Streets of Rage 4 review - beloved beat 'em-up gets the Sonic Mania treatment
Glorious artwork and a fan's eye for detail combine for a sequel that manages to best its forebears.
If you ask me what it is that made Sega's games really sing when they were in their 90s pomp, I'd settle on just one thing. It's the swagger, that cocky self-assuredness backed up with an impeccable sense of style. Any doubt that Streets of Rage began life as a Final Fight clone is soon erased if you look at the similarity between the two leading men, but could Cody Travers ever match the sheer attitude of Axel Stone as he piled through neon-slicked streets full of hoodlums in step to Yuzo Koshiro's searing techno beats?
Streets of Rage 4 review
Developer: Lizardcube/Guard Crush
Publisher: Dotemu
Platform: Reviewed on PS4
Availability: Out April 30th on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch
There might have been better Sega games in the 90s, but there's no better 90s Sega games than the Mega Drive's Streets of Rage trilogy. From the soundtrack to the set-up to the styles that characters wear - this is stonewashed denim through and through - Streets of Rage and its two sequels embody so much of the 90s spirit, something backed up by the fact that this is a series that never saw beyond the decade.
Until now, that is, but Streets of Rage 4 is more than a belated sequel. Like Sonic Mania before it, this is a fan-made game that's at once a faithful and fully-endorsed follow-up to a Sega classic as well as a little more besides. And as with Sonic Mania before it, Streets of Rage 4 proves that, sometimes, the fans really do know best.
Streets of Rage 4 in all its glory.And here, with the retro filter applied, with a look more in keeping with the originals.
These are some seriously qualified fans, mind. Lizardcube is on hand to help with the visual side, bringing a style and approach you'll find familiar from its previous - and quite remarkable - touch-up job on Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. This is, like Wonder Boy, a traditional 2D experience served up with exquisite hand-drawn artwork, and for any early misgivings about how well-suited the approach would be to the scuzzier world of Streets of Rage, I can say that it most definitely works.
An optional 'retro' filter places Streets of Rage 4 more closely in line with its forebears, and when viewed this way it's clear the aesthetic of the originals has been nailed, filthy streets and all. It's as if Streets of Rage got a follow-up in the late-90s on Capcom's CPS3, with screen-filling sprites and gloriously detailed backdrops that are up there with the sublime Street Fighter 3. Really, though, it's a shame not to experience Streets of Rage 4's artwork in its full unfiltered glory.
It's where you'll get to see artist Ben Fiquet's work at its best, and where you can appreciate a take that's sympathetic to the originals while having its own spark. See how Axel Stone has piled on a few pounds of middle-aged bulk, or how Adam Hunter has been revived and redesigned for his first outing since the very first game, or how even lowly grunts like the Signals with their bright mohawks and hunched shoulders are not only perfectly preserved but lovingly updated. Which is to say nothing of the locations that are revisited, the characters that are returned to, the countless cameos and... Well, I think it's best you uncover a lot of this yourself.
It's worth pointing out that Streets of Rage 4 isn't an exercise in hollow nostalgia. As divisive as the new artstyle proved at first look, it also suggested that Streets of Rage 4 isn't afraid to forge its own path, and really it's that willingness to push the old formula into new territory that makes this project sing. On a surface level, you've got two new characters joining stalwarts Axel and Blaze in the opening line-up, with Floyd an analogue of old heavies such as Max with a little bit of Streets of Rage 3's Zan thrown in with his bionic powers, while Cherry is a straight-up replacement for the nimble, combo-friendly Skate.
Except Cherry is better than Skate ever was, partly because - and apologies if you think this is sacrilege - Streets of Rage 4 is simply a better game than its predecessors. Everything feels just as you remember it - the hit-pauses are the same, your favourite attacks are in the right place and pack just as big a punch as they ever did - but they've been polished up and and built thoughtfully outwards.
It wouldn't be Streets of Rage without a banging soundtrack, and this more than delivers - veterans Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima deliver some brilliant paranoid techno, and they're joined by a handful of guest composers who are clearly relishing the chance to score such an iconic series.
