Streets of Rage II

"What can I say? This is the template on which all other beat em' ups should be based."

Story

This game is the story of 4 friends, rage burning inside them, setting out to take on the nefarious Mr. X, and rescue their friend Adam (from SOR1) from his clutches. Axel and Blaze are two former police officers and partners, Skate is Adam's kid brother, and Max, a wrestler, is a good friend of Axel. Do you have what it takes to survive on the Streets of Rage?

Okay, so the story is your typical revenge/kidnapping affair, but who plays beat 'em ups for the story, anyway? All you need is a reason to get out there and kick thug ass. It's the good gameplay that matters, and this one has it in spades. We'll get to that in a little bit.

Graphics: 7/10

On the whole, this game had some okay graphics for its time, especially given the limited color pallette on the Genesis. Nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. The character and enemy sprites are fairly sharp with decent, yet somewhat stiff, animations. Some of the environments look a bit washed-out and grainy, but there were many Genesis games that suffered the same fate due to its limited graphical capabilities. In addition, the environments do sport a lot of variety. From the city streets to broken buildings to disco clubs to jungles to ships, you'll be fighting everywhere. The graphics definitely aren't the main reason why this game is something special though, as I'll explain below.

Sound: 9/10

Now we're getting to the good stuff. The music in this game will really have you tapping your feet with its catchy thumping techno beats. The boss music is honestly one of the most memorable themes I think I've ever heard. From beginning to end, you'll enjoy almost every tune this game has to offer. Again, they were able to do a remarkable job, especially considering the somewhat archaic sound chip that was put in the Genesis. Speaking of the sound chip, it really produces some funny-sounding voices from the characters. Unless you already know exactly what the characters are saying when they do their signature moves, good luck figuring it out. From Axel's signature "Grand Upper" (also known to some as "Resapaw", "Get the Punk", "Grand-a-ma", etc.), to Skate's "Corkscrew Kick"(also known as "Cookscew Keek", "Ohh-ski-ski"), to Max's "AWWTAWWW!!" yell when he goes for a shoulder tackle, you'll think that these guys are probably speaking Japanese when you first hear it. Think of the creepy, gravelly-sounding "Wise fwom your gwave" soundbite from the beginning of Altered Beast, and you'll have a good idea of what I'm talking about. To me though, it only adds to the game's charm, and makes it more memorable overall.

Gameplay: 10/10

Another one hit outta the park, here. The 4 characters that you can play as (Axel, Blaze, Skate, Max) vary nicely in their moves and attributes. Everyone will have a different favorite here. Max is a pure tank powerhouse, which also comes with being horribly slow. Skate is extremely fast, being the only character that comes with a dash move, but he's also very weak physically. Axel is a little on the slower side, and jumps like he's got bricks tied to his feet, but it's balanced out by good power, high combo potential, and good special moves. It's all rounded off my the well-balanced Blaze. Every character has two strong special moves (which drain your energy), a regular special, such as Axel's "Grand Upper" (which doesn't drain energy), multiple grapple attacks from the front and behind, a chaged attack that you can do by holding the attack button for a couple of seconds, and a basic combo attack. Not bad, huh? Most games around at that time didn't offer such a variety of moves, and that's something that really sets this game apart from other brawlers. If you get sick of playing as one character, switch to another, and it almost completely changes how you'll have to play the game.

As far as difficulty goes, you have a bunch of different settings. Very easy, easy, normal, hard, hardest, and mania (with very easy and mania unlocked with a code) gives players of all skill levels a chance to enjoy the game. Think you're hardcore? If you want a real challenge, try playing with Skate on Mania. ;) You can also select the number of lives and continues you receive at the start of the game.

Overall: 10/10

There's something that just can't be put into words as to why this game is so special. Maybe it's the great gameplay. Maybe it's the fantastic music. Maybe it's the funny-sounding voices. Maybe it's all those things put together. Whatever it is, if you are into beat 'em ups, or any action games in general, you owe it to yourself to play this fantastic example of what a game like this should be.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/02/06