5 Best Arcade Beat ‘Em Ups of the 1980s, Ranked

Man, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game is where it all began for me! It came out in 1989, and while I loved the comics, this game was totally based on the awesome 1987 cartoon. You get to play as all the turtles I grew up with, and it’s packed with references to the show, plus it has its own story. It was a huge deal back then, really kicked off the whole TMNT franchise, and honestly, it’s one of the best beat-’em-ups of the 80s. It even inspired a ton of great games that came out in the 90s!







