Ah yes. The Beat-em-up. Simply one of my most favorite of genres from the 16-bit era, and the days when the arcade flourished. These simple yet often cathartic experiences are responsible for my interest in arcade collecting. Today, I share with you a taste of some lesser known, yet still fantastic games of the genre from my collection that you might have missed. I'll include pics here, in the hopes that they will entice you to discover these games for yourself!

Metamorphic Force,
Konami, 1993

My personal favorite arcade beat-em-up. Think Altered Beast meets Final Fight. You pick one of 4 characters, each of which can turn into their own beast: A Werewolf, Minotaur, Grizzly, and Panther. This game is based off a 4th generation of the TMNT engine, and is the most perfected in my opinion.










Undercover Cops
Irem, 1992

Here, you play as, interestingly enough, folks who at one point where distinguished individuals, not turned street sweepers! This game was developed by the theam that would later form Nazca, and make the Metal Slug games for SNK's Neo Geo.










Violent Storm
Konami, 1993

Based off a new game play engine than the other games developed by Konami, Violent Storm is indeed the beat-em-up that makes fun of beat-em-ups! Every standard here is laid out to be mocked, both in the visuals, enemies, and even music! Hugh character sprites to boot!








Demolish Fist
Dimps, 2003

The first game for the Sammy Atomiswave arcade architecture, Demolish Fist is a 2-D brawler with 3-D graphics. Lots of great technique, interesting characters, and detailed effects make this one a must play. Plus, it's a true Beat-em-up in the modern generation!








Knights of Valour
IGS, 1999

Yep, that's how you spell it! One of the first games on the IGS PGM hardware, KOV is a gigantic quarter muncher, with a ton of characters, and a playtime of 2 hrs 35 min! Brutal for an arcade game!






Sengoku 3
Noise Factory/SNK, 2001

While Sengoku 1 for the Neo-Geo was hardly a good game, and the second up to debate by many (I dig it), 3 goes often un-spoken. Great character animation, music, and a slick combo system make this the best beat-em-up on the Neo.








Ninja Gaiden
Techmo, 1988

Ask almost anyone if they played the original Ninja Gaiden, and the will say: "Yeah, the NES one is great!" Indeed, it is, but it's not the original. One thing that set Ninja Gaiden apart from other games in the genre, was the ability to jump over and throw enemies, grab, swing, and attack off various objects, and do wall-jumps. Many of the joysticks on this machine had a button on top of the joystick for grabbing and throwing baddies.








Asterix
Konami, 1992

Based off the popular French comic, and released mostly only in Europe, Asterix is another Konami game based off a refined TMNT engine. The graphics represent the comic perfectly, with a good deal of humor to boot!










Well, I hope you enjoyed this look at some great brawlers that may have escaped you. Too bad none of these, save for Sengoku 3 and UC Cops, ever made it to the home. This was often the case with the Konami beat-em-ups, as well as other developers like Taito, Capcom, and Techmo. Still, many of these can be found at arcade auctions, E-Bay, and private sales. Some go for a bit of change, some not, but feel free to ask if you have any inquires!

Cheers!

Here comes another one. Do you import games, systems or accessories? If you don't, what would it take to make you import?

Me? I import almost exclusively. About 98% of my collection is Japanese, with a few US games here and there. This is how I go the name "Elitist gamer" from my friends.

Anyway, onto you!

Like it says folks: Do you have an HD set-up, and if not, are you or are you not planning on purchasing one in the future?

OK fine folks (at least some of you anyway), here is part two of Duo games you must play. I'm sure you couldn't wait.:roll:

Soldier Blade: Great, great vertical shooter from Hudson, plus the music kicks. It's on a Hu Card, and goes for about $50 used.

Shadow of the Beast: Either you love it, or hate it. If you love the Amiga original, than this is the best console version. Nice music and groovy cinemas. Super CD, and goes for about 10 bucks. Not for everyone.

Final Soldier: Another great Hudson HuCard vertical shooter. Again, great music. Goes for about $20. If you are deciding between this or Soldier Blade, get Soldier Blade, but this is very worthy.

Macross 2036: Another Great shooter by Masya, and one of the best Macross games out there. Fun Horizontal levels, music right from the show, and great cinemas are worth the $80 and up price tag for this Super CD title.

Kaze Kiri: Ninja Action: Very cool action game with inspiration from Shinobi. Simple, but enjoyable. It's a Super CD, and sometimes goes for over $100. Not worth the price, but worth a play.

Fiend Hunter: Dig Prince of Persia? Then this is for you. Nice cinemas, good music, and a long quest on this Super CD goes for a bout $20-40.

Y's 3: Forget what the haters say: this is a solid Y's game with a fun drama arc, and great music. CD2, goes for $10-20.

Ninja Spirit: One of the best action platformers for the system. Think Shinobi meets a bit of Ninja Gaiden. Great fun, and only about $20 for this Hu Card.

OK, that's it for now! Laters.....