Combos are extended, in glorious excess in Cherry's case as she bounces between enemies before grinding out a crunchy power chord on her guitar for wider area-of-effect move to buy some more space for the next run of attacks. Specials eat into your lifebar, as they did before, but now you can win back that health by keeping up the aggression, Bloodborne-style, while enemies can now be juggled and bounced off walls. And good god the sheer amount of attitude that's been squeezed into the frame as she goes in for an aerial punch, and the resulting cruuuuuuuunnnncchhh. It feels as good as any beat 'em-up ever has.
For all that you've got to thank Guard Crush Games who've dealt with the nuts and bolts of Streets of Rage 4, and who proved their credentials in the genre with Streets of Fury, a grotesque but gripping spin on the beat 'em-up that cropped up on Xbox Live Indie Games before it was polished for a PC release. There's a reverence for the source material, and with that a deep understanding of where there was room for improvement. It's small, subtle things such as how enemies no longer disappear off-screen when they're in play, or how when things get busy you never lose sight of where you are and where the threat is coming from next.
Couch co-op is, of course, a thing, and it's fairly straightforward finding an online match too.
There's imagination and flair in the stage designs and set-pieces too - skirmishes on airborne freighter planes that occasionally drop a few thousand feet and render you weightless, fights on building sites where you can set wrecking balls in motion and have them wipe out entire mobs and plenty more besides. It is, by the genre's nature, a short game - there are some 12 levels that can be seen through in a couple of hours - but it's bolstered by online co-op and battle modes and plenty of secrets to uncover. And, quite honestly, Streets of Rage 4 feels so good that a single playthrough is far from enough.
It's a brand of action that's eminently readable, and perhaps the very best thing isn't just how it picks up the baton from a series that's been abandoned for too long - Streets of Rage 4 does such an effective job it recontextualizes those original games and makes it that much easier to understand what it is that makes them so special.
For too long I used to think the beat 'em-up genre died a death all those years ago for good reason, and that this was a brand of game best left alone in the 90s. With its improvements, embellishments and above all reverence for the originals, Streets of Rage 4 makes me realise the error of my ways as it reframes the beat 'em-up as the forefather of the action genre that lives on today in the likes of Bayonetta and Devil May Cry - games born from the same mentality, and with that same swagger. Streets of Rage 4 has all that and then some. This is more than a mere revival of a once-loved series. Streets of Rage 4 is quite simply the best of the bunch.
Eh, I don’t know. I never really cared all that much for the Streets of Rage games, preferred the Final Fight Games much more myself, so not really sure if I’ll get this new one or not. I’ll probably just wait for a sale and get it for cheap later on.
I still never played original games. Played tons of NES Double Dragon and nearly every iteration of Final Fight, but still not touched these beloved games. Not sure if I should just jump into new game or play older ones first.
I still never played original games. Played tons of NES Double Dragon and nearly every iteration of Final Fight, but still not touched these beloved games. Not sure if I should just jump into new game or play older ones first.
I'd definitely recommend playing the older ones first (including 3, it kicks ass)
I still never played original games. Played tons of NES Double Dragon and nearly every iteration of Final Fight, but still not touched these beloved games. Not sure if I should just jump into new game or play older ones first.
I'd definitely recommend playing the older ones first (including 3, it kicks ass)
I played them as kid long ago. you cant play them unless you use emulator on mobile phone.
I press A on controller because I though axel will punch with A, but then police came and shoot every one dead. i was shocked as child what happened.
@lamprey263: If you're a newcomer, the nuances aren't going to matter to you if you start with SoR4. With that said, if you want to know why this is such a beloved series, play SoR2 and SoR3, or go straight to Remake if you want an all in one "Sonic Mania-like" experience.
The PC (Steam) version might end up being the only version the supports 4 player online coop via RPT. All others are apparently 2 players online and 4 player local. The way RPT works, it could perhaps allow 4 player online with only one person owning the game. Thats if RPT works with more than 2 players, iv never tried.
Streets of Rage 4 looks amazing and it took me by surprise that a sequel in the works. Reviews are praising it and I can't wait till tomorrow. I always preferred Streets of Rage over Final Fight on SNES.
@Archangel3371: Streets of Rage 4 looks amazing and it took me by surprise that a sequel in the works. Reviews are praising it and I can't wait till tomorrow. I always preferred Streets of Rage over Final Fight on SNES. I’ll probably just wait for a sale and get it for cheap later on.
