Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance
Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance, known in Japan as simply , 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 in 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. 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. There are three game modes: Plot. The player assumes the role of one of the five underworld enforcers: Raven, Jason G, Aaron, Gina or Lola. When they witnessed the dead bodies of the drug dealers in the warehouse as taking part of the drug dealing for money, they were betrayed by Las Sombras' powerful Mafia family led by Zanetti. The player splits up with the other enforcers and now must get their revenge against the Zanetti 's gang members as well as being aware of the corrupted police department. Their only place to rely for help is in the bar called "The Hole". Inside, the leaders cooperate with Tracy, who is their informant. Working together to get their revenge is the only way to end this urban reality madness by recruiting, robbing, interrogating and even lay the "Beat Down" on gang members throughout Las Sombras. What's more important, the enforcers will also defend themselves through wearing various disguises to reduce the danger from being detected from either the Zanetti's gangs or the corrupted police  officers. Development. "Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance" was developed by the Japanese company Cavia. According to executive producer Tatsuya Minami, the game was created specifically to succeed in the US market. Initially conceived as a PS2 exclusive, Cavia quickly considered expanding development to other platforms and ended up choosing the Xbox due its strong sales in that same region. Minami claimed that while producing "Beat Down" the team took into consideration games within the crime genre that were popular in the US. When asked if any films were a direct inspiration, he answered, "I can't think of any specific  movie right now that influenced us but rest assured a staff of entirely Japanese people doing a game that takes place in a gritty American urban environment need to do plenty of research." Reception. The Xbox version received "mixed" reviews, while the PlayStation 2 version received "mixed or average reviews", according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. In Japan, however, "Famitsu" gave the game a score of 30 out of 40.