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1. Double Dragon (series)
Double Dragon isn't the oldest game on this list (but it would be one of the oldest well known games on this list). The enemies in the Double Dragon games were typically street thugs.
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2. Streets of Rage (series)
Streets of Rage 1, 2 and 3 were released on the Sega Megadrive / Genesis. The enemies are typically street thugs (many appear to have been inspired by 1980s hair-bands and action movie villains). In all three games, the playable characters have a basic attack combo and can jump. In Streets of Rage 1, the players could call in police backup (a limited number of times), where a cop car would drive in and the cop would shoot a heavy weapon which deals heavy damage to all enemies on screen. In Streets of Rage 2 and 3, the police backup was removed, and replaced with special moves for each character (which would expend health (with some exceptions in Streets of Rages 3)). The characters could pickup weapons (such as knifes, bottles and metal bars). Streets of Rage is also known as Bare Knuckle.
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3. Streets of Rage fan-games
In addition to the three official Streets of Rage games, there have been many unofficial Streets of Rage fan-games.
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4. Golden Axe (series)
Golden Axe had a swords and sorcery type setting. The playable characters each had their basic attack combo, could jump, and had a limited amount of magic. Casting magic would deal damage to all enemies on screen. Extra magic and health was obtained by kicking the tiny elves carrying sacks. During the game the characters are likely to obtain ride-on monsters, which have their own set of attacks e.g. fire breathing, tails with stingers etc.
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5. Sengoku (series)
The Sengoku series is a side-scrolling fighting game produced by SNK, and is set in various times and places.
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6. Dungeons & Dragons (arcade series)
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and its sequel Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara, are side-scrolling fighting games with a swords and sorcery setting. Tower of Doom has the following playable characters: fighter, elf, cleric and dwarf. Shadow Over Mystara has the following playable characters: cleric, dwarf, elf, fighter, mage, thief. The games are nonlinear, with choices made affecting what level is played next. The game has a wide variety of items and spells. Between levels, the players can use the gold they collect to buy various items and equipment for their characters.
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7. Renegade
Renegade was released in 1986, and is the oldest game in this list.
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8. Alien vs. Predator (arcade game)
Alien vs. Predator was released on arcade in 1994. There are four playable characters (two humans and two predators). The enemies are aliens (from the Alien Versus Predator universe).
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9. Armored Warriors
Armored Warriors was released on arcade in 1994. There are four playable characters; each piloting their own giant robot (commonly known in video games a mechs / mecha). The enemies are a mix of giant robots and infantry (which look small by comparison). The characters can attack (hand-to-hand combat), jump and shoot.
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10. The Punisher
The Punisher is based on the comic book of the same name, and was released on arcade in 1993 and the Sega Megadrive / Genesis in 1994. There are two playable characters. Most of the combat is hand-to-hand, but occasionally there are temporary phases where the characters pull out their guns.
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11. Knights of Valour (series)
The Knights of Valour games were released by Taiwanese company IGS. The first game was released in 1999 on arcade. The Knights of Valour games are loosely based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which was written in the 14th century and set in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries).
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12. Final Fight (series)
Final Fight was released on arcade in 1989 (and later on other platforms). Other games in the Final Fight series (which fit the criteria for this list) include Mighty Final Fight (on NES), and Final Fight 2, Final Fight 3 and Final Fight Guy (released on SNES).
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13. The Simpsons
The Simpsons was released in 1991 on arcade (and a variety of other platforms). It was a game for up to four players, and had four playable characters (Homer, Marge, Bart and Lisa).
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14. Asterix
Asterix was released on arcade in 1992, and is based on the French comic book series of the same name. There are two playable characters (Asterix and Obelix).
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15. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Turtles in Time, were released on arcade in 1989 and 1991 respectively. Both games are for up to four players, and have four playable characters (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michaelangelo).
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16. Cadillacs & Dinosaurs
Cadillacs & Dinosaurs was released on arcade in 1993, and is based on the sci-fi comic book of the same name (which was also known as Xenozoic Tales). There are four playable characters. The enemies are a mix of humans, dinosaurs and reptilian creatures. The characters can pick up various short-range and long-range weapons throughout the game.
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17. X-Men
X-Men was released on arcade in 1992. There are six playable characters: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Night Crawler, and Dazzler.
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18. Tenchi o Kurau (series)
Tenchi o Kurau 1 and 2 (also known as Dynasty Wars and Warriors of Fate respectively), were released on arcade in 1989 and 1992 respectively. The games are loosely based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (which was written in the 14th century and set in China during the 2nd and 3rd centuries).
