Capcom Beat Em Up Bundle / Belt Action Collection

[Arcatech]

Heard about this collection and its got me hyped. Bad part is that a physical copy is not being planned for North America atm. Thinking about getting the Japanese ps4 disc. Only thing holding me back is the realization that all the text will probably be in Japanese.

Would it be worth it to reach out to Capcom Japan and ask to include an English language option on the disc for westerners? Don't really want to buy the download version as an alternative.

Here is some gameplay and a link to some handy info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOU-wqwveGU

https://gematsu.com/2018/09/capcom-beat ... tch-and-pc

[TransatlanticFoe]

The collection has the option to switch between US and JP versions of the game, with the JP ones retaining their original language. So I doubt they'd strip it down to just the JP versions for the physical release, it'd be more effort for no reward. Perhaps it'll have Japanese menus at worst.

It's insanely cheap considering what you get, so the digital package is still worth your time even if you import the physical release later. And good sales are pretty much needed if that AvP licence is going to happen!!

[Steamflogger Boss]

I'm importing a Switch copy from Japan, it was a no brainer.

[Jonny2x4]

The digital version of the collection has support for Japanese, English and a whole lot of other language. Most Capcom since last gen has support for multiple languages, regardless of the actual region.

[Arcatech]

Thanks for all your input on this. So that's really good news that Capcom supports multiple languages in their releases. If it's just the menu that is in Japanese I can deal with that as long as it includes the English version of the game itself. Just seem to enjoy the game more when I can read the story and what not.

One other thing I forgot to mention. It would be really cool if Capcom included an option for Final Fight that included the third button to allow for the gold bars trick. Also if they could set up a button that is a combination of up and button 3 at the same time it would make the trick even easier. I really doubt this feature will be included but it would add some more replay value to Final Fight.

[Jonny2x4]

The Beat-'Em-Up Bundle version of Final Fight is probably the best port of the game since the Classic Collection version on PS2 and Xbox. Hell, they even kept the option to adjust the game's dynamic difficulty in addition to the regular one, something no other version has done since the first of the two Super NES ports. It's a bit lacking in the art gallery department compared to the Classic Collection version, but there's some stuff that isn't in the previous compilations too.

[Marc]

I'd like the physical version, but the entire point of the Switch for me is just to have everything there when I fire it up, no dicking about with media, so I'm a bit torn.

In order of difficulty, where's the best place to start here for a belt-scrolling scrub?

[Arcatech]

I'd like the physical version, but the entire point of the Switch for me is just to have everything there when I fire it up, no dicking about with media, so I'm a bit torn.

In order of difficulty, where's the best place to start here for a belt-scrolling scrub?

I've been meaning to purchase a Switch because of its portability. Would be fun to play this on the go.

As far as difficulty goes it's tough for me to decide on a certain game among these. All of them are quarter munchers that require memorization and spacing tactics to make it through to later stages. King of dragons might be the easiest game among them but thats more of a guess on my part.

[Infiltrator]

Was going to purchase this but then decided to double check if it's got CRT filters and scanlines. Nope. Really debating purchasing this now, as it's still got the online feature, speaking of which; can anyone comment on the netcode and emulation quality?

[Hagane]

In order of difficulty, where's the best place to start here for a belt-scrolling scrub?

Generally speaking, the newer the games are, the easier they get, mostly because your characters have way more options and are less helpless when you mess up. Final Fight can get pretty dumb since you have very few defense and movement options, so it's much harder to get away and control crowds, and enemies usually have fast long range attacks that can even bypass "desperation" moves, whereas in something like Battle Circuit or Armored Warriors your mobility is high and you can fly/airdash/run/shoot/and deal more damage in general. That said, King of Dragons is probably the easiest. Don't ever start with Final Fight.

All of them are quarter munchers that require memorization and spacing tactics to make it through to later stages.

