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sTrEeTs Of RaGe 4 ~ rAgE iN tHe CaGe

Kazza

Member
As we wait for the game to drop, perhaps this would be a good time to share our first experiences with the Streets of Rage series. Here are a couple of videos to get everyone going:






I got it pretty much at release. I was a big fan of Final Fight and Double Dragon, but side-scrolling beat'em were a little scarce in the early years of the Megadrive. Apart from Golden Axe (which I only partly considered part of the genre due to its swords and magic setting), the only beat'em up I remember playing and enjoying was an imported copy of DJ Boy:

tumblr_mmb5462J6R1roqda3o2_r1_500.gifv


Streets of Rage was on another level altogether from DJ Boy. Beat'em ups are a pretty straightforward and repetitive genre, so the presentation, mood and setting make a huge difference. SoR got it right from the very opening, with the moody music and scrolling cityscape:

giphy.gif


Everything from the music to the character design was on point. The gameplay was great too, adding a few nice extra touches o the usual gameplay of the genre. It may seem like a small thing, but being able to vault over a grabbed character really added a new dimension and was impressive at the time. Even friends not usually that into non-sport video games loved it.

The music was amazing of course, and I have listened to the soundtrack countless times over the years. I'm a bit of a walker, and one of my favourite things to do when travelling to a new place is to simply aimlessly walk around the local neighbourhood, taking in the sights and sounds. If I'm in the mood, then I sometimes put on the SoR soundtrack while walking particularly urban environments. Another favourite place to listen to the music is while walking along the beach, especially the stage 3 music, Moon Beach:

Streets_of_Rage_Genesis_Playthrough_-_NintendoComplete-2.gif





Listening to that track now brings back memories of beaches in Thailand and Bali, as much as the game itself.

Watching the Sega Lord X video just now, I'm still really impressed by the sheer amount happening on screen. There are so many sprites and enemy characters moving around at the same time, all without the slightest bit of flicker or slowdown. This was pretty early on in the console's lifetime, and that would have been very impressive to anyone who had just upgraded from an 8-bit system.

Finally, who could forget that twist at the end? I wonder if we will be offered a similar choice in SoR4?

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Anyone else got any Streets of Rage memories?
 
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Saber

Gold Member
Did you fight over stolen trash-can chicken and "accidental" hits with iron bars?

Me and my brother are pretty much not the type to do this kind of things when we were cubs. We used mostly to take our games seriously , so even friendly fire was very rare.
That until we grown up and start making fun/shit anytime we play(like trying to throw a character in the pits on purpose).
 
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Caffeine

Member
Me and my friend David would always play through them many times. I remember this one time we did a mania run on all 3 of them one night. 3 is insane on mania with 2 players.
years later i brought over streets of rage remake to his cabin and he was floored by the quality of a fan game.
due to corona stopping visiting him its not gonna stop us from playing online co op of 4 :D.
 
I almost forgot, the elevator stage was really cool too. It was so satisfying trying to throw people over the edge.

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Was it the first for a beat'em up?

Nah Final Fight had one (Though that stage was cut from the snes port), although it didn't feature the ledge aspect.
 

MacReady13

Member
Sad to say that, as I was a Nintendo kid growing up (i'm now 39) and exclusively playing NES and then SNES, I didn't really get into Sega until I purchased a Dreamcast on launch. Ironically the 1st time I played SoR was on the Nintendo Wii virtual console, from the moment I started part 2, I knew it was something special. Not only the look but the feel and that fucking soundtrack! How in the hell did I spend my youth without this game in my life?!? I grew up playing games like TMNT Turtles In Time on SNES and that was an awesome fighting game- probably the best ever side scroller on console for mine. SoR 2 is right up there with it.
 

Scotty W

Member
If you want to hype yourself up a bit more, check out this CLASSIC neogaf thread:

 

cireza

Member
the biggest problem with these types of games is the repetitivenes , so having combos add a lot of variety & replay value with each run
I disagree. It makes longer and more tedious what should be quick and fun. And makes enemy AI useless.

If some players like this, that's great, but it actually turns me off quite a bit.
 
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Fat Frog

I advertised for Google Stadia
2 millions copies sold in 2020, that's my crazy bet.

It will blow Sega's mind and they will secure a Streets of Rage ga gotoku for 2022 ha ha.

Go Streets of Rage, I know you'll make it !
 
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HotPocket69

Banned
I almost forgot, the elevator stage was really cool too. It was so satisfying trying to throw people over the edge.

OwF8nMWMcOd8ViI6ozluAmnKrRCXNPzR_vWdceA70POXpEjPkup0cB4P-EBwPEfY_lr0CmiIi89nwzhONhnNoJ3_N4XfCldNBux_4Wycpl7dwWhg_LsyxYtIH8O5Nwk


Was it the first for a beat'em up?

No. Stuff like Ninja Turtles did elevators before SOR.

Nice OT Tess. Will cop on the Quad Pro for the weekend. Hopefully there’s a decent non half assed trophy list.
 

SirTerry-T

Member
Great OP!
Wank art style.
It is? It certainly wants to make me do filthy things with my little fireman.
The art direction is great, acknowledging the past while being aware that a modern take has to look updated.
Unless you're one of those pixel purists who is blissfully unaware just how expensive creating pixel art in modern resolutions would be both in economic and time costs?
 
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