Favorite Genre & Game Within That Genre

[Melevolence]

A question I love to pose to other gamers for some reason. I know it can be a rough one. Maybe that's why I like it so much. Forces us to wrack our brains and commit

For me I have been an AVID lover of the Beat Em' Up genre. Born on the tail end of the 80's and growing up through the 90's, I got to experience some of the best the genre had to offer (And basically the lifespan of the genre as it's near extinct these days). There's something about the simplicity of the genre that made it great to me. Just beat up all the dudes, get a high score, manage health and items you find to get through levels and figuring the best time to use desperation specials to deal with bad situations.

Then there comes some of the genre's best qualities. The music. Video games in general tend to have some of the absolute best music composition. Beat Em' Ups though had some of the best tracks. They sort of had to in order to keep you pumped to beat the faces off your enemies.

The genre was known for rehashing the same themes a lot (Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Double Dragon share very similar themes and locations at times) but each still feels to retain a unique identity. I can still recall just about every Beat Em' Up I've ever played because of this. Mechanically they seem almost identical but the spirit of each game is strong.

As for what my favorite in the genre is? It's surprisingly a super easy choice for me. Out of all the greats: Streets of Rage, Altered Beast, The Punisher and AVP arcade games, the MANY Marvel beat em ups, etc...the winner each and every time for me is Comix Zone for the Genesis.

This game...THIS game is already in my top 5 best games of all time (for me). It combines my love of comics with my love of beat em ups and blends them. Literally. A completely unique take on the genre, a simple but very 'video-gamey' story, solid controls, unique enemies and levels, iconic power ups...and the MUSIC. Oh my God, the music in that game! It has just the right amount of difficulty once you really come to grips with how the game works and even has multiple paths in each chapter (not VASTLY different but offer enough diversity to make taking them worth it, as the paths can vary difficulty or yield much needed power ups). I feel the game is one of the quintessential games any Genesis owner has to have in their library, it's just that good and unique.

 

[Xanaphia]

I love tactical rpgs and rpgs with job systems, so my favorite is the one the combined the two, Final Fantasy Tactics for the Ps1. I still go back and play this every couple years. I played the ones for the gba and ds, but the departure from serious storylines was a major bummer to me.

As a fan of side-scrolling beat em ups, how do you feel about the resurgence of the genre in the past five years? More or less budget, indie titles, but personally I found many to be quite enjoyable. Scott Pilgrim vs the World stands out, in particular.

 

[Melevolence]

The resurgence has been a little slow IMO but I'm really hoping it can take off real soon. I've not gotten the opportunity to play Scott Pilgrim but I've heard a lot of good things about it. I played a lot of Dungeon Fighter which is a beat em' up MMO which is, honestly insanely fun thanks to the classes. Priests were awesome...you got to beat the crap out of monsters with a massive crucifix!

Double Dragon Neon is pretty OK. Wished for more with TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan but it tried to sort of capture the spirit of the genre in a 3D plane so I praise it for trying. Haven't gotten to try Dragon's Crown either but is one I've heard some mixed reviews. A lot of the indie titles are...certainly 'unique' in their identities but some struggle to really capture the magic. Unless its because I'm becoming a crotchety old man

 

[RedRose]

Unless its because I'm becoming a crotchety old man

LOL isn't that a classic to prefer the games or game styles we grew up with? Classic Marios as opposed to new ones? Caesar 3 as opposed to 4?

 

[Trygon]

How do you feel about God Hand? It might be my favorite game ever, so naturally I consider it the pinnacle of Beat 'em ups. Comix Zone wins a ton of points for style, though. I always wished more games went the comic/game route, but I can only think of Comix Zone and XIII.

Favorite genre of mine is probably character action. You know, your Devil May Crys, Bayonettas, God of War, and so forth. Of the genre, Metal Gear Rising reigns supreme. I enjoy hilariously overlong combos, but there's nothing quite like fighting an endgame enemy that could squish you like a bug in less than a second and killing it in two perfect blows (the second of which generally hacks them into pieces on an axis you set to your pleasure, basically as many times as you want) before drinking their fluids to arm your next brutal massacre. These happen in rapid succession, often convergently. If you want to bat enemies around like a cyborg cat, that's certainly an option, but for my money I like to get my sword strikes/kills ratio as close to 1:1 as possible.

 

[Melevolence]

Unless its because I'm becoming a crotchety old man

LOL isn't that a classic to prefer the games or game styles we grew up with? Classic Marios as opposed to new ones? Caesar 3 as opposed to 4?

Ehhhh, maybe? I mean I'm not one to wear them nostalgia blinders though I think that especially with the beat em up' genre that the art form is almost lost. So it makes it hard to compete with the classics as they did it so well, and hasn't been done properly for SO long.

D; Makes me so sad!

