Streets of Rage

"A classic beat 'em up which would spawn two greater sequels"

T'was 1991, and the Genesis/Megadrive was finally starting to pull it's finger out, and give Nintendo the right hook it deserved. Sonic the Hedgehog had just come out, the first killer app for the Genesis. Sega was in prime position at the moment. But there were still a few gaps that needed to be filled. The machine needed a good beat 'em up, something arcade like, which would attract gamers of all ages. Then along comes Yu Suzuki with Streets of Rage. The game is released in the latter half of 1991, and sells like hot cakes. Sega has another hit on their hands, and Nintendo furtherly push forward the release of the Super Nintendo.

Living in a PAL region, you get faced with disadvantages. You are a smaller market, and tend to get overlooked for some releases. I got my Megadrive at the end of 1991. I had seen previews of this game in several magazines, and thought that it would be one of the first games I would buy, but thanks to the PAL system, I didn't see this game 'til about about March 1992 (living in a rural area does not help either). When I eventually did get my hands on it, I thought it was brilliant, and played the death out of it. It sits amongst my top 100 for the 90's. While the game was completely blown out of the water by it's spectactular sequel (Streets of Rage 2), it continues to be regarded as one of the classics of the Genesis/Megadrive.

Graphics: 7.7

Ooh, a little on the rough side, but pleasing at the same time. The main characters, Axel, Blaze and Adam are drawn and animated excellently. There is a fairly good variety of bad guys to beat the stuffing out of, and the bosses generally look rather boss-like. The only complaint I have is that the game does suffer a little slowdown at points, not enough to hamper upon gameplay, but enough to be noticed. A fairly average effort from those who know better.

Sound: 9.7

BRILLIANT!! Some of the best music there is on the system, if not in the history of video games. Changing from Techno to Rock, and back again successfully throughout the whole game. Something to get in MIDI form, and listen to on your PC. Sound effects are fairly average, with the standard punching and dying sounds, with a the occasional sound of busting an inanimate object over someone's head.

Story: 6.8

Here is the story from the manual. ''What was once a happy, peaceful, productive city full of life and activity, has fallen into the hands of a secret criminal syndicate. The leader of the syndicate has somehow managed tokeep his identity a secret. The organization soon absorbed the city government (anyone can be had if the price is right). They even have the metropolitan police force in their back pocket. Looting, random violence and destruction are rampant. No one is safe walking the streets, day or night...

As the chaos continued at full strength, three young police officers tried to establish a special attack unit. They were repeatedly refused by their superiors, most of whom had either been bought by the organization or were too afraid to make a stand. One day, when they could no longer stand by and watch their city being demolished, they quit the force!

Adam Hunter, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding decided to forego their careers in legal law enforcement and put their lives on the line. They are without weapons, but each possesses
great hand-to-hand combat abilities. Take them into the heart of the city and battle the most
dangerous wave of bad dudes and chicks ever assembled. Make the city a place where people no longer have to walk the Streets of Rage!''

Not too bad as far as video game stories go, but it's no Phantasy Star. The evil criminal organisation angle has been done to death in video games, so points were deducted as per usual.

Gameplay: 9.1

It all comes together in the gameplay section. Pummel your way through 8 levels packed to the brim with all sorts of bad guys, until you reach Mr. X himself. The levels themselves are fairly well designed, but are mostly a 'left to right' affair. There are more than enough enemies to beat the stuffing out of. The single player game can begin to feel a little tiring, but having a friend to play with can add a lot to the game. There are a few bonus moves thrown in when you play the two player mode, and they are fairly effective. Although it may sound similar to many other beat 'em ups from the past, there is something that sets it apart. The special weapon. In trouble? Getting your booty booted? Press the A button to call in your police friends. The button will wipe out normal enemies, and deal hefty damage to bosses.

Controls: 9.0

Simple, but that's the way I like them. A calls for backup, B strikes the enemy, and C jumps, and the D-Pad moves the character around the screen. There are various button combinations for moves, but this is a review, not a guide (cheap shot intended).

Lastability: 5.5

Why was it that all of Sega's great Megadrive/Genesis games were so easy, and once you went through them a few times, you became completely sick of them? This game suffers the same curse. Fun to play through, but there isn't enough of it. Playing through with a friend can extend it a little, but there isn't enough to keep one interested for a more than a few weeks. You will dust it off in the future, and play it for some of those retrogaming urges.

Does it belong in my game collection? Yes

The game may be easy, but it is one of the great games from the 16-bit era. If you consider yourself a Sega fan, or are just a collector of 16-bit memorabilia, this game deserves it's spot in your collection.

Pro's

- Great music!!
- Above average graphics
- Fantastic gameplay
- Easy to get the hang of

Con's

- Too easy, lacking any real challenge
- The premise had been done to death

Overall: 8.3 (Adjusted to 8 for GameFAQs and 8.5 for FBGames)

While being a classic Genesis/Megadrive game, it was still too easy back then, and still is now. While it's sequel showed everyone how a scrolling beat 'em up should be done, it would not have been if it were not for this piece of work. If you haven't heard of the game (there are a few of you out there), go search for it on EBay, and pick it up for a few weeks of gaming goodness.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/07/01, Updated 06/07/01