10 Best Beat 'Em Up Video Games Of All TIme

3. Double Dragon

The Warriors
Taito

You couldn’t shuffle an inch in 1987 (this game’s release date) without seeing the manly stance of heroes Billy Lee and Jimmy adorning posters and billboards around the globe. Once the game was rolled out from the arcades to a number of console platforms, the Double Dragon brand became a bona fide phenomenon – let’s not mention the movie, though.

So what was all the hoo-ha about? Being Technōs Japan’s second crack of the bike chain at cornering a genre that they’d pretty much created, Double Dragon was a showcase for the developing house’s talents. The graphics in levels such as the slums and forest popped with colour and the inclusion of what felt like a multitude of weapons, ranging from knives to explosive barrels, added variety to all the ground and pound action.

Best played with a pal – although this route will lead to a showdown once you’ve defeated machine gun-wielding, dominatrix like boss, Willy – Double Dragon may not the best beat ‘em up of all time, but it is without a doubt the most iconic.

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Shaun is a former contributor for a number of Future Publishing titles and more recently worked as a staffer at Imagine Publishing. He can now be found banking in the daytime and writing a variety of articles for What Culture, namely around his favourite topics of film, retro gaming, music, TV and, when he's feeling clever, literature.