Hack and slash/Beat 'em up

Alien Storm is a side-scrolling beat 'em up. The game resembles Golden Axe, with a similar artistic style, three playable characters (a man, a woman, and a novelty character) and pick-up or power-up special attacks. The player (one player only on the Master System version, up to two players on the Mega Drive version, three on the arcade version) selects from the three different characters to embark upon a quest to save the Earth from an alien invasion. All of the Busters are playable from the beginning of the game. There are 6 missions to complete (8 in the Mega Drive version) with several stages, and each mission has the player blasting aliens, from the streets to the mother ship, where the mother of all aliens can be found. This task becomes increasingly difficult with each new mission, and the aliens are capable of hiding inside objects such as plants, postboxes, trashcans, drums, and other items. Each mission has an objective such as rescuing people or destroying an UFO. When dealing with a few aliens, flying heads will appear, which can be shot to collect life or energy. 

Unleash metamorphic power. "Awaken, dead warrior!" cries Zeus, God of Thunder. And you rise. Called upon to live again, you kick, punch, grapple and tear at the inhuman and monstrous flesh of horrible, dangerous underworld henchmen out to do you wrong. Savagely intent upon rescuing Athena, daughter of Zeus, from the demon god Neff, you stalk the bowels of Hades and beyond. What you are now you will not be. You are the Altered Beast - bestowed with five formidable forces of transformation - each more ferocious, more overwhelming, than the last. By battling, conquering and capturing spirit balls, your metamorphic powers will grow. But to what end? The final confrontation. Your triumph over crocodile worms, hammer demons and grave masters brings on the horror of Neff himself. But boldness and cunning will be rewarded - in the ultimate Altered Beast! Transformation is the ultimate power.

Use your wits and your razor sharp sword to recapture the Golden Axe from the diabolical Death Adder. Defeat skeletons and giant bats in dark, deep chasms and caves. And summon Earth, Thunder and Fire Magic to fight gargoyles that come to life before your eyes!

Battletoads is the first game of the Battletoads series. The game is a platform scrolling beat 'em up, with varying elements of racing, climbing and vehicle-based obstacle courses. Players start with three lives each time the game is started, which get replenished every time the player continues after getting defeated. The game contains no saving system or password features. The player has a maximum of six hit points that can be replenished by eating flies. It is by some considered to be one of the hardest games of all time, and it have previously been listed at 8th place in IGN's "Top 10 Most Difficult Games to Beat."

Battletoads & Double Dragon - The Ultimate Team is the fourth game in the Battletoads series. It is a crossover with the Double Dragon series of beat 'em up games developed by Technos Japan. It was released for the NES, with ports for the Super NES, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, and Nintendo Game Boy. Despite the presence of the Double Dragon characters, Technos Japan had no actual role in the game's development.

"Bushido" is the soul of Japan - an ancient honor code deeply followed by samurai warriors for centuries. Plunge into real world battles across vast 3D environments that you can run, slice and tear through. Sword matches become unbelievably real where one critical blow is the mean difference between death and victory.

The Captain America and the Avengers port for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Step into the shadows of the deadliest dwelling on earth. You've arrived at Castlevania, and you're here on business: To destroy forever the Curse of the Evil Count. Unfortunately, everybody's home this evening. Bats, ghosts, every kind of creature you can imagine. You'll find 'em all over the place, if they don't find you first. Because you've got to get through six monstrous floors before you even meet up with the Master of the House. Your Magic Whip will help, and you'll probably find a weapons or two along the way. But once you make it to the tower, you can count on a Duel to the Death. The Count has waited 100 years for a rematch.

Take control of Reinhardt Schneider, a whip-toting Vampire Killer who has waited his whole life to meet his destiny, or Carrie Fernandez, a young girl with a strong magical presence who is mysteriously drawn to Dracula's evil Castlevania. It is their duty to seek out Castlevania and put an end to its residents' plans. What is your destiny?

