cop lookalike called Rambo Guardia, or simply
is a short game, with each winning playthrough laughing at the absurdity of the cutscenes. One
taking around 25 minutes to complete. This is such clip has the president’s daughter hiding in
in some way mitigated by the fact that there an enormous pink suitcase five feet away from
are three different routes you can choose from the bad guy, who seemingly fails to notice it.
at the start of the game, with each letting Dynamite Cop will no doubt having you coming
you approach the ship in a different way. You back for more helpings of crazy.
can either land on it via a parachute drop,

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Noise Factory 1999 ARC

GAIA CRUSADERS Each orb attacks looks stunning and gives you The game’s technical grunt allows for many
one hell of a power trip. enemies on screen at once.

There’s a good chance you haven’t heard of that would make Eddy Gordo blush. End a
Gaia Crusaders, as it was released as arcades combo string with a kick and he’ll corkscrew
were dying off. Which is a shame, as it’s a fun, through packs of enemies for huge damage.
inventive and well-polished side-scroller that Meanwhile, Kohen is a priestess who holds a
deserves to be known by a wider audience. magic scroll in her hand. If you manage to finish
her combo string with a punch command, she’ll
The game’s epic intro sequence explains that use her scroll to torch enemies with flames.
Earth has been invaded by Satan and his
demons. Their attack has transformed most The characters also move and attack with
major cities and nations into twisted hellscapes fluid animation and are stunning to behold in
ruled by unspeakable horrors, and it’s up to the motion. Even the backgrounds look gorgeous,
Gaia Crusaders to help restore the planet to ranging from desolate, Giger-esque realms of
some semblance of normality. hell to the seedy urban streets that the side-
scrolling genre is known for.
Each Crusader can manipulate one of Earth’s
elemental powers. Jimi, the all-rounder character, It would be criminal to overlook Noise Factory’s
is best suited to wind magic. Simply pick up a chunky sound design and stellar stage music,
wind orb from a defeated enemy and Jimi can which ranges from unsettling synth tunes to
use it to summon tornados that ravage the screen. upbeat dance tracks with recorded rap lyrics.
Use a fire, water or earth orb instead and Jimi Gaia Crusaders deserves a second shot at a
pulls off a quick but powerful special strike. wider fan base, thanks to its solid presentation,
slick controls and banging soundtrack. Don’t
Orbs aside, the characters are truly unique. miss this one!
The lightning-fast Fred has clearly been playing
Tekken 3, as he fights with breakdance moves

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
SEGA 1999 ARC, DC

Grab those pickups, but be careful of getting There’s a brilliant, murky vibe to everything, just ZOMBIE REVENGE
attacked in the scramble! like in House of the Dead.

Zombie Revenge blends the beat-‘em-up and enough, however, you actually get to visit
shoot-‘em-up genres wonderfully, by letting the first game’s dank and terrifying Curien
you both blast and punch the hell out of the Mansion, complete with the original arcade
undead horde. It’s an interesting game that cab’s music, in a chapter imaginatively titled
tries to do something genuinely unique ‘The House of the Dead’.
in the side-scrolling genre.
To be honest, you’d know this game was part
You play as one of three selectable AMS of the House of the Dead series as soon as
agents, Linda Rotta, Rikiya Busujima and any character opened their mouth, as it has the
the wonderfully named Stick Breitling. You same woeful (but simultaneously brilliant) voice
can also buddy up in two-player mode to set acting as the rest of the HOTD series. If this
off on a gory quest to hunt down and stop sounds like a criticism, please understand that
the antagonist, Zed. You get to him by – what it absolutely is not. The cheesy nature feels
else? – fist-fighting and blasting the undead, right at home alongside the low-budget, ‘80s
rescuing civilians, and fighting giant straight-to-VHS horror tapes of old.
abomination bosses.
Zombie Revenge is another title that was
Interestingly, Zombie Revenge is a direct heavily criticised upon its release for being
spin-off from SEGA’s iconic House of the Dead short and not pushing any new boundaries.
lightgun series, and it shows. Not only are the Beyond the expectations of its time, however,
characters from the same AMS organisation Zombie Revenge is a bloody good time (with
as seen in the aforementioned series, but the your choice of blood colour upon completion),
game also has an incredibly similar visual style which is still well worth digging out today,
and enemy designs. If that wasn’t evidence if you can find a copy.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
International 1999 ARC
Games System

KNIGHTS OF VALOUR The story cutscenes look superb and give The screen gets really busy, but the PGM board
context to the carnage. never misses a technical beat.

