Great list! No beat 'em up can ever top Streets of Rage II. Here is my list: 1. Streets of Rage II 2. Streets of Rage 3. Streets of Rage III 4. Golden Axe II 5. Water Margin 6. TMNT 7. Golden Axe 8. Golden Axe III 9. Battletoads 10. Alien Storm 11. 2 Crude Dudes 12. Battletoads vs. Double Dragon 13. Comix Zone 14. Sailor Moon 15. Splatterhouse 2 16. Mazin Saga 17. Yang Jiang Yang 18. Altered Beast 19. DJ Boy 20. Double Dragon
Out of that list I'd pick Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe, Golden Axe 2, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Splatterhouse 3, and Alien Storm. I know that it is not typical but I like the original Streets of Rage the best in the series because of the enemy patterns, the flow, and the music. SOR2 is also top-shelf of course.
I actually enjoyed SOR 3 a lot. I had a bootleg Bare Knuckle cart. So I got all the naughty bits. I thought having a bar build up for special moves was a 100x better than taking away from your energy bar. And true it’s no where near the jump, I thought the graphics were ever so slightly more detailed and interesting than 2. I kinda Wish Sega would have made a follow up of it on the same engine as Golden Axe return of Death Adder.
@@sloppynyuszi I consider the Bare Knuckle Project to be the go-to that resolves any SOR 3 shortcomings. It's frustrating when the people who make the decisions choose to re-calibrate a game for a different market and produce a lesser version of it.
You really need to give Golden Axe III another chance. Use the defense move and you will enjoy it more. Great music, great gameplay, multiple endings and paths, secret characters, the graphics are ok in the backgrounds but the characters have great detail and good animations, for me is the best in the mega drive trilogy. My top 3: 1 - Streets of Rage 3 2 - Golden Axe III 3 - TMHT The Hyperstone Heist
Wow I cannot put sr3 over 1 or 2 I don’t know it just rubs me the wrong way every single time I try from then to now. Sega just overdid too much .’ Auto combo , difficulty, uninteresting player characters . 🤦🏾♂️
Mmm, Golden Axe III is not bad. I don't think it holds a candle to Golden Axe II, but it's better than the first one, and definitely better than Alien Storm, so it seems an odd omission from a top 20 list. Top 10 I don't think it is, though.
I always appreciated how the splatterhouse sequels were genesis exclusive games. They probably weren’t as popular as the first game but they were good worthy sequels in my opinion
@@TheToyBoy1978 I’m not sure if you’re being serious or not when I said genesis exclusive I meant exclusive to the console itself whether you want to refer it as the sega genesis or sega mega drive.
@@RetroGamerBoy wow that realy? would be great, do you know if some adjustments / final polish will be made? If yes it would be a great release and something i would be looking 4. Mainly on slowdown in snowstage and genral balancing.. then it could be another great beat em up. But current version is realy great if you get past the slowmo stage
Other than the downgraded magic system I don’t understand why people don’t like Golden Axe 3. It was my favorite game for the Megadrive for quite some time.
The simplified background art doesn't help, especially for a 1993/1995 release. People just really wanted Revenge of Death Adder, yet we got GAIII instead, and that's a pretty massive step down.
While that is indeed an excellent game, I understand why it's not mentioned here. Its gameplay is a mix of beat 'em up with run-n-gun, with full shmup levels thrown in for good measure, so it's hard to categorize. It's still one of my favorites of the console and I'm glad I still have my copy here.
Power rangers game was totally helped by the fact the music was actually from the show. None of the series games were that good definitely helped with the presentation.
Love me some Splatterhouse--just watch for those chandeliers, right? Mazin Wars is one I feel is finally getting some notice these days. Golden Axe is amazing--Lady Laci loved this simply for the fact that as a kid she was able to play as a girl in a game. I had a feeling we'd see Comix Zone here--why do we not have a NEW version of this? I always really liked the Japanese Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon--I enjoyed the anime just fine and this is a fun beat-em-up.
@@RetroGamerBoy lol--in all seriousness though, it's a prime example of why possibly some girls gave up on gaming--the fact that strong female leads were fewer and further between games back in the day.
Megadrive has some really good games, and Streets of Rage is undoubtedly one of its best. Yet as far as beat'em ups go - i'll faithfully stay with the arcades. Hawk, Blood, Boomer and Sledge - as VanDammage, Mr-T, Hulkster and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) - are irreplaceable.
Have to guess: 1 - Streets of Rage 2 2 - Splatterhouse 2 3 - its clearly altered beast you friggin love altered beast Nah, maybe Strider if you count that? If not I'm gonna go with The Punisher port. Underrated in my opinion.
@@RetroGamerBoy haha! I wish I could've seen the level of feathers ruffled if you had've. You're more a Splatterhouse 3 guy huh? It's a very close call for me but my heart just wont let 2 go. The game design for 3 is absolutely stunning, though. The only game that really makes me want an NTSC console.
Ahhh. I’m still waiting on my Paprium copy too. Bought it while they did that second order when the initial preorders where full filled. Along with the anniversary genesis release of the EPG they also did.
@@RetroGamerBoy *is* cool. Well, I played it for a long time but found it difficult to bother getting to the end because there is only two backgrounds (rocky landscape and inside a spaceship) and it gets really hard.
Just starting the video, here are my guesses. Streets of Rage 1, 2, 3 Punisher TMNT Avengers Splatterhouse 3 Golden Axe 2 Battletoads Comix Zone (not sure if that ones counts because it's a 2D side scroller style) and honestly that's all I can even think of other then Battletoads/Double Dragon, and the other two Golden Axe games.