Led by the immortal Count Dracula, the greatest army of evil ever assembled is poised to bury mankind in a Tomb of Terror. Destroying this legion of Swamp Dragons, Slasher Skeletons and Forces of the Undead will be the supreme challenge for the mightiest of warriors. Your place in history is 100 years before Simon Belmont's birth. Dracula is young at heart, and it will take more than a stake to penetrate his evil. Luckily, you command the role of Trevor - Simon's forefather and the origin of the Belmont Warlord Chromosomes. Trevor has a power never before seen by human eyes - the power to transform into three different spirits: Grant DaNasty, the ferocious Ghost Pirate. Sypha, the Mystic Warlord. And Alucard, Dracula's forgotten son. You must perfectly time Trevor's body transformations to match up his different fighting spirits against Ultimate Evils. Trevor also has the strength and wisdom to command the Battle Axe, Invisibility Potion and Mystic Whip.

Time refuses to forget the Belmont family's horrifying, bloody destiny. And in 1917 two of its descendants are summoned by fate into epic battle. Their enemy? The most evil incarnation of Castlevania legacy to ever rise from the grave, the vampiress Countess Bartley. This spine-tingling, 6-stage fear-fest overflows with graphic sights and sounds from your worst nightmares. As John Morris, the whip wielding vampire hunter, or Eric Lecarde, master lanceman, you'll pursue the demonic Countess all across Europe before she resurrects Dracula for a final reign of global terror. Alas, her trail of doom is laden with zombies, hideous mutants, grotesque giants, ghouls and ghastly creatures. Taste the sweat dripping into your mouth as you try rescuing yourself from diabolical traps. Feel the torturous strain on every muscle as you wield again and again sacred weapon power-ups such as Holy Water, the Battle Axe, the Crystal Blade Boomerang and the Mirror of Truth. But in the end, make sure you've saved enough strength to scream!

Explore exotic locales through portals created by the lord of the castle! Switch characters in the heat of action or fight side-by-side using the abilities of both heroes! Battle hordes of enemies and huge bosses in the quest to vanquish evil! An ancient vampire threatens the fate of the world by utilizing Dracula's accursed castle and mystical paintings to open portals of Death. Battle together as Jonathan Morris, a young man who wields the legendary whip Vampire Killer, and Charlotte Aulin, a spellcaster with tremendous magical abilities. It's time to conquer evil in man's darkest hour.

Comix Zone is an action platformer in which players control Sketch Turner as he progresses through panels of his comic book, hoping to reach the end and escape before his own creations finish him off. But there is hope. Now that he’s a comic book superhero, Sketch can kick some serious butt.

Technōs created once again a vastly different experience with Double Dragon II on the NES. The experience system was dropped, but the moveset still underwent a few changes. The elbow attack and turning jump kick are gone, but with the standard kick directed backwards they seemed a bit redundant anyway. There are two new ways to make enemies in a grapple suffer, elbow smashes to the head, and a high kick to propel them away. In the brief time window when the Lee brothers are crouching after a jump or after getting knocked down, it’s possible to perform a rising uppercut or a knee jump attack. The timing for these isn’t easy, but they are the most powerful moves in the game. On the NES, Double Dragon II is a much more innovative and unique sequel than in the arcade, but it marks also the time Double Dragon started its schizophrenic shifting between wildly different tones and gameplay styles.

Billy, Jimmy, and the whole Double Dragon gang fight for the Sacred Stones to save in the world in yet another beat-em-up.

The storyline of E.V.O.: Search for Eden follows the same patterns as modern Evolution theories. The players first controls a prehistoric sea organism, and fights to gain evolution points with which he can improve his fish's body parts and upgrade his attack/defense abilities. The gameplay is not completely linear, which means that certain choices of paths and stages will affect the player's success. The game is composed of a series of stages, in which the sea organism slowly evolves into an amphibian, and later a land-only creature. The physical changes are fairly scientifically accurate which gives the game a semi-educational purpose as well.

The first console version of Gauntlet Legends, released in September of 1999. This game introduced an inventory system that allowed players to stock and activate items after they were obtained, with a few exceptions (Invulnerability and Anti-Death Halo). This is also the first Gauntlet game to feature Sumner's tower and his shop. Four-player co-op is supported, but only by making use of the Expansion Pak.

