The resurgance of the beat-em-up genre?
Well Namco and Capcom both think so. Both companies are producing their takes on the old "beat up everyone while you try to save the day" style of gameplay that we grew up on in the late 80s/early 90s. Both games have multiplayer options(Namco's is promising 4 players), both are promising tons of unlockables(Capcom's allows you to recruit members of the gang you are fighting into your "crew", while Namco says they will have over 40 unlockable characters), both games are in 3d and offer complete interaction with objects such as cars, boxes, walls, etc.
Namco's Urban Reign trailer:
http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/744/744407/vids_1.html
In Urban Reign, players assume the role of a gritty street brawler who has been hired by one of the city's dominant gangs to protect its leader. Players are thrown into a full-blown turf war, involving gang corruption and street justice that spans from the neighborhood block all the way to the upper levels of city government.
Developed by a team with members from Tekken and Soul Calibur, players battle more than 60 different fighters, all of which boast their own unique set of fighting styles including boxing, wrestling and street fighting. Use any of over 30 weapons - including bottles, bats and 2x4's - to be used in the destructible arenas to add to the mayhem. Team up with an AI-controlled character or one of four multiplayer friends to pull off a host of devastating and destructive combo maneuvers against multiple enemies throughout the game's 100 missions.
Capcom's Beatdown trailer:
http://media.ps2.ign.com/media/728/728332/vids_1.html
Capcom's forray into the 3 dimensional beat em up genre has finally shown it's face in the form of Beatdown. The game looks to be a take on the GTA style of free roaming voilence, only in this game it's coupled with the ability to recruit gang members onto your squad.
But be carefull, getting too many people may get the attention of the local authorities, in which case you'll have to start adjusting your look so you can stay on the "low" while you try to reclaim the streets for yourself. Upgradeable stats and moves for both the main character and his "crew" are available, so expect more than just your average coin muncher, this game looks to have some real meat on it's bones.
MrWhitefolks take on the situation: Personally I'm looking forward to Namco's offering the most, as they have implimented a full fledged juggle/combo system and tag team moves while retaining the whole arcade look and feel...but Capcom's spin on the GTA style of play could prove to be noteworthy as well. Let's just hope that both games sell very well and we see a strong resurgance in this genre as it's been sorely lacking for the last decade(the only series worth a note like this were the LOTR action games from EA)....besides, who wouldn't want Technos/Atlus to provide us with an all new 3d River City Ransom that was 4 players?