Streets of Rage 2 is always a safe guess. And SoR 3 was so terribly messed up for the West. Back then I was really disappointed, I learned years later about the changes made. The lapanese Version is much better. And today I love the Soundtrack. It was merelyl five years too early in my opinion.
I also only found out about the Japanese version years later. Some of the changes between the western and Japanese version are just bizarre, like changing Axel's clothes.
Darn! Right games but wrong order. Really fun list Mike. For me I didn’t get Paprium so it’s not on my list and I have an irrational like of Alien Storm and that takes my number 3 spot. I know the nostalgia glasses are thick but every time I that game on I’m always locked in to play all my credits.
I remember being furious Final Fight was going as a SNES exclusive. And then along came SOR and I didn't care one jot. Have always hated Double Dragon - just too hard. Kudos for including Mazin Saga/Wars. Great game.
Really fun video Mike. I have two quick questions. Do you not enjoy the Death and Return of Superman? Or just that you enjoy the other games listed more than Superman? Just curious. Second, can we hope for some more lists like this? Top 20 shooters or run and gun maybe?
I thought about adding Superman, but I also wanted a list that was a little more diverse. I'm going to do a few more of these through the year, they are not super popular videos but I enjoy them.
@@RetroGamerBoy I suppose the best games lists are everywhere but I enjoy them. There are so many awesome Mega Drive Genesis games and I enjoy any excuse to chat about them.
I guessed your #1. Paprium at #2? I should have seen that coming due to your vid pic. I didn’t include Paprium on my top beat ‘em ups because it came after the Genesis/MD was discontinued but it’s an incredible game & cost me a good chunk of change. My top 3 are (1) SOR2. (2) BattleToads & Double Dragon. (3) TMNT Hyperstone Heist. The Punisher gets a lot of flack vs Arcade but it’s still a solid play thru and only available on Genesis/MD
Turtles is good but the original streets of rage is a better game for sure, I actually think I prefer sor1 over 2. My one gripe with Sor2 is that it feels like it drags on a little which is probably due to the characters feeling like they move a little slower than the first game and I think the first game has a nicer atmosphere like stage 2 with the posters rustling in the breeze whilst your on deserted streets or the cool boat level with the parallax scrolling and the city lights in the background.
Some amazing games here on this list. I am also surprised that this is the first time I ever hear about Paprium. Also, I feel like I'm the only person in the world who likes the original Streets of Rage way more than the second one.
@@RetroGamerBoyI agree with you. I used to prefer the first by a lot, but spending an unhealthy amount of time with the Game Gear version of 2 (in 2020) taught me how to engage with the 16-bit upgrade. And now it's ruined the Double Dragon and Final Fight my nostalgia swears actually existed.
Hhhahaa beautiful list. SOR2 is most likely everyone's number 1, I will bet! Outside of the Arcade, it's probably the best beat'em up of any console to this day- for me it's one of the deepest beat 'em up mechanics for any game- so many secret moves. I've listened to the soundtrack so much, it's ingrained in my soul. Yep... It's number 1
@@RetroGamerBoy that would be great. There were soooo many good ones that it was easy to miss them. I only recently stumbled on Captain America and that’s a really fun game and I have Growl and Mystical Fighter that I need to get back to and give some more play time.
There are a few games in here I wouldn't have included in a best of list (e.g. Mazin Saga and Battletoads), some of that ordering feels off (e.g. Comix Zone being so high, Alien Storm being so low), and there's one game I'm surprised didn't make it in considering some of what did (Mystical Fighter) and one I'm shocked wasn't near the top of the list, let alone didn't even get a mention (Mad Stalker, which for my money is right up alongside SoR2 as the best beat 'em ups on the platform). If I personally had to cobble a list together, keeping in mind I haven't played a few of these all that much, I'd have something more like this: 20) Splatterhouse 2 19) DJ Boy 18) Splatterhouse 3 17) Golden Axe 3 16) Growl 15) Mystic Fighters 14) Captain America & the Avengers 13) Comix Zone 12) Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon 11) Two Crude Dudes 10) Water Margin 09) Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie 08) Golden Axe 2 07) Alien Storm 06) Golden Axe 05) Streets of Rage 04) Bare Knuckle 3 (though put Streets of Rage 3 back around 9 or 10) 03) TMNT: Hyperstone Heist 02) Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth 01) Streets of Rage 2 Honestly I go back and forth on the number 3 and 4 slots and the number 1 and 2 slots, though SoR2 is tops most days. Also considering everything going on behind the scenes on Paprium, kinda disappointed that's even mentioned here.
Great video I totally agree with Streets of Rage 2 as the best beat em up a true classic and a great game to play today 👍great channel and a great collection mate.
Ok, I missed this episode. I’m doing the pause thing Streets of rage 2 has to be here, because it’s streets of rage 2 Golden axe 1 And, because I’m stumped, for a laugh, Cyborg Justice (cyborg Justice did have cool music though)
Great list! Not surprised you put SoR2 at #1, tbh I always preferred the soundtrack of SoR1, but 2 is still great. If you don't mind me asking, did you buy Paprium as part of the kickstarter, or the preorder that happened right after the game first shipped way back in Dec 2020?
For how much I enjoyed Streets of Rage 1 and 2, I could never get into 3 but I’m glad I saw some videos hyping the Japanese version Bare Knuckle 3 and I’m glad I picked that one up.
Golden Axe 2 and Golden Axe 3 deserve honorable mention... I agree with Paprium and definitely including Double Dragon despite it's egregious flaws... if only Sega headquarters in Japan had secured the licensing for conversions of Double Dragon and Double Dragon 2 so they would have been handled by Sega's internal teams in Japan and we might have had better than Golden Axe quality MegaDrive versions of Double Dragon and I tell you... word of mouth would have spread like wildfire and the game would have sold Genesisisisisisisisss and MegaDrives by the truck loads.