This is the second game that IGS developed advanced moves like juggles and big sweeps
for its PolyGame Master arcade boards, that can be triggered by pressing Street
following the great Oriental Legend (p322). Fighter-style directional inputs.
The studio definitely improved on the
template with this one, as they really For example, you can attack an enemy with your
harnessed the power of its tech to deliver full standing melee combo string for a few hits,
gorgeous sprites, super-slick animation, before inputting some directions for a rising
and a deep and varied combat system sword swipe that lands an extra few hits, and
that has lots of potential. you might even catch other enemies nearby to
bump your combo meter even further. There’s no
The plot is loosely based on the ‘Romance of real benefit to landing big combos, but it does
the Three Kingdoms’ novels, and features five mean you’ll be defeating enemies far quicker
generals from the story as playable characters. if you master all the moves available to you.
In fact, one of the first things you’ll notice is
the huge character-select screen that offers On top of this, you also have an inventory
11 different fighters. system, similar to the one IGS used in Oriental
Legend. You can pick up weapons and projectiles
On closer inspection, though, you’ll see that in each stage that can be selected and used
some of them are the same person, only with tactically, such as spinning saw blades, nail
a different coloured outfit and some combat bombs, arrows and more. These really come
variances. It’s all good however, as there is still in handy when facing some of the challenging
a lot of content here to sink your teeth into, bosses, which can really catch you off guard
including a meaty combo system. It lets you if you’re not prepared.
chain together standard attacks with more

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It pays to get used to your weapon’s reach so In-game dialogue gives you a little breather
you can work out spacing. before the fighting erupts again.

Speaking of challenge, Knights of Valour Use your specials to give yourself some room
does sometimes get too hung up on the fact when you’re swarmed.
it’s a coin-guzzling arcade game, with crazy
difficulty-spike sections that just keep throwing Sadly, the game never made any big waves in
enemies at you, causing you to die over and the West, which was largely due to the decline
over. Naturally, this is worse when you’re playing of arcades and the booming popularity of
solo, but isn’t as bad in three-player co-op home consoles. It’s a tricky series to play now,
mode. The trick to surviving is keeping your as the latest free-to-play instalment was closed
moves varied, as some enemies eventually down a long time ago and the arcade original
hit you back through your combo strings, so hasn’t been re-released to Western audiences.
knowing when to back off or use a crowd-
breaking two-button special becomes
really important.

Knights of Valour is a brilliant evolution of
the IGS template that feels great to play and
looks stunning, thanks to its detailed character
animation. It does give you a real rush when
you start ripping through enemies with chained
attacks and more complex inputs. The game
also has branching paths, which makes it
immediately replayable a few times if you
want to see everything on offer.

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2000–
2009

This is something of a
bittersweet decade for
fans of the side-scrolling
beat-‘em-up genre.
However, gaming as a
hobby was propelled to
incredible new heights
thanks, in part, to the
mind-blowing success
of Sony’s PlayStation 2,
which shifted around 155
million consoles across
its lifespan. It still holds
the title of best-selling
console of all time, and is
responsible for introducing
a wealth of blockbuster
franchises that are still
around today.

God Hand
This bizarre release from Clover
Studio is one of the hardest
brawlers ever made, but it’s worth
playing to see some of its mad
moments and bizarre cast of
enemies.