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19. Ninja Baseball Bat Man
Ninja Baseball Bat Man was released on arcade in 1993.
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20. Battletoads (series)
Battletoads games were released on a variety of platforms. There were also Battletoads / Double Dragon cross-over games.
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21. Alien Storm
Alien Storm was available on a variety of formats. Some versions had three playable characters to choose from (two human characters and a robot), while the Sega Master System version had just two. In between levels was a first person shooter (without character movement) bonus stage.
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22. 64th Street: A Detective Story
64th Street: A Detective Story was released on arcade in 1991, and is set in 1930s USA.
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23. Arabian Fight
An arcade game with four playable characters and an Arabian fantasy/historic setting.
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24. Arabian Magic
An arcade game with four playable characters and an Arabian fantasy/historic setting.
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25. Nekketsu Oyako
Nekketsu Oyako was released on the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn in 1994 and 1995 respectively. It only had a Japanese release.
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26. Mutation Nation
Mutation Nation was released on arcade and the NeoGeo in 1992.
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27. Ninja Combat
Ninja Combat was released on arcade and the NeoGeo in 1990 and 1991 respectively.
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28. Burning Fight
Burning Fight was released on arcade and the NeoGeo in 1991. |
29. DJ Boy
DJ Boy was released on arcade and the Sega Megadrive / Genesis in 1989 and 1990 respectively.
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30. Cyborg Justice
Cyborg Justice was released on the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis in 1993. The player controls a customisable cyborg.
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31. River City Ransom (series)
River City Ransom was released on the NES in 1990. River City Ransom EX (a remake of River City Ransom) was released on the Gameboy Advance in 2004. Shodai Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun (a sequel to River City Ransom) was released on the SNES in 1992 (but only in Japan). The River City Ransom games combine side-scrolling fighting with action RPG elements.
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32. Knights of the Round
Knights of the Round was released on arcade in 1992 (and later on other formats). It is a side-scrolling fighting game with an RPG veneer. |
33. Yuu Yuu Hakusho
Yuu Yuu Hakusho is a side-scrolling fighting game (released exclusively for the Sega Game Gear) and is based on the manga and anime series of the same name. There are four playable characters, each with their own set of stats for speed, jump, defence, regular attack, and special attack.
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34. Dragon's Crown
Dragon's Crown is a hybrid swords-and-sorcery RPG 2D beat-em-up released on the PS3 and PS Vita in 2013. There are six playable characters: fighter, amazon, wizard, elf, dwarf, and sorceress. The game's story is set primarily in the Kingdom of Hydeland, in the same fantasy world of the games GrimGrimoire and Odin Sphere. |
35. The Combatribes
In The Combatribes, each player controls one of three characters: one is strong, one is fast, and the other has balanced strength and speed. In each of the games 'Acts', they fight a different gang. The final stage has the characters fighting against all of the previous gangs while chasing a big crime boss.
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36. Riot City / Riot Zone
In Riot City (released in 1991) there are two playable characters: a strong but slow character, and a more balanced character (who looks and moves a lot like Axel from Streets of Rage). Riot Zone (released in 1992) is almost identical to Riot City, but was altered to get around licencing issues. Riot Zone is known in Japan as 'Okami-teki Monsho - Crest of Wolf'.
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37. Captain America and The Avengers
In Captain America and The Avengers, there are four playable (Marvel) characters: Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye, and the Vision. Each character can fight hand-to-hand, throw items, and use a ranged special attack. Other Avengers, such as Wasp, Quicksilver, Wonder Man, and Namor the Sub-Mariner, provide temporary assistance when special power-ups are collected.
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38. Undercover Cops
Undercover Cops has three playable characters, each with superhuman strength. The characters can pick up and swing (or throw) objects, including large objects such as steel girders and car wrecks. Enemies can also be picked up and thrown.
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39. Sonic Blast Man
Unlike the arcade version, The SNES version of Sonic Blast Man is a side-scrolling beat 'em up. The game is only for one player, and there is only one playable character. Sonic Blast Man can punch, jump, grab his enemies, and use a special attack that knocks any enemy nearby (but it dizzies him temporarily).
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40. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie is the title of four different video games, released for the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Nintendo Game Boy and Sega Game Gear (The Genesis version is a side-scrolling beat 'em up that belongs in this list but the others aren't).
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41. Dancing Sword: Senkou
Dancing Sword: Senkou is a game for the Gameboy Advance, that was only released in Japan. It has anime styled graphics, and all of its five playable characters are female. Each character is armed with a short-range weapon, and has three elemental moves (ice, fire, and lightning).