Great list my only issues with it is paprium shouldn’t be there, homebrew games don’t deserve to make any lists for any console and also golden axe 3 is good enough to be a top 20 beat em up.
Interesting take, for me I distigish betwwn homebrew and independant development. Indie dev are full fledge releases. No diffrent from when Codemasters as a small company decided to publish games on the Genesis without Sega.
I did not care for Double Dragon on the Genesis. The arcade game is one of my favorites of all time, but the Genesis port didn't feel right gameplay wise and the sound effects were pretty weak. Battletoads/Double Dragon should be included; or Growl (even though it lacks a 2p mode). Outside that, the list is pretty spot on.
My favorite game is Streets of Rage 2 so it's probably top of the list along with the news Turtles hyperstone Heist. I do enjoy Streets of Rage mods the Ninja Turtle one I have
It's a different ninja turtle mod Streets of Rage 2 they play in the style of the Ninja Turtles from the hyperstone against the original bad guys from Streets of Rage 2 it was before the other mod Shredder Revenge
Good list. My top 5 is: Streets of Rage 2, Streets of Rage 1, Golden Axe 3, Streets of Rage 3, Turtles: Hyperstone Heist. Do you really prefer something like Power Rangers The Movie to Golden Axe 3?
@@RetroGamerBoy The graphics are really disappointing and the audio is a step back too. But the gameplay is really great, varied and challenging. I prefer it to 1&2, but not to Revenge of Deathadder. Part 2 is my least favourite, mainly because of all the lame palette swaps into strange colours (even pink).
Well, i agree for the podium. Sor 2 is the best of all time beat'em'up ever! Great to see Parprium at second place, is really a great game too. Turtles in time, i need it in my collection for sure. I think u are wrong on Golden Axe 3, i loved it at the time, so much good memories about that time (school, girls and golden axe 3 + ex-ranza in a very great summer :-)), great gameplay, very good soundtrack and ....well, not exactly a great graphic for backgrounds but chars was good enough. Great video as usual
When it comes to the best 16bit brawler or any brawler, you can’t beat streets of Rage 2. It’s the perfect representation of the genre. But even though the Mega Drive has the best brawler ever, the SNES just has many more good brawlers. Batman Returns, Final Fight 2 and 3 (1st one isn’t THAT bad), the rushing beat series, Sonicblast man series, I like Wildcats, Super Double dragon, Battle Toads, Turtles in time, Captain Commando, and many more. Bit of a shame we didn’t get more of these types of games. With Hyperstone Heist and Streets of Rage, there wasn’t a technical reason we didn’t have more. :(
It probably came down to sales. The MD did well in Europe but translating and porting to the territory hit the profit bottom line and you really needed North America and Europe to make a profitable game on Sega's machine. Big profits that is.
@@RetroGamerBoy Sega Lord X did a great video of the uphill battle Sega had to do to get games on it’s system. Even taking on porting Capcom games themselves at the beginning. Personally I think the racing genre, sports games and platforming genre stacked up a lot better against the SNES. The beat em up genre is kinda low key similar to the RPGs. While Beyond Oasis and Phantasy star might be some of the best examples of the genre the SNES just had more quality RPGs.
I didn't even think about recent games. so my top 2 were right for "at the time" games at least. Great selections in your 20, I hope you get your Paprium soon.
Nice list, I agree, Streets of rage 2 is a monument. But in my opinion, Golden axe 3 is much better than Dj Boy or Captain America. Bizarre, you don't put in your list Golden axe 3.
I would have put Bare knuckle 3 on here instead of SOR3. The difficulty is better balanced, it isn't missing content via censorship, and the odd changes to character palettes isn't here. The original Bare Knuckle 3 is even better than SOR2 IMO, and was overlooked due to the bad changes made to the game for its western release.
Also it is worth mentioning the fan translated Bare Knuckle III rom... that alone regardless of using an SD Card Cartridge or a high quality reproduction ROM Cartridge is HIGHLY worth having and pushes Bare Knuckle III far above Streets of Rage 3... especially because it just makes more sense and even if we ignore one sub boss/playable character, the game is more logical and fun... remember that Sega of America's staff decided to also alter the level structure, not just censorship and crapping the story to nonsense while they also hyped up and sold us Eternal Champions... with that game's horrible torture porn fatalities and horrible gameplay mechanics... and I have both versions of that game because back then I was under the hype of SoA while noticing how they were screwing with many Japanese MegaDrive games not being translated too.
I was angry the Sega Europe chose to take the North American version rather than translate the Japanese release. Thanks for the tip on BK3 I had no idea it existed.
@@pounds1234 sounds like you having fun mate. I was not going to start it until later in the year but Tom is on holiday this week so I thought I'd kick the tires on it. It's a solo act with more fucus on talking about games with some gameplay in there. I'll try it out, it might be a bit shit😅
@@RetroGamerBoy ah brilliant can't wait !! Il defo find some signal to watch! And yes loads of fun, me and my girlfriend haven't killed each other yet... Yet..... Haha
Отличная подборка игр👍 Один из моих любимейших жанров, нет ничего лучше, чем смачно надавать затрещин рядовой шпане и их боссам😉 P.S. Но SoR 3, лично для меня, лучшая игра жанра.
I agree. It's amazing how much I still enjoy sor2 even after 30 years. It's the perfect beat em up.
It is a genius game. So we'll made.
Thanks for these recommendations! Really helpful!