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Microsoft entered the console market in and feel, including The Behemoth’s
2001, with the Xbox, which debuted with a stunning Castle Crashers (p372) and
strong launch roster of games, including Ubisoft Montreal’s tragically overlooked
the mighty Halo: Combat Evolved. Nintendo TMNT on Game Boy Advance (p370), which
also enjoyed the runaway success of the brought the Ninja Turtles back for another
Wii in 2006, a console that many gamers round of genuinely great shell-tastic action.
initially wrote off as an under-powered Otherwise, the 2000s were seemingly slim
system with cheap motion-controlled pickings for fans of the side-scrolling genre.
gimmicks. Nintendo shipped over 101
million Wii units in total, making it an Except, that’s not entirely true …
undeniable success.
In 2005, Microsoft unleashed its second
While the console and PC markets saw console, the Xbox 360. The system
a huge boom throughout the 2000s, the launched with Xbox Live, an online gaming
side-scrolling genre went largely unloved. subscription service that enabled players
Early attempts to modernise the genre to compete in multiplayer activities and
in 3D revealed that the format didn’t really download games from its Xbox Live Arcade
translate well into polygons and open spaces. digital store. All of a sudden, publishers
Interestingly, this decade only features started plundering their back catalogues,
a few attempts at revitalising the side- re-releasing many of their retro and arcade
scroller genre in 3D. Two of those attempts titles on Xbox 360.
are fascinatingly bad, namely The Bouncer
(p340) and Final Fight: Streetwise (p368). To name just a few of the big-hitters that
were re-released on Xbox Live Arcade, you
Both games tried to shoehorn the classic could buy games like The Simpsons (p144),
2D vibe into modern mechanics, but X-Men (p200), Final Fight: Double Impact,
neither saw much fan interest or critical Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara
praise. Instead, the best side-scrollers of (p318), the Streets of Rage Trilogy (p122,
this decade are purely retro in both look p184 & p280), the Golden Axe collection

Castle Crashers is one of the most content-rich brawlers ever made. There’s just so much to see and do.

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(p86, p168, p183 & p234), Teenage Mutant because toward the end of the 2000s,
Ninja Turtles (p80), Turtles In Time: Re- there was a real shift on the horizon.
Shelled (p154) and Treasure’s legendary Developers of all sizes were starting to
classic, Guardian Heroes (p308). Many of take an interest in the format again, and
these games are still available on Xbox Live had begun development on brand-new
today, so there’s no excuse not to try them. side-scrollers, such as Ubisoft Montreal’s
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (p384), which
Nintendo also got in on the action when was released in 2010.
it launched its Virtual Console service for
Wii. This was a truly remarkable storefront The 2000s were an undoubted rough
that spanned many retro formats, both patch for side-scrollers. Trends are often
popular and obscure. From the NES and cyclical, however, so perhaps the lull is
the NEOGEO to the Mega Drive and MSX, what ultimately helped interest in the
the full library of Virtual Console games genre come back around. It was a bit
was like a treasure trove of nostalgia. Like like a defeated former prize-fighter,
Xbox Live Arcade before it, the store was quietly dusting itself off before making
home to many side-scrollers, including the its glorious comeback …
Final Fight trilogy (p70, p258 & p296), the
Sengoku trilogy (p162, p256 & p344) and
many more.

While a few studios tried to modernise the
side-scrolling format, their early failures
weren’t in vain. In fact, their attempts
proved that 2D was the only way to fly.
It’s also unclear just how successful the
retro re-releases on Xbox Live Arcade
and Virtual Console were, but someone,
somewhere must have been taking notice,

Made by the same team as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, TMNT is full of great touches and is a must-play beat-‘em-up.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Unico 2000 ARC

THE AGE OF HEROES: Still images make the sprites look a little jagged, The Dance Dance Revolution arcade cab
SILKROAD 2 but they look great in motion. summon shows the game’s playful side.

