Developer: Ancient Publisher: Sega Release: Genre: Beat ’em up
Streets of Rage 2 is one of the greatest beat em ups of all time. It tops the list of greatest games in the genre regularly and is one of the best games in the Genesis library. Depending on the day it might be my personal favorite brawler as well. With all of these accolades any sequel would come under heavy scrutiny. Streets of Rage 3 both improves on its legendary predecessor and is also a step backwards in a few ways. But that is a result of the game’s localization. While Streets of Rage 3 is still worth playing it is not as great as it should be.
The overall story slightly differs depending on the version of the game. Mr. X, after being defeated twice starts RoboCy Corporation and works with Dr. Dahm as part of his plan to replace city officials with robotic duplicates under his control. To distract the police from uncovering his plan he places bombs around the city. Dr. Zan uncovers this plot and contacts Blaze who gets the team back together to save the city. Bare Knuckle III is different and has more cutscenes and backstory given to Dr. Zan as he is integral to the plot. Why the story was changed I’ll never know but it hurts the game overall.
For reasons no one knows Sega changed many other elements of Streets of Rage 3 before bringing it overseas. Some are harmless (character colors) while others were necessary. Let’s just say the flamboyant, gay caricature that was the first boss will not be missed. But they played around with the one area that wasn’t necessary, the gameplay. The game’s balance was changed for the worse, making it a chore at times.
Axel, Blaze and Skate return and are largely the same. To a certain extent with the addition of dashing and such the character ratings are not as ironclad. Because everyone can dash Skate does lose the one aspect that made him unique. But he is still the fastest overall and has more techniques than everyone. Replacing Max is Dr. Zan and he proves the most interesting. He is not the powerhouse you would expect despite his size. In fact he is weaker than most of the cast. What he lacks in power he makes up with mobility and reach. As a cyborg he can extend his limbs and deliver shocking attacks. In addition any weapon you grab allows him to toss balls of energy like bowling balls. Zan takes skill to use but proves to be a worthwhile addition to the cast.
Streets of Rage 2 has a solid base in terms of mechanics to build on. Honestly Streets of Rage could have could have been identical and most would not complain. But Sega went above and beyond overhauling the game’s mechanics and creating one of the deepest combat systems in a side scrolling brawler. All characters can dash which makes the gameplay faster. Dashing modifies a lot of your moves and makes them more powerful. There are even special dash attacks with weapons. These are incredibly strong but to balance it weapons have a life bar before they break. Every character is more proficient with certain weapons and will perform unique attacks. You can perform a defensive roll upwards or downwards which is indispensable. You cannot block but this is the next best thing.
The improvements do not stop there! Special moves have their own tweaks as well. Everyone still has two special attacks which cost a little bit of life. New to the game is a gauge that fills every few seconds. When it is full you can use a special move with no penalty. This makes them an active part of your arsenal rather than a last resort. Blitz attacks are a step higher. Killing enough enemies on a single life will grant you a star. These are super versions of your dash attacks and are absolutely brutal. If you somehow manage to reach three stars you get a new move. But the chance of that happening is slim.
Unfortunately Sega ruined the game’s difficulty with their meddling. The normal setting is considerably harder than Bare Knuckle III’s hard mode which was no slouch. It is not a good change either. Immediately you will notice even fodder enemies take longer to kill to say nothing of the bosses. It becomes tiresome incredibly fast and only gets worse as the game progresses. By the second level they attack in groups of five to six. With such protracted the game is tedious. It should not even be possible with the wealth of combat options on hand yet somehow Sega did it. The repetitive gameplay ruins some of the game’s more creative moments such as escaping from a charging bulldozer. The difficulty mars an otherwise stellar game.
One cool feature is multiple endings. Up until stage six Streets of Rage 3 is completely linear. On this level you explore a non-linear building in a race against time to save the police chief. Save him and you get to face the true final boss in a timed battle. If you fail to stop the bomb or save the chief the story continues along an alternate route. There are three endings total giving the game replay value. There are also two hidden characters as well. While they are cool the tedium of the gameplay means most will not bother.
In Closing
This one hurt to write. Streets of Rage 3 is still a good game but is heavily flawed. The sad thing is it should not be this way. With some of the highest production values on the system and fantastic gameplay this should have been an easy slam dunk. Instead it is a solid game with deep flaws. Play Bare Knuckle III to experience the game the way it was meant to be played.
