The title Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance says it all. Capcom’s Beat Down has about as much finesse as a curb-stomping. It’s brash, violent and might make some gamers outright blanche. This game was published by Capcom for PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2005.
Continuing in the once hallowed tradition of the beat-em-up genre, Beat Down will appeal to those who wonder why Final Fight & Double Dragon just aren’t popular these days. Ironically or at least conveniently, Beat Down provides the answer to that rhetorical question.
Gamers will get to choose from 5 characters who were set-up to look “bad” in a family cartel. Hellbent on clearing their names as well as revenge, they go out looking for those who set them up.
Beat-em-up Style Gaming
One aspect the Xbox generation will enjoy thoroughly is the mind-numbing violence that permeates almost every playing moment. Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance is one of the more violent offerings. As one of five available characters, players make their way through the mean streets, stopping every step of the way to converse with strangers and shady acquaintances. It’s these conversations that become a natural springboard for violence which are instigated by an unwelcome RPG-esque “choose your response” mechanic which slows the pace of the game to a crawl and constantly pulls gamers out of the reality of the game.
Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance Gameplay
As characters progress, they’ll be faced with the distribution of upgradeable power and techniques which seems to be coming standard in action games these days. Each character has different varieties of moves channeled from this configuration depending on whether they are hitting high or low. Characters can also learn new moves from the local barkeep who will also clue them in on some extra-curricular quests from time to time. If players can get past the repetition when it comes to initiating contact with the NPC’s, they’ll find that the fighting isn’t all that bad, just extremely watered down.
As players progress, they can recruit members to their “gang” and at times they will find themselves embroiled in a battle royal battling alongside their partners. The CPU-controlled brawling buddies actually handle themselves very well in a fight which means players can attend to the guy(s) in the corner and not have to worry about covering a teammate. Another highlight is the ability to play through the game with 5 different characters all with different moves and storylines.
Visually Appealing
In terms of visual glitz and pizazz Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance looks very good. The character models are finely detailed and players who get off on such things will delight in the knowledge that realtime damage effects like blood and other repercussions of fighting are visible and remain that way until characters regain some health – by drinking alcohol.
The game will have a mix of the old style that these games had to offer while adding some new up to date features. Of course, the first thing gamers will notice from the screen shots is the game is in 3-D. Also, Capcom is making the characters larger, and the storyline will be up to today’s standards.
Concluding Thoughts
Due to the blatant violence of Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance this game may not be for everyone. However, Capcom did the right thing by allowing 2 player battles and extending the replay value with 5 characters, but some gamers will have had enough of the load times and mind-numbing decisions by the end of the first story. Rent if you’re curious.