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its The magic is fun and there are even some
cover, and that definitely applies to The Age wacky summons that will make you laugh.
of Heroes: Silkroad 2. The first thing that hits The best by far lets you call a little wooden doll
you is the characters, which are 2D sprites into the fight, but all he does is flail about on a
that have been given an almost digitised feel, Dance Dance Revolution arcade machine as
similar to those in Donkey Kong Country. huge directional prompts flash on the screen.
This somehow kills everything in sight.
This design choice makes the animation feel
choppy at times, and it doesn’t help that all Plot-wise, it’s a tricky story to follow, mainly
the characters’ outlines have stray black pixels. because the opening text crawl scrolls faster
It looks like someone didn’t use the Photoshop than any human can read. There’s some
lasso tool correctly when cutting them out. dialogue between characters, but it still doesn’t
So yeah, it’s not the best first impression. make much sense. It’s basically something
about seven winners of a fighting tournament
But, give this one a chance and you’ll soon learn falling under the spell of a mystic overlord and
that it plays very well indeed. It’s another title turning evil.
that follows Capcom’s Dungeons & Dragons
model, with varied characters, a magic The combat and magic systems are the real
inventory system and light RPG mechanics stars of the show, with directional input attacks
that let you upgrade your hero’s base stats, to help keep combos flowing nicely. There’s
armour and weapons. You even have multiple real depth here, with each of the four heroes
routes to choose from, which gives you plenty handling uniquely, so despite its appearance
of replay value. and poor sound, Age of Heroes is still one you
should check out.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Kemco 2000 GBC, N64, PS1

There are stat increases, but that doesn’t mean The bland, often textureless polygons leave BATMAN BEYOND:
much when the game is naff. much to be desired. RETURN OF THE JOKER

Because Bruce Wayne doesn’t have any Museum, Wayne Enterprises, Arkham Asylum,
actual super powers (being obscenely wealthy Tim Drake’s laboratory and the Jolly Jack Candy
doesn’t really count, sorry), what happens Factory – you encounter a seemingly endless
when he becomes too old to be Batman? array of goons. These uninspiring assailants
That’s essentially the plot of Batman Beyond, range from members of the ‘Jokerz’ gang and
an animated series set in the 2040s in which mutated beast-men to annoying security
an elderly Wayne is now the mentor of Terry robots that will do your head in.
McGinnis, a high school student chosen
to be the new Batman. Unfortunately, each battle is a total chore,
thanks to the incredibly sluggish combat and
Return of the Joker was released to tie in with your seriously limited command list of moves.
the animated movie of the same name, in which To add some variety, you can switch between
the Joker somehow makes a comeback, much four different Batsuits. There are three that
to the confusion of both Batmen (Batmans?). boost your offence, defence and agility, plus a
After all, not only was he thought to have been ‘standard’ suit that adds gadgets into the mix,
defeated 20 years earlier, but even if he is like a Batarang and a bo staff. However, while
somehow alive, surely he’s getting on a bit now? these stat-swapping outfits give you a few new
You’ll find the answer here, doled out through moves each, the overall experience is one of
some extremely basic cutscenes featuring still infuriatingly dull slugfests with countless
shots from the movie, complete with text identical foes over and over again. Batman
sloppily superimposed onto them. Beyond is an uninspired game. Bruce Wayne
should think himself lucky he retired long
As you fight your way through the game’s five before this shambles took place.
stages, which are the Gotham Air & Space

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Square / 2000 PS2
DreamFactory

THE BOUNCER You’ll spend a lot of the runtime watching Bouncer points give you a sense of progression
cutscenes instead of fighting. throughout the campaign.

Originally intended to be a launch title for the threesome to rescue her, and figure out what’s
PlayStation 2, The Bouncer was a major game going on.
showcased as an example of the power of
Sony’s new console. All eyes were on it, not The Bouncer’s main story mode is only a few
just because of how it looked, but because hours long, and that’s taking into account the
it was due to be the first PS2 game released numerous lengthy cutscenes. The general idea
by Square, whose contributions to the is that the game plays more like an interactive
PlayStation’s library were so monumental. movie, with players sitting through the story
When The Bouncer was eventually released, until the characters reach a fight scene. The
some nine months after the PS2’s launch, player then takes over, beats up a bunch of
however, gamers couldn’t decide whether its enemies in a set location, and then it’s back to
experimental structure was a revolutionary watching CG cutscenes again (which, to be fair,
new idea, or a case of style over substance. looked very nice for the time).

