- The Genesis of Rage -
Streets of Rage is the Origin of this great franchise. Created to rival Final Fight which at the time was a Nintendo exclusive brawler series (the main game later to be ported to the SEGA CD) it introduced and refined many features within the genre and in my humble opinion did an amazing job for it's time.
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While the game itself hasn't aged as well as it's successors, it certainly laid the ground work for the things this series is best known for, from the music and the vibrant environments to the iconic cast and game-play elements.
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So what makes this game memorable amongst the fans? let's see!
- Visual Shock -
While many may find Streets of Rage to lack in the graphical category, I would have to disagree. It's reasonable that the smaller character sprites are off putting in comparison to the successors and even final fight itself however, the upside to this is that the overall area of movement feels roomy which helps the cooperative aspect to this game.
The characters, items and interactive objects have bright and vibrant colors helping them stand out against the gritty but well drawn backdrops. Hit effects, Fire balls, Napalms among other things are clearly visible as well adding the little extra details to the game.
Backdrops range from street stages to beaches, bridges, boats and more all of which have something going on in the background and foreground. Things like waves on the beach, neon signs, moving water in the background, the wind effects and various views of the city really breathe life into the game. Mean while the lack of npcs whether intended or not give a feeling of loneliness and conveys the Syndicates vice grip on the city.
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Many assets from other games were reused but all strangely fit in this experimental project. All things mentioned above make up for the smaller scale of the game ultimately and is one of the many reasons I personally adore this entry to the series.
- Speed Shock -
Gameplay and performance is also an area the game shines for me. While the mechanics are pretty simple and feature basic beat em up functions left behind by the likes of Final Fight and Double Dragon, Streets of Rage adds a new layer to the system by allowing the player to vault during a grab. This not only expands the number of grappling moves but also allows for the player to perform a team attack move during co-op! Alongside this new feature is an amalgamation of different mechanics from other brawlers such as the cop call feature which is a new take on Golden Axe's magic system, throw reversal akin to double dragon and a pivoting jumping system sega games are usually known for.
The game features 3 playable characters who while differ very little from one another, all offer a little something for each style of play. If you want something middle-ground and like the standard brawler type then Axel Stone is your guy, need a little speed and range to get the first hit? You'll want to check out Blaze Fielding and if you're like me and looking for a little more power in trade of speed you'll be picking the ever sequel elusive Adam Hunter. Each character sports a variety of moves including different weapon attacks, standard strikes, a jump kick and some grappling moves.
In Addition to the traditional jump and attack, the cop call mentioned above provides you the ability to clear the room of your enemies utilizing a fellow cop (who we love to label Murphy) and his arsenal of weapons, depending on the player you'll be using either a napalm strike or a grenade launcher adding a little variety to the co-op experience. You can also pull off an additional rear attack by pressing jump and attack together, in most cases very useful when surrounded though I don't suggest using this for Adam unless you've got really good timing.All of this molded together provides a pretty fun experience, especially in co-op where the action can get pretty chaotic. The game really shows the power of the genesis by providing 8 action packed stages filled with a vast number of enemies on screen rarely slowing down the game, your favorite bosses even bring along their evil twin in co-op!
Overall if you're looking for something short, sweet and simple this is the game you're looking for out of the trilogy as it provides a pretty good entry to the series deep combat system which is expanded upon in the sequels.
- Sound Shock -
And now we get to bread and butter of the series, the audio. As crazy as it sounds (no pun intended) the score of the game is truly what placed not only this game but the entire series on the map! While he would later be joined by Motohiro Kawashima in future outings in the series, Music composer Yuzo Koshiro took the world by storm when he pieced together the soundtrack for this game alone. Utilizing influences from various american artists at the time, he would provide us tracks that felt modern and current day at the time, very fitting considering the tone and atmosphere of the game. Til this day the soundtrack to Streets of Rage is my favorite not only of the series but of all time.
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Tracks like "Fighting in the Streets" "Violent Breathing" and "Attack the Barbarian" give you a pumped up feeling to push you through the levels, meanwhile "Dilapidated Town" "Moon Beach" and "Keep the Groovin" give you a little more chill vibe to beat goons to and of course the boss music "Attack the Barbarian" at the end of each scene engages you in each battle!
Of course it doesn't stop there. Sound effects and voice clips are also important in this game, from the painful punch sounds to the explosions of that napalm attack to even the shriek of your victims as you bash their heads in this game has no shortage of engaging sound effects. Some effects were borrowed from Shinobi but oddly enough fit right in with everything else and even became staple later down the line.
While I had to keep this section short and sweet I will say that the sounds of this game is like the whip cream and cherry on top of an already good sundae, providing a little extra "oomph" if you need more immersion to keep you going.
- Bonus Shock -
In conclusion, Streets of Rage as an entry to such a long lasting series definitely has a tall order from a retro-active perspective. The series has come a long way from it's humble beginnings even starting with the very sequel Streets of Rage 2. That being said, I feel Streets of Rage still stands the test of time, it's not a game I see many coming back to often but it has it's place among it's predecessors. For me it's still my favorite game of the series, I love it's cop story atmosphere, the fist of the north star influences, the cast and character design (especially for adam and murphy) it's soundtrack among other things. I often wonder how the series would go had it expanded on Streets 1 original combat system or more so what a true remake of this game would entail... So I place this one in the "pull it out and play it" pile it's worth a play through here and there, if you're missing Adam and Murphy they'll be waiting for you there! (and remake).
-Mr.Din