Streets of Rage 2
Sega Genesis
Nostalgia Factor:
The time has finally come. I've been hearing all about how Streets of Rage 2 is one of the greatest beat 'em ups of all time. I've been hearing all about how it's one of the best Genesis games of all time. I've been hearing so much hype for this game, which is over 30 years old, for the longest time.
Somehow I missed out on this game as a kid. I have played the original Streets of Rage, which was okay. But the sequel? This is my first time checking it out. Would I agree with all the hype or would I find that it is simply an okay game, just like the original? Time to find out.
Story:
The story is not the focal point of Streets of Rage 2. All you need to know is that the bad guy from the original game, Mr. X, is back. He takes his revenge on the good guys by kidnapping Adam (the black guy with the yellow shirt; I had to look it up!). The good guys gather some new friends and come after Mr. X to get their friend back. At the end of the game they reach Mr. X's hideout and beat him up and rescue Adam. The end.
I do have some questions about this game's story, as simple as it is. Why don't the good guys just take a bus or something right to Mr. X's hideout? What's with the detours at Disney World and the baseball stadium? Why do the enemies have such weird names? B.Signal? I work for a phone company. All I could think was "busy signal" every time I saw that name. WHY?
Gameplay:
All right, here we go. This is a beat 'em up, so really all that matters is if the game is fun or not. Throw out the story, the graphics, the sound. Is it fun? If not, none of those other things matter.
Well, I have good news for you: the game is fun. Streets of Rage 2 doesn't have the sterling reputation it does for no reason. You can choose from four different fighters: Max, Axel, Blaze, and Skate. On my first playthrough, I chose Blaze. She's the perfect character for my playstyle, which is fast and efficient. Get in, attack the enemy, retreat to safety. I played through the game a second time after I beat it, and this time I chose Axel. Axel seems a bit overpowered with his punch attack. I felt like I could just spam that over and over again and win almost every fight. I only played with Skate for a little bit. I remember this is the character that jumped out at me when I saw advertisements for this game as a kid. Unfortunately, he is tiny and his range sucks. I didn't play at all as Max, but I assume he is the slow strong guy.
This game handles like your typical beat 'em up. There's a 3D plane. You move up and down, fighting bad guys. You walk to the right to make your way through the levels. You destroy things like barrels and street cones to uncover hidden items, like money and health. And, in typical beat 'em up fashion, there are weapons you can pick up like pipes, knives, and swords. If you get hit too many times and lose your weapon, eventually you won't be able to pick it up again.
At the end of each stage there is a boss fight. There are even some mini boss fights in the middle of some stages. Unlike the original Streets of Rage, there is no screen-clearing emergency attack that you can unleash. Good news though: everything about this game is better than the original.
This game is the perfect combination of everything we know and love from the beat 'em up genre. You can spot the clear influence from games like Double Dragon, Final Fight, and the Ninja Turtles. It is so easy to pick up and play. The fighting is addictive. The action flows smoothly from set piece to set piece. Things start out relatively easy and you get sucked in. Towards the end of the game you'll be losing lives left and right.
I wouldn't say the game is overly challenging. The original game was quite tough. This one, I beat twice on my first and only attempts fairly easily. True, I cranked my starting lives up to five. And true, I did have to use a continue on my first playthrough. But in terms of challenge, this game is nothing compared to some other beat 'em ups I have played in recent memory, such as the TMNT games on the NES.
I can see why so many people like this game. As I said before, it is a combination of the best attributes of some of the biggest and best beat 'em ups out there. It works on nearly every level.
Graphics:
This game looks really good, regardless of when it first came out. I noticed from the cover art that this game was released even before the video games rating system debuted. That is when I consider a game officially old. It looks like it could be an indie video game released today. It has that charming and warm feel to it that is timeless.
The graphics pop right off the screen. The pixel are is sharp and defined. The game's environments are fun, colorful, and diverse. As I made my way through each stage, one of the things I began to look forward to the most was seeing what each upcoming stage would have in store for me. The Disney themed level with the castle and the fireworks is especially appealing. And the baseball field with the elevator that goes down and down forever. Even the subtle, more normal areas like neon lit alleys and bars are just so fun to look at.
Sound:
I've heard a lot about how great this game's music is, but I have to be honest: I don't get what all the fuss is about. The music sounds good, sure. But I'm not seeing what makes it stand out over so many other great Genesis titles. The only song that really stuck with me was the first stage's music.
The sound effects are good. Gotta have satisfying punch and kick noises when playing through a beat 'em up, am I right?
Overall:
I'm glad I finally got to play the game that many consider to be one of the best games ever released for the Sega Genesis. Would it be in my personal top five? I don't know. Top ten? Maybe. Top fifteen? Most likely. So it is definitely a really good game. I hesitate to say it is overrated, because for all I know this could very well be the best beat 'em up for the Sega Genesis. It is certainly better than Hyperstone Heist and it is certainly better than its predecessor in the Streets of Rage series. But is it one of the greatest Genesis games of all time? I don't know, I haven't played every Genesis game.
I'll have to sit down and make a list of my favorite beat 'em ups to see where this one would rank. It would definitely be up there. I think if I would wipe away the nostalgic feelings I have for TMNT, X-Men, and the Simpsons, this game is objectively better. And I think it is probably not even close.
All in all... you know what? The critics are right with this one. I believe if I had grown up with Streets of Rage 2, I would be one of those people that sings it praises from the rooftops. Even being extremely, extremely late to the party, I still recognize how good this game is. It's an upper echelon beat 'em up. It is fun to play, it looks good, and it sounds good. I'm sure it is fun to play with a friend, too. I know I'll be playing this with my son when he is old enough to enjoy video games.
I feel I might be underselling this game a bit with its final score, but keep in mind that despite how much I like this game, beat 'em ups are still not my favorite genre, nor do they have the type of longevity or replay value I'm looking for. I will say that this game is better than the Super Nintendo's supposed best beat 'em up ever: Turtles in Time. To me, it is not even close. This game is not only far superior, it is one of the best of its genre to ever exist.
THE GRADE:
A-
If you liked this review, check out some of my other game reviews:
For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click
>HERE<
No comments:
Post a Comment