10 Best Side-Scrolling Beat 'Em Ups Of All Time

6. Streets Of Rage 2

You can't have a list of the best beat 'em ups of all time without a game that's widely considered one of the best Sega Genesis games and even considered by some to be one of the best video games of all time. Other than Sonic, Streets of Rage is one of the most iconic series to come from the Sega Genesis, even if it may not have seen any new consoles past it. Streets of Rage 2, like its predecessor, brought the arcade beat 'em up action into the home and even allowed for co-op play between you and a friend.

Streets of Rage 2 took everything the first did, (which is certainly an honorable mention for this list) and made it even better. It looked better, played better, sounded better and the addition of a new characters made it seem fresher. The only thing missing were the special attacks from the cop car firing a barrage of rockets into the air, which always felt so awesome no matter how ridiculous it was.

So much of this game will forever be engraved in the heads of those who played it, from the grainy yell Axel emits as he suplexes an enemy to the sound effect when you pick up health, to the background music of the first stage. It's just iconic, from top to bottom.