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| | Title:
Beatdown: Fists of Vengeance
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Fighting
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Publisher:
Capcom
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Developer:
Capcom
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Release:
8/23/2005
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending
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While many genres and games have made the transition from 2D to 3D successfully, Beatdown: Fists of Vengeance is not one of them. Capcom has made an attempt to bring back the 2D brawler genre, but it is clear this form of gaming is dead.
The Story
The story of Beatdown is very simple: you are introduced with a pack of five elite enforcers of the Las Sombras gang who are set up for a crime. After escaping, the gamer will find themselves on a quest for truth and revenge, culminating in discovering who framed you...and why. Honestly, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. The narrative is hurt not only by lack of originality, but also by lack of quality. The dialogue and acting behind the characters is so bad it will make some gamers laugh. One of the main characters (Raven) sounds like a pirate. Yeah, you read that right--a pirate. Every other word he sputters is a profanity, and every person he comes across he gets angry at (he even fights with his own partners, sweet guy).
Gameplay
At the heart of Beatdown is the fighting; beating down punks, and taking a jab or two. The game earns its Mature rating in spades thanks to the abundance of violence, swearing, and suggestive themes. The problem is some of this violence is over-the-top. I don’t know about you, but pinning a girl down and beating her into submission is not my idea of fun. It disturbed me, and would I like to think the world is not so far gone that it doesn't disturb other gamers as well. Also, swearing and the “f-bomb” find themselves into about every other sentence uttered. It feels quite forced, like fourteen-year-olds trying to be cool. But like them, this game isn’t.
The biggest allure Beatdown will give gamers is the opportunity to experience the 2D brawler genre in full 3D. What this means is that gamers will get to beat the crap out of thugs, police, gang members and more in a fully three-dimensional world. It looks great on paper, but bad in execution when it comes to Beatdown. At the beginning players will be able to choose from five different characters (three guys and two girls), each performing differently. The men (Raven, Jason G, and Aaron) have more health than the women (Gina, and Lola), but the women are faster. Each enforcer has his or her own special set of moves, and a variation in starting items. All fill typical clichés (the pretty girl, the big black man, etc.) we’ve come to expect from a game like this. It doesn’t help when it comes to combat, though.
First off, the combat system is shallow. Despite a healthy list of moves, players will quickly find themselves latching on to only one or two. The punches and kicks are just too effective, and the game rewards button mashing over skill. There is also a set of weapons in Beatdown that add more bang to the attacks. These weapons range from steel pipes to knifes, and even steel beams (which naturally slow down your character). The biggest problem with combat is the camera. It never seems to find the correct angle, leading to many unnecessary moments of frustration.
At the end of every battle, your enforcer receives experience, which, if enough is acquired, allows him or her to level up. Melding this RPG element into Beatdown was a good idea, but it’s too bad the developer didn’t make it very deep. Players can distribute points among three categories; all affect combat. It does pay off since simple thugs who gave me trouble when I was level one were nothing when I beat them down at level five.
Later in the game, players will be given options to use on a mentally defeated opponent. Interrogate, beat down, rob, and recruit are just some of the options. Interrogating an enemy either reveals helpful gameplay tips or actual information needed to progress further through the game. Stealing allows the gamer to acquire money, medicine or weapons. Finally, there is the recruit option. Beatdown allows for two additional A.I. controlled fighters to be on the gamer’s side. This helps when the gamer is out numbered and needs some other bodies to take damage. The A.I. of your partners is not stupid, but it's not bright, either. The same goes for the opponents.
Beatdown raises some interesting questions when it comes to its design. Like, why did the developer think it was a good idea to allow for game saving done through a reporter found in one of the most dangerous areas of the games? She claims she’s doing a story, but the female blonde in the white office suit looks so out of place, it just makes you go “huh?”
Also, why did the developers decide to make every enemy encountered a horrible cliché? How many times do we have to see the angry police warden or the Mexican with sunglasses, at night, dressed in Hawaiian clothing? Why do the people you talk to utter one word verbally, then proceed to speak for five minutes only through text boxes? Finally, why do five help screens pop up every two seconds when a new idea is introduced? This happens during a battle, and it is so annoying and distracting it can lead to losing the fight.
Graphics
If there is one thing going about Beatdown, it’s that the environment's graphics and textures aren’t too shabby. On the Xbox, everything is clear and detailed enough to pull the gamer into the story. It’s just too bad the same cannot be said for the character models. The animations are clunky, and during almost every cut scene the geometric model of where the face attaches to the back of the model’s head is clearly seen. Also why do the characters' ears vibrate?
Sound
The sound of Beatdown is adequate at best. The voice acting is a mixture of good and bad (Raven’s pirate accent is horrible), and some of the voice-actors make an honest attempt (Eugene’s character especially). When it comes to the music, it’s just bad.
Overall
All in all, if you’re a fan of the 2D brawler from back in the day, Beatdown deserves at least a rent. For all the other gamers out there, avoid this game. Whether it’s the poor combat system, cliché-riddled story, or over-the-top violence, Beatdown is not going to satisfy many gamers.
| The Core Score |
Overall
5.8 |
| Fun |
|
5 |
| Gameplay |
|
6 |
| Graphics |
|
6 |
| Audio |
|
5 |
| Replay |
|
3 |
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