Favorite 3D Beat'em Ups

The Hack & Slash gaming genre gives every player the ability to feel like a bad-ass. From franchises like God of War to Devil May Cry and legends like Gauntlet, there's no shortage of polygonal punishment being dished out by a variety of games. Question is, which Hack & Slash titles do you consider your favorites? Join the conversation below by ranking your favorites and then share your list on social to see which games are ranking highest amongst your friends!

Filter coming soon.

Real-Time Results(actually, partially randomized placeholder data for now)

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    Bayonetta
    Ranked by 33 users
    195 +42
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    Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
    Ranked by 28 users
    181 -41
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    Batman: Arkham Asylum
    Ranked by 28 users
    174 +89
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    God of War II
    Ranked by 29 users
    170 +51
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    God of War
    Ranked by 32 users
    164 +38
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    God of War III
    Ranked by 31 users
    160 +40
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    Batman: Arkham City
    Ranked by 24 users
    152 -62
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    Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
    Ranked by 30 users
    120 +73
  • 9 image/svg+xml
    Devil May Cry
    Ranked by 27 users
    110 -7
  • 10 image/svg+xml
    Ninja Gaiden
    Ranked by 21 users
    107 -18
  • 11 image/svg+xml
    Bayonetta 2
    Ranked by 12 users
    82 +52
  • 12 image/svg+xml
    Darksiders II
    Ranked by 14 users
    63 +28
  • 13 image/svg+xml
    DmC: Devil May Cry
    Ranked by 13 users
    62 -26
  • 14 image/svg+xml
    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
    Ranked by 15 users
    59 -17
  • 15 image/svg+xml
    Batman: Arkham Origins
    Ranked by 12 users
    56 -8
  • 16 image/svg+xml
    Devil May Cry 4
    Ranked by 14 users
    55 -97
  • 17 image/svg+xml
    Ninja Gaiden II
    Ranked by 16 users
    54 +64
  • 18 image/svg+xml
    God Hand
    Ranked by 7 users
    54 -17
  • 19 image/svg+xml
    Darksiders
    Ranked by 13 users
    49 -68
  • 20 image/svg+xml
    No More Heroes
    Ranked by 12 users
    44 -45

Conversations

  • 9 years ago
    Saved!
    I think it would be less confusing if the lists were just called 2D and 3D beat em ups. The distinction based on fists/melee weapons is purely aesthetic and doesn't say anything about the gameplay. Plus h'n's is also used to describe games like Diablo and dungeon crawl RPGs, which obviously have nothing in common with DMC or NG.
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  • 9 years ago
    Saved!
    Say, @Pape Badiane, is it OK if I rank the Kingdom Hearts games in this category? I mean, starting with KH2, there's not a whole lot to set them apart from a Devil May Cry or No More Heroes aside from just lasting a lot longer. You can even turn off the leveling system if you want.
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  • 9 years ago
    Saved!
    So the official differential is going to be whether the game is in 2D or 3D, correct? Want to know before I make a couple corrections
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    • chemical
      Saved!
      chemical
      Editing … This genre is typically 3D and beat'em ups are typically 2D, but that's not always the case. It depends, really.
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    • Firion Hope
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      Firion Hope
      Editing … Hmmm thanks. I guess I'll go by wikipedia or something then
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    • WoodrowShigeru
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      WoodrowShigeru
      Editing … I don't get it. So the Arkham games are still beat 'em up but God of War is hack & slaysh … Why?
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    • Fincher
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      Fincher
      Editing … Beat 'em ups = punching, kicking, etc. Hack and slash = weapons, like swords or whips.
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    • Firion Hope
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      Firion Hope
      Editing … Golden Axe is more of a beat em up though, and it uses weapons. It can be hard to determine one from the other at times I think, but I'm glad it's separated, having stuff like streets of rage next to DMC felt... weird. Now that its happened though I have mixed feelings :P
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    • WoodrowShigeru
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      WoodrowShigeru
      Editing … @Fincher, I don't want to step on your feet but that distinguishment doesn't make any sense. Weaponry or not doesn't effect the gameplay. That's just visual design. And what is a game, then, where you use fists and swords? A Beat & Slay? — Also, Le Batman uses gadgets which are similar to weapons ;^p
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    • Fincher
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      Fincher
      Editing … Hey, I don't make the genres. I'm not seeing a better/clearer distinction between the two.
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    • metallic monk
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      metallic monk
      Editing … I think it would be less confusing if the lists were just called 2D and 3D beat em ups. The distinction based on fists/melee weapons is purely aesthetic and doesn't say anything about the gameplay. Plus h'n's is also used to describe games like Diablo and dungeon crawl RPGs, which obviously have nothing in common with DMC or NG.
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    • Papissama
      Saved!
      Papissama
      Editing … Hmmm, Metallic Monk is making a good point here. That would be a very clear differentiator to go with 2D and 3D.
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