So, you haven't played a PC Engine-Duo before (AKA Turbo Duo in the US), and you want to see what all this talk is about. First thing to do is ask yourself why, why, WHY you have yet to experience this system, and then go about doing it. E-Bay is a great way to go, but if you buy a US system, you will need a converter to play the Japanese Hu-Card games, while the CDs are region-free. There are a multitude of hybrid systems, like the PC Engine plus CD plus super system card, but best for now is to go for the Duo itself, as it will be the best way to enter this glorious system.

Some games you simply need, part #1:

Winds (Lords) of Thunder (Super CD)

Lets put it this way: Best-Shooter-Period. Not to mention one of the finest games to grace the system. The Duo is known for it's shooters, and this is the grand-daddy of then. Plus, it's easy to find, and cheap at around $20. See my review for more info.

Akumajo: Dracula X, Rondo No Chi (Super CD)

My oh my, so much to say here. Called by many as the greatest Castlevania game ever made (and hard to argue against), you simply need to experience this game to understand what everyone is talking about. Great music, perfect control, detailed animation, sweet bosses and branching levels make this a treasure to own. Not on the cheap, expect to shell out $150-200 for a mint used copy.

Cho Aniki (Super CD)

Forget all the "what-say" about the Homo-erotic textures and "Special Love" the game presents, Cho Aniki is a unique shooter surrounded by some very, very bizarre art direction. Underneath it all, is a fantastic shooter by Masya, who later became Psikyo. You can nab it for about $50-80 used. Plus, you can throw it in when your homophobic friends are around to give them a good scare.

Dungeon Explorer 2 (Super CD)

Think Gauntlet on horse steroids plus Zelda, and you have Dudgeon Explorer 2. Great music, and a host of interesting persona's to play as make several run-troughs a must. You can find it for around $50 Japanese, and $80-100 for a US version.

Gunhed (AKA Blazing Lazers) (Hu Card)

A fantastic vertical shooter by Compile, and one of the first US releases, this game still stands the test of time. US version can be nabbed for about $20, while the Japanese version, Gunhed, goes for $50-80.

Y's Book 1 and 2 (CD)

On of the first console CD games, and packed with the US Duo, this action RPG is loved by many. Great music by Yuzo Koshiro, and a rather long quest make this a must. Very cheap at about $15.

OK, more later folks.........

Whenever new hardware is on the horizon, I like to take a look at what games interest me, then do a comparison. This helps decide how I should allocate my spending money, and decide what to get first. So, in the light of TGS, here I go:

PS3

Devil May Cry 4: The game I am most anticipating

Genji 2: Loved the first.

Heavenly Sword: Beautiful.

Ridge Racer 7: Digital Crack.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma: "I will have my revenge".

Lair: The closest thing to a Panzer Dragoon fix I'll get.

Warhawk: Looks to fun to pass up.


Wii

Heroes: Suda 51. Nuff said.


XBOX 360

Alien Hominid: One of my fave PS2 games, in HD!

Castle Crashers: More Behemoth Goodness!


Needless to say, a great deal of what I am after will be PS3 bound. I already have a 360, and currently have no intention on purchasing a Wii. All I know is come PS3 launch, I'll be hopelessly enthralled in RR7 and Genji while I wait for the rest.

Man, I'm going to be eating A LOT of Ramen.

Yep, that's all I have to say.

Back to the games.

Lego Star Wars 2, perhaps the finest game on the XBOX 360, is now a problem. I am on my second copy, and the game will not stop freezing on Return of the Jedi, chapter 2. Same place, never fails (right after you enter the barge). I got to the next room once, but then it froze. No, my system is fine. This is just pure crap. I fear that the age of computers has met the console world: let the public play test your buggy game, then release patches.

Unacceptable.

My $50 is for a finished game, and if I am a play-tester, I expect a check for my hours spent as one. I also understand that this is not the only level that does this. I hear beating the Death Star 2 is a random affair that's about 50-50%. I think the idea to fix a problem with a game that may arise is great, but the game that ships needs to be complete, 100% across every copy.

This is just bad, bad, bad Mojo.

I, do not dig it.:evil:

Today, something very special happened. Yes, Voltron has arrived on DVD, and my oh my is it good.

Let me explain: Voltron to a kid, is greater than sex to an adult. No, really. If you could compare the energy of a hyper-active boy, fiercely adjusting the rabbit-ears in an attempt to tune in channel 44 on the VHF stations for Voltron, to a mature males desire to pro-create in any beastly fashion, the kid would win, no competition. It's like comparing a chainsaw to an olive fork, or a cap-gun to a scud-missile launcher. Same goes for Ninjas, but that's a different story.

Needless to say, I'm back to 8 years old right now. Earlier today I was helping to shape the world's next music majors in intellectual college education as their teacher, and tonight I'm giggling with insane glee at my HDTV like a school boy high on cookies and pop.......entranced by that wonderful blazing sword!!!!!

Form VOLTRON!!!!!

Dig it in the reviews section!

Still having spacing issues. Also, keep in mind that this review is from a fan of this old-school genre, so if you hate beat-em-up games, don't bother.

If you do, then by all means, BOTHER!!!!