Streets of Rage

"A great game for the Sega Genesis."

Low, and behold, the age of 2D graphics games are merely at an end. But we can look back at those days and marvel at the games that started them all. Some games that we play may be even more than 10 years old, and STILL be extremely fun. Streets of Rage is one of those games.

GAMEPLAY:9
The game play in this game was absolutely fun and exciting. This game is basically a ''beat 'um up'' type of game, in which you walk around and... beat up people, until you get to the end of the level, face a boss, and proceed to the next level. This is a ''beat 'um up'' game at its finest.

GRAPHICS:8
For back then, these graphics were top notch and state of the art. (It's funny what we considered state of the art ten years back.) The backgrounds are well designed and the character design is unique for every character, even the enemies.

STORY: 6
Well, the story is not that deep. A underground crime organization is turning the city into chaos and you fight in the streets of ''rage''. (Hence the game title.) That's about it as far as the story goes, but yet again, most games back in yesteryear don't really have good story lines.

SOUND:8
Top notch for it's time. The punch and kick sounds were pretty cool, plus it even had clear ''dyeing'' voices. (The enemies yelled when the died.) That was actually considered state of the art to have voices in a game

MUSIC: 10
What can I say? The music in this game is AWESOME. Even today, the music is great. What's better than beating up people while hearing a thumping techno beat in the background? It sets the mood for this game very well: fast paced and furious.

MENU GRAPHICS AND INTERFACE: 9
Easy to use menu with great graphics in the background.

RE-PLAYABILITY: 10
You can play this game over and over and over and over, it's just so fun!!!

-2 PLAYERS-

MULTIPLAYER COMPATIBILITY: 10
No problems or slowdown at all. Same graphics as single player.

GAME/GENERAL COMPATIBILITY: 10
Had no problems starting the game, and never witnessed any (major) bugs. No crashes/freezes.

-FINAL STATEMENT-
If you have Sega Genesis, I suggest you buy this timeless classic. It is worth your time and trouble trying to find it, since it's not sold anywhere any more, but consider your self lucky if you DO find it, because it is a video game icon, and a classical gem.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/11/02, Updated 01/11/02