Streets of Rage 3

"This is a game I was hooked on for a long time."

Intro
Funny, I see myself looking back at those some odd 4 years ago when I spent half my childhood playing this game... Well, not really, but I hope you get the idea I played this game a LOT. It was the third in it's line, having two versions before it. I played both Streets of Rage(I) and Streets of Rage II; I never actually owned the games, but it was what compelled me to purchase Streets of Rage 3. I was quite happy with SoR3, as were my 3 siblings, and we played this game quite often. As I said before, this game was like an addiction to me. I always loved playing with one of my brothers, and the game actually seemed easier with two players than one. My brothers, sister, and I found out two of the many codes that were submitted already in the game codes area of GameFAQs on our own, but only if I were earlier submitting it to this site. ;_;

This game adds in many of the characters from the original SoR and SoR2 to the mix. Namely by default, you have the characters Blaze, Axel, Skate, and Zan. There are ways you can ''alter'' the game so you can attain 3 other hidden characters, but I won't spoil that for ya, and let you get that on your own! ^_~ A selection of rather curious levels, including elevators, dojos, and construction sites, make your fighting experience interesting. There are dangers at almost every turn, whether it be a pitfall, train, or an enemy putting the drop on you from above.

Story 6/10
It's another extension of the original Streets of Rage story, being that the syndicate is back for more. Keep in mind this is a fighting game, not an RPG, so SoR3 isn't really ''story oriented''. I tend to find continuations off the original game a bit dumb because the company is usually just finding another way to get people to buy the game, but I was happy they made SoR3. I didn't really enjoy the game for its story though. Dr. Zan, is an ex-syndicate cyborg, and he helps Blaze learn the inside story on what syndicate and Mr. X have in store for the city. Blaze writes a letter to Axel, begging for his help. Axel and Skate then join Blaze and Zan on another battle against Mr. X on the Streets of Rage! Yea, I definitely think that story's gotten kinda old by the third time... =/

Gameplay/Entertainment 9/10
Basically, this is a straight up left to right, right to left, up to down, down to up scrolling fighting game. The characters are allowed to move in a variety of directions, but the majority of attacks you will only see coming out from the left or right(either side) of the character. There are 4 characters to choose from, and along the way there are ways(secrets) to attain other characters. Their abilities are quite unique, and if you've played SoR or SoR2 you'll recognize many of the characters. You can play either 1 or 2 players in this game, but I found it much easier to actually finish the game with 2. It's an enjoyable game to play whether it be 1 or 2 players though. I must say they did a decent job with the fighting system, how range greatly affects how far away you can hit the enemies from a distance, but most of that was carried over from the past SoR’s. I know that if you attack with Zan, he will have a much greater reach than let's say a short ranged fighter as Skate. I also liked the fact that power was considered too. The enemies die quicker with one such as Axel, because his punches hit harder than let's say a weaker punching Zan. That’s what makes all the characters unique. It's also fairly neat to have different special moves for each character and it can be either a stationary defensive special attack or a forward offensive special attack. Bosses are fairly unique as well, as they can hurt you with a greater force than the normal skimpy enemies do during the regular level. This makes you realize that the main consideration of each level should be concentrated towards the bosses! =D In SoR3 enemies are even more specialized, then let's say, the original SoR. There are more different colored thugs, and even an addition of ninjalike enemies in later stages. SoR3 is much different than the original few thugs over and over again in SoR. Fighting different enemies with different fighting techniques adds to the fun of the game.

Graphics 8/10
This game was a BIG improvement on graphics compared to its predecessors. You can really see a difference between this and SoR. SoR2 got progressively better then SoR too, but SoR3 topped both of them in my opinion. The addition of fancy ninjas, and more detailed thugs, bosses, and characters make the game look very fun to play. The stages and backgrounds have also gotten better. In one of the stages for example, the disco nightclub, has flashing spotlights, disco lights and colors, and even a crowd in the background. That stage is indeed a great improvement SoR3 has over the past two. In another stage, there is a very nicely detailed forklift chasing you. I think you'd spend most of your time breaking down the walls to try to save yourself from being trampled by it, but I'm just letting you know what I've observed! :-)

Sound/Music 7/10
Well, the sounds were ok, I'll give them that. The enemies/characters dying, and when characters were executing moves, they all have some kind of different voices. Many of the weapons had interesting noises too. Probably the most popular phrase(sound) from this game is Axel's ''BARE KNUCKLE''. ^_^ But the music isn't what it used to be back in the SoR game. I don't know what it is about the SoR3 music, they still have a quick paced fighting tempo, they just seem boring and lacking to the interesting tunes they had in SoR. The only thing I may have liked is the fast paced nightclub tune. That song fit in pretty good with the stage, as it was loud, and the characters voices almost seemed muted by the music, which is of course how it is in clubs. =) Other than that, I don't think the music was anything special in this game.

Replay Value 9/10
This is the kinda game you get hooked onto. As you can travel in different paths earning different endings, you’ll want to play through all of them. To get one of the endings, it's fairly tough, even with 2 players, so you will most likely be playing this game more than a few times through. Most of the levels are fun, having something to throw the enemies into, curious weapons to experiment with, or waiting for something like a train car to roll by and hit your enemies. This game has so many more options than the original SoR. With another 7 earnable playable characters to learn how to use, great fighting environment, and several different endings to achieve, it’ll be hard to resist the feeling to play this game.

Conclusion 8 /10
Being an older action fighting game, I still respect SoR3 for what it’s worth. I’ll probably keep it forever, as it’s one of those games you just can’t part with. This game is just so much fun, kicking the bad guy’s butts, and restoring the peace. Although this game was still a fresh version of its type of fighting action scrolling game, it wasn't too bad for it’s time. SoR3 is one of those games they wind up making arcade games out of, it’s just so much fun! If you had the opportunity to buy or rent this game, I suggest buying it. You will be happy with SoR3 if you enjoy hand to hand fighting games. Enough of the typing, I’m off to play some more Streets of Rage 3!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/02, Updated 05/27/02