How do you feel about God Hand? It might be my favorite game ever, so naturally I consider it the pinnacle of Beat 'em ups. Comix Zone wins a ton of points for style, though. I always wished more games went the comic/game route, but I can only think of Comix Zone and XIII.

I have never gotten to play God Hand, but I have heard all the great tales of it and I've seen the gameplay. it looks hilarious as fuck and I would love to pick it up in the near future. But yeah dude, Comix Zone was fantastic. I love the music, I love the art design, and I love the concept. Combat was fun, levels never over stayed their welcome and had the fair amount of difficulty I expect from a beat em' up.

 

[Trygon]

You should emulate it. PCSX2 is a really quality program.

 

[Melevolence]

You should emulate it. PCSX2 is a really quality program.

I'd likely just pick up a physical copy over emulation. I love to play on the official hardware if possible. I usually only use emulators if I want to do weird crap like randomizer runs on Pokémon games and such that I can't do otherwise.

I'll def see about hunting down a copy next paycheck or two.

 

[Asphodel Terrarium]

I like any strategic games such as Chess, Game of Generals and PvZ.

 

[how_is_you]

For me, it has been and likely always will be fighting games as my favorite genre. Everything that could be classified as one I have likely played; to list a few series names, in no particular order, we got Blazblue, Guilty Gear, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Last Blade, King of Fighters, Tekken, Soul Calibur, and a sprinkle of Darkstalkers and Smash. If I were to try and give a definitive reasons for my liking of the genre, it would have to be gameplay and character designs. All of these games have different systems, and even similar series have distinct characteristics, hell, some games within the same series have different personalities. The characters in these games are amazing, too, very distinct and, most of the time, well rounded in both personality and lore.

As far as my favorite of the genre...for the longest time it was Mortal Kombat Deception, but ever since my recent craze with Street Fighter, and learning of the glory I had been missing out on in my blind beliefs, I would have to say that Street Fighter III: Third Strike is my favorite. I am nowhere near the pinnacle of a person's skill in that game, but damn if it isn't fun to play. Parries are a weakness for me in fighting games; if a fighting game has a parry system of most any type, I will enjoy the hell out of that parry system. While Last Blade is a close second with their Repels for me, Third Strike's parries...well, there's nothing quite like parrying an entire Super Move that would have killed you otherwise.

 

[darkangel76]

I'm a gamer who got her start in the early 80s. So I've seen the evolution and partake in various arenas of what gaming has now become. I've always been a fan of RPGs, whether played as an RTS or on a turn based system. I love it when a game has a story to tell and characters you can grow with over the course of game play. I will say that with RPGs, I much prefer a third person platform over anything first person. I have a harder time with visuals with first person games of any kind. That isn't to say I don't enjoy giving them a go and/or watching others play them. Hehe.

Anyway. RPG. Hard to pick a fave as the genre has changed over the decades. I adored old school RPGs like LoZ, (the original) Final Fantasy, Crystalis, Secret of Mana, Illusion of Gaia, Soul Blazer...to name a few. I've enjoyed newer RPGs like FFX and FFX-2 and, now that I've scored an Xbox, am reallynwanting try games like Witcher 3 and Shadow if Mordor. XD

I also like survival horror games. Some past favorites are the Fatal Frame games. They are creepy as hell and quite clever in story line. Again, third person is a must just like with RPGs. : )

Lastly, though scrollers aren't a fave, per se. I'll always have a love for anything Castlevania. Hehe!

 

[Fruit]

I like many genres, really. My favorite is stealth, however, and my favorite games in that genre are Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, and Dishonored, in that order. Dues Ex is another honorable mention, and on the PS2 days I liked Tenchu and Shinobido. I'm someone who actually played action games like Assassin's Creed, Shadow of Mordor, Far Cry, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Last of Us and Watch Dogs trying to be as stealthy as possible, only fighting when I exhaust all other options. I don't know why, I love the challenge.

I also like fast paced action games like Devil May Cry, and survival games like Last of Us, Dead Space, Resident Evil, and Uncharted.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is my favorite game of all time because it combined both stealth and survival elements (managing resources, health & stamina, hunting, etc..)

 

[Trygon]

I'm a gamer who got her start in the early 80s. So I've seen the evolution and partake in various arenas of what gaming has now become. I've always been a fan of RPGs, whether played as an RTS or on a turn based system. I love it when a game has a story to tell and characters you can grow with over the course of game play. I will say that with RPGs, I much prefer a third person platform over anything first person. I have a harder time with visuals with first person games of any kind. That isn't to say I don't enjoy giving them a go and/or watching others play them. Hehe.

Anyway. RPG. Hard to pick a fave as the genre has changed over the decades. I adored old school RPGs like LoZ, (the original) Final Fantasy, Crystalis, Secret of Mana, Illusion of Gaia, Soul Blazer...to name a few. I've enjoyed newer RPGs like FFX and FFX-2 and, now that I've scored an Xbox, am reallynwanting try games like Witcher 3 and Shadow if Mordor. XD

I also like survival horror games. Some past favorites are the Fatal Frame games. They are creepy as hell and quite clever in story line. Again, third person is a must just like with RPGs. : )

Lastly, though scrollers aren't a fave, per se. I'll always have a love for anything Castlevania. Hehe!