A more accurate title would have been The When each fighting section starts, you’re given
Bouncers, because the game tells the story of the option to take control of either Sion, Kou or
three doormen – Sion, Kou and Volt – who work Volt. Each character has their own Life, Power
at a bar called Fate located in Edge, a city and Defence stats, and as you defeat enemies
that’s also home to the headquarters of you gain Bouncer Points, which are essentially
international megacorporation the Mikado XP that can then be spent on either increasing
Group. The trio spend their days hanging out these stats or unlocking new special fight
with Dominique, a homeless girl who was taken moves. The catch is that each character has
in and became the bar’s unofficial mascot. One their own set of Bouncer Points, and they can’t
day Mikado special forces storm the bar and be shared with their partners. This means
abduct Dominique, so it’s up to the titular that despite the game giving you a choice of

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Battles can often feel positively scrappy, like a The pressure-sensitive controls will take some
nasty, violent street brawl. time to get used to.

character for each section, players are more early PS2 title, though, The Bouncer was on
likely to stick with the same fighter throughout an board with the idea, and each attack button
entire playthrough to get the most XP possible. pulls off different moves depending on whether
you lightly tap the button or jam it down hard.
Given the game’s short length, it seems that
multiple playthroughs was the intention. When Once playing through Story mode multiple
you start a second game you can carry over times become tiresome, there’s a separate
the previous stats, meaning each time you Survival mode, in which you can carry over your
complete the story you’re able to replay it with bulked-up characters and pit them against
an even stronger team than before. Each 50 enemies set across ten stages. Your health
cutscene also plays out differently depending doesn’t replenish after each stage, so a
on who you choose, and although this doesn’t combination of skill and generously boosted
result in wildly different branching plots, it does stats are essential for success. There’s also
still add a little replay value. a Versus mode, in which up to four players can
fight each other using characters encountered
The fighting controls are a little unusual. Players during the story.
are armed with four different strike types – high,
mid-range, low and jump attacks – which are The Bouncer isn’t the sort of game that’s looked
assigned to the usual Circle, Square, Triangle back on as an all-time classic, and its curious
and Cross buttons. The unusual part is the way design choices drew as much criticism as they
it makes use of the PS2 controller’s pressure did critical acclaim. That said, it does retain a
sensitivity feature. This now-forgotten gimmick cult following of gamers who appreciate its
was touted as a great innovation until players attempt to introduce something new to the
and developers realised it led to sore thumbs, genre, even if it didn’t quite hit the bullseye.
so support was quietly ditched over time. As an

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
NAPS Team 2000 PS1

GEKIDO: Will you use your rage meter early or keep it Gekido isn’t the best brawler out there, but it’s
URBAN FIGHTERS for a screen-clearing attack? interesting enough to be worth checking out.

In a future ‘New Tokyo’, the evil Kintaro has Your character has a rage meter that fills as
kidnapped a young woman called Angela you attack enemies and gives you different
so he can sacrifice her and summon Akujin, effects depending on how far you let it build.
a powerful demon. Enter Travis, a private Trigger it on its first stage and you’ll perform
detective hired to save Angela, along with an automatic combination of six moves
his three companions – his military-trained predetermined by the game. Trigger it on the
ex-girlfriend Michelle, a martial arts teacher second stage and you’ll have the freedom to
called Ushi and his student Tetsuo. They all perform any move you like, with each move
head out to stomp mudholes in Kintaro’s landing twice for double damage and combo
numerous gang members. count. The third and final stage gives you
double-hit moves, temporary invincibility
Gekido’s combat is on the faster end of the and the ability to trigger a huge ‘wipeout’
beat-‘em-up spectrum. Players can string move that damages everyone on the screen.
together speedy attacks and build combos
quickly using three attack buttons – a heavy Gekido isn’t a remarkable game, and the
punch, a light punch and a kick. As you average review scores it received when it
progress you unlock new preset combinations launched highlight this. That said, it does
which can be performed by hitting them in have its own distinct personality, from its
certain sequences, although doing so can be licensed soundtrack featuring Fatboy Slim
tricky given how quickly you have to input them. and Apartment 26 to the ability to unlock
Naturally, in true beat-‘em-up style, weapons a giant gorilla as a playable fighter.
can be found and used, ranging from typical
offenders like knives and pipes to numerous
firearms like handguns, machine guns, rifles
and even flamethrowers.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Brezzasoft 2001 ARC