No worries
Great list! No beat 'em up can ever top Streets of Rage II. Here is my list:
1. Streets of Rage II
2. Streets of Rage
3. Streets of Rage III
4. Golden Axe II
5. Water Margin
6. TMNT
7. Golden Axe
8. Golden Axe III
9. Battletoads
10. Alien Storm
11. 2 Crude Dudes
12. Battletoads vs. Double Dragon
13. Comix Zone
14. Sailor Moon
15. Splatterhouse 2
16. Mazin Saga
17. Yang Jiang Yang
18. Altered Beast
19. DJ Boy
20. Double Dragon
I love this list, some great games there.
You missed Splatterhouse 3
@@damin9913 Exactly!
So glad you feel the same about streets of rage 2 Mike it is and always will be the best beat them up of its generation.
I found that SoR one has tighter controls and higher speed and despite less moves, the gameplay as actually a bit more deep.
It's quite amazing what that game achieved on the Mega Drive
Totally agree with you about SOR2 being the best, hell IMO its still one of the best beat em ups ever made period!
Also agree about Comix Zone haha.
Yup, and I really enjoyed 4 as well. A great addition to the franchise.
@@RetroGamerBoy yeah 4 was a solid entry.
Looking forward to the new TMNT game 😃
Battletoads & Double Dragon : The Ultimate Team is well worth trying out, too!
I've still not added that one to the collection.
@@RetroGamerBoy limited run has pre-orders going for it right now actually. It's a special edition clear green cart.
@@RetroGamerBoy why not?
Another great video, thank you so much. I loved SOF2, I remember I can beat the game on Mania difficulty with Axl without losing a single life 😅
I’m not that good at the game but love kicking ass and dominating with Axel’s grand papa uppercut!
Wow that's impressive.
@@RetroGamerBoy I was such a nerd in my youth 🤣
Streets of Rage 2 is also my all time favourite beat um up game! Great list! I want to play all of them!
There really aren't enough Beat'em-ups these days.
That’s a great lineup of top 20 beat ‘em ups. Punisher is a great one too. Also TMNJ! Turtle Power!!
I''m glad you liked it, is there any you woud of had that I missed?
Love the list! Just leaving these here in case a beat'em up fan is reading comments to discover even more games: Growl and Mystical Fighter.
I wish we had Growl in Europe.
_Streets of Rage 2_ was my favorite Beat 'em up game in Sega Genesis. the Demo is worth for play too.
It's an awesome game. I love the new release of 4 as well.
Out of that list I'd pick Streets of Rage, Streets of Rage 2, Golden Axe, Golden Axe 2, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Splatterhouse 3, and Alien Storm. I know that it is not typical but I like the original Streets of Rage the best in the series because of the enemy patterns, the flow, and the music. SOR2 is also top-shelf of course.
Nice list there.
I actually enjoyed SOR 3 a lot. I had a bootleg Bare Knuckle cart. So I got all the naughty bits. I thought having a bar build up for special moves was a 100x better than taking away from your energy bar. And true it’s no where near the jump, I thought the graphics were ever so slightly more detailed and interesting than 2.
I kinda Wish Sega would have made a follow up of it on the same engine as Golden Axe return of Death Adder.
@@sloppynyuszi I consider the Bare Knuckle Project to be the go-to that resolves any SOR 3 shortcomings. It's frustrating when the people who make the decisions choose to re-calibrate a game for a different market and produce a lesser version of it.
"DJ Boy" I didn't know Skate from Streets Of Rage got his own spinoff game.
😅
Okay I guess I need to finally take the plunge with Paprium. You convinced me.
Lol, how?
It will cost quite a bit.
Cyborg justice, sor 2&3, AB, 90s gold.
Interesting that you have Cyborg Justice. I loved the customisation mechanic in the game.
Streets of Rage 2
Golden Axe 3
Comix Zone
TMNT
Close
You really need to give Golden Axe III another chance. Use the defense move and you will enjoy it more. Great music, great gameplay, multiple endings and paths, secret characters, the graphics are ok in the backgrounds but the characters have great detail and good animations, for me is the best in the mega drive trilogy.
My top 3:
1 - Streets of Rage 3
2 - Golden Axe III
3 - TMHT The Hyperstone Heist
I've ordered a copy, I'll let you know what I think.
Wow I cannot put sr3 over 1 or 2 I don’t know it just rubs me the wrong way every single time I try from then to now.
Sega just overdid too much .’
Auto combo , difficulty, uninteresting player characters . 🤦🏾♂️
Mmm, Golden Axe III is not bad. I don't think it holds a candle to Golden Axe II, but it's better than the first one, and definitely better than Alien Storm, so it seems an odd omission from a top 20 list. Top 10 I don't think it is, though.
I always appreciated how the splatterhouse sequels were genesis exclusive games. They probably weren’t as popular as the first game but they were good worthy sequels in my opinion
I agree, at a time where SNES was getting a lot of big exclusives it was a decent series to have on the console.
Actually Splatterhouse 2 wasn't a Genesis exclusive. 👍
@@TheToyBoy1978 it was a genesis exclusive game
@@stevesteve0521 I have it in my collection, it's 100% PAL Megadrive.
@@TheToyBoy1978 I’m not sure if you’re being serious or not when I said genesis exclusive I meant exclusive to the console itself whether you want to refer it as the sega genesis or sega mega drive.
Brilliant list Mike
Why thank you
My Top 5 Sega Genesis Beat Em Ups Are
1. SOR2
2. TMNT Hyperstone Heist
3. SOR1
4. SOR3
5. Golden Axe 2
An absolute classic line up there.
Great list and respect 4 adding paprium as it is realy a blast of a game. Did you ever try stone protectors?
I have not, I know that it's getting an official licensed release for the Genesis and MD.
