Altered Beast

The Good
Mostly the idea of, in each stage, becoming a new werebeast, each with its own special attacks. I also liked the involvement of Greek mythology like Zeus, Athena and the underworld(i.e Hades). So I understand, Team Shinobi's original backstory was, a race of werebeasts had risen above the the other races, becoming god-like, so Zeus, deciding they had become too powerful, turned them all to stone. When his daughter Athena was kidnapped by "Neff"(the bald-headed antagonist appears to have been originally unnamed), Zeus decided to revive one of the wearbeasts for a rescue mission i.e his lightning bolt breaking you out of the stone block at the start. Other versions of the game had you as a dead Roman centurion bought back to life(by a Greek god!).

The game is good to watch, the large combatants and the facial view of your transformation into a werebeast in each stage. "Neff" is a pretty cool villain, transforming into monster-bosses("Welcome to your doom!"). Good background music too, haunting, with a rocking beat. Another thing I link is the feeling of power when you go from being a strong yet vulnerable man, fighting only with his fists and feet, to a werebeast, almost invincible with fire and electricity attacks....until the boss arrives and puts you back on the defensive.

The Bad
It plays only averagely. Of course it's perfectly common for an arcade game to look great, but not be particularly easy to get the hang of, lest you get too much for your money. So, fighting as an unarmed muscleman, it's pretty easy to get knocked down. Fighting the bosses as a werebeast is pretty tough too, there are strategies for winning, but they still take a bit of luck and effort. However, there is no backtrack-penalty for losing a life or getting a game over i.e at the arcade you can win if you're willing to spend the money.

The Bottom Line
The original arcade version is the best I've played and it's worth the money and/or time that it takes to complete it, even a few times. It can be a great feeling, becoming a werebeast ;)