One on One Beat Em Up
Here we have all the games in the One on One Beat Em Up Section.
PS Vita
One on One Beat Em Up
A collaboration between the publishing arm of Media Works, who made the likes of Catherine and the fine reads in the Dengeki Dreamcast and Saturn magazines, and Sega to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Dengeki. As such speed lines and sleek characters in bike jump suits meet the fine mechanics of a Sega fight title. Doujin designs but a fight engine honed by Segas arcade experience as Akiba meets the master carpenter. Certainly put a flutter in Genki’s calloused fingers and a neon flash in the eye.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Features solid looking contestants realised in full 3D and looking very good for it with full 3D backgrounds and sizeable fighter models doing justice to their real life dimensions. Xing once again show their hand as cunning Playstation programmers. Subtitled K1 Grand Prix.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Ring walks set the tension, but it’s the ability to zoom out to fit in the ring that adds much to the fight action. The camera does zoom in too and the mixed martial arts blows feel like they have real force behind them due to the solid 3D pugilists.
PC Engine HU Card
One on One Beat Em Up
As the title would suggest, jousting between massive mechas – proving beyond doubt the Japanese gaming fraternity’s obbsession with fighting robots. The giant mechas battle it out travelling along a road, hence the ‘Run’ part of the title. Better in two player mode where power ups are keenly fought over.
Famicom Cart
One on One Beat Em Up
Kenshiro faces up to some mutant size bosses, as if living in a post-apocalypse wasn’t depressing enough. Delivers the tough battles and gritty settings of the source and famed anime, proving the Famicom is far from already dead.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Plenty of hearty shouts of ‘kiai’ as Kenshiro pummels into his somewhat rotund opponent Heart, and he does require some pummelling. Backgrounds represent the decay causes by a nuclear meltdown and have a feel of decay and destruction. Good representation of a license whilst sticking to Nintendo’s family policy of the time.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Early adopters of import formats in the UK may also have had their fingers on the pulse regarding the early anime releases over here (confusingly on the Manga label.) As such gamers of the era may have seen heads exploding in the post apocalyptic anime with Kenshiro as many times as they have seen Akira. The sheer scale of some of the opponents has been well represented as has their varied appearances and a suitable amount of special techniques dished out to each combatant.
PSP
One on One Beat Em Up
Creates a 3D fighter in the Naruto mould using cel shaded sprites that literally make the manga comes to life on the PSPs crisp screen. Thankfully the gratuitous violence the series is famous for is missing with this being a Cero A release, but it doesn’t
distract from the gruff, moody atmosphere. Destructible environs add to the excitement of bouts. Arc System Works has quite a CV of fight titles and it adds another title to its burgeoning belt.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Collectable demo disk of the fine Playstation release in which superlatives fail to touch on the sheer brilliance of this 2D fighting game. A worthy rival to Street Fighter and Capcom, yet not quite as popular possibly down to the special move controls.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Update of the fine fight fest from the Dreamcast school of kung-fu comes a simultaneous four player update with PS2 exclusive characters and a survival mode. The mighty multiplayer match-ups also allow for three on one battles where the combos and throws really come into their own with a dedicated turn button for when the opponent gets too close for comfort. Guity Gear Isuka also utilises additional planes of fighting like Fatal Fury did previously to ensure the screen doesn’t get too cramped. But the real icing on the cake is the side scrolling beat ’em up complete with mean bosses and the ability to unleash special moves.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Arc System Works proves its no schmuck using the PS2 technology to produce an arcade armada in Guilty Gear with which to plunder SNK and Capcom’s 2D fighting warchests. The smooth conversion to the PS2 looks stunning: the sakura setting particularly breath taking, with fluid gameplay and Guilty Gears distinctive fighting systems from the series can be implemented here.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Popular incarnation of the vast GG empire, so much so there was also a PSP release. Reload is set firmly rooted in 2D with over twenty selectable characters. The elaborate death moves set this apart from lesser fighters and the slick playability could surely on have been done in 2D. Subtitled The Midnight Carnival.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Luscious pastel palette swished across the screen to bring a Capcom like quality to the weighty Gundam series whilst serving to bring a springier feel to the fighting action. And the gaming mechanics are just as honed as any Capcom title with Cyberbots springing to mind. Some on screen characters are so colossus to not actually be fully on screen with the human character avatars at the bottom reminding us of each pugilists humanity.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Draws on the Gundam world excellently to produce a full on 2D fighter worthy of the license. With obligatory story and versus modes comes a time attack challenge and survival mode. Reminiscent in parts of Capcom’s finer works, their isn’t much more of a complement we can pay.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Very tasty one on one fighter based in ancient Japan on a manga that looks like a Samurai version of Fist of the North Star. Keiji is well portrayed as the confident warrior from the manga series with a roster of well-designed characters such as the loyal samurai and the attractive, devote female Christian missionary. The backgrounds look straight off the set of Shogun.
