Monday, November 30, 2015

My Top 5 Capcom Beat'em Ups


 For some reason i just feel like to write down the topic about this, Capcom in early 90s made lots of quality Arcade Games but i remembered them most for their Beat'em ups. They made lots of Quality titles on this genre which establish themselves as one of the dominant Game Devs at that time. This is my top 5 favorite beat'em ups out of dozens of choice based on my personal choice which is definitely subjective so you does not need to agree with my list.

5.Cadillacs and Dinosaurs




























Where to begin with with this title? I think Cadillacs and Dinosaurs is one of the earlier successful example of Capcom using Western IPs and make amazing game out of it. Beating Raptors and some goons with your fist does bring some satisfaction. My favorite guy in this game is Mustapha which simply the coolest guy in the game able to rider kick those wastelanders across the screen. For its Dinosaurs gimmicks Cadillacs and Dinosaurs made it to the 5th of my list. Would have been higher on the list if the game got more Dinosaurs eating people like Jurassic Park

4.Knights of the Round




























Loosely based on Arthurian Legends, Knights of the Round puts you on the shoes of King Arthur and 2 of his knights on the quest of slaying medieval baddies including a samurai. This game made to the 4th of my list because it got really cool features where your character got cosmetic upgrades as they level up(including hair loss too) giving some sense of progression. For its time i think Knights of the round was quite ahead among its peers. Also Lancelot looks so fabulous with that long flowing blonde hair of his

3.Warriors of Fate





























One of the more brutal Capcom beat em ups in my experience since you will constantly face hordes
of pesky enemies through the game just like what you would expect from war in Ancient China. Loosely based on 3 Kingdoms you are playing as one of Liu Bei's the 5 Tiger Generals with different 
skills. Warriors of Fate is really intense game and you get to see dismemberment everywhere. I think this game begins the trend where Zhao Yun is a bishie and i remember the game quite popular on China too considering there was a movie with the Zhao Yun cameo on it. I really still wonder what cause the western release did very stupid decision of renaming all the characters to some Mongolian names which was really out of context.

2. Aliens vs Predators
































Out of all the Arcade titles i think Alien Vs Predators is easily fan's favorite and Capcom definitely delivers since this one their most well known use of Western IPs. Frankly speaking i admit Aliens franchise doesn't have much good games and for sure Aliens vs Predators really looks like an oasis in the middle of barren desert for the fans.

For me Aliens Vs Predators is one of the most balanced Beat'em ups out there, a testament of Capcom's years of experience in the field creating really fun experience. The most memorable part of this game is Linn Kurosawa which is one the badass heroine which sadly didn't get an opportunity to show up more due to IP issue. Despite Linn is the weakest in terms of raw power her combos are just awesome and killed lots Xenomorphs with her. I hope someday we got to see the game available legally again

1. Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow Over Mystara




























Hands down to the best Beat'em ups Capcom ever made, Shadow over Mystara. This game probably one of the reason for me keep going back to MAME from time to time. Just like AVP, Shadow over Mystara is the culmination of Capcom's experience in the field and outdone its prequel manyfolds. One of the reason why this game holds the top position of my list is its re-playability value considering its tons of secrets and tricks which was uncommon for its kind at the time. For an arcade beat'em ups, the RPG elements in Shadow over Mystara are just well done as each playable characters got distinct playstyles with them from Sword Wielding Fighter to Glass Cannon Magic User. Good thing Capcom re-released the game on consoles recently which i got mine on Steam, though it is rather sad that i can't find anyone to play with online. I also recall Dragon Crown got some homage to Shadow over Mystara as one of the Dragon Crown lead staff used to work on the game too.


So these are my top 5 Capcom Beat'em up games, do you agree with my list? These title i think represent the best experience of Capcom could offer during that time. Fortunately some of these titles are available on consoles through the re-releases which are easily accessed with PSP though some unfortunately weren't available due to license issues but since Shadow over Mystara able to make it i think other should have a chance too. I have covered some titles in the list in full review before which i will list at the bottom and perhaps in the future i will cover the rest of the list as well. Also i think i will make a list for Top 5 Non Capcom beat'em up sometime later.

So what's your top 5 Capcom's beat em up or your most favorite one

Detailed coverage of the Beat'em up titles

2 comments:

  1. I love to play 'Warrior of Fate' in the arcade in the past and I thrilled to get the PS 2 version some years back. It will be cool to see a revive 'Dungeons and Dragons'. My kiddos were happily playing 'Golden Axe' the other day when I bought the SEGA collections for PS3 ^_^

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  2. The DnD beat em up game got revived few years ago called Chronicles of Mystara and they are available on PS3 too.

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