Each hit feels weighty, and that’s helped along Rising juggle strikes knock down enemies and THE CRYSTAL OF KINGS
by some neat blade visual effects. give you space.

Developed by a team of ex-SNK employees, badass as you tear through packs of orcs with
The Crystal of Kings is a fine late entry to Lustro’s broadsword swipes, or Lung Xing’s
the arcade side-scroller canon. It’s a fantasy spear and lightning punch combos.
brawler, similar to Golden Axe (p86) or
Dungeons & Dragons (p286), but it manages The only potential weak link is Cocco, a dwarf
to tick all the boxes that count in order to who rides on a weird creature. He attacks with
give you a heck of a good time. a bow and fires arrows that arc downward over
distance. This can be useful to snipe short
Each fighter handles fluidly, and you’ll face off enemies or bad guys down on low platforms,
against screen-filling bosses that look both but most of the time he feels massively under-
gorgeous and intimidating. Stage two’s serpent powered. It can also be tricky to line up shots
boss is a real highlight, with a long neck that in the heat of battle.
lurches across the screen to hit you at range.
There’s an almost digitised-claymation quality Overall, The Crystal of Kings is a great game.
to every character, similar to that seen in titles It even has a morality system that gives you
like Primal Rage and Donkey Kong Country, good or bad karma for your deeds, like saving
which helps give the game a distinctive vibe. villagers or getting greedy with loot. Your final
karma value determines what ending you get,
On paper, the combat system is basically the giving you plenty of replay value and tactical
same as in Golden Axe, with melee and dashing things to think about as you go. With rich stage
attacks, two-button specials and screen- design, a wonderful visual style and more, you
clearing magic spells. However, Brezzasoft has really shouldn’t let this one pass you by.
fine-tuned everything to make it feel as slick,
weighty and responsive as possible. You’ll feel

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Noise Factory / SNK 2001 ARC, NSW, PS4, WII, XB1

SENGOKU 3 You can jazz with the combo system by throwing Kongoh can summon copies of his huge staff
in some heavy specials. that rain down on enemies.

The first things that hit you about Sengoku 3 Enemy types are also really varied, and you’ll
are the stunning sprites and animation, which need real strategy to overcome them. Charging
are among the best of the side-scrolling swordsmen are a great example, as they’ll keep
genre. It’s not just a visual feast, either, as you barging through your sword attacks with no
have an impressive range of moves at your effect whatsoever. But if you smack them in the
disposal. One button is dedicated to weapon chops with a flying kick or aerial punch, they’ll
attacks, another to melee strikes, and a third recoil and become rooted to the spot in a
to projectiles such as ninja stars, bombs stunned state, leaving them open for a savage
and thrown kunai daggers. counter-attack.

