beat ’em ups
The story of that generic fighting guy in beat ’em ups who wore jeans and a white t-shirt
While we’re on the subject, behold this odd-ball story I penned for GamePro in 2007: At the height of beat ’em up popularity, there existed one archetype character most publishers didn’t mind sharing. He was a slender, blond white male in his early twenties. His only attire was a lucid white t-shirt, skin-tight blue jeans, Chuck Taylors, and those fancy racing gloves presumably ...
What’s the best beat ’em up of all time?
Amid the great Wii, 3DS, and DS drought of early 2011, I’ve been revisiting sprite-based classics, mostly on my backlit GBA “Special.” One I’m particularly fond of: River City Ransom EX (original also on WiiWare). Thanks to its genuinely funny script (“Cool it, Bro!”), diverse combat, and RPG-like leveling, I think it might be one of the greatest beat ’em...