Looking for a beat em up

I can vaguely remember playing Tekken (3 perhaps) on my PS1 over a decade ago. I remember I was not very good at it.

Since then nothing.

Now I can't afford a next-gen, so I'm looking to expand my gaming tastes.

So could someone recommend a beginner-friendly beat em up,please?

I don't really care whether it's old-skool 2D or new shiny 3D. Also, I don't mind having to learn!

All suggestions appreciated. 

beat-em-up or fighting game?
for beat-em-up, i'd suggest god of war, x-men legends 1 and 2, justice league, lotr the two towers and god hand

for fighting games... soul calibur 2 is quite great 

^ I agree with shiram.
God of war is an excellent beat em' up.

But I suggest DOA2: Hardcore if you want a fighting game.

Sorry, I should have said fighting game (I've always called them beat em ups, but I see the difference).

GG, DOA are pretty old aren't they? I'll have to check out the preowned games in my local stores.

Naw, DOA has fresh graphics, new games, and wonderful gameplay.

Excellent graphics:D
Try out DOA, it's crazy fun.

Naw, DOA has fresh graphics, new games, and wonderful gameplay.

Excellent graphics:D
Try out DOA, it's crazy fun.

Hinata237

Agreed. DOA2 was my first exposure to the series and it almost instantly became my favorite fighting series. DOA4 has been one of the main reasons I bought a 360, but DOA2 still holds up very well. What's nice is that while you can button mash, the combat engine is very flexible, allowing you to learn a more tactical, aggressive approach as you improve. That's probably the biggest difference when compared to something like Tekken, which i've always found to be slower and more methodical - DOA is very, very fast and forces you to adapt quickly.

* On a side-note, I tried to write "skill" instead of "approach" and it came up **** out. Using quotes doesn't cause this, so why block out such a rudimentary word?

^ See, two people that love DOA8)

Try it out, you won't regret it.

the warriors or god hand

the red star.

it just came out, and didnt have much hype, but got an 8.1 review here (today actually) and looks great.

plus, its only 20 buck brand new bc it was supposed to come out in 2004 but its original publisher, Acclaim, went bankrupt.

i dont have it yet, but its at the top of my list of games to buy