

Arcade / Sega Master System/Mark III / Commodore C64/128/MAX
Developed by Irem Corporation for Data East.
On the baddest streets of the city they know your name. You are lean and mean... the karate master they call the Vigilante! Your turf was left alone. Your friends and neighbors lived in peace. Until the Rogue gang got too big for their britches. You chilled, hoping things wouldn't get too rough. No such luck. They've taken your girlfriend Maria, and there's only one thing you can do... get her back... anyway you can! You have fists of steel! Legs like pistons! And courage that just won't quit! You will need all three because the Rogues are waiting with knives, guns and a whole bunch of nasty punks. And you'll have to fight fast. If the Rogues make it back to their headquarters before you rescue Maria, all hope will be lost. But catch them first and you'll fight the leader of the Rogues. Win Maria... and your turf... will remain safe. Feel any pressure? No way. You're the Vigilante!

Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Arcade / Action
A beat 'em up sequel to Final Fight, released originally for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Fighting / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action
Double Dragon is a 1987 beat 'em up video game developed by Technōs Japan and distributed by Taito for arcades across Asia, North America and Europe. It is the first title in the Double Dragon franchise. The player character has a repertoire of martial arts techniques which they can perform using the joystick and three action buttons (kick, jump, and punch) individually or in combination. Techniques range from basic punches and kicks to more elaborate manoeuvres like hair-grabbing moves and elbow strikes. When playing with another player, one can assist the other by grabbing their partner's opponent from behind. Caution should be taken, though, as some enemies can do the same thing to the players. The player begins the game with a certain number of extra lives and a life gauge which depletes as the player takes hits. If the life gauge runs out or the time limit reaches zero, the player will lose a life. There is a small variety of enemy characters that the player will face through the course of the game. Certain enemies carry melee weapons, which can be knocked out of their hands and picked up to use against them. Available weapons include baseball bats, whips, throwing knives, and dynamite; in addition, rocks, oil drums, and boxes can be found in certain places. The game is divided into four stages or "missions," consisting of a city slum, a factory, the woods, and the gang's hideout. The game normally ends if a single player defeats the final boss alone. However, if two players complete the game together, they are forced to fight each other to determine who will win Marian's affections.

Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Arcade / Action
Metro City is under attack, and this time a new crime organization is claiming responsibility. Pulling pages from the Mad Gear Gang's guidebook, the feared group named SKULL CROSS are up to the same old tricks: arson, terrorism, assault, and armed robbery. Mayor Mike Haggar returns with the potent Guy at his side. And with help from Cody's pal Lucia, and Dean, a revenge-seeking fighting machine, the Final Fight team will ambush the enemy at their next move. Choose to play one of the 4 characters, each with thier own fighting style and "SUPER" knock out techniques. Have a friend join in for a double assault on the city's scum and crush any punk that gets in your way! -9 huge levels of action that really packs a punch! -Pull off special attacks to power up your SUPER move meter and blam! The multiple-hit punch and kick barrage you unleash devastates your opponents! -Make decisions on directions to travel-makes your fight different every time! -Enjoy 2-player simultaneous fun, or try the new AUTO 2-PLAYER mode where the computer acts as your teammate! -24-MEGS-The biggest Final Fight ever!

Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Arcade / Action
Final Fight is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up produced by Capcom. Final Fight can be played by up to two players simultaneously. Before the game begins, the player chooses between the three main characters: Haggar, Cody, and Guy. Each has his own fighting style and attributes. Health gauges are displayed for both player and enemy characters. The controls for Final Fight consist of an eight-way joystick and two buttons for attacking and jumping respectively. Pressing the attack button repeatedly when attacking an enemy or multiple enemies will cause the player character to perform a combo. The final blow of the combo can be changed to a throw if the player moves the joystick in the opposite direction just before landing it. The player can also perform a jump attack. Pressing the attack and jump buttons simultaneously allows the player to perform a special attack that strikes all surrounding enemies, but will drain a small portion of the player's health. Enemies can be grabbed simply by walking into one of them. When an enemy is grabbed, the player can perform a grab attack by pressing the attack button or perform a throw by tilting the joystick left or right. A thrown enemy can be tossed at another for additional damage. Items such as weapons, health recovery items, and items awarding extra points can be picked up by standing over one and pressing the attack button. Weapons have limited uses and will disappear if the player is disarmed by an enemy too much or when the player moves to a new area. Final Fight consists of six stages or "rounds", as well as two bonus rounds. Each round takes place in a different section of Metro City such as the Slums and the Subway, with most rounds featuring more than one level. At the end of each round the player will face a boss character unique to that round.

