Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance (released in Japan as Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance, ビートダウン フィスト オブ ベンジェンス) is a beat 'em up action role-playing game for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It was developed by Cavia and published by Capcom, hitting shelves in 2005. The player takes on the role of one of five gangsters who, after being betrayed by their boss, are scattered across the city. Their goal is to earn respect by fighting enemies, dismantle a shadowy organization, and seize control of Los Sombras. For most of the game, the player can freely roam the city and has full control over building their team.

In terms of gameplay, players have a wide range of moves at their disposal, including hand-to-hand combat, melee weapons, and later firearms like pistols and shotguns. Powerful combos can be learned from various NPCs by paying cash or reaching a certain skill level. Players can also buy clothes or undergo plastic surgery to disguise themselves, helping them evade rival gangsters and the police. A rating system tracks three attributes: Cash Flow (covering items), Leadership (gang size and respect), and Charisma (negotiating skill). Player choices affect these ratings, which in turn influence the ending.

Beyond fighting, there is a negotiation system that works with most NPCs, both during combat and in casual conversation. For recruitable NPCs, five main options are available, with outcomes depending on the situation. In a fight, the enemy must be worn down enough before negotiation can succeed, aided by weapons, taunts, and low health. The options are: Recruit (adds an NPC to the crew, usable in or out of fights; outside a fight, it may provoke an attack); Rob (asking or swindling an NPC, which can also start a fight if rejected; players themselves can be robbed, such as when buying fake medicine from black market dealers); Interrogate (asking for information about sales, jobs, tips, or story details); BeatDown (available only in one-on-one fights with non-boss NPCs, where the player beats the NPC to death in a cut-scene, removing them from the game and letting the player take their items, but raising police alertness); and Cancel (ends the negotiation, including with hostile NPCs, as a way to avoid conflict).

The game has three modes. Story Mode is the main campaign, divided into chapters, and is the only mode that allows saving progress.