Progress is made through the game by fighting through Death Adder's henchmen, including men armed with clubs and maces, skeleton warriors, and knights. Players are able to attack using their weapon, jump and cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of "bars" of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue 'magic potions' attained by kicking little sprites who then drop the potions. These sprites appear during regular levels and during bonus stages in between levels. The male warrior Ax is able to cast earth spells. The dwarf Gilius, casts lightning spells and the female warrior Tyris casts fire magic. Each character has a different number of maximum magic bars and varying ranges of attack. Various steeds known as bizarrians are found in the game. These can be ridden when the enemy rider is knocked off, or if one is found dormant. The least powerful steed is known as the Cockatrice, which can be used to knock down enemies with a swipe of its tail. The more powerful dragon, which can either shoot fireballs or breathe fire, is found later in the game.

The Lord of Darkness, Dark Guld, has arisen again. Wielding the famous Golden Axe, he has destroyed entire countries with his evil clan, forcing the world into chaos. Once again, three brave warriors stand up to face the oppressors, and won’t rest until the Golden Axe is returned to its rightful place.

While incorporating action role-playing game elements from the three games which preceded it, Legend of Mana has its own distinct style of gameplay. Most notably, it gives the player the ability to shape the game's world of Fa'Diel according to his or her desires, a system which was incorporated through the use of "artifacts," which are gained as the player progresses through the game. The player uses the artifacts to create different towns, dungeons, etc., called "Lands", to venture to and explore. This creates a non-linear gameplay, since the game is driven by a series of what would be considered side-quests in other games. Legend of Mana features three different plots which can occur simultaneously, and which do not necessarily need to be completed for the player to finish the game. Legend of Mana was a financial success in Japan. While the game garnered considerable praise for its graphics and presentation, many critics and fans were turned off by the game's lack of a main storyline.

MediEvil is an action-adventure game developed by SCE Cambridge Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. Originally released in 1998 for the PlayStation, the game follows Sir Daniel Fortesque, a skeletal knight accidentally resurrected to battle the sorcerer Zarok and save the kingdom of Gallowmere. The game takes place across a variety of levels, many of which require certain objectives to be performed to progress. Sir Daniel Fortesque can use a variety of weapons, consisting of close range weapons such as swords and clubs to long range weapons such as crossbows. Many of these weapons can be charged for a powerful attack and some weapons, such as the club, can be used to access areas that are otherwise inaccessible. 

It's your mission to help the exiled scientist Ciel discover the source of a new reploid energy! Play as Mega Man's pal Zero, the reploid from the Mega Man X series turned good by the infectious Sigma Virus and 100 years of sleep. Conquer your adversaries and find the energy source... or risk ultimate defeat. It's up to you to defend good from the destructive powers in the universe.

In Zero's next mission, he falls prey to a trap set by Neo Arcadia's ruthless commander. Planning to trick Zero, he tries to use him to wreak chaos between reploids and humans once again. But, can he succeed? 

It's the third chapter in the Mega Man Zero action adventure series for the Game Boy Advance. Featuring a new customization system, you can now equip Zero, with a combination of chips that will affect both his attributes and abilities, allowing you to adapt him to different challenges. Among his other new skills, Zero will now have weapon called the recoil rod. Now he jumps at double his normal height. These new skills will allow our hero to march into Arcadia to defeat the evil Omega single-handedly... Or will they?

Several video games based on the 1988 Michael Jackson film Moonwalker. U.S. Gold published various games for home computers, released in 1989, whilst Sega developed two similarly themed beat 'em up video games in 1990; one released for arcades and another released for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Master System.

The Mad Gear Gang has spread crime and violence throughout the streets of Metro City. Only one man has enough guts to take the streets back from them, Mayor Mike Haggar. Now the Mad Gear Gang has kidnapped his daughter Jessica to bring him under their control. But they've made one mistake: Haggar's furious and he wants someone's head! Guy and Jessica's boyfriend, Cody, are joining Haggar to clean up the slime-filled streets and rescue Jessica. Along the way you'll find food to replenish your health, or better yet, search for weapons to knock the living daylights out of your enemies. So join Haggar and his friends as they try to free the city from the evil clutches of the Mad Gear Gang!

Experience the original adventure of Ryu Hayabusa, the shadow warrior, in this acclaimed and challenging action-platformer from the NES era!

