Street of Rage Remake version 5.0

[brunoafh]

Oh, that makes sense then (the multiple incarnations thing). I was thinking there was somehow a bunch of characters I forgot.

[CFFJR]

Oh, that makes sense then (the multiple incarnations thing). I was thinking there was somehow a bunch of characters I forgot.

For what its worth, the multiples do play differently from each other. They animate differently as well.

I have a preference for SOR1 Blaze over the others.

[Flake]

For what its worth, I just tried Streets of Rage for the first time because of all the attention the series is getting right now. It's a LOT of fun and something that I think I'd be willing to spend money on.

You know, that stuff Sega probably needs these days?

So if Sega is just getting all legal eagle without planning to do SOMETHING with the franchise, they are making mistake.

[brunoafh]

For what its worth, I just tried Streets of Rage for the first time because of all the attention the series is getting right now. It's a LOT of fun and something that I think I'd be willing to spend money on.

You know, that stuff Sega probably needs these days?

So if Sega is just getting all legal eagle without planning to do SOMETHING with the franchise, they are making mistake.

As much as I'd like that, I don't see anything new coming out of them.

They probably requested it be taken down because the SoR games are still sold in compilations on multiple platforms and are on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN.

[Flake]

They probably requested it be taken down because the SoR games are still sold in compilations on multiple platforms and are on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN.

How are those compilations? Are any of them online multiplayer?

[brunoafh]

The Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN releases aren't compilations, and I don't think they have online multiplayer (I could be wrong, the XBLA or PSN ones might have multiplayer, but I would think not.)

I meant that they sell compilations for PS3/PSP/360 that contain the games in disc format, like Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection.

[MidnightRider]

For what its worth, I just tried Streets of Rage for the first time because of all the attention the series is getting right now. It's a LOT of fun and something that I think I'd be willing to spend money on.

You know, that stuff Sega probably needs these days?

So if Sega is just getting all legal eagle without planning to do SOMETHING with the franchise, they are making mistake.

As much as I'd like that, I don't see anything new coming out of them.

They probably requested it be taken down because the SoR games are still sold in compilations on multiple platforms and are on Virtual Console/XBLA/PSN.

I'd rather they didn't bother. You know how 3D updates to classic series usually go. Unless they can pull a New Super Mario Bros. with it, but I just see them thinking: 3D(with 360 degrees of movement), long as hell, completely new cast in which some of the old cast has become villains or something else just as stupid, loaded with cut scenes to tell this dumbass story, etc.

I think it(whole genre) just works better in 2d(hell I didn't care for the graphic style of that Streets of Fury), side scrolling, and kept relatively short, without need of a save function. It's a pick up and play genre that takes time to master an individual game.

That said, it's hard for me to pick a favorite, because I think there are a lot of games that would give SoR a run for it's money. Unfortunately most never left arcades/Japan. A good portion of them, despite not being Final Fight, were still developed by Capcom.

[brunoafh]

Here are some pretty obscure beat em ups you guys may enjoy that don't get much credit:

Crystal of Kings
Tenchi wo Kurau II
Battle Circuit (this one is crazy, definitely check it out)

These are a little more well known, but still don't get an awful lot of attention:
The Punisher
King of Dragons

[MidnightRider]

Tenchi wo Kurau II Can be played in English in arcade emulation as Warriors of Fate. Guessing Tenchi wo Kurau is also the arcade game that's called Dynasty Wars.

2(or 3) of the best beat em ups around the time the genre fizzled out completely, that never left Japan's arcades are Denjin Makai(Ghost Chaser Densei on the SNES, but this is almost different