I gotta ask. You've got the first two games in the Quintet Quadrilogy there (Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia), did you play Terranigma and The Granstream Saga? Probably my favorite RPG series of all time. Terranigma especially was the peak of the SNES for me.

 

[darkangel76]

Nooooo!!!! I have not and hope to see these, plus the two I mentioned, show up on the eShop one day. I will soooo pay for the DL of all of them! Anyway, I've heard great things about the other two and I mainly missed out because college got int the way. XD I love the two I've played in the set though. They were utterly fantastic! I remember renting both of these and refraining from both sleeping and eating so that I could beat them in a single weekend (not the same weekend, lol!). Was worth it. I eventually got both for my SNES too. : )

I hold out hope for eShop. I've already DL'd two of the best games ever made: Earthbound and LoZ: A Link to the Past. >/////<

 

[Melevolence]

I like many genres, really. My favorite is stealth, however, and my favorite games in that genre are Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, and Dishonored, in that order. Dues Ex is another honorable mention, and on the PS2 days I liked Tenchu and Shinobido. I'm someone who actually played action games like Assassin's Creed, Shadow of Mordor, Far Cry, Tomb Raider, Uncharted, Last of Us and Watch Dogs trying to be as stealthy as possible, only fighting when I exhaust all other options. I don't know why, I love the challenge.

I also like fast paced action games like Devil May Cry, and survival games like Last of Us, Dead Space, Resident Evil, and Uncharted.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is my favorite game of all time because it combined both stealth and survival elements (managing resources, health & stamina, hunting, etc..)

Stealth genre is a close second for me, personally. The game that started it all for me was Thief for PC way back and the subsequent sequels. God I love those games. Metal Gear came next for me, then Splinter Cell. Dishonored is a noteworthy mention as well.

Never did get to play much of Duex Ex though. Might give it a go sometime soon.

 

[Trygon]

Nooooo!!!! I have not and hope to see these, plus the two I mentioned, show up on the eShop one day. I will soooo pay for the DL of all of them! Anyway, I've heard great things about the other two and I mainly missed out because college got int the way. XD I love the two I've played in the set though. They were utterly fantastic! I remember renting both of these and refraining from both sleeping and eating so that I could beat them in a single weekend (not the same weekend, lol!). Was worth it. I eventually got both for my SNES too. : )

I hold out hope for eShop. I've already DL'd two of the best games ever made: Earthbound and LoZ: A Link to the Past. >/////<

Terranigma is unlikely to show up, as it only got a Europe localization, and Granstream was a Playstation game. Gonna have to emulate, but both should run just fine on any semi-recent flagship phone~

Phwoar, now you've got me thinking about those games again. I've tried to replay Terranigma a few times, as my initial playthrough was broken up over longer then a year, but it's such a sprawling game I never make it very far. Granstream, on the other hand, was one of my first Playstation games - I didn't even realize it was part of the series until last year - So I smashed it to death a hundred times. Looking back, I can't say it's as good as the first three, but they made a very serviceable puzzles and exploration RPG with a rather good realtime combat system, at a time when FF7 was the gold standard for RPGs. A bit ahead of it's time, really.

For whatever reason, Illusion of Gaia didn't really gel with me. I'm still not entirely sure about the 'Gaias'. Like, the Gaia of Illusion is the endboss of Soul Blazer, innit? I remember some inkling of that, but I was also quite young.

Really need to replay all those games. Or at least find an excellent LP.

 

[darkangel76]

Ahh gotcha gotcha. I will look into them just 'cause though. XD

With the end bosses, I recall Deathtoll for Soul Blazer and the comet for Gaia. But I can't recall off the top of my head if there were other terms used. I can see it though with how the games worked. I remember when I figured out that there was a set. I'd played Soul Blazer first. Then, with Gaia, I was like...THAT DOG!!! I pieced it together then and that was before internet. >//////<

Honestly, those old school RPGs were fantastic, especially for their time. They will always be special to me as a result of that. Speaking of great old school RPGs, might I recommend Crystalis. Interesting story and even more sonwhen you consider when it was released. It's a fave of mine and I do believe it can be emulated. If you liked games like Soul Blazer, Gaia, etc then you'll love it. Neat story, interesting quests and puzzles, and the RTS combat is pretty smooth for its time. You get to use magic too, so that's a plus. XD

Also, this isn't quite your standard RPG (not sure how tondefine it), but HELL YES to Star Tropics. Another amazing throw back if youre able to get it. Also, I'm eyeing Switch. If that becomes what I hope it becomes, I'll be in old school heaven! LOL!