Racketboy has an in-depth piece on the past and present of the beat-em-up genre. It bills itself as "all you need to know about brawlers," and while I think that might be overstating it a bit, it is a very solid intro to one of my very favorite genres.
The article is full of legendary benchmarks as well as a few often-overlooked classics, and is of course full of Capcom love. When it comes to their "5 most timeless beat-em-ups," here's what they had to say about Capcom:
"Capcom (Insert your favorite game here) – This company has brought so many timeless classics to the genre that it is impossible to pick just one."
If you're looking to get your feet wet in the genre, you might start with Final Fight: Double Impact, which includes a loving port of Final Fight, as well as Magic Sword (a fun semi beat-em-up in its own right!).