Things get even deeper with three distinct While the enemies all require different
special moves that require energy. To build up approaches, they sadly don’t feel as grotesque
energy you need to chain attacks as much as or inventive as the undead and demonic bad
possible, so you’ll get into this neat rhythmic guys in previous Sengoku games. The borderline
flow as you jump between slow tactical play horror vibe of the first Sengoku title has been
and quick offensive combo-building. lost somewhere in the mix. But in terms of pure
controls, sound and visuals, Sengoku 3 is the
Interestingly, you can even spend a chunk of best of the series by far. Indeed, you’d be
energy on a ninja evasion technique, which hard-pushed to find many side-scrollers that
turns you into a wooden log and teleports you nail the combat this well before 2001, making
safely into the air. This is useful if an enemy it an essential experience.
stun-locks you to the spot. It forces you to
keep some energy in reserve, just in case
you need to escape.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
Torus Games 2001 GBA

Even basic kicks can be a chore to land, thanks The belt-scrolling bits are passable, unlike the JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES:
to their painfully long wake-up. platforming sections. LEGEND OF THE DARK HAND

Running for an impressive 95 episodes over You’ll die a lot, thanks to this mad control
five seasons, Jackie Chan Adventures was a delay. You do get some mercy, thanks to what
successful animated kid’s show that starred could possibly be the worst and simultaneously
a fictional version of the titular martial arts best death sound effect in video game history.
maestro. This Game Boy Advance tie-in sees Whether he’s falling into a bottomless pit
Jackie and his friends at the Section 13 special or being stabbed by spike traps, Jackie just
agent team trying to stop The Dark Hand, sounds mildly inconvenienced by the whole
an organisation that’s trying to steal eight thing. He makes this feeble ‘oh?’ sound, which is
scrolls of untold kung-fu power. what you might make if being presented with a
lukewarm bowl of soup in a fancy restaurant, or
The game starts off showing a small bit of when you miss a bus, but you’re not going to be
potential, with a colourful cutscene that follows late to meet your pals because there’s another
the show’s art style perfectly. Things quickly coming in five minutes.
fall apart once the action starts, however,
as you’re presented with some of the least- So yeah, the game isn’t very good, unfortunately.
responsive combat in the side-scrolling genre. The controls are really sluggish, the jumping
Simple punches and kicks can take ages to is annoying and floaty, the stage design has
land, due to their outrageously long wake-up. infuriating leaps of faith that can kill you, and
This can often leave you trapped in the middle the boss fights are frustrating at best. The bland,
of a pack of enemies, getting absolutely repetitive music and dull stages are the final
battered from all sides until you die. roundhouse kicks to this game’s head. Give the
NES game Jackie Chan’s Action Kung-Fu a try
instead – it’s way better.

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
NAPS team 2002 GBA, NSW, PS4, WIN, XB1

GEKIDO ADVANCE: The combat is fine, but the enemy hit boxes The dark area at the bottom is a pitfall. Good
KINTARO’S REVENGE make it a total chore. luck judging your jumps over it.

This is a spin-off from the PlayStation brawler basic enemies have a reach that’s longer than
Gekido: Urban Fighters (p342). It focuses yours, and are capable of repeatedly knocking
on the character Tetsuo, and blends side- you down quicker than you can react. On top of
scrolling fighting with light puzzle-solving and that, the enemy projectiles have huge hit boxes,
adventure elements. While it looks fantastic, so even if you think you’ve safely side-stepped
with visuals and slick animation worthy of them, chances are you’ll probably take damage.
SNK’s The King of Fighters series, it sadly
falls short in every other department. This gets worse when you reach screens that
have pitfalls dotted about, and enemies keep
After Tetsuo’s master sends him to investigate knocking you back into them. It also doesn’t
strange events in a rural village, the peaceful help that the pitfalls have no depth. They’re just
community is besieged by undead warriors. murky, isometric parts of the ground coloured
You then have to get to the bottom of the in black, which makes it hard to jump over them
situation by searching the area for special safely or avoid accidentally stepping into them.
items, hidden paths, and keys that let you Throw in swarms of bats later on and it’s just a
progress a little further. It’s actually a pretty perfect recipe for irritation, sadness and pain.
neat concept, turning the traditional belt-
scroller into something grander and more Gekido Advance really is average, but you might
narrative-driven. still find things to enjoy. The combat is basic
but it works, and the attempt at making this
The problem is that it’s simply not fun to play. into an adventure game is commendable. Just
While the base combat feels solid enough, the be warned: if your patience wears thin easily,
enemy hit boxes and programming are just you might not make it too far into this one.
relentless to the point of annoyance. The most