Fighting / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action
The original arcade version of "Double Dragon II" is essentially an improved version of the first game. The biggest change in the game's controls are in the replacement of the original's punch and kick buttons with two directional-based attack buttons (Left Attack and Right Attack) similar to Renegade. Pressing the attack button of the player's current direction will do a standard series of punches, while pressing the opposite attack button will perform a back kick. A few new moves are added as well, including a Hurricane Kick. Like in the original game, the arcade version of Double Dragon II is divided into four missions: a heliport, a lumber storehouse, a wheat field, and the new hideout of the boss. Each stage has its own boss character with his own theme. After defeating Willy (the final boss from the original game) in the fourth stage, the player will confront a double of their own character for the game's final battle. If two players reach the end together, then both will each to have to face their own clone for the final battle.

Fighting / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Arcade / Action / Science fiction
The Slum... an area of town completely forgotten. No one could imagine the cruelness suffered by innocent people who were transformed into horrible mutant creatures by genetic experiments. They hovered everywhere and completely took control of the town. Mutation Nation is a 1-2 player action game where you must control your hero and beat up any mutant that gets in your way, by either using your fists or one of four special attacks. A boss at the end of each area needs to be defeated if you want to proceed further through the game.

Fighting / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Adventure / Action / Survival
Unlike Technos' subsequent game Double Dragon, the playing field is limited to one two-screen-wide area (a subway platform, a harbor, an alley, a parking lot and the hideout of a gang) and does not scroll continuously. Out of the four stages in the game, the first, second and third each begin with the player fighting a group made up of two different types of small fry enemies: one with fewer hit points and a stronger attack (usually armed with a weapon) and one with more hit points, but with a weaker attack and the ability to grab the player from behind, making him vulnerable to other enemies' attacks. When only three underlings remain (in any combination of the two) their boss will come in from the sidelines and join the fight. When the boss is defeated, any remaining enemies retreat off the bottom of the screen, and the stage ends. The second stage follows this same formula, but begins with a series of enemies riding motorcycles trying to run the player down, and brings in the normal enemies once the bikers have been defeated. The third stage is a gang of women; their boss is a very large woman who cannot easily be knocked to the ground. The fourth stage features a single type of knife-wielding enemy who can kill the player with one hit. Once the player has defeated this first wave of enemies, the main character proceeds to enter a building at the far right of the stage. There, he faces three more knife-wielding enemies and the final boss, a mobster whose gunfire is also deadly with one hit. Once the final boss is defeated, the main character exits the building and is greeted by his rescued girlfriend, who proceeds to give him a kiss. The game then begins the next cycle with an increased difficulty. In addition to an eight-direction joystick, there are three buttons; left attack, right attack, and jump. Pressing the attack in the direction the character is facing will punch, while attacking in the opposite direction will perform a rear kick. Jumping, followed immediately by one of the attack buttons, which will perform a jumping kick in the direction of the attack. Pressing the joystick twice quickly either left or right will cause the player to run, at which point attacking in the direction of the run will perform a running punch, jumping will automatically perform a flying kick, and attacking in the opposite direction will bring the player to a sudden halt and perform a back-kick. Pressing down over a downed enemy will make the player sit on top of the enemy, at which point attacking toward the enemy will cause the player to pummel him. The bosses can only be sat on if all normal enemies have been defeated, and unless the boss' energy level is low enough, he'll throw the player off.

Fighting / Hack and slash/Beat 'em up / Action
Duke and Billy, two popular and renowned New York City Police detectives, are hot on the trail of a dangerous Japanese crime syndicate. Their investigation has led them to the mean streets of Japan where they meet a police officer and martial arts expert named Ryu. Ryu agrees to join the NYPD detectives as they track down the crime syndicate bosses and end their reign of terror once and for all.