A playthrough of Konami's 1989 beat 'em up arcade game Crime Fighters.

Played through on the default difficulty setting.

Everyone knows that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a smash hit, but it didn't just come out of nowhere. It followed about seven months behind Crime Fighters, and given the similarities between the games, it's clear that Crime Fighters was a test bed for many of the ideas that ended up turning TMMT into such a megahit.

Crime Fighters is no slouch itself, though. It's a beat 'em up that goes for a somewhat gritty, realistic feel, making it feel something like a midpoint landmark between Double Dragon and Final Fight. The graphics are sharp and detailed, and backgrounds look awesome for such an old game. The game isn't afraid to show its sense of humor, either. Getting whacked in the dong makes for an amusing bit of slapstick, as does being flattened by a billboard showing a topless woman. I also crack up at the way you can plug the stage eight boss right in the face. The music is fantastic as well, and it sounds a lot the popular TMNT soundtrack thanks to the overlaps in the games' staffs.

The game play is solid, but it's important to note that there are two major versions of the game. Now,, remember how games like Bayou Billy and Haunted Castle had two versions, one of which was so hard that the difficulty actually ruined it? With Crime Fighters, that would be the US version.

I'm playing the world release here, and it is this one that I would recommend playing. It's tough without being unfair (usually), and even when you're totally surrounded, the game gives you a fighting chance.

The US one, however, does everything it can to vacuum the coins from your pocket. Enemies take far more hits, your back attack has been removed, guns have limited ammo, and your health constantly drains. I honestly don't find it worth playing at all in that state.

But overall, if you want a fun beat 'em up with a great presentation and a minimal amount of depth, Crime Fighters does the job well. It was the foundation upon which TMNT was built, after all.

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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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