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42. Battle Circuit
Battle Circuit was released on arcade in 1997. Graphically, the game has cartoonish characters and has a futuristic sci-fi setting. There are five playable characters: A cyborg bounty hunter, a stretchy bounty hunter, a fashion model accompanied by her pet fox, a pink ostrich, and an alien that resembles a large venus flytrap. During a level, the characters can pick up coins which can be spent at the end of the level on upgrading abilities.
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43. PuLiRuLa
PuLiRuLa (Pu-Li-Ru-La) was released on arcade in 1991, and on other platforms years later. It only had Japanese releases. There are two playable characters (a girl and a boy) who each wield a magic staff. When enemies are defeated, they turn into animals and then run off the screen.
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44. The Death and Return of Superman
The Death and Return of Superman is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released for the SNES and Sega Genesis. Rather than selecting a character to play, the player would use all of the playable characters at some point during the game. The playable characters are: Superman, Superboy, Steel, Cyborg, and Eradicator. Each Superman has the ability to fly.
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45. Crime Fighters (series)
Crime Fighters is a trilogy of beat 'em ups from Konami, that were released on arcade. The first game, Crime Fighters, was released in 1989. The second game, Vendetta, was released in 1991. Violent Storm is the third, and was released in 1993.
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46. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game is based on the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels, tying in with the release of the film of the same name. It was released on PSN (PlayStation Network) and XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade), in 2010.
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47. Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a 2D beat 'em up for up to four players. It was released initially for the Xbox 360 in 2008, and was later released on other platforms. The players control little cartoon knights with large helmets. The gameplay incorporates some RPG elements such as experience points and buying equipment/items with the coins dropped by enemies.
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48. Guardians of the 'Hood
Guardians of the 'Hood was released in 1992 on arcade. It allowed up to three players simultaneously, and had four playable characters. The characters were created using digitised sprites based on filmed actors (as opposed to drawn graphics), much like the early Mortal Kombat games.
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49. Mug Smashers
Mug Smashers was released on arcade in 1990. The playable character can pick up weapons (including guns), pick up and throw objects (such as fire hydrants) and enemies, and has some special moves.
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50. Big Fight: Big Trouble in the Atlantic Ocean
Big Fight: Big Trouble in the Atlantic Ocean was released on arcade in 1992. Initially there are three playable characters (fast, balanced, strong), and later, some of the defeated bosses will join as playable characters. At the end of a level, the player has a choice on what route to take.
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51. Oriental Legend (series)
Oriental Legend 1 and 2 are arcade games from IGS (Taiwan), that were released in 1997 and 2007 respectively. The first game has five playable characters, and the second has ten. The games have a theme of Chinese myths and legends.
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52. The King of Dragons
The King of Dragons is a swords-and-sorcery hack and slash game, that was released on arcade in 1991, and on SNES in 1994. There are five playable characters: fighter, dwarf, elf, cleric and wizard. The characters level-up when they get enough points (by killing enemies and picking up gold), and their two pieces of equipment (e.g. the fighter's sword and shield) also levels-up.
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53. Night Slashers
Night Slashers is a monster hunter horror themed side-scrolling fighting game that was released on arcade in 1993. It is a game for up to three players, and there are three playable characters (fast, balanced, and strong).
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54. Dark Judgement
Dark Judgement (Eodum-ui simpan) is a side-scrolling fighting game with anime style graphics, from 1997, released for Windows (and possibly other platforms). There are three playable characters. The characters are storming a military base, and fight mostly soldiers.
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55. Legionnaire
Legionnaire was released on arcade in 1992. It has three playable characters, who go around fighting street thugs.
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56. Splatterhouse 3
Splatterhouse 3 was released for the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) in 1993. Unlike the previous games in the series (which were 2D platformers), Splatterhouse 3 also allows the playable character to walk up and down. It has a horror theme, and the only playable character wears a hockey mask.
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57. Metamorphic Force
Metamorphic Force was released on arcade in 1993. There are four playable human characters that can transform into an anthropomorphic beast (there is a werewolf, werepanther, werebear, and minotaur). The characters transform into these werebeasts when they pick up a statue item. If they pick up the statue item after they have transformed, it causes them to do a powerful attack, destroying all enemies currently on the screen.
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58. Silent Dragon
Silent Dragon was released on arcade in 1992. It has four playable characters.
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59. Shadow Force
Shadow Force was released on arcade in 1992. There are four playable characters. The playable characters and many of the enemies wield short range weapons (such as swords), despite the futuristic setting. One of the things that makes this game stand out from others in this genre, is the ability to jump into an enemy's body and take control of it.
