Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance
Developer(s)	Cavia
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2 Xbox
Release date(s)	NA August 23, 2005 PAL September 30, 2005 JP November 3, 2005
Genre(s)	Action RPG/Beat 'em up/Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance is a 3rd person action RPG/Beat 'em up video game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was developed by Cavia and published by Capcom, and released on August 23, 2005. In it, the player takes the role of any of 5 gangsters, having been betrayed by their boss and scattered across the city. The player earns respect on the street by fighting enemies to take down a shadowy organization and gain control of Los Sombras. The player also has complete control of team-building and can free-roam for most of the game.

Gameplay

There are numerous moves that the player can use to beat their enemies including hand-to-hand combat, melee weapon combat and in the later stages of the game firearms such as pistols and shotguns. Powerful combination moves (referred to in-game as "combos") can be learned from a variety of NPCs in exchange for cash or upon reaching a certain skill level. During the course of the game, players can buy clothes or undergo plastic surgery to disguise themselves and evade the rival gangsters and police who pursue them. There is also a rating system based on three attributes: Cash Flow (including items), Leadership(gang size and respect) and Charisma(negotiating skill). These can all be altered by player's choices and have an effect on the ending received.

Aside from the fighting aspect of the game, there is also Negotiation system that can be accessed with most NPCs during a fight or casual conversation. For recruitable NPCs, there are five main negotiation options that are available to the player, and have varying outcomes depending on the specific circumstances they are used in. It should be noted that, if in a fight, the enemy must be worn down sufficiently before negotiation can be successful. This is aided by using weapons, taunts and when the foe is low on health.

• Recruit: This proposition can be used both in normal interaction and during a fight. If successful, the targeted NPC will be added to the player's crew and can be brought on missions and used to unlock minigames depending on their skills. Outside of a fight, it may prompt a NPC to attack the player, thus instigating a fight.
• Rob: Outside of a fight, this consists of the player asking or swindling the NPC, though like recruiting it can be rejected by the NPC and instigate a fight. It is important to note that while NPCs cannot negotiate with the player, there are times the player can be robbed, such as when purchasing fake medicine on the black market dealers around Los Sombras.
• Interrogate: This option consists of the player asking for information, and it can be used to find out about sales at local stores, job opportunities, and gameplay tips along with story-specific information, depending on the NPC targeted.
• BeatDown: This can only be seen and used when in a one-on-one fight with a non-boss NPC, and consists of the player viciously beating the NPC to death in a special cut-scene. This removes the NPC for the remainder of the game and allows the player to take any items on the NPC's body. By doing this, the player risks attracting police attention and the police alertness level will quickly rise until the player leaves that neighborhood.
• Cancel: This option simply ends the negotiation, including with NPCs who are hostile to the player, and can be used as a means of avoiding confrontation.

The are three game modes:

• Story Mode - The main story mode of the game, divided into chapters. It is the only game mode which allows one to save their progress, and can be replayed multiple times in order to unlock new characters, moves and items. Certain endings and plot arcs can only be attained after multiple playthroughs with different characters.
• Vs Mode Normal - This mode can only be played by loading a saved game file and using the characters on has unlocked. It allows the player to fight another player or the CPU with a team of up to three fighters each. The roster available depends on who the player has recruited in their particular save-file.
• Vs Mode Custom - Similar to the other Versus mode, except that custom player characters can be added to the game with the same weapons, items and skills unlocked in story mode.

Characters

Playable characters:

• Raven: An Irish gangster and street fighter recruited by Zanetti to participate in an underground fighting ring, eventually becoming a notorious enforcer for the family.
• Gina "The Dark Rose": A failed actress turned exotic dancer, she fell in love with Zanetti Family capo Eugene, who trained her to become a deadly assassin, using her sex appeal to get close to targets.
• Jason G "The Big G": Orphaned at an early age, Jason G grew up on the street with other troubled kids, and his desire to support his new family drove him to a life of crime. Even after becoming a Zanetti enforcer, Jason G maintains these friendships and places them above money or power, even putting himself at risk to provide for his friends.
• Aaron "Drug Lord's Love Child": An illegitimate child from one of Zanetti's mistresses, Aaron was brought to Los Sombras to take over the crime family. In the process of proving himself worthy, he became an enforcer and after the set-up he risks being run out of town by his own family.
• Lola "Target Eliminator": Born and raised in an unnamed South American country torn by civil war, Lola grew up learning guerilla warfare tactics from local mercenaries. After the war, these mercenaries became a mob, who Lola worked for as an assassin until buying her passage to America. Upon arriving in Los Sombras, she joined Zanetti's mob family as an assassin in exchange for protection.

Other main characters and bosses

• Melvin: A barkeep at "The Hole" in the Downtown Street district, he supplies a changing room to the player, as well as; side jobs, alcohol (which replenishes health) and the opportunity to learn new moves.
• Tracy: A local drunk and resident of "The Hole", Tracy proves to be a valuable resource for tips and the player relies on her information to progress the story.
• Chester: The head detective in the Los Sombras Police Department
• Ignacy: An infamous assassin hired to kill the player in Chapter 3. He must be killed to progress and cannot be recruited.
• Eugene: Capo of the Zanetti family who is contesting leadership with Aaron and is romantically involved with Gina. He is fought pnce in the Prologue and once in Chapter 4, where he is killed.
• Quincy: Zanetti's personal heart surgeon who is fought in chapter 6.
• Zanetti: The patriarch of the Zanetti family, he appears as a legitimate businessman who owns the harbor area; which he uses to support his secret drug empire.
• Wendel: The guard at the prison under the Los Sombras Police Department, he has been shamed by frequent jail breaks and possesses a "Blacklist" which contains information on all NPCs and must be fought in Chapter 2.
• Gregorio: The last remaining enforcer of the Zanetti family who starts his own family after the player is set-up in the Prologue.
• Fatima: A katana-wielding boss and leader of Fatima's Saints, a small gang that sells drugs in the Station Zone and Downtown Street neighborhoods.
• Wallace: The Chief of Police in Los Sombras, who cooperates with Zanetti to maintain peace and profit from the city's drug trade.

Reception

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance received generally negative reviews from critics. The PlayStation 2 version has a 50% on Game Rankings and a 48 out of 100 on Metacritic, while the Xbox version has slightly higher scores of 54% and 51 out of 100 respectively.^[1][2][3][4]

References