"Unpopular Gaming Opinions"

[copy-paster]

HoD's castle layout just as confusing, it's like they connect random shits together. Also it's too easy and boring, front dash and backdash are broken (not for speedrunners I guess).

Meanwile Aria has sharp and airtight controls, many memorable stuff, and quite short for the metroidvania CVs. There's actually mode where you play the game with no souls at all unless for ability ones like double jump etc. though I don't think you could get through the secret wrecked shipyard room below underground reservoir without souls.

[Sima Tuna]

HoD visuals are muddy too.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

HoD was the only handheld Castlevania I struggled to complete because the map layout was so confusing. It's generally held as the worst of the search action CV games for good reason.

re: AoS drop rates, Luck barely has an impact in the games featuring Soma but the Rare Ring and the Soul Eater Ring both have a noticeably significant impact on soul drop rates, so if you hate grinding for souls, just use those. It's really not that bad and frankly most of the useful equipment in the game doesn't require significant grinding (Balmung <3).

[Blinge]

This place is kind of a CotM stronghold too..

[it290]

SoTN is one of those mindless games that manages to work just on the basis of how viscerally and aesthetically satisfying it is. There's nothing in the level design that's really interesting, but the sense of exploration remains timelessly fun if you give the game a breather between playthroughs. The bosses are almost universally garbage from a gameplay standpoint, but they're so interesting to look at and paced so well that it's an adrenaline hit breezing through one to the next. The gorgeous sprites and lush music are key to the experience, but mostly the fact that it's just so damned fun to continually slash through stuff as Alucard is what makes the game work. In terms of challenge it's completely uninteresting, but as a zap-zap-kill-things video game power fantasy it's almost unrivaled. Does that make it a masterpiece? Almost definitely not, but it somehow compels me to return year after year anyway, like watching Die Hard on Christmas. I can't say the same about any of its successors..

[Blinge]

It is a masterpiece because games are taken as a whole, experienced as a whole
everything falls apart when you focus in on one element and find it lacking.

Why yes, Ys: Oath in Felghana can't be considered a great game - because the story is boring/filler/ not engaging.

by the by, sotn's second castle can be finished in 15 minutes if the player so choses.. and that's without glitches.
https://youtu.be/P5tkPSfrewM?t=2080
this was my scrubby speedrun that i practiced for maybe a few hours in one week.

[o.pwuaioc]

Honestly THE worst take I've seen on here

Sooo imagine Ninja Gaiden NES with an invincibility cheat, that also stops you getting knocked back.
you could just run through and murder everything.
Would it be fun?

I mean, plenty of games have invincibility cheats. It's fun for a while, but definitely shouldn't be part of the main game. Who didn't put in god mode in GTA III and just go to town on the town?

But a whole game of that would soon grow boring.

Pretty sure a ton of old people agree with it even with that stipulation, and a lot of young people too (to be edgy/unique/whatever). Hardly an unpopular opinion.

There's a whole thread a couple months ago where people were defending modern games tooth and nail. I'm with Sima, but a lot of people really like modern games, or at least continue to play them religiously.

Yeah, but a lot of people also don't (I'm not one of them), so it isn't an unpopular opinion. And unpopular opinion is one where basically no one agrees with you. Not one where a lot of people both agree and disagree with you.

I mean by that criteria I could add "Final Fantasy VII is a really good game" to this thread. It's an unpopular opinion because lots of people disagree with me.

Guy, I just pointed something out that may be of relevance to people talking about this topic. I wasn't saying it was or wasn't unpopular. But really, unpopular is always qualified. Unpopular among which crowd? Is is unpopular if 50.1% dislike it? It's just a conversation.

[ZellSF]

Guy, I just pointed something out that may be of relevance to people talking about this topic. I wasn't saying it was or wasn't unpopular. But really, unpopular is always qualified. Unpopular among which crowd? Is is unpopular if 50.1% dislike it? It's just a conversation.

I mean the line has to be drawn somewhere.

It's the same thing as with underrated games topic. You can bring up Final Fantasy VII and say it is underrated when compared to Breath Of The Wild, the Last of Us or whatever...

The discussion just loses all meaning when no boundaries are set.

I wasn't even thinking of "on this forum," either. I meant more generally, on the internet writ large. The amount of shilling I have seen for Naughty Dog, Dad of War 4, Kojima Delivery Simulator and similar titles is unreal. I would expect this forum to have a more jaded view on modern games, but the rest of the world certainly does not! Every AAA new release gets showered in sweaty journo consoomer coom while normies scream in ecstasy, "yes! More! This is the best game ever made! No wait! This other AAA walking sim is the best game ever made!"

