64th STREET
Original Release: Jaleco, 1991, Arcade
Other Releases: Switch / PS4 / iOS (2020)
A mediocre early 90s beat-em-up that would have likely been forgotten by time if it wasn't endearingly goofy. DOGOOOON!
64th Street (Jaleco, Arcade, 1991)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: Arcade Emulation Guide
Review by: C. M0use
64th Street: A Detective Story gained internet notoriety about two decades ago, when jokey snarky video game sites were all the rage. I think Seanbaby or Something Awful or one of those places did a feature on it, and since then it's had some reputation as one of the worst arcade games ever.
If you've actually plumbed the depths of the MAME catalog, however, you'll know that it's far from the worst arcade games ever made, and it isn't even among the worst beat-em-ups ever. It's certainly not a good game, but really more relentlessly mediocre and sloppy than anything else, and with lulzy Engrish translation for bonus entertainment value.
The setting and aesthetics are an odd mishmash of 1920s, 1950s and the typical 1980s punks that only existed in Hollywood movies. The game is supposed to be set in the 1930s but I guess the memo got to the artists too late, after they'd already re-drawn enemies from Final Fight and didn't want to do any more sprite work. There's some inexplicable story about these two detectives finding hidden messages in the newspaper, and somehow this involves brawling with every two-bit thug on the streets.
The two characters are slightly unique, in that Rick (the mustachio'd guy) has a completely useless jumping attack (he puts his hand over his face for some reason and sticks his other fist out) but seems to throw enemies a lot more often (with a hearty "D'AAAAAH!" that you'll soon grow very tired of.) The other guy actually has a useful jumpkick and throws strikes a little faster - he's basically the Guy clone while Rick is like a wussier, skinnier Haggar. The best feature for each is the ability to toss enemies into the background, which can be used to shatter glass to find hidden items and in some cases huck them into the water for an insta-kill.
Graphics and sprite work are mediocre at absolute best, the music and sound are definitely on the annoying side, but the game is a fundamentally solid Final Fight clone. I'm not recommending you play it or anything, but arcade brawlers could (and did) get a lot worse than this.
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