There are also changes to the weapons that can be picked up. The fighting mechanics were vastly improved, as you can now chain combos better, juggle many characters, and have a more personal move-set according to character.Įnemies are also improved all are given Health Bars and names, and like the selectable characters, given bigger and more individual fighting techniques. The biggest change is the replacement of the original special attack (which was the police car) it is now an individual attack based on the player you've chosen. Though Streets of Rage 2 plays very similar to its predecessor, Ancient took time to rewrite the game engine. Add to that a force of professional fighters specially groomed to take them out of the picture! Standing in their way is the nastiest collection of punks and brawlers ever assembled. This time, the Syndicate was in complete control, and the two ex-cops were on their own.Īssisted by Adam's brother Skate, and Axel's friend Max, Axel and Blaze set out to rescue their friend and destroy Mr. But everyone they knew had either been fired or transferred elsewhere. Chaos reigned in the city, far worse than ever before.Īxel and Blaze tried to contact their old friends at the force, the ones who once provided backup with heavy artillery. Beatings and lootings took place regularly and in broad daylight. Gangs roamed the parks, and bomb-wielding bikers made the roads deadly to travel at night. Criminal elements swarmed out to reclaim the streets. X and the Syndicate have returned, and, thirsty for revenge, have kidnapped Adam in the hopes of luring Axel and Blaze into a trap.Īdam's disappearance marked the beginning of a new nightmare. Axel and Blaze rush to investigate, and find a photo of Adam, in chains, laying at the feet of a man they know only too well. Worse, no one at the police station had seen or heard from Adam since early that morning. The next day, however, Axel receives a frantic call from Adam's younger brother, Eddie "Skate" Hunter, who returned home from school to find their house completely wrecked. On the anniversary of their victory over the syndicate, Adam, Axel, and Blaze reunite to celebrate and talk about old times. Adam has returned to the police force, while Axel and Blaze have moved out of the city and found jobs as a bodyguard and a dance instructor, respectively. Peace has returned to the streets, the once-vacant neighborhoods are being repopulated, and prosperity has returned to the city. X and broke the Syndicate Crime Organization's hold on the city. It's eight multi-part stages of glorious pugilism and while I am really looking forward to seeing how DotEmu handle Streets of Rage 4, it'll take a lot to unseat the king.One year has passed since Adam Hunter, Axel Stone, and Blaze Fielding successfully defeated Mr. On top of that, the enemies you come across are a roster of goons, bar staff, freaks, sportsmen, and even more than one type of ninja. Instead of using the special button to summon a random police car with some questionable "riot gear" (it fired a rocket or a gatling gun, wiping out all enemies) the sequel maps that button to a small variety of special moves for each of the four characters. Of course it wouldn't be Streets of Rage without some fisticuffs and the second game built on the foundations of the first wonderfully. It's a fascinating rabbit hole to delve into to see just what formed the basis behind many of his classic tracks. I didn't know until today though that the bit in the lift of the same level uses the backing track from Public Enemy's "Rebel Without A Pause". Most people associate the fourth stage's music with Shamen's "Move Any Mountain", but there's definitely more than a bit of "Ebeneezer Goode" from the same group. Rather than the rock or jingle themed music that dominated games from that era, Streets of Rage 2 was more influenced by the rising dance music, rap, and R&B scenes - perhaps somewhat too closely. After all, I'd just played a game that I still fondly remember to this day.Ī large part of it is the music from Yuzo Koshiro. I didn't care too much that my instruction manual for Taz-Mania came back completely wrecked, nor that it was returned far later than I gave Streets of Rage 2 back. I first borrowed it from a guy at my primary school, let's call him Jason. But none of those can be called the greatest side-scrolling beat 'em up ever created. There were licensed games based on cartoons such as The Simpsons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It first came during a period when arcades had a lot of similar beat 'em ups, from those based in cities fighting thugs, to fantasy and futuristic settings. Streets of Rage 2 was one of the Sega Mega Drive's most revered games but you can get it on Steam these days. One a day, every day, perhaps for all time. Have You Played? is an endless stream of game retrospectives.
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