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5 /5

Beat Down is a 3rd person action/fighting video game for the PlayStation 2. It was developed by Cavia and published by Capcom, and released on August 23, 2005. In it, the player takes the role of any of 5 gangsters, running from their boss. The player earns respect on the street by fighting enemies to take down a shadowy organization and become the city's ultimate fighter.

An urban fisticuffs adventure, Beat Down casts players as a fugitive in the fictional city of Las Sombras, a dangerous place ruled by rival cartels. Players choose one of five hardened mercenaries, who were all betrayed in the same drug bust-gone-wrong. In order to redeem himself, the player's character must learn the ways of the city and its diverse neighborhoods, make alliances and gain followers, eventually rejoin with the other fugitives, and ultimately hunt down their betrayer and serve him his due.

While strategy, diplomacy, and disguise have their place, the game's action revolves around street fights of many sorts. The player's character can pick a fight with nearly anyone he meets, and use found objects as improvised weapons.