During the time when side scroller games were all the rage, both Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo had an unofficial flagship franchise that championed the genre. For Super Nintendo, the Final Fight series was the most recognized and loved side scroller beat 'em up games. For Sega Genesis though, The Streets of Rage series (also known as "Bare Knuckle" in Japan) was the top franchise. Strangely, even though the Final Fight games were fun in their own right, fans actually preferred the Streets of Rage series over Final Fight despite the fact that the Super Nintendo games were usually viewed as superior. The reason for this is due to the incredible fan-love shown for Streets of Rage 2, the game that many feel to be the best of the side scroller beat 'em up games.