3 Games to Bid Farewell to March

You can play this on practically any device out there, seriously. Right now, I’m diving into the mission of doling out some justice on the streets.

Lately, I’ve been on a nostalgic journey, revisiting Capcom’s stellar beat ‘em ups from the late ’80s to the mid-’90s. Some I’m returning to, while others I’m exploring for the first time. Just last week, a friend and I dived into Capcom’s amazing Dungeons & Dragons brawlers—Tower of Doom and Shadow over Mystara—through the Chronicles of Mystara compilation. I was blown away by the satisfying combat, the wealth of secrets and alternative paths, and how they seamlessly incorporated inventory systems and magical items. Now, with the weekend here, I’m itching to revisit the pioneer of Capcom’s legendary beat ‘em up legacy: 1989’s Final Fight.

When you talk about the ultimate beat ’em up, Final Fight is the game that instantly comes to mind. I can still recall the awe of seeing it in arcades or even at the local laundromat back in the day. Those massive character sprites, the gritty digitized voice snippets, and the powerful combat—it was revolutionary. You just knew this game was reshaping the genre, refining everything established by earlier hits like Double Dragon and Renegade to make something engaging, memorable, and incredibly fun. It’s been ages since I last played Final Fight, and amazingly, the friend who has been accompanying me on this retro journey has never played it. So, this weekend feels like the perfect time for Metro City’s intrepid Mayor Mike Haggar to pound the pavement again, smack down members of the notorious Mad Gear gang, and ultimately face off against the real villain—an affluent and influential figure, comfortably perched atop his gleaming tower, far removed from the gritty, decaying streets and subway tunnels that paint Final Fight’s intense visual narrative of a city teetering on chaos. — Carolyn Petit