I too was thinking of every forum not just this one. All new games suck is a popular opinion of old people everywhere. If you found a forum where you don't hear that opinion quite a bit, you're in a forum with lots of younger people.

Also what you're whining about is hardly a new phenomena, shit games got rave reviews back in the day too.

[Mischief Maker]

I wasn't even thinking of "on this forum," either. I meant more generally, on the internet writ large. The amount of shilling I have seen for Naughty Dog, Dad of War 4, Kojima Delivery Simulator and similar titles is unreal. I would expect this forum to have a more jaded view on modern games, but the rest of the world certainly does not! Every AAA new release gets showered in sweaty journo consoomer coom while normies scream in ecstasy, "yes! More! This is the best game ever made! No wait! This other AAA walking sim is the best game ever made!"

Yeah, it's not like games like Another World got praise back in the day!

[BulletMagnet]

Every AAA new release gets showered in sweaty journo consoomer coom while normies scream in ecstasy, "yes! More! This is the best game ever made! No wait! This other AAA walking sim is the best game ever made!"

It should also be remembered that there are limits to this, even now; just off the top of my head The Avengers, Anthem and Babylon's Fall all got dumped on pretty soundly from all sides in recent years.

[XoPachi]

Wasnt crazy about Celeste.
Gave it an hour and got bored. A few of the indie darlings I just cant give a shit about. Hollow Knight, Ori, and Celeste being the main ones.

I almost liked Ori. It was ok but man did it put fashion over function.

Also for something more topical:
spaceships > little anime girls
100% of the time

[Kriegor]

I have a ton of those lol. Don't read what follows if you don't want to feel enraged.

I think nothing came close of Ghost 'n Goblins Resurrection last year. A true heir of arcade philosophy.

The Trials are not racing games, they are platformers, and the best ones ever made.

Battle Squadron was the best shmup on Sega Genesis! Way above Thunderforce 3 and 4.

But ultimately, any shmup released before 1994 is no longer worth playing. I often think if the genre had its turning point much earlier (if we had something close to Mushi during the 16 bit era), it would not be as niche.

Shock Troopers is still the best top down shooter I've enjoyed, way above Nuclear Throne, Synthetik, Hotline Miami and the likes... and while we're at it, I believe Ninja Princess is the true real genious starting point of the genre, not Commando, not Ikari, not Kiki Kaikai.

The first Sin & Punishment is the only rail shooter worth a recommandation (a case could be made about Lylat Wars).

Final Fight is still top 10 and most of the belt scrolling games we have today, from Castle Crashers to River City Girls, are as good as pre Final Fight stuff. Which means pretty bad. So many kinda walk in the footsteps of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari which really was trash tier even in 89, when it was released.

Guardian Heroes is terrible, just like this style of beat'em up in general.

The old God of War trilogy is average at best. You barely need to touch your left stick (mid combat), your hitboxes are insane, moves' properties are comically simplified, blocking and countering: way too efficient, all 3 games are too easy (yes even in god of war difficulty), most moves are plugged behind a dial-a-combo system, you get repetitive and far too long QTE finishing blows all the time, and the action stops every 30 seconds for boring platforming and puzzles sequences a 3-year old child could perform (which is unfortunately not the audience at all). Say what you want about the newest one, at least it tries to adress some of these issues.

Platinum games' games are overatted. There is some enjoyment to find in Bayonetta 1 (as long as you stay away from all the broken stuff: pulley's butterfly, pillow talk, playing cheap with camera angles... and stick to Infinite Climax), Transformers Devastation and The Wonderful 101, the rest is not necessarily bad but generic.

Well, I'd say Metal Gear Rising is bad. There's like one optimal way (which can be as lame as just sliding through their legs) to defeat each enemy and get your obliteration technique (I'm sick of this animation), and you just rinse and repeat this method everytime while your brain 's been turned off.

Razor's Edge is the best 3D Ninja Gaiden. Pure non stop action, OLUT are gone, consumables are gone, enemies dodge all the time, overall content is through the roof and the most broken stuff can be avoid more easily (just don't use the ES). That said, both 1 and 2 are also excellent, above any other 3D beat'em up ever released.

Sekiro is so overated. It's combat system is at best on the same level of Punch Out. Any not one on one situation has to be turned into a one on one situation because they insist on shoving their lock-on mechanic down your throat and your offensive game is the worst ever made. It's the least proactive an action-RPG can ask you to be. The realisation is top notch but that's about it.