@@RetroGamerBoy wow that realy? would be great, do you know if some adjustments / final polish will be made? If yes it would be a great release and something i would be looking 4. Mainly on slowdown in snowstage and genral balancing.. then it could be another great beat em up. But current version is realy great if you get past the slowmo stage
I think your top 3 will be:
3 - Maximun Carnage
2 - TMNT Hyperstone Heist
1 - Streets of Rage 2
Alright, I forgot about Paprium...
Very close
Other than the downgraded magic system I don’t understand why people don’t like Golden Axe 3. It was my favorite game for the Megadrive for quite some time.
The simplified background art doesn't help, especially for a 1993/1995 release. People just really wanted Revenge of Death Adder, yet we got GAIII instead, and that's a pretty massive step down.
it's the best underrated game in mega drive history but i love it too much!!!
@@alessioserrao440 Alisia Dragoon is the best underrated game on the MD/Genesis.
Maybe I should do a top 10 underated Mega Drive beat'em ups.
My guess before watching the full vid was 3. Hyperstone Heist 2. Alien Storm 1. SOR2
That was close 👍
That’s my top 3!
I really like The Adventures of Batman and Robin, the others mentioned are excellent choices, nice video.
that game is run n gun my friend.
Didn’t like it felt like a shooter .
If only they had made it more brawler .
Less speed /spam on the batarangs.
I still need to add that game to the collection. It's pricey.
While that is indeed an excellent game, I understand why it's not mentioned here. Its gameplay is a mix of beat 'em up with run-n-gun, with full shmup levels thrown in for good measure, so it's hard to categorize. It's still one of my favorites of the console and I'm glad I still have my copy here.
Great video and 💯 correct with number 1
🤘😝🤘
My guess for top 3 is: Streets of Rage 2, TMNT Hyperstone Heist, Golden Axe.
Ohh very close
1 streets of rage 1,2,3.
2 Paprium
3 Golden axe 1&2
That's what I think your top 3 will be 🤞
Oooohh very close.
Power rangers game was totally helped by the fact the music was actually from the show. None of the series games were that good definitely helped with the presentation.
For sure 👍
Love me some Splatterhouse--just watch for those chandeliers, right?
Mazin Wars is one I feel is finally getting some notice these days.
Golden Axe is amazing--Lady Laci loved this simply for the fact that as a kid she was able to play as a girl in a game.
I had a feeling we'd see Comix Zone here--why do we not have a NEW version of this?
I always really liked the Japanese Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon--I enjoyed the anime just fine and this is a fun beat-em-up.
Who doesn't like playing as a girl. I want to add a ton of Japanese games to the collection, they are pricey though.
@@RetroGamerBoy lol--in all seriousness though, it's a prime example of why possibly some girls gave up on gaming--the fact that strong female leads were fewer and further between games back in the day.
My top 3 Beat Em Ups:
1. SOR 2
2. Paprium
3. SOR 3
Honorable Mentions:
1. TMNT: Hyperstone Heist
2. Battletoads/Double Dragon
3. SOR 1
Great games in those lists.
Megadrive has some really good games, and Streets of Rage
is undoubtedly one of its best. Yet as far as beat'em ups go -
i'll faithfully stay with the arcades.
Hawk, Blood, Boomer and Sledge - as VanDammage, Mr-T,
Hulkster and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) - are irreplaceable.
I spent a lot of my childhood playing beat'em ups in the arcade.
Guess:
1) SoR 2.
Let's see :)
Edit: Woohoo! Nothing can dethrone the king of Beat 'em Ups. I had to skip through to see if my guess was correct ;)
😂 You were spot on.
Have to guess:
1 - Streets of Rage 2
2 - Splatterhouse 2
3 - its clearly altered beast you friggin love altered beast
Nah, maybe Strider if you count that? If not I'm gonna go with The Punisher port. Underrated in my opinion.
Some interesting guesses there. Altered Beast should have been my number 1 game.
@@RetroGamerBoy haha! I wish I could've seen the level of feathers ruffled if you had've. You're more a Splatterhouse 3 guy huh? It's a very close call for me but my heart just wont let 2 go. The game design for 3 is absolutely stunning, though. The only game that really makes me want an NTSC console.
You should check out Mystical Fighter, It really is one of the best beat em ups on the system.
I'll get on that, it's a Genesis release right?
@@RetroGamerBoy Yeah, I never seen a PAL release.
Sorry you have not gotten Paprium yet but glad you got to play it!
Yup, I just can't wait to get my copy now.
1- Streets of Rage; 2 - Paprium; 3- Golden Axe 2.
That was close
Ahhh. I’m still waiting on my Paprium copy too. Bought it while they did that second order when the initial preorders where full filled. Along with the anniversary genesis release of the EPG they also did.
I have exactly the same thing. I don't mind waiting, it's the utter lack of communication.
streets of rage at 3, Mazin Wars 2, Streets of Rage 2 at 1
You got one right 👍😁
Cyborg Justice. I spent all day figuring out how to pull torso’s off and eat them.
Cyborg Justice was cool
@@RetroGamerBoy *is* cool.
Well, I played it for a long time but found it difficult to bother getting to the end because there is only two backgrounds (rocky landscape and inside a spaceship) and it gets really hard.
I totally agree with your number one.
🤘😝🤘
Just starting the video, here are my guesses.
Streets of Rage 1, 2, 3
Punisher
TMNT
Avengers
Splatterhouse 3
Golden Axe 2
Battletoads
Comix Zone (not sure if that ones counts because it's a 2D side scroller style)
and honestly that's all I can even think of other then Battletoads/Double Dragon, and the other two Golden Axe games.
Good selection of games there.
Cool👍🎮👍interesting choices
It's been very interesting to see other peoples. There are even some games that I knew nothing about.
Streets of Rage 2 is always a safe guess.
