I never played it but seeing this I know I missed a giant chunk of my childhood. Nothing says sidescroller brawler like postapocalyptic gangs duking it out to get the girl.
They turn into footballs when you pick them up (the football physics model is surprisingly good too). That is why this game is better than Final Fight.
That and the OST, and the train conductor bus with a giant pair of electrified ticket punchers.
It's a genuinely fun beat em up. As much as this ripped off Final Fight, God Hand ripped off this. While you are playing this on MAME, play Knuckle Bash and Ninja Baseball Bat Man too.
Fun fact: This game is the third in a series, after Crime Fighters and Vendetta. The first two are balls out crazy as well. In vendetta you can uppercut dudes into street lamps and electrocute them.