Resident Evil 4, 5 and 6 are actually good games, even genious games if you engage in their scoring system. I think 5 might be a good containder for "most scored game of all time".

Dragon Age 2 is the best Dragon Age game.

(Most of my other opinions are mainstream, I'm not a hipster )

[BIL]

Shock Troopers is still the best top down shooter I've enjoyed, way above Nuclear Throne, Synthetik, Hotline Miami and the likes... and while we're at it, I believe Ninja Princess is the true real genious starting point of the genre, not Commando, not Ikari, not Kiki Kaikai.

Shock Troopers is one of those games that's not as ubiquitous as some, but beloved by pretty much anyone who makes its acquaintance. (for good reason - it's fuckin aces, with airtight fundamentals, stacks of top-shelf content, and some authentically PUMPIN CHOONZ points @ sig )

What do you think of Taito's Front Line (1982)? Lately I've considered it a handy forebear to the subgenre. I'm sure there's something even earlier, but it's remarkable how lesser-known it seems compared to Commando and Ikari, despite them lifting so much from it.

It still plays pretty well too imo - the grenade arcs are kinda jank, but the vehicle hijacking is remarkably vital-feeling, hop in a tank and you can really tear shit up. The day-glo palette's not the best, but believe it or not, its visibility actually gets off lightly compared to some other Taito shooters on the same hardware (the trying Wild Western, and the truly unplayable - and tragic - Tin Star, @ foot of post).

[Kriegor]

What do you think of Taito's Front Line (1982)? Lately I've considered it a handy forebear to the subgenre. I'm sure there's something even earlier, but it's remarkable how lesser-known it seems compared to Commando and Ikari, despite them lifting so much from it.

It's definitely part of the roots, with games like Sheriff and Berzerk. But I think it's around 85 that we start to get these full fledged fast choking top down shooters. Now SNK and Capcom's arcade games are so famous they tend to pull the whole blanket over them. It's sometimes deserved, I even say sometimes we do not credit them enough, but sometimes it's unfair. The context of Commando and Ikari, just when Rambo was huged, might have also played a role against your devoted little trooper and my ninja princess.

But the varied types of enemies, the deadly ambushes where you have to act really really fast, the constant teleporting, the backtracking/straffing while shooting upward all you've got at the boss to bullet cancel him and destroy his ass remain awesome up to this date. I'd like to add some animated gifs just like you do in all your so many fantastic posts that showcase your passion, cause you really brought me to play or replay a tone of cool side scrollers, from Rygar to Blaster Master Zero 2, but I'm lazy.

Oh another hot take/unpopular opinion, I think we reached the point of diminishing returns, if not negative returns, regarding battle systems, around 1993-1996. Yep that early. The Punisher, Ninja Baseball Bat Man, Alien vs. Predator, The Ninja Warriors Again, Chi no Rondo, Shinobi III, Breakers, Darkstalkers' Revenge, Samuraï Shodown 2, Tekken 3... These games have no fat, no superfluous mechanics, yet are plenty deep enough.

But because you have to keep selling new stuff came an era of overcomplexification, followed by an era of oversimplification, sometimes both of them working in concert. A good example is Bayonetta who reduces all the tactical elements of its battle system to none, while providing almost DMC-like complexity when it comes to making crazy (long) combos just for the sake of uploading good YouTube videos. While in AvP, style also brings substance, efficiency in dealing with the enemies, and the extra stuff provided compared to its Final Fight exosqueletton, while not making it better, does not erase its roots. It's still very tactical.

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai might be more instantly appealing, more visually impressive, but 10 seconds-combos in the air, even if you can perform a hundred variations of them, is much more repetitive than thoughtful positionning and enemies' usage in The Ninja Warriors Again. And losing a match of a fighting game you've played for 800 hours because you still don't know if you can duck or strafe out of the 86th move of the 37th character won't help making it a true test of mind reading and quick calls.

So while there are some exceptions (Monster Hunter and Smash Bros Melee come to mind), the new models do not manage to compensate what they lose with what they brought, or barely so. Battle system's evolution has started to be like a shonen dragged for too long. At the end of season 1, it was so great. But now, they need to stop adding layers that don't fit, take a deep breath, and return to the more modest beginning.

[BIL]

I'd like to add some animated gifs just like you do in all your so many fantastic posts that showcase your passion, cause you really brought me to play or replay a tone of cool side scrollers, from Rygar to Blaster Master Zero 2

I find myself replaying those games myself, haha. Need to finish off Zero 3 before summer's too far gone actually.