Famicom Cart
One on One Beat Em Up
Whilst Genki may be more like the bowtie wearing and rather rotund referee, we certainly appreciate the sharp skills needed to be able to land the moves as this mixed martial arts fest takes to the ring. A small target appears on the opponents body as to where the hit will land in order to give the pugilists a chance to block and counter making for good, tactical bouts.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Crazed, manga-inspired fight fest with plenty of speed lines and manga style sound effects in katakana. Players can literally take a whipping in their undies, such is the roster of pugilists to choose from. The action and specials are as relentless as the tunes.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
A fifteenth anniversary celebration of the title that led to a whole genre and generation with repetitive strain wrist injuries. Includes footage in the gallery from the intros, end sequences and also the Street Fighter anime. With plenty of play modes to keep fans entertained from Super X, Super, Turbo to Dash and Normal, maybe just one more credit. A good title to challenge the grandkids at too!
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Karate style fighting game with a vast array of texture mapped polygon protagonists to choose from – including a martial artist sporting a very fetching afro. Also has events, wood breaking and training by the sea in true karate style.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Subtitled ‘Golden Whirlwind.’ Comes with a warning of bad language, thankfully in Japanese. Genki would love to diverge more details if only the plot of Hirohiko Araki’s suitably named manga made sense… Recommended to fans with a deluge of new scenes. Also known as ‘Gio Gio’.
Dreamcast
One on One Beat Em Up
Genki would love to diverge more details if only the plot of Hirohiko Araki’s suitably named manga made sense… Recommended to fans with Capcom’s solid fighting engine and JoJo’s insane animation skilfully blended together. The special moves are the cocoa dust on top to fans of the series.
Famicom Cart
One on One Beat Em Up
A classic case of a brilliant game released late into a hardwares life scale and as such some what slipping under the radar. A one on one fighter with some quirky differences that makes it a bit of a genre bender and all the more enjoyable for it. Anyway check out the Hardcore Gaming guide for a fine assessment… Virtua Fighter for the Famicom.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Konami goes head to head against Capcoms Pride series and can stand toe to toe with just as much pride in its mixed martial arts fight fest. The fighters are solid, the glitz OTT as you might hope and it captures the adrenalin of a K1 bout. Fighters are realistically represented right down to moles on the skin and the action is relentless as the soundtracks beat.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
Mixed martial arts mayhem in the form of the K1 world in which knock downs play a huge part with the commentators excitement reaching crescendo as the camera zooms in on the befallen fighter. Button hammering is a must to get them back up, but its much more tactical as the different body parts can be targeted to get a quicker knock down. But theres emphasis on defense to avoid button mashing.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
The multi-discipline martial arts fest known as K1 – a contest that enjoys much popularity in Japan – brought to the PS courtesy of Xing. Features the real contestants realised in full 3D and looking very good for it with full 3D backgrounds and sizeable fighter models doing justice to their real life dimensions. Xing once again show their hand as cunning 32Bit programmers.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Ticks all of Genki’s boxes: fighting blokes in rubber suits, cheesy 70’s soundtrack and our Kamen Rider himself looking like a big-eyed fly. Superbly captures the essence of the series.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
In a very enjoyable move, Kamen Rider is compatible with the Tatakon drum controller which is used to generate the ‘pure sound’ from the series capable of defeating the demons. This can be executed equally well with the Dual Shock however, as you put paid to the finest demons in rubber suits the TV series can offer.
Playstation
One on One Beat Em Up
Very fluid animation and the screen zooming in and out add much drama to the proceeding as the fly like Kamen Rider puts paid to many a latex loving bad guy and ensures a legion of armchair followers in the process. Very smart backgrounds too: impressive performance levels from the PSX.
Super Famicom
One on One Beat Em Up
Destroy cities whilst wrestling Godzilla like monsters in this commendable conversion of the Neo Geo classic. Towering skyscrapers can be tossed at opponents and each monster has its own special energy zapping move. Pesky humans interfere but can easily be dispatched with a swipe of the tail.
PS2
One on One Beat Em Up
3D incarnation of the much loved SNK treasure with evasive moves, ‘kick me when I’m down’ brutality and fast footed gameplay firmly on the offensive. Includes a mission mode for collecting various outfits and other unlockables. The church stage with stained glass windows looks stunning; indeed lighting on the whole has been cunningly employed. Also known as King of Fighters Maximum Impact.