The Ninja Ryu is back to avenge the death of his father, and stop the Evil Ashtar. A year has passed since Ryu last faced his arch enemy, and still the activity down at the bottom of the realm of darkness continues. Ashtar, the evil lord who secretly controls Jaquio, is again on the move, and it is up to Ryu, the "Ninja Dragon" to put a stop to it. Use all of the secrets of the real Ninjitsu, along with the exciting audio and visual special effects and be drawn into the fantasy world of Ninja Gaiden II The Dark Sword Of Chaos.

Thrilling new cinema screen! Follow the story of Ryu's epic adventure through Tecmo's movie-like Cinema Screen Animation. As you complete each level, a new part of the story unfolds. Exciting new powers and weapons! Over the years Ninja Ryu's fighting skills have improved to include fantastic new powers and weapons. Action-packed Ninja adventure! Can you get Ryu through his most challenging adventure as he battles the hideous ancient forces of darkness to save mankind? The Ultimate Ninja Challenge!

Play as Alex and Ryan and cross River City to fight street gangs and save your girlfriend from the hands of a bad guy named "Slick." Improve your fighting experience by powering-up your characters in River City's shops, picking-up items for bonuses and using the trash bins and pipes you will find in its streets.

Road Rash is the third entry in the vehicular combat/racing series of the same name. It was first released on 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in 1994, received a demake of sorts on the Sega CD in 1995, and then finally arrived to Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows in 1996. Not to be confused with the original 1991 title on Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

180 MPH slap in the face, anyone? Multi-player modes for up to four players including Deathmatch, Cop Mode and Tag. New weapons and moves like the dreaded spoke jam. Intense pack brawling, including grudges and alliances. 200 miles of interconnected tracks and environments. Over 25 bikes and characters to choose from. Thrashin' soundtrack featuring Sugar Ray, The Mermen and more!

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, released as The Super Shinobi II in Japan, is the fourth game in the Shinobi series and a direct sequel to The Revenge of Shinobi.

Shinobi Legions, known as Shinobi X in Europe and as Shin Shinobi Den in Japan, is fifth and final game in original Shinobi series. It was developed and published by Sega in 1995 for Sega Saturn.

YOU DON'T JUST PLAY IT... YOU LIVE IT He spins a web, swings across the sky and lands with a somersault onto the Daily Bugle building. Who is this masked hero? It's you! Fight, jump and web-sling as Spider-Man as you take on a legion of sinister villains. The city is depending on you. Start swinging...

Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game for the Super NES and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, developed by Software Creations and published by Acclaim Entertainment and it's subsidiary LJN in 1994. The game, based on a sprawling comic book story arc of the same name, features numerous heroes, including Spider-Man, Venom, and their allies from the Marvel Comics fictional universe like Captain America, Black Cat, Iron Fist, Cloak and Dagger, Deathlok, Morbius and Firestar, all teaming up to battle an onslaught of villains led by Carnage, including Shriek, Doppelganger, Demogoblin and Carrion. Both the Genesis/Mega Drive and Super NES versions come in a red cartridge. They were later released in the normal cartridge colors (black for Genesis, gray for Super NES). The game was followed up by a sequel called Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety. Universal Studios Orlando used Maximum Carnage as the theme for a haunted house at Halloween Horror Nights in 2002.

The game follows the plot of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Players can choose from one of five prequel-era Jedi and run, jump, slash, and use the Force through the game's ten levels, starting on the Trade Federation Battleship and ending with the battle against Darth Maul on Naboo. The player's primary weapon is a lightsaber used to fight through waves of enemies and deflect blaster shots. The lightsaber combat is rather simplified with a system that lets the player lock on to the nearest enemy using the R1 button. Items and the force can also be used for special attacks. On most levels jumping puzzles make up a large portion of the challenge. There are a few segments in which the player can pilot various craft. The single player campaign can also be played in cooperative mode with a second player.

Streets of Rage is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game developed and published by Sega in 1991 for Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was converted to Game Gear, Sega CD and Master System. In 2007, the game was released for the Wii's Virtual Console in North America and Europe, and in 2009 it was released for the iOS via the App Store. It was again made available as part of Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection in 2009 on both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Mr. X and the Syndicate are back, this time taking Adam hostage! Take on the role of Axel, Blaze, Skate, or Max to rescue Adam, and destroy Mr. X once and for all.

