Also, I think the Beat'em'up genre is just fine when done right. They are short, more obviously apparently repetitive games(its this nature), so you have to make up for that with creativity and variety.
Capcom did a good job of that with many of their beat'em'ups. Battle Circuit and Aliens vs Predator have Street Figther-esque combo systems, dashes, and QCF/dragon punch moves, Dungeons and Dragons has some great arcadey RPG hooks built into it, Armored Warriors have dozens of ways to mix-and-match weapons for combat, etc. They boast some impressive(for the time) visuals and all provide you a nice variety of moves and action to partake in.
Konami, not so much. I think beyond the licenses, games like X-men and TMNT are pretty dam boring video games, especially compared to what Capcom were doing. They really live and die based on that popular appeal of the characters and their universe.
And I think they've had a pretty natural evolution since. I mean, heck, what is Devil May Cry 3 if not the evolution of Final Fight? Games like God of War and Ninja Gaiden Black take all those beat'em'up conventions and the little innovations they used to spice up their games, and pushed them to another level to make a bigger, more engrossing experience.
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It will launch for $350 with some Wii Sports s***. I bet my life on it. Damn, that KoolAid guy is awesome - NGamer64