I might get it on sale even though I want it badly.
I still never played original games. Played tons of NES Double Dragon and nearly every iteration of Final Fight, but still not touched these beloved games. Not sure if I should just jump into new game or play older ones first.
I would recommend playing it in order. Start with the first Streets of Rage, then SOR2, then SOR3, and then SOR4. The one considered the best is usually SOR2.
@Archangel3371: Streets of Rage 4 looks amazing and it took me by surprise that a sequel in the works. Reviews are praising it and I can't wait till tomorrow. I always preferred Streets of Rage over Final Fight on SNES. I’ll probably just wait for a sale and get it for cheap later on.
I might get it on sale even though I want it badly.
Hey, whatever floats your boat. I’m just more into Final Fight myself.
@Archangel3371: Streets of Rage 4 looks amazing and it took me by surprise that a sequel in the works. Reviews are praising it and I can't wait till tomorrow. I always preferred Streets of Rage over Final Fight on SNES. I’ll probably just wait for a sale and get it for cheap later on.
I might get it on sale even though I want it badly.
Hey, whatever floats your boat. I’m just more into Final Fight myself.
I preferred final fight back in the day as well, but it's also an arcade game and arcade games were pretty much always better. They had better hardware.
And this artstyle doesn't make this streets of rage 4 all that interesting. I was actually thinking of buying if it looked like a hd verstion of streets of rage 2, but it doesn't.
Ha, yeah. I used to name drop Double Dragon as "the best" in threads like these, but just to troll.
Don't get me wrong, I loved DDs 1 and 2 (various versions), and even liked 3 enough back in the day. But it'd be like crowning Fighting Force as best 3d beat em up when series like NG, Bayo, and DMC exist lol.
Ha, yeah. I used to name drop Double Dragon as "the best" in threads like these, but just to troll.
Don't get me wrong, I loved DDs 1 and 2 (various versions), and even liked 3 enough back in the day. But it'd be like crowning Fighting Force as best 3d beat em up when series like NG, Bayo, and DMC exist lol.
There was Dragon Dragon Neon (and 4) as well, but nobody seems to give a shit about those.
Main thing remember from that is basically the soundtrack.
Meh, AA semi-indie title. I'll praise Sega when they truly come back.
I mean Sega was at it's best typically when it was emulating arcade style games, since... they were an arcade developer, arguably the best in the business.
This is, an arcade style game. They didn't try to Sonic The Hedgehog it with 500 different directions, stuck to the basic core of what people liked in the first place.
It's saving Sonics ass right now, pretty wise move on their part.
Yup, always loved the music for DDs 1 and 2, especially their intros.
I tried Neon for like 5 mins, was so turned off by the visuals. Might be a decent game, who knows lol.
DD4 was a hacked together abomination tho, don't know wtf they were thinking.
Played a few hours with some dude, it's stiff as hell. The in-game art direction was off-putting, but the 2D art was great looking imo. They tried to translate it to 3D models but didn't really work.
Donno why they didn't just do what Streets Of Rage 4 is doing here.
The people saying they liked Final Fight over Streets of Rage are clearly Nintendo fanboys.
I bought the Capcom's beat'em up bundle and played Final Fight and its not even half the game Streets of Rage is let alone the GOAT known as Streets of Rage 2.
The people saying they liked Final Fight over Streets of Rage are clearly Nintendo fanboys.
I bought the Capcom's beat'em up bundle and played Final Fight and its not even half the game Streets of Rage is let alone the GOAT known as Streets of Rage 2.
although SOF2 was superior but i prefer original SOF as it was one of the first game i played.
The people saying they liked Final Fight over Streets of Rage are clearly Nintendo fanboys.
I bought the Capcom's beat'em up bundle and played Final Fight and its not even half the game Streets of Rage is let alone the GOAT known as Streets of Rage 2.
although SOF2 was superior but i prefer original SOF as it was one of the first game i played.
That's dumb reasoning, oh wait look who i'm talking to lol.
The people saying they liked Final Fight over Streets of Rage are clearly Nintendo fanboys.
I bought the Capcom's beat'em up bundle and played Final Fight and its not even half the game Streets of Rage is let alone the GOAT known as Streets of Rage 2.
although SOF2 was superior but i prefer original SOF as it was one of the first game i played.