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DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
3d6 Games 2002 GBA

Once again, the wolfman’s fireball move gives Nagi the snake-man can spit acid and let rip ALTERED BEAST:
you a nice little power trip. with a neat rolling attack. GUARDIAN OF THE REALMS

It took 13 years for Altered Beast (p44) to rise irritating knock-back effect that sends your
from its grave, and this belated sequel makes hero flying if they take damage. Get swarmed
a case for it staying dead and buried. In many and you’ll be hit back and forth between
ways, Guardian of the Realms is the same enemies like a tetherball until you either escape
game as SEGA’s 1988 arcade original, but or die, which is just as much fun as it sounds.
with new power-ups and stages thrown in However, the transformations do give you a
to make it seem new. Unfortunately, the end mild power trip as you tear through the enemies
result is disappointing. that were giving you a rough time.

One of the major issues is just how low-budget Are there any positives here? Well, the game
and bland everything feels. From the uninspiring does have updated versions of the voice
music and weightless combat to the murky samples from the first game. It opens with Zeus
sprites and overlong stages, there are plenty of resurrecting your morphing hero to take down
things that might put you off. It’s almost like the the evil Arcanon, while triumphantly yelling the
developer tried too hard to make the game feel classic line, ‘Rise from your grave!’. Each boss
like classic Altered Beast, which would have been even shouts, ‘Welcome to your doom!’ which is
passable in 1988, but the original’s clunky and a nice little throwback as well. If you really like
dated mechanics just come off as annoying now. Altered Beast, then you might be able to
overlook the many flaws of this clunky yet
Your beast forms are the game’s biggest nostalgic sequel.
appeal, such as Canis, the classic wolf form
that can shoot fireballs at range. It’s just
annoying that you must slog through each
stage as a human to try them, thanks to an

347

Prepared exclusively for Marcus Kennedy / [email protected]

DEVELOPER RELEASED PLAYABLE FORMATS
MTO 2003 GBA

DANCING SWORD SENKOU Knowing when to block is a big part of survival Big enemies can give you a tough time until you
in this game. figure out the best strategy.

This is a rare hack-‘n’-slash side-scroller inputs you might use for special moves in a one-
from Japan that deserves a wider audience. on-one tournament fighter, like Street Fighter.
Unfortunately, Dancing Sword Senkou
was never localised in the West and no fan This is how it works: the B button is for sword
translation seems to exist online. It makes swipes and A is for melee kicks. You can
understanding the overall plot next to alternate between these buttons to create
impossible unless you can read Japanese, custom combos, or mix up the actual rhythm of
but you do get a vague idea that it’s about a your presses to unleash longer, more damaging
band of skilled sword fighters fighting against combo strings. For example, if you just tap the
some kind of undead or demonic invasion. sword button three times in a row, you’ll get a
basic, lightweight combo. So far, so simple.
Each of the five characters has their own sword
type, unique persona and distinct fighting style. But if you start leaving longer or shorter gaps
The green warrior is like a balletic geisha who between your swipes, you might notice the
twirls and contorts as she lets rip with dual colour of your sword changing to either red,
blades, while the red warrior is a straight-up yellow or blue. This means you’re starting an
samurai who whales on enemies with a katana. elemental combo string. Elemental combos let
There’s also a knight who lunges with a rapier you pull off devastating fire, ice or lightning
with great range and speed, making her a attacks that you actually need to master in
solid pick for first-timers. order to complete the game. An early section in
the first stage takes you to an underground fire
Interestingly, the entire combat system is built cave with a pool of lava that must be frozen
around combinations of both of the Game Boy with a particular ice strike before you can go
Advance face buttons, rather than the directional any further into the stage.

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Prepared exclusively for Marcus Kennedy / [email protected]