I'm definitely a fan of practical simplicity in my combat gaming, both from mechanical and aesthetic standpoints. TBH, while they're obviously canned sequences, I find Dark Souls 2's evilly functional backstabs more satisfying than THPS-styled affairs where the same enemy gets shot, stabbed, electrocuted on fire and rode around the room for a minute straight. Just incapacitate, dispatch and move on before their buddies can avenge. We ain't playin' pattycake here!

TNWOA and Double Dragon Advance have an excellent balance of this. There's a bunch of neat things you can do in both, with fully-fledged juggle engines, but you never forget you're just one or two versus an army. Combos are things you work in when you've received (or preferably made) an opening, not an end in themselves.

Know when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, and when to GTFO

Spoiler

[Air Master Burst]

Final Fight is still top 10 and most of the belt scrolling games we have today, from Castle Crashers to River City Girls, are as good as pre Final Fight stuff. Which means pretty bad. So many kinda walk in the footsteps of Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari which really was trash tier even in 89, when it was released.

There are plenty of worthy modern belt-scrollers, and lots of the classic ones suck just as bad as the modern ones (and calling Castle Crashers "modern" is a bit of a sttetch at this point) you hate. Definitely stay away from anything with levels (not counting D&D since it's automatic) though, River City Ransom was pretty lame.

Just this year alone we've had Shredder's Revenge and Final Vendetta (and also Jitsu Squad and Dawn of the Monsters might be good but I had to refund the inept PC ports of them), which are both great. Streets of Rage 4 and Fight'N Rage are easily on the same level as any of the truly classic belt-scrollers. There are a bunch of dope-looking ones on my wishoist waiting for release, too.

[Sima Tuna]

Dragon Age 2 is the best Dragon Age game.

I appreciate what it was trying to do, but I think the lack of budget is sorely felt. Its more action orientation also definitely didn't help it score any points with the gnome-bearded baldur's gate-era Bioware fans who grooved to Origins. like me

I like the combat, and I even understand the practical necessity of so much of the game being recycled. Both within the story and within the real world of game development on a shoestring. It's certainly a better game than Inquisition, in my mind. But for all its ambition, I still think it falls short of what came before. Aside from Best Bro Handsome Dorf, the supporting cast were bland.

Edit: All you river city ransom haters can fite me irl. It's a great game, just not for you if you don't like the rpg-hybrid-brawler thing it has going.

[Air Master Burst]

Edit: All you river city ransom haters can fite me irl. It's a great game, just not for you if you don't like the rpg-hybrid-brawler thing it has going.

I'd accept your challenge but I don't have the patience to wait while you level up and buy all the health upgrades and moves you'd need to stand a chance.

[Sima Tuna]

Yes, but once I buy those moves and eat 500 pounds of sushi and burgers, you'll never be able to defeat me!

[Air Master Burst]

When you put it that way it actually really makes me want to like River City Ransom. If the sprites got super fat like in Metal Slug I could almost be convinced!

[Sumez]

I think nothing came close of Ghost 'n Goblins Resurrection last year. A true heir of arcade philosophy.

That's just objective truth. GNGR is the best pure action game to come out in years, period. Shouldn't be an unpopular opinion. Nevermind the fact that last year didn't have much in the way of good notable games in the first place.

[Sumez]

RE: Dragon Age, etc.

Would it be an unpopular opinion if I say that all Bioware games have embarassingly bad writing and dialogue?
Some times it seems like that aspect is the only thing that tries to sell the games, so I can't really appreciate any of them. My girlfriend loves the Dragon Age series though, so I can appreciate that they are able to offer something appealing.

[BIL]

I love Downtown Nekketsu - it's not a very SUPER SRS brawler (fights are usually over once an opponent hits the ground), but its little pocket 'hood is inimitably charming, and sized just right for both relaxed amblings and cutthroat low-level raids on the enemy turf. Even better with a bro! And tbh, beating the piss outta those unfortunate grounded homies feels pretty good. I know every run I'm gonna laugh out loud at least once, it's so pitch-perfectly lovable yet mean-spirited. Nothing like a motherfucker running face-first into a fuckin rock chucked by his bro, left gawking in agony and ruthlessly trashcanned

Double Dragon II FC Hard (not the pussy-ass NES one! "Supreme Master?" Pfff ) is the machine's unrivalled king of iron fist, and OG AC Kunio is the real ADULT GAYMER deal with its murderously nutsack-kneeing 1v8s. After hitting the industry hard enough to create an entire genre, the boy deserved some downtime.

