I can't believe GTA was just brought up in a beat'em up thread. Beating up groups of old ladies at random when you're bored is nothing like the thrill of beating up waves of enemies defending yourself and pursuing a goal. Forget boundaries/free-roam. Its not a step in the wrong direction if its done properly. Look at how well Viewtiful Joe was recieved. It didn't just limit your path. It limited your dimensional depth xD Everyone's gone ape :skull::skull::skull::skull: over 3D since Playstation and then salivating over free-roam since GTA3. And then a little 2D beat'em up captivates everyone anyway. It can be done. Just has to be done right