Streets of Rage - PS3/Xbox 360 Review
The Classic Scrolling Brawler on Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection
Streets of Rage brought genuine arcade action into the home a long time before that became the norm with the advent of the PlayStation et al.
Those that picked it up when it was originally released are sure to be excited about the game’s inclusion on Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in Europe), whereas those who have so far missed out on the classic title should definitely look into giving it a try.
Classic Sega Beat ‘em up Action
As with the rest of the 48 titles available on the Genesis Collection, Streets of Rage needs to be looked at from a nostalgic viewpoint – it’s both unfair and pointless to judge the title by modern-day standards.
The graphics simply don’t compare to recent titles, but judged in context they are pretty good, though not standout for the Genesis. There is a smoothing option available on the Collection to make things look a bit, well – smoother. It’s a decent option, but really doesn’t change much. The widescreen option is an area that can be easily overlooked.
Sound is another aspect that can’t be judged by modern standards. Though that is the case, the soundtrack, as composed by Yuzo Koshiro, is impeccable even by today’s standards. The actual sound quality may be grainy – as with all Genesis/Mega Drive games – but this is brilliant, classic game music.
Is Streets of Rage Still Fun to Play?
Obviously what this all comes down to is gameplay – sure, the graphics have aged and the sound (aside from the music) was never that great, but Streets of Rage still plays very well.
It isn’t perfect, and there are elements that can cause annoyance in players – some enemies becoming temporarily invulnerable or sometimes a seemingly unfair difficulty level (or even too easy a challenge, to be honest).
An unfortunate ommission is that of online play or scoreboards - these are included on the Xbox Live release of Sega retro games, so why they aren't present on this collection is a wonder and disappointment.
But there is no denying that Streets of Rage is still a great deal of fun to play even today. The scrolling brawler genre may have died a death (aside from the recent mini-resurgence with the Nintendo DS title Tokyo Beat Down), but this is a title that makes a good case as to why the genre should be revived.
A True Classic Video Game, With Added Pipes
Simple controls – just three buttons; straightforward gameplay – just walk to the right; classic co-operative multiplayer – two players and yes, you can fight each other; very silly special moves – e.g. rocket launcher bombardments; metal pipe-based combat – a genre mainstay.
These are the elements that help the game withstand the test of time, and this package is an ideal place to legally and easily pick up a perfect working version of the title.
It hasn’t aged incredibly well, but Streets of Rage is still a true classic, well-worth inclusion on Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection and worth putting a few hours in to finish – unlocking both endings, obviously.
Streets of Rage Box Art
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Technology
Latest Articles