A sadly common misconception. Belt scrollers require good fundamentals, spacing and crowd control. And as with any arcade game, thinking and strategizing instead of doing random stuff and hoping it works is key. Rote memorization or "AI exploiting" that are usually brought up when referring to them as "quarter munchers" is bull just like most Shmup reviews on mainstream media are.

The most basic advice is

1- Don't attack head on. You risk getting hit. Attack from angles that are less risky, or outrange the enemies, or jump at them if they lack good AAs. Don't just run at the closest enemy flailing your arms like Bart Simpson. You'll probably get hit, like in an actual, real fight.
2- Use ranged attacks. This includes weapons, guns or anything that lets you attack without risk. Another thing you can use with this same mindset are
3- Throws. You basically use an enemy as a projectile. They are invincible during startup and when you toss them, which is useful for defense too. Grab someone, toss them into a group to
4- Knock them down. Just as in fighting games, knockdowns are vital. Once you get one, get in and hit them as they wake up (be careful with bosses though, they usually have some sort of instant/invincible wakeup attack to avoid this) and are completely defenseless.
5- Be careful of your surroundings. Keep enemies controlled, don't let them surround you. If you see someone closing in, don't just mash attack on the opponent in front on you. The one in the back will hit you. He will knock you down and you'll be in deep shit. Instead, move away and try to keep everyone in front of you, or at least only attack if you are not immediately flanked by someone.
6- If in a tight spot, use a "desperation attack", usually done with attack+jump. It will consume some vitality, but less than getting ganged on. Some games like Battle Circuit also have "reversal" attacks like those of Street Fighter that are invincible and cost no resources. Downside is that you can't use them when getting hit, but you can use them when someone is too close for comfort.
7- Health items don't disappear with time. If you are at full life, there's a health item and lots of enemies are about to come at you, just leave the item there, and use it only when you need it.

And a final advice that applies to everything, sound obvious and taken for granted but is usually ignored is: think what you do. Don't mash. See what happens on the screen, pay attention to enemy formations and see what can you use to your advantage, and learn from your mistakes when you die.

There's more, but that will do when starting. Once you apply these fundamentals and grasp them, these games will feel as doable as any average arcade game.

[BurlyHeart]

Was going to purchase this but then decided to double check if it's got CRT filters and scanlines. Nope. Really debating purchasing this now, as it's still got the online feature, speaking of which; can anyone comment on the netcode and emulation quality?

All of the reviews I've read have said the netcode is bad. Inexcusable.

I have a feeling it was rushed, amd may get a patch around the time of the Japanese release. That's my blind hope anyway...

@hagane great post

[BrianC]

Was going to purchase this but then decided to double check if it's got CRT filters and scanlines. Nope. Really debating purchasing this now, as it's still got the online feature, speaking of which; can anyone comment on the netcode and emulation quality?

All of the reviews I've read have said the netcode is bad. Inexcusable.

One of the splash screens says it uses GGPO. Netcode is bad even with GGPO?

edit: I haven't tried online yet myself, but posts I read state that netcode is indeed buggy, especially with more than two players. Hopefully. it will be fixed. Was not expecting such issues with GGPO.

[BurlyHeart]

Was going to purchase this but then decided to double check if it's got CRT filters and scanlines. Nope. Really debating purchasing this now, as it's still got the online feature, speaking of which; can anyone comment on the netcode and emulation quality?

All of the reviews I've read have said the netcode is bad. Inexcusable.

One of the splash screens says it uses GGPO. Netcode is bad even with GGPO?

edit: I haven't tried online yet myself, but posts I read state that netcode is indeed buggy, especially with more than two players. Hopefully. it will be fixed. Was not expecting such issues with GGPO.

SFV has GGPO and at launch it sucked too by all accounts, so it isn't a fool proof system.

I do wonder if the Streets of Rage 4 announcement and hype led to Capcom rushing to put this collection together.

[Jonny2x4]

Doubt it. I see this more as a companion piece to the recent Street Fighter 30 Anniversary Collection than anything else. They pretty much treated it as such in the recent TGS. Cody and Abigail were also added to Street Fighter V before Streets of Rage IV was even announced, so that probably gave Capcom an excuse to release Final Fight on current platforms. And Capcom in general has been all about updating their back catalog to modern systems lately.