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60. The Crystal of the Kings
The Crystal of the Kings is a swords-and-sorcery hack and slash game released on arcade in 2001. It has four playable characters, each versed in a particular element (earth, flame, lightning, and light). Many things can be destroyed/killed in the game, and not just the enemy monsters. Destroying/killing in an evil way can result in more items being dropped, but it would reduce the player's final score for that stage. There are fairies that hover beside the character for a while, that help (and sometimes hinder) the character. Unlike most beat 'em ups, the graphics for the characters are 3D rather than 2D.
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61. Legend
Legend was originally released on SNES in 1994. It has a swords and sorcery theme. Urns can be collected, and expended to cast magic spells (in a similar way to Golden Axe). Keys can be collected to unlock treasure chests.
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62. Growl
Growl (aka Runark) was released on arcade in 1990, and the Sega Genesis in 1991. It is set in the early 20th century, and the four playable characters are trying to stop poachers from wiping out endangered species. Each playable character has three stats: attack, jump and life. Two of the characters have the same attack and life stats, but different jump stats (high jumping isn't necessarily a good thing since it can make it more difficult to make aerial attacks).
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63. Denjin Makai (series)
Denjin Makai (aka Denjinmakai) was released on arcade in 1994, and ported to the Super Famicom (Japanese SNES) in 1995 (under the title Ghost Chaser Densei). Both releases were Japanese only. The game is set in the year 2079, and has six playable characters (including humans, aliens and a robot). The SNES version only had three playable characters (with the other three being made into bosses). The sequel, Guardians (aka Denjinmakai II) was released on arcade in 1995. Guardians had eight playable characters. In both games, pressing the attack button repeatedly when attacking enemies will cause the player character to perform a combo, with the final blow of the combo changed into a throw if the player moves the joystick in the opposite direction just before landing it.
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64. Spider-Man and Venom (series)
Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage was released for SNES and Sega Genesis in 1994. In 1995, it was followed up by a sequel: Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety.
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65. Eojjeonji Joheun Il-i Saenggil Geot Gateun Jeonyeok
Eojjeonji Joheun Il-i Saenggil Geot Gateun Jeonyeok is a 1997 Korean PC game based on the manhwa (Korean manga) of the same name (the English title for the manhwa is Lights Out). The manhwa is about a violent transfer student, whose life is changed after meeting the granddaughter of an inn owner.
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66. Cutthroat Island
Cutthroat Island was released in 1995 for the SNES and Sega Genesis, and is a pirate themed beat 'em up based on the film of the same title.
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67. Sailor Moon (series)
Some (but not all) of the Sailor Moon video games were side scrolling beat 'em ups. The ones that were include: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon (for Super Famicom / SNES and Sega Genesis, released in 1993 and 1994), Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R (for Super Famicom / SNES, released in 1993), and Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon (released on arcade in 1995).
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68. Gurume Sentai Barayaro
Gurume Sentai Barayaro (aka Gourmet Sentai Barayaro, or Rose Rascals: Gourmet Squadron) was released in Japan in 1995 for the Super Famicom. It is for up to two players, and has three playable characters. It has a futuristic setting. The defeated enemies drop food items. Between levels, the food items can be given to a robot chef to create a meal for each character (which restores some of their health).
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69. Rushing Beat (series)
Rushing Beat is a trilogy of beat 'em ups for the Super Famicom / SNES. One of the notable features of the series is the angry mode, where after taking enough damage, the character becomes temporarily invincible and has more powerful throws. In the third game, there are branching story paths and several different endings. The game titles (and years of release) in Japan were: Rushing Beat (1992), Rushing Beat Ran - Fukusei Toshi (1992), and Rushing Beat Shura (1993). The American titles (and release years) were: Rival Turf! (1992), Brawl Brothers (1993), and The Peace Keepers (1994).
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70. Captain Commando
Captain Commando was released originally on arcade in 1991, and was later ported to other platforms. It has a futuristic setting and four playable characters: A ninja, a mummy, a baby genius with a robot suit, and Captain Commando (the group leader). Various weapons can be picked up, and there are also three different kinds of ride-on robot vehicles (a punching robot, a flame-throwing robot, and a freezing robot).
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71. Tough Turf
Tough Turf was a side scrolling beat 'em up released on arcade in 1988.
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72. P.O.W.: Prisoners of War
P.O.W.: Prisoners of War was released on arcade in 1988 and on NES in 1989. The player controls a POW who is escaping from captivity. |
73. Road of the Sword
Road of the Sword (also known as The Gladiator) is an arcade game from Taiwanese company IGS, released in 2003. |