That's dumb reasoning, oh wait look who i'm talking to lol.
impact of original was better actually. original 3 characters works better and axel (the real main lead) is on front.
The people saying they liked Final Fight over Streets of Rage are clearly Nintendo fanboys.
I bought the Capcom's beat'em up bundle and played Final Fight and its not even half the game Streets of Rage is let alone the GOAT known as Streets of Rage 2.
although SOF2 was superior but i prefer original SOF as it was one of the first game i played.
That's dumb reasoning, oh wait look who i'm talking to lol.
impact of original was better actually. original 3 characters works better and axel (the real main lead) is on front.
@ghosts4ever: When you get called out on stuff do you purposely make your next post 3x dumber for trolling reasons or is it just something you naturally do?
If anyone is having problems buying it on Steam like I was because of the missing purchase button on the store page. You can buy it with the buy now button on your wish-list.
@commander: Double Dragon has been beaten by many many many beat um ups over the years. Classic game for sure, buts its been bested.
not when you play it in high res, music, set pieces, gameplay, it's a sort of originality that can't be broken. Copying something over and over with a twist doesn't make it better.
and the same goes for golden axe and final fight, any other side scrolling beat em up were just copies with variations.
@jg4xchamp: Def be playing as titty monster lady, where the dick commands, the brain follows.
@pelvist said:
If anyone is having problems buying it on Steam like I was because of the missing purchase button on the store page. You can buy it with the buy now button on your wish-list.
Thanks, got it. seems to be an issue people are actively bringing up but they're happy to ignore to their own detriment.
although SOF2 was superior but i prefer original SOF as it was one of the first game i played.
That's dumb reasoning, oh wait look who i'm talking to lol.
impact of original was better actually. original 3 characters works better and axel (the real main lead) is on front.
there is not police system in SOF2 too.
That a boy double down
Oh and casual4ever, see the bold, well for someone (you) who hates cinematics, well the police car scene where he pops out of the car window to shoot his rockets which then lands on the ground an goes around in a circle killing all enemies onscreen is a cinematic that takes the control off of the player, man when you own yourself you real go to town don't you lol.
Oh and casual4ever, see the bold, well for someone (you) who hates cinematics, well the police car scene where he pops out of the car window to shoot his rockets which then land on the ground an go around in a circle killing all enemies onscreen is a cinematic that takes the control off of the player, man when you own yourself you real go to town don't you lol.
It was first time I experience that as toddler my friend, i didnot even knew pressing A button in controller is equivalent of calling police but only one time police arrive and everytime pressing A.
@commander: Being the first (it wasn't) doesn't make it the best by default. Sorry, but its been out done hundreds of times now. I don't care if SoR, Golden Axe, Final Fight, Turtles in Time, etc etc etc are copies or not, they're just flat out better games and there's no way around that.
@commander: Being the first (it wasn't) doesn't make it the best by default. Sorry, but its been out done hundreds of times now. I don't care if SoR, Golden Axe, Final Fight, Turtles in Time, etc etc etc are copies or not, they're just flat out better games and there's no way around that.
Most of them were arcade games and arcades have better graphics but I never understood the apeal of going to arcades, they were first microtransactions as you by a token, if you loose, you forced to buy token again and again, ripping off money. very uninspired.
@commander: Being the first (it wasn't) doesn't make it the best by default. Sorry, but its been out done hundreds of times now. I don't care if SoR, Golden Axe, Final Fight, Turtles in Time, etc etc etc are copies or not, they're just flat out better games and there's no way around that.
never understood the apeal of going to arcades
There is a magical atmosphere to arcades simply do not get on consoles/pc.
Their is a magical atmosphere to arcades simply do not get on consoles/pc.
Bunch of kids shouting, no headphones instead all of thier different games voice merged into one you cant understand.
Original concept of microtransaction and Pay to win came from Arcades.
Bullshit design wasn't exactly exclusive to arcades though. That mentality carried onto console games typically 20-40 minutes long, elongated by as much bullshit as possible.
Unless their was some forced technical limitation or some sensible design changes for home consoles e.g. Shinobi on the Master System which is leagues better than the arcade version
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