Yes, but once I buy those moves and eat 500 pounds of sushi and burgers, you'll never be able to defeat me!

I seem to recall a run where I had poor Kunio shovelling down boxes of after dinner mints for unbeatable stamina, or some shit... I can never recall what does what, but I always have a blast getting reacquainted.

[Kriegor]

There are plenty of worthy modern belt-scrollers, and lots of the classic ones suck just as bad as the modern ones (and calling Castle Crashers "modern" is a bit of a sttetch at this point) you hate. Definitely stay away from anything with levels (not counting D&D since it's automatic) though, River City Ransom was pretty lame.

Out of the modern belt scrolling beat'em up I've completed, I'd say:

Streets of Rage 4 and Fight'n Rage are extremely good. Top 10.

Dragon's Crown Pro is broken AF but I love it as well! Such a diverse cast, and although it's really long for the difficulty to ramp up, once you get into the endless dungeon, you're in for a treat!

Charlie Murder is the best River City clone. Good artistic direction, fantastic original soundtrack, meh gameplay. I'd say top 50.

Shank 2, I'd put it in my top 50 just for its coop survival!

Mother Russia Bleeds has a ton of personality, intense combat, excellent battle design, but the game is not balanced and challenging enough. Yet... it probably reaches the 50 mark.

I like what they did with Wulverblade, the atmosphere, the enemy design, but it's way too easy. Same goes for Mayhem Brawler, who also struggles with its annoying super armor/get up attacks mechanics. Still in the same case as MRB, around the 50 mark.

Double Dragon Neon, I'm actually among the people who enjoyed it. But it's still a bad game. Bad gameplay, no difficulty at all (easiest belt scroller ever?), and doesn't play like a Double Dragon. Top 100 for its soundtrack and fanservice.

Castle Crashers: yes it's a recent game, it came out in 2008 with a gameplay that feels so modern in every way: stupid infinite air juggle, RPG mechanics everywhere, no grab game to speak of, difficulty at 0. I'd put it in my top 100 because it's cute and has some interesting PvP mode.

Phantom Breaker: Battle Grounds is better than Guardian Heroes but that doesn't say much. Still below the 100 mark.

I like how agressive enemies are in 99Vidas! It would have had a good gameplay, that game would have been cool. I'd put it in my top 100.

River City Girls, I guess it's the best in its serie... It's just mediocre at everything. The enemies are stupid, the gameplan is stupid, the pacing is not good, the overall length is too long... Good realization though. Just above my top 100.

Battletoads (2020) is just a silly melting pot of various genre. The beat'em up sections are braindead easy, it's just dodge strike dodge strike dodge strike. Very modern feels... Definitely not in my top 100.

Now we get into the ugly part:
The TakeOver: a rip off of Streets of Rage with weird animations, inflated HP bars, bad AI, weak crowd control, no challenge.

Shredder's Revenge: Such a deception. Mad respect to the universe, but extremely weak throw game, extremely bad enemy design with super armor everywhere, extremely weak challenge, bad level design full of traps, gameplan centered around baiting and punishing, poor balance (how the taunt mechanic could have passed testing sessions?)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: River City Girls but worse. It doesn't sport the name but it's really of the same kind.

Double Dragon IV: Not only I'm not into the Double Dragon of the NES, but it's the least balanced one.

Streets of Red: Devil's Dare Deluxe: 1CC with good ending on my first playthrough, stupid gameplan, bad enemy design...

9 Monkeys of Shaolin: Basically a belt scrolling game that plays like the most generic character action game ever.

Streets of Fury Ex: The worst of Guardian Heroes without its good aspects. For those who like endless combos, just buy a fighting game and stay in training mode...

The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa: Can I fight at some point?

Raging Justice: Nothing worth speaking of. And it's really ugly.

Bud Spencer and Terrence Hill: Slaps and Beans: A button masher.

Cobra Kaï: The Karate Kid Saga Continues: It's just a braindead button masher for those who swear only by an expensive moveset.

Way of the Passive Fist: Lol. It was made for all the Sekiro fans out there. My recommandation, buy One Finger Death Punch instead.

Samuraï Riot: no feedback, bad modern gameplay, boring.

Sacred Citadel: endless spam, braindead button masher.

Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn: I give him one point for perpetuating the tradition.