This version includes two new levels (the first part of Scene 3 and all of Scene 6), which feature new enemy characters, including two new bosses: Tora (a dog-like "blizzard beast") and Shogun (a robotic samurai), both characters created for the game. Most of the original stages from the arcade version were extended as well and the second half of Scene 3, the parking garage stage, replaces the arcade version's end battle with Bebop and Rocksteady with a battle against the mutated fly form of Baxter Stockman.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up. The game features play mechanics similar to the previous game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game, but it is an original title for the NES without any preceding arcade version.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, developed by Konami, is a side-scrolling beat ’em up for up to two players. It is the fourth game in the series, following Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project on the Nintendo Entertainment System. Originally released as an arcade game, it was later ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist, released in Europe as Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist and in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder is a side-scrolling beat 'em up based on the comic book characters the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the Sega Genesis.

In The Guardian Legend, the player controls the female guardian of Earth, a "highly sophisticated aerobot transformer". The player's mission is to infiltrate Naju, a large planet-like object which aliens sent hurtling towards the Earth. While inside, the player must activate ten safety devices in order to initialize Naju's self-destruct mechanism and destroy the alien world before it reaches Earth. Five hostile tribes of alien lifeforms are vie for control of territories within Naju,and the player needs to fight through them to successfully activate the switches and escape.

The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is a light-hearted action-adventure game for 1-2 players by Konami, and was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991. It is the first game in the Japanese video game series Ganbare Goemon to have a Western release. It underwent several changes compared to its Japanese counterpart Ganbare Goemon: Yukihime Kyuushutsu Emaki. The protagonists were renamed for the Western release, and some content was altered to comply with Nintendo’s strict censorship policies at the time, such as the removal of certain characters and cutscenes.

The Revenge of Shinobi, known as The Super Shinobi in Japan, is the continuation of Shadow Dancer - the arcade sequel to Shinobi. The game was the first Shinobi title developed exclusively for home consoles.

X-Men: Mojo World, a video game released in 1996 for the Game Gear system, features Wolverine and Rogue as the initial playable X-Men, with Gambit, Cyclops, Havok, and Shard unlockable later on. The game utilizes the same engine as its predecessor, X-Men: Gamesmaster's Legacy, and was also launched for the Master System in Brazil by Tec Toy. Set in a dystopian future, Mojo hosts a deadly TV show where participants engage in fights to the death. Having imprisoned certain X-Men from the past, Mojo aims to recreate their most epic battles. Wolverine and Rogue must enter the game, rescue their friends, and ultimately defeat Mojo to return home. Players start by choosing either Wolverine or Rogue. As each new level is conquered, additional X-Men become available, starting with Gambit, followed by Cyclops, Havok, and finally Shard.

Because of a rise of anti-mutant activity in Genosha, Professor Xavier uses Cerebro to scan the island nation and discovers Apocalypse's presence there. Genosha's government is apparently using Apocalypse to bring their mutant population under control. However, Xavier suspects Apocalypse to follow his own plans and sends five X-Men, Cyclops, Wolverine, Psylocke, Beast and Gambit, to investigate. X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse combines the gameplay of a side-scrolling brawler like Final Fight with elements of a platformer, that is, players have to fight various enemies and survive the occasional jumping-puzzle. Most levels also feature mid- and end-bosses in form of robots, monsters or known Super-Villains. Each character has unique abilities and special moves: Cyclops uses his Optic Blast to attack enemies from a distance, Wolverine can climb walls, Psylocke is very agile and the best jumper of the team, Beast can cling to the ceiling while Gambit throws explosive cards at his enemies. Special moves are quite similar to those found in Street Fighter II (Wolverine has a Dragon-Punch-style attack and Gambit's Double Kick is virtually identical to M. Bison's Scissors Kick), and require similar button combinations. 

In the game you are a male or female protagonist (Zeke or Julia), fighting the vampires, mummies, zombies, etc. on over 50 levels (not including secrets) and saving all of the people you find. There are defined number of neighbors you save on every level. When they are free then "Exit" door opens and you jump on next level.The levels differ from mall and grocery store to beaches and football fields. Using different weapons such as bazooka or water gun you have to kill the bosses such as huge babies, dragons or ants at the end of levels. You can play the game with two players cooperatively.