And SoR 3 was so terribly messed up for the West. Back then I was really disappointed, I learned years later about the changes made. The lapanese Version is much better. And today I love the Soundtrack. It was merelyl five years too early in my opinion.
I also only found out about the Japanese version years later. Some of the changes between the western and Japanese version are just bizarre, like changing Axel's clothes.
This is a great video! Cool to see Paprium. I wish it was easier for others to play. SOR2 will always be my favorite!
I wish those of us who paid for it got the game 😥
Paprium, Streets of Rage 2 and Hyperstone Heist.
Darn! Right games but wrong order. Really fun list Mike. For me I didn’t get Paprium so it’s not on my list and I have an irrational like of Alien Storm and that takes my number 3 spot. I know the nostalgia glasses are thick but every time I that game on I’m always locked in to play all my credits.
Alien Storm is such a great game, I'd love to see a remake.
I remember being furious Final Fight was going as a SNES exclusive. And then along came SOR and I didn't care one jot. Have always hated Double Dragon - just too hard. Kudos for including Mazin Saga/Wars. Great game.
I felt the same about Final Fight, and then a near arcade perfect port came to my Mega CD 👍
Meus preferidos:
1. Streets of Rage 2
2. Comix Zone
3. Paprium
4. Streets of Rage
5. TMNT Hyperstone Heist
6. Streets of Rage 3
7. Golden Axe 2
8. Battletoads and Double Dragoon
9. Growl
10. Mazin Saga
We are quite similar in our top 10
Streets of Rage 2 is the goat. But I also want to play Paprium.
I wish my Paprium copy would arrive 😥
Really fun video Mike. I have two quick questions. Do you not enjoy the Death and Return of Superman? Or just that you enjoy the other games listed more than Superman? Just curious. Second, can we hope for some more lists like this? Top 20 shooters or run and gun maybe?
I thought about adding Superman, but I also wanted a list that was a little more diverse. I'm going to do a few more of these through the year, they are not super popular videos but I enjoy them.
@@RetroGamerBoy I suppose the best games lists are everywhere but I enjoy them. There are so many awesome Mega Drive Genesis games and I enjoy any excuse to chat about them.
TMNT Hyperstone Hyste, streets of Rage and final fight is my guess...
Ohhh close.
I guessed your #1. Paprium at #2? I should have seen that coming due to your vid pic. I didn’t include Paprium on my top beat ‘em ups because it came after the Genesis/MD was discontinued but it’s an incredible game & cost me a good chunk of change. My top 3 are (1) SOR2. (2) BattleToads & Double Dragon. (3) TMNT Hyperstone Heist. The Punisher gets a lot of flack vs Arcade but it’s still a solid play thru and only available on Genesis/MD
I've not played Battletoads & Double Dragon yet, and I did not want to include anything I've not played.
My guess: SoR2, TMNT: HH, Golden Axe…2?
Edit: 2 out of 3 ain’t bad! It really couldn’t be anything else at number one.
Some good guesses there.
Turtles is good but the original streets of rage is a better game for sure, I actually think I prefer sor1 over 2. My one gripe with Sor2 is that it feels like it drags on a little which is probably due to the characters feeling like they move a little slower than the first game and I think the first game has a nicer atmosphere like stage 2 with the posters rustling in the breeze whilst your on deserted streets or the cool boat level with the parallax scrolling and the city lights in the background.
I flip so often between one and two I should probably do this video every 3 months.
I never could understand why they made max move so slow.!
Screw balance.. the guy moves too slow in sr2
Some amazing games here on this list. I am also surprised that this is the first time I ever hear about Paprium. Also, I feel like I'm the only person in the world who likes the original Streets of Rage way more than the second one.
I flip and flop between the two.
@@RetroGamerBoyI agree with you. I used to prefer the first by a lot, but spending an unhealthy amount of time with the Game Gear version of 2 (in 2020) taught me how to engage with the 16-bit upgrade. And now it's ruined the Double Dragon and Final Fight my nostalgia swears actually existed.
Hhhahaa beautiful list. SOR2 is most likely everyone's number 1, I will bet! Outside of the Arcade, it's probably the best beat'em up of any console to this day- for me it's one of the deepest beat 'em up mechanics for any game- so many secret moves.
I've listened to the soundtrack so much, it's ingrained in my soul. Yep... It's number 1
I should do an alternate list of Beat'em ups people should play.
@@RetroGamerBoy that would be great. There were soooo many good ones that it was easy to miss them. I only recently stumbled on Captain America and that’s a really fun game and I have Growl and Mystical Fighter that I need to get back to and give some more play time.
There are a few games in here I wouldn't have included in a best of list (e.g. Mazin Saga and Battletoads), some of that ordering feels off (e.g. Comix Zone being so high, Alien Storm being so low), and there's one game I'm surprised didn't make it in considering some of what did (Mystical Fighter) and one I'm shocked wasn't near the top of the list, let alone didn't even get a mention (Mad Stalker, which for my money is right up alongside SoR2 as the best beat 'em ups on the platform).
If I personally had to cobble a list together, keeping in mind I haven't played a few of these all that much, I'd have something more like this:
20) Splatterhouse 2
19) DJ Boy
18) Splatterhouse 3
17) Golden Axe 3
16) Growl
15) Mystic Fighters
14) Captain America & the Avengers
13) Comix Zone
12) Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon
11) Two Crude Dudes
10) Water Margin
09) Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers: The Movie
08) Golden Axe 2
07) Alien Storm
06) Golden Axe
05) Streets of Rage
04) Bare Knuckle 3 (though put Streets of Rage 3 back around 9 or 10)
03) TMNT: Hyperstone Heist
02) Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth
01) Streets of Rage 2
Honestly I go back and forth on the number 3 and 4 slots and the number 1 and 2 slots, though SoR2 is tops most days.
