If you’re looking for the definitive versions of the Streets of Rage trilogy, skip over the previous releases. This new collection provides some of the best emulation yet with the most content ever.
Though there was a bit of evolution in Streets of Rage 2 — the addition of Street Fighter–influenced special moves at the expense of the original game’s outrageous police assist — the trilogy plays pretty similarly: you control a brawler out to end the reign of street-ruling syndicate overlord Mr. X. Lead male and female heroes Axel and Blaze are series constants, but the trilogy moves from a standard set of fighters in the first game to a rollerblading kid and a wrestler in the second, before going completely bonkers with a half-cyborg and full-on kangaroo in the third. Even with its weird roster, the combat is still very nuanced for an early-’90s brawler: victory is far from assured on any difficulty level, requiring strategic use of special moves and consumption of items.
Having a rollerblading kid as a fighter not only dates your game, but also makes for some awkward grappling sequences.Streets of Rage 2 seemed to flow a bit more smoothly in this compilation than it did as a standalone XBLA game, but the biggest addition comes with the international versions of each chapter. The changes to Streets and Streets 2 are slight, but Japan’s take on Streets of Rage 3 includes an additional miniboss and playable character, as well as expanded stages and altered character designs.
Forget discs and standalone releases. Here’s how to repackage old games: with tender loving care.
Be sure to play this Streets of Rage 3 level in Japanese. You get to fight a miniboss/potential new party member cut from the U.S. version.PUBLISHER: Sega • DEVELOPER: M2 • ESRB: Everyone 10+ • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in co-op and versus, online and same-screen • ACHIEVEMENTS: Doable 400G • COST: 800 Microsoft Points ($10) • RELEASE DATE: May 30, 2012
+ Three still-enjoyable brawlers, emulated near-perfectly with amazing music.
+ The ability to play international versions lets you experience Streets of Rage 3 uncensored!
- The save-state system can be abused; Achievements aren’t very imaginative.
? Apples or turkey — which is safer to eat off the ground?
