Streets of Rage

"Avoid these streets you should"

By this "Fun" synopsis, I am not referring to the game itself, but rather to how this game was brandished by proud Genesis owners as The Final Fight-killer. When Nintendo released Final Fight, crowds drooled at the game and couldn't stop talking about how great it was. At that time, conversations revolved mainly around how damn good Damn'd was, how Cody owned all, or how Haggar's special attack would knock the hell out of a white bear. Needless to say, this infuriated the Genesis owners who couldn't retaliate with anything. So, when Sega finally released Streets of Rage, a blatant Final Fight clone, these same gamers were overjoyed that they could at last control a heavy-breasted guy to punch and kick a whip-slashing prostitute.

They just didn't realize that Streets of Rage sucked because they were so busy inventing reasons as to how SOR built upon the legendary Final Fight. I still laugh when I see people stating that SOR is one of the finest brawlers released on the Genesis simply because (i) they haven't experienced anything better, or (ii) they are complete idiots. You see, Streets of Rage is a very poor Final Fight clone. It basically rips apart all the exciting features of the game, leaving you with a decrepit lengthy title that is barely enjoyable.

The worse thing is that there isn't even the need to compare the two games to deduce that Streets of Rage is extremely lacking. As far as the story goes, it seems Sega couldn't bother to write something worthwhile. There's this premise about some bloke trying to rule over a city. Unfortunately for him, two guys and one gal couldn't bring themselves to agree with his plan. Obviously, it so happens all three of them know how to fight, so they just takes matters into their own hands and decide to go kick the crap out of the big ol' bloke.

Axel can be seen as the lead although there seemingly isn't much difference between the characters story-wise. He's strong enough to deal with four foes at the same time, but he's a bit lacking in speed. Adam, the second male protagonist, is even stronger than Axel, but he's terribly slow and very uncomfortable against fast enemies such as the sexy twins. Thankfully, there's also Blaze, the gal, who's as fast as a comet, but she needs to kick foes much more to send them reeling into a wall.

The attacks themselves are fairly redundant. Other than the usual punch/kick attacks that change depending on what kind of situation you are in, there is also a terribly useless jump attack. Other than this, you can grab opponents, provided you are close enough. I have to say there's nothing very exciting about SOR's moves. I suppose there's too much of a feeling of deja-vu, which doesn't help anything. Unfortunately, the special move, a must in this kind of game, looks more like a last-minute feature someone at Sega suddenly remembered about. Instead of being health-consuming, you need to have one super (actually an item in the form of a car) to be able to use it. The move involves a police car appearing and a guy using a bazooka, which creates pillar of flames around the screen. The three characters share the same move, which is lame. Couldn't Sega have thought of something better?

But then, it isn't as if you'll be playing the game for the special moves anyhow, even less for the challenge. The difficulty level in this game is ludicrous; even at the highest setting, it is possible to trudge through all the levels and defeat the boss without using a single continue. The normal enemies themselves barely oppose any resistance, save for some of the prostitutes. They stupidly walk into your attacks and do not even try to avoid you. With appropriate timing, it is even possible to trap someone into your normal attacks and beat him to a pulp without him being able to do anything about it. Sega also didn't hesitate to steal a couple of enemies from Final Fight, but even these have easily discernible patterns.

Boss encounters vary in intensity. The first boss is rapidly dealt with, as his attacks are predictable. Level 2 grants you with a fast guy who can slash at you with his claws; he can be tough to beat. The twin sisters too are quite threatening due to their speed; someone like Adam will obviously sweat to defeat both of them. By the end of the game, all the previous bosses come in as mere opponents. Now, this should be a great idea had it not been for yet another omission by Sega. They have the same AI as when you first met them, which means you shouldn't have any problem quickly beating them since you already know what to expect. And the final boss himself is a total joke; how such a moron could profess to being a fearsome criminal is beyond me.

I experienced no thrill during this game. I don't know; perhaps the atrocious controls have something to do with this. Streets of Rage has horrible controls; moves come out seconds after you input the commands. Jump attacks could very well be ignored due to their lag; you'd be better completely forgetting about those and concentrating on your standard attacks. Of course, you also get weapons such as knives, pipes and baseball bats, which look suspiciously thin. Health-restoring items also prevent you from dying too frequently; they're sparse, but this isn't really a problem since SOR is a very easy game.

Whether it be as a result of the controls or not, this game is just plain boring. The levels are devoid of details, except for the elevator stage, which enables you to glance at great backgrounds. On the other hand, the other stages feel rushed. The first stage merely hosts restaurants and shops with items being 'stored' in telephone booths. How exciting! Same for the second stage, which succeeds in being dull from beginning to end, as it depicts walls most of the time. Something is definitely amiss in this game. My killing thirsts were never quenched; beating up the enemies felt forced, and there was indeed no true reward to actually doing so since most of the bosses are so disappointing.

Perhaps the character designs too have something to do with this. In a beat-'em-up, I expect to control 'manly' characters that will make me feel that adrenaline rush. SOR's characters are everything but 'manly'. They look like midgets and one could wonder how they all got to be police officers. Requirements seem to be dropping every day; no wonder Mr. X decided to come to town. The animation is passable, but I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the characters.

Equally boring is the music. Save for the introductory music and the enticing boss track, I never found myself at ease with the repetitive themes. Again, this distinct feel that should be in any respectable beat-'em-up (oh, how I miss you, Cadillacs & Dinosaurs!) is absent from the game. To think biased Genesis fans would never stop insisting on how SOR's music was great; apparently, they all need to buy a new pair of ears. The vocals are as uninteresting as the music; most of the voices are high-pitched and annoying. It's weird to see a 200-pound monster scream at the top of his lungs in a sissy sort of way when he dies.

I admit that Streets of Rage does present a degree of realism not found in Final Fight. As an example, Axel and Blaze cannot throw the bigger enemies, as they cannot handle their weight. There are other similar nice touches, but unfortunately, this isn't enough to make SOR even somewhat enjoyable. In a better game, this ingenuity would have been awesome; here, it's just a rare well-done task by Sega.

Most gamers claim that the only reason why they ignore SOR is because it fails to compare to its sequel. You'd probably think I'm like them, but I'm not. I played SOR well before SOR2 and never enjoyed one moment on it. Hell, SOR's the reason why I tried to avoid playing SOR2. Back when I first got this game, the only thing that would bring me back to it is the 2-player mode. It can be quite fun since it's possible to hit your friend, and this can make for a fun quick game. Alas, even this subtle touch (whether intentional or unintentional) isn't enough to warrant SOR a purchase.

It's just too boring. Avoid it at all costs, and blame 'em biased Sega fans for acting as if this game is actually worth playing.

It is not!

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 08/31/05