Also considering everything going on behind the scenes on Paprium, kinda disappointed that's even mentioned here.
I could make this list several times over. And although Paprium Dev is an arse they game in its own right is great.
Your top 3 will be Streets of Rage 2, Hyperstone Heist, and Splatterhouse 3.
Very, very close👍
Great video I totally agree with Streets of Rage 2 as the best beat em up a true classic and a great game to play today 👍great channel and a great collection mate.
Thanks, it was fun putting the list together. It took a while as I ended up playing most of them rather than filming them😂
Ok, I missed this episode.
I’m doing the pause thing
Streets of rage 2 has to be here, because it’s streets of rage 2
Golden axe 1
And, because I’m stumped, for a laugh, Cyborg Justice (cyborg Justice did have cool music though)
Cyborg Justice, I still need to add that to the collection.
Great list! Not surprised you put SoR2 at #1, tbh I always preferred the soundtrack of SoR1, but 2 is still great. If you don't mind me asking, did you buy Paprium as part of the kickstarter, or the preorder that happened right after the game first shipped way back in Dec 2020?
I bought it in the November 2020 Pre-order.
Great lists Mike and SoR 1/2/3 are my favourite loved mega drive games too 👍
They are so good, it's amazing there was no Saturn or Dreamcast game.
No way is the teenage mutant Ninja turtles hyperstone better than Turtles in Time. That super NES port was awesome even better than the arcade game.
Interesting
@@RetroGamerBoy though I like the Genesis game, the SNES looks better, sounds better ,the level designs are better; overall a Superior game.
Paprium looks awesome bae bae!!!
... If only I got my copy.
For how much I enjoyed Streets of Rage 1 and 2, I could never get into 3 but I’m glad I saw some videos hyping the Japanese version Bare Knuckle 3 and I’m glad I picked that one up.
Ya, I'm going to pickup Bare Knuckle 3
@@RetroGamerBoy it’s worth it. The game play feels much better and it even has a better story. Unfortunately the music still isn’t great.
1. SOR2
2. TMNT Hyperstone Heist
3. Golden Axe
I guessed 2 out of 3 Right
Very close
Great list mate :)
Thank you
@@RetroGamerBoy NP :)
I also can’t wait for paprium to arrive 😔
Their comunication is so poor.
@@RetroGamerBoy I have faith that it will be worth the wait
Golden Axe 2 and Golden Axe 3 deserve honorable mention...
I agree with Paprium and definitely including Double Dragon despite it's egregious flaws... if only Sega headquarters in Japan had secured the licensing for conversions of Double Dragon and Double Dragon 2 so they would have been handled by Sega's internal teams in Japan and we might have had better than Golden Axe quality MegaDrive versions of Double Dragon and I tell you... word of mouth would have spread like wildfire and the game would have sold Genesisisisisisisisss and MegaDrives by the truck loads.
Golden Axe 2 is in the list, and yes next time I should do some honourable mentions as well.
Great list my only issues with it is paprium shouldn’t be there, homebrew games don’t deserve to make any lists for any console and also golden axe 3 is good enough to be a top 20 beat em up.
Interesting take, for me I distigish betwwn homebrew and independant development. Indie dev are full fledge releases. No diffrent from when Codemasters as a small company decided to publish games on the Genesis without Sega.
Best 3d beatemups video?
That's a great idea.
I'm a simple guy. I see Blaze, I clicked!
That was a healthy man click😅
I did not care for Double Dragon on the Genesis. The arcade game is one of my favorites of all time, but the Genesis port didn't feel right gameplay wise and the sound effects were pretty weak. Battletoads/Double Dragon should be included; or Growl (even though it lacks a 2p mode). Outside that, the list is pretty spot on.
Unfortunately I don't have Growl, it was never released in Europe. But I love the arcade game.
I would have put Splatterhouse 3 on this list instead of Maximum Carnage.
Splatterhouse 3 is in the list.
It's very hard to pick which beat em up is the best on genesis but I enjoy streets of rage 1
It's an impossible list to get right as everyone likes something different.
Is your top 3 Streets of Rage 2, Turtles Hyperstone Heist, and Splatterhouse 3???
Close
My favorite game is Streets of Rage 2 so it's probably top of the list along with the news Turtles hyperstone Heist. I do enjoy Streets of Rage mods the Ninja Turtle one I have
Have you played the new Ninja Turtles mod for it?
It's a different ninja turtle mod Streets of Rage 2 they play in the style of the Ninja Turtles from the hyperstone against the original bad guys from Streets of Rage 2 it was before the other mod Shredder Revenge
I know the one, I've got that. I want to learn how to do these ROM hacks myself so that I can make one.
Yeah it's another rom hack players Ninja Turtles in Streets of Rage 2 it's a lot of fun to beat in the game couple times
Yup, Streets of Rage 2 has yet to be dethroned. It may never be........
It's just got such an amazing legacy.
Good list. My top 5 is: Streets of Rage 2, Streets of Rage 1, Golden Axe 3, Streets of Rage 3, Turtles: Hyperstone Heist. Do you really prefer something like Power Rangers The Movie to Golden Axe 3?
TBH I've not played Golden Axe 3 yet, so I did not add it.