[Arcatech]

That's a great summary of strategies Hagane. It's definitely not impossible to master these, but it will take me a lot of time and dedication.

With the way this genre is designed, if a beginner discovers the desperation attack and spams it without thought, their game can be over very quickly. Usually before the first boss is defeated. But Capcom's designs tend to be fair when compared to Konami games like TMNT and The Simpsons for example.

Its badass that Battle Circuit has came out for consoles. What a cool design.

[BrianC]

Doubt it. I see this more as a companion piece to the recent Street Fighter 30 Anniversary Collection than anything else. They pretty much treated it as such in the recent TGS. Cody and Abigail were also added to Street Fighter V before Streets of Rage IV was even announced, so that probably gave Capcom an excuse to release Final Fight on current platforms. And Capcom in general has been all about updating their back catalog to modern systems lately.

I was surprised by the variety of different developers put on these collections. MM Legacy v. 1 and Street Fighter Anniversary were Digital Eclipse, MM Legacy v. 2 was Now Production and Bullets, the company that did the FFIV collection on PSP, MMX Collection v. 1 is Capcom/M2, and the Beat 'Em Up bundle credits Capcom.

[No_not_like_Quake]

I agree that King of Dragons is probably the easiest game of the bundle. Most enemies take few hits to kill and bosses are fairly easy to read, with the black knight and the double variation, Royal Knights, being the hardest, IMO. It's rather long, though.

[Randorama]

A footnote to Hagane's perfect post, if I may...

a- Don't rush it. Most beat'em ups give generous time limits, and advancing very slowly entails having less enemies on screen (one, in older titles such as Double Dragon). Crowds become quickly unmanageable if you do not respect this rule, even if older Capcom titles had "fixed sets" (e.g. Final Fight's beginning of Stage 2). Konami titles would revolve around this rule to obscene levels (e.g. the Turtles games).

[Marc]

Was going to purchase this but then decided to double check if it's got CRT filters and scanlines. Nope. Really debating purchasing this now, as it's still got the online feature, speaking of which; can anyone comment on the netcode and emulation quality?

Picked it up yesterday and was a bit bummed to discover this. Still looks pretty nice on the small screen mind.

[Jonny2x4]

Doubt it. I see this more as a companion piece to the recent Street Fighter 30 Anniversary Collection than anything else. They pretty much treated it as such in the recent TGS. Cody and Abigail were also added to Street Fighter V before Streets of Rage IV was even announced, so that probably gave Capcom an excuse to release Final Fight on current platforms. And Capcom in general has been all about updating their back catalog to modern systems lately.

I was surprised by the variety of different developers put on these collections. MM Legacy v. 1 and Street Fighter Anniversary were Digital Eclipse, MM Legacy v. 2 was Now Production and Bullets, the company that did the FFIV collection on PSP, MMX Collection v. 1 is Capcom/M2, and the Beat 'Em Up bundle credits Capcom.

I was surprised to see the MT Frameworks logo on one of the Mega Man compilations. I always assumed they only used that engine for 3D games. The Beat-'Em-Up Bundle also runs on it IIRC.

I'm still waiting for the Street Fighter 30th Collection to be released in Japan to see if they'll patch the Japanese ROMs to the overseas releases, since apparently they did the same with the first Mega Man Legacy Collection.

As long as they keep Iron Galaxy away from their modern compilations, we'll all be fine.

[WelshMegalodon]

Hagane also had a full-on FAQ in the works at one point, but I don't know if anything ever became of it.

[poptart]

It's definitely not impossible to master these, but it will take me a lot of time and dedication.

drivel, if you're intelligent enough to actually think about what you are doing and your approach you will 1cc the punisher for example in less than 20hrs (took me 10 from scratch as a noob to the genre).