So it's not all bad. But I didn't say all, i say most. Compare it to like 1993, where you had, during the same year: Violent Storm, Metamorphic Force, Batman Returns, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs, The Punisher, Zero Team, Night Slashers, Ninja Baseball Bat Man... Those games blow most of the stuff here outside SOR4, Fight'n Rage and Dragon's Crown.

And even the weaker stuff like Shadow Force, Knuckle Bash, Sengoku 2, The Peacekeepers, Splatterhouse 3, they would sit quite confortably around the beginning of my post. Now I know we also had stuff like Final Fight 2 or Golden Axe 3, but it's the balance between good games, average games and bad games that I find striking.

I also understand that my taste are not universal and clearly, not the priority of beat'em up developpers. And that I regret.

[Bassa-Bassa]

What do you think of Taito's Front Line (1982)? Lately I've considered it a handy forebear to the subgenre. I'm sure there's something even earlier, but it's remarkable how lesser-known it seems compared to Commando and Ikari, despite them lifting so much from it.

It's definitely part of the roots, with games like Sheriff and Berzerk. But I think it's around 85 that we start to get these full fledged fast choking top down shooters. Now SNK and Capcom's arcade games are so famous they tend to pull the whole blanket over them. It's sometimes deserved, I even say sometimes we do not credit them enough, but sometimes it's unfair. The context of Commando and Ikari, just when Rambo was huged, might have also played a role against your devoted little trooper and my ninja princess.

Front Line is pretty much considered the first in the Commando/Ikari category. It's the first with discretionary scrolling (and multidirectional topdown shooting), not counting Bosconian-likes. But I agree that the actual milestone is Ninja Princess and not the Capcom and SNK iterations, predating any release of those and introducing more interesting mechanics. In Japan is pretty well regarded, seemingly, so it's strange that Sega hasn't paid more attention to it. We will still get two or three more Fantasy Zone ports before that, I guess.

[Air Master Burst]

Out of the modern belt scrolling beat'em up I've completed, I'd say:

I get your point, but most of these are made by like 2 people with a 4-figure budget. If you stick to games that aren't some rando's side project you can get a much fairer comparison. It would be like using RPG maker trash to argue that jrpgs are somehow worse now than the 90s (which they might be but not because of all the shovelware).

And no, I do not agree that 2008 is recent, but I can agree it sucks getting old.

[drauch]

Would it be an unpopular opinion if I say that all Bioware games have embarassingly bad writing and dialogue?

Huh, I find the writing quite good, at least in Mass Effect. The dialogue/characters make the games great for me. I did find Dragon Age's writing to be ass, though, and I dropped it after trying twice. My big hang up is they just repeat the same characters. Dragon Age and ME: Andromeda came off like a 'best of', with just shells of previous characters.

[Air Master Burst]

The only good Bioware gsme was BG1. The first Dragon Age was almost good but the stupid "no guys theyre NOT ORCS" badguy orcs were the shittiest, least inspired evil army I think I've ever seen in an rpg.

BG2 could be great with a mod that removes the hardcore railroading. I've never made it past the part where the thieves guild blackmails you and the game just doesn't let you kill them all or break in and steal the info you need.

[Kriegor]

I get your point, but most of these are made by like 2 people with a 4-figure budget. If you stick to games that aren't some rando's side project you can get a much fairer comparison.

Well, since SOR4 has been made by a team of mainly 6 people and a few outsourcing, and Fight'n Rage by a team of 1 people, with just another on contract for the soundtrack, we're already cutting out the two that stand the comparison with 90's belt scrollers the most.

It's niche now. I've spoken about 29 games over 14 years, and between 91 and 94, we were around that number per year.
I'd also say beat'em up in the 90's were not made by huge teams (SOR2, it was 6 people as well), but they add a lot more references, since they were evolving in an environment rich in beat'em up releases. They could see what worked, what didn't.

Whether you play Irem, Konami, Sega or Capcom's beat'em up in the 90's, it's clear they all understood the fundamentals. Now, most team start a beat'em up project with these specifications:
1/ I remember playing and enjoying Streets of Rage when I was a kid
2/ Let's make one now, but with all the evolutions from 3D character action stuff

Juggle combos and parries are cool and all, but when there's just that, I just go back to Tekken 7, sorry. A long combo is a good reward when landing the launcher is the real trick. And a good parry is fun when you had to guess right what was coming. When it's just rinse and repeat and everything else is unbalanced and trivial, I just go back to the old stuff.

[Sima Tuna]

Fight 'n' Rage is honestly a fucking miracle. I have no idea how that game turned out as amazing as it is, except to say the creator clearly understands beat em ups like few others do.