@@RetroGamerBoy The graphics are really disappointing and the audio is a step back too. But the gameplay is really great, varied and challenging. I prefer it to 1&2, but not to Revenge of Deathadder. Part 2 is my least favourite, mainly because of all the lame palette swaps into strange colours (even pink).
i love gaxe3 too
From the title I got excited about 20 new beat ‘em ups coming in 2022 for Genesis/Mega Drive 😆😢
That would be the best year ever
Well, i agree for the podium. Sor 2 is the best of all time beat'em'up ever! Great to see Parprium at second place, is really a great game too. Turtles in time, i need it in my collection for sure. I think u are wrong on Golden Axe 3, i loved it at the time, so much good memories about that time (school, girls and golden axe 3 + ex-ranza in a very great summer :-)), great gameplay, very good soundtrack and ....well, not exactly a great graphic for backgrounds but chars was good enough. Great video as usual
These list are always subjective, but I love to hear other people's opinions. There have been a few games mentioned that I've never heard of.
Love your game room mate, but that SOTN stretched to 16:9 is triggering me🤣
Ya it's the digital version on the PS3.
I really wish you did more than just "describe" each game. There wasn't any explanation of the ranking of pro/con of each game.
Sorry?
When it comes to the best 16bit brawler or any brawler, you can’t beat streets of Rage 2. It’s the perfect representation of the genre.
But even though the Mega Drive has the best brawler ever, the SNES just has many more good brawlers. Batman Returns, Final Fight 2 and 3 (1st one isn’t THAT bad), the rushing beat series, Sonicblast man series, I like Wildcats, Super Double dragon, Battle Toads, Turtles in time, Captain Commando, and many more. Bit of a shame we didn’t get more of these types of games. With Hyperstone Heist and Streets of Rage, there wasn’t a technical reason we didn’t have more. :(
It probably came down to sales. The MD did well in Europe but translating and porting to the territory hit the profit bottom line and you really needed North America and Europe to make a profitable game on Sega's machine. Big profits that is.
@@RetroGamerBoy Sega Lord X did a great video of the uphill battle Sega had to do to get games on it’s system. Even taking on porting Capcom games themselves at the beginning.
Personally I think the racing genre, sports games and platforming genre stacked up a lot better against the SNES. The beat em up genre is kinda low key similar to the RPGs. While Beyond Oasis and Phantasy star might be some of the best examples of the genre the SNES just had more quality RPGs.
Top 2 have to be Turtles and Streets of Rage 2. I'm not sure about number 3, there's a few contenders. Anyway - back to the video!
I didn't even think about recent games. so my top 2 were right for "at the time" games at least. Great selections in your 20, I hope you get your Paprium soon.
Good guesses.
You and me both.
@@RetroGamerBoy Just good games! 😁😁
Nice list, I agree, Streets of rage 2 is a monument.
But in my opinion, Golden axe 3 is much better than Dj Boy or Captain America.
Bizarre, you don't put in your list Golden axe 3.
It's all personal prefrence 👍
I would have put Bare knuckle 3 on here instead of SOR3. The difficulty is better balanced, it isn't missing content via censorship, and the odd changes to character palettes isn't here. The original Bare Knuckle 3 is even better than SOR2 IMO, and was overlooked due to the bad changes made to the game for its western release.
Very true.
Streets of rage 2
Golden Axe
Streets of rage 1
All those are in my top 10
Also it is worth mentioning the fan translated Bare Knuckle III rom... that alone regardless of using an SD Card Cartridge or a high quality reproduction ROM Cartridge is HIGHLY worth having and pushes Bare Knuckle III far above Streets of Rage 3... especially because it just makes more sense and even if we ignore one sub boss/playable character, the game is more logical and fun... remember that Sega of America's staff decided to also alter the level structure, not just censorship and crapping the story to nonsense while they also hyped up and sold us Eternal Champions... with that game's horrible torture porn fatalities and horrible gameplay mechanics... and I have both versions of that game because back then I was under the hype of SoA while noticing how they were screwing with many Japanese MegaDrive games not being translated too.
I was angry the Sega Europe chose to take the North American version rather than translate the Japanese release. Thanks for the tip on BK3 I had no idea it existed.
Ok finished the video, Papirum does looks awesome, NeoGeo good.
But now some time has passed, where will mega final fight rank?
Ooohh great question. It's got to be in the top 3 from what I've played so far.
Отличная подборочка получилась, хорошо, что Batman Forever сюда не попал, не понравилась мне эта игра . . . .
Ya Batman Forever was not a great game. 😅
Sor remaaaaaaaaaaaaake for ever !!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Tmnt turtles in Time
Sor4
Can't wait for tmnt shredder's revenge and final vendetta !!!!!
I have remake 5.2 on the arcade cab, it's mine and my daughters go to game.
Streets of rage 2, TMNT and comix zone, let me see how u did :)
Very close Sir.
What this new stream you got coming on soon? In abit out the loop traveling around Australia :)
@@pounds1234 sounds like you having fun mate. I was not going to start it until later in the year but Tom is on holiday this week so I thought I'd kick the tires on it. It's a solo act with more fucus on talking about games with some gameplay in there. I'll try it out, it might be a bit shit😅
@@RetroGamerBoy ah brilliant can't wait !! Il defo find some signal to watch! And yes loads of fun, me and my girlfriend haven't killed each other yet... Yet..... Haha
Streets of Rage 2 all the way Mike
Totally agree 🤘😝🤘
bare knuckle 2 is my favorite as well. I love this game!!
It is such a great game.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
FIRE!!
with tv u use for this 16 bit sega?
Well I have an OSSC for LCD screens, but I mostly use a 24" Bush CRT.
Отличная подборка игр👍 Один из моих любимейших жанров, нет ничего лучше, чем смачно надавать затрещин рядовой шпане и их боссам😉
P.S. Но SoR 3, лично для меня, лучшая игра жанра.
Me too SoR3 👍🕹
That's interesting, SoR3 does improve on 2 in a number of ways. I love the dash in it.
No love for El Viento?
I had no idea that even existed 🤯
QUALITY
Thank you Sir Jamie