Most people are just dumb as fuck and have no concept of strategising and analyzing what is happening before them and just mash buttons walking head first into everything with no understanding of iframes of even herding then wondering why they died followed by calling the game a quarter muncher.

[Ex_Mosquito]

It's definitely not impossible to master these, but it will take me a lot of time and dedication.

drivel, if you're intelligent enough to actually think about what you are doing and your approach you will 1cc the punisher for example in less than 20hrs (took me 10 from scratch as a noob to the genre).

Most people are just dumb as fuck and have no concept of strategising and analyzing what is happening before them and just mash buttons walking head first into everything with no understanding of iframes of even herding then wondering why they died followed by calling the game a quarter muncher.

Oof! That’s a bit harsh, but kinda true..

[Arcatech]

poptart

That makes sense and I agree with you to an extent. I've pushed for a 1cc in Final Fight and was able to make it to the last stage. It gets intense with the number of enemies at that point though. I'm more of a filthy casual when it comes to these games.

Punisher would have been an excellent game for this collection. Probably tied up in licensing along with AVP and Cadillacs and Dinosaurs sadly.

[Jonny2x4]

I've 1CCed the PS2 version on Capcom Classics Collection, but with the extends set to every 200,000 points. I don't think I've ever managed to 1CC the game with just three lives (which is how you're supposed to beat the game according to the actual factory settings). The second area of Round 6 always gets way too intense for me, especially the part where you have to fight three Andores at the same time.

It's weird, but for some reason every console port of Final Fight had extends set to 200,000 Every. Even this new Beat-'Em-Up Bundle version uses this setting as default.

[Hagane]

Final Fight is among the hardest games to get into, due to how extremely punishing it is. Lots of times you get knocked down once and it's over (especially if those knife wielding fuckers are around). A lot of people start with it and it doesn't surprise me they get scared of the genre afterwards.

As mentioned here The Punisher is an excellent game to get into belt scrollers if you are a complete newbie, that was my first 1CC too. It's very accessible because West is a walking death machine: whereas in most beat'em ups you have well defined archetypes such as the fast technical character, the grappler/heavy hitter and the all-rounder, Punisher is all those rolled into a single character, and as such he has no weaknesses. It's also a good "middle ground" between the oldschool games and the newer, more mobile/technical ones and you are given lots of resources like grenades and weapons you can use for easier survival.

Sadly it isn't on this collection due to licensing issues and most of Capcom's best have the same problem. Nothing MAME can't solve. Though this bundle is very worth it for being the first time Armored Warriors gets a port. Don't sleep on that one, it's top 3 for me along AvsP and DDSOM, and feels very unique to everything else due to the mech customization system and more emphasis on fighting fewer, more mobile enemies.

[BrianC]

As mentioned here The Punisher is an excellent game to get into belt scrollers if you are a complete newbie, that was my first 1CC too. It's very accessible because Castle is a walking death machine: whereas in most beat'em ups you have well defined archetypes such as the fast technical character, the grappler/heavy hitter and the all-rounder, Punisher is all those rolled into a single character, and as such he has no weaknesses. It's also a good "middle ground" between the oldschool games and the newer, more mobile/technical ones and you are given lots of resources like grenades and weapons you can use for easier survival.

Fixed. Too bad the Genesis port doesn't come close to the AC version.

[Hagane]

Ah, got the surnames mixed for some reason. Yeah the Genesis port is trash.

[reckon luck]

Love this collections. Not a lot of extra features but the price is right and the games are great. I really want this to sell well, so Capcom could possibly justify

1. Pursuing the AvP license for DLC, and
2. Make a shmups bundle with Progear, Mars Matrix, Giga Wing, Eco Fighters...

Take my money.

[Jonny2x4]

I want them to include Cadillacs & Dinosaurs too. Not sure how feasible it would be though. It was based on a rather obscure indie comic, but the game was developed as a tie-in to the animated series that the actual Cadillac company sponsored, which is where the title of the game came from (the comic itself had a different title).