Streets of Rage

[anagrama]

Changeover time again, and this time we're relying on dezanuebe to continue the rich vein of selections...

Over to you!

[dezanuebe]

thank you James, the game that i brought to the GOTW Thread was actually choosen by mk younger brother and it´s his favourite SMS game. The year of 1993 was a good one for the SMS here in Portugal, several games were released and all had exquisite quality, to me this year marks the zenit of the SMS, 1994/95 and 96 marked the slow death of the machine. From the incredible amount of games that were released came a port of a fantastic beat´em Up made for the Megadrive, so i present to you my choice, the one and only.... STREETS OF RAGE!!!

(Here´s the review i made for the site, hope you guys enjoy it!!!)

Game Information
Title: Streets of Rage
Year Released: 1993
Version reviewed: Euro
Game Type: Fighting
Max Players: 1
Game Difficulty: Easy



INTRODUCTION:

Axel, Adam and Blaze are three ex-cops tired of the crime wave that´s sweeping the city. They decide to take out the evil syndicate and their leader, Mr. X. Do you think they have what it takes to succeed in the... STREETS OF RAGE!?!

GAMEPLAY:

Streets of Rage is your typical side scrolling beat´em up, your objective is to reach the end of the level and destroy the round boss, along the way you must dispose of all the enemies that came along the way. The game has an excellent gameplay and is extremely addictive, unfortunately it has a big problem (that happens in several SMS games), the lack of a two players mode, too bad!!(in the Genesis I would kill my partner and take over as crime lord...)

GRAPHICS:

The graphics are really awesome and very close in terms of quality to the Genesis version, all the levels are cool, especially the 3rd (beach), 4th (Bridge) and 5th levels (Ship). we notice that Sega really put an effort in trying to make this game special in almost every aspect (unfortunately they did not do the same with SOR II). The graphics are appealing and the use of colors very well made, for moments you think you´re playing in a 16 bits machine.

SOUND AND MUSIC:

The sound is above the SMS average with some sounds extracted from the Genesis version, which isn´t surprising considering that they made a superb passage of the original Yuko Koshiro´s soundtrack in what represents one of the finest SMS soundtracks ever heard and proving without a shadow of a doubt that the SMS could produce great music. I especially like the music from the 3rd, 4th, 5th and last level.

CONTROLS:

The controls are excellent, simple, responsive and well laid out, you won´t have any kind of trouble and will start kicking ass easily!!

REPLAY VALUE:

a good beat´em up has always replay value, and SOR enters that category easily, I end the game several times and sometimes like to put the cheat code and play in one of my favorite levels, after all who doesn´t like to break some heads from time to time?!?

FINAL SCORES:

Gameplay:8

Graphics:9

Music & Sound:9

Controls:9

Replay Value:9

CONCLUSION:

Streets of Rage is the Best Beat´em Up for the SMS, it´s that simple. You won´t find anything better or as well balanced as this one for the SMS. Renegade, Double Dragon, Vigilante and Streets of Rage II don´t stand a chance against this one. If you can have only one, your choice is an easy one: STREETS OF RAGE!!

[Stan]

Great game. My goal tonight is to beat this using only the Sports Pad.

[dezanuebe]

now that´s a challenge!!!

[Roth]

Okay, I'm in dire need of an SMS II. So many games were released abroad compared to the US.

[snowblind]

I was really disappointed that it didn't have 2 player co-op, but still it's a great game. Contender for best title screen music, I think.

[CRV]

Roth said:

Okay, I'm in dire need of an SMS II. So many games were released abroad compared to the US.

You don't need an SMS II to play Streets of Rage, or most non-US SMS games for that matter.

[psychofox]

wicked game, and yes, its such a shame its not 2 player

I have a spare copy of this (CBI) if anyone neds one

[Roth]

psychofox said:

I have a spare copy of this (CBI) if anyone neds one

PM sent!

[Stan]

Damn, almost did it! I made it to the last boss, and by that time only had one life left. Would have had more, but the Sports Pad was starting to screw up a bit from the abuse! Damn you to hell Sports Pad! Great game, I really like this game.

[JellyCrystals]

I have this, but no manual... and for some reason that makes it hard for me.... Well either there are moves in the manual i dont know... or I am dumbarse! Might give it a go this week

[dezanuebe]

Stan said:

d**n, almost did it! I made it to the last boss, and by that time only had one life left. Would have had more, but the Sports Pad was starting to screw up a bit from the abuse! d**n you to hell Sports Pad! Great game, I really like this game.

... yeah, i believe this one really kicks ***. Everything in it is excellent, if it only had the 2 players mode...

[Roth]

So I emued it for a little while earlier, since I'm awaiting a copy now! Yay! This game is DEFINITELY one of the better games I've played on the SMS! I like the way the characters look on it. The coloring is perfect for it, and doesn't have alot of the SUPER bright colors that can get annoying. I was kind of disappointed in having to pause it to use the special move, but that's a slight fault. Overall, a great game! Way to go, dezanuebe!

[wayeK]

YEAH DEZZY!!!!!!!!!! this is one sweet pick
the second i found out they had this for master system i wanted it so bad, i almost paid like 20 bucks for it.

this game is perfect fjucking 10 man!
anyone who doesnt got it is missing out severely

[ShadowAngel]

Nice pick. Streets of Rage is a great game and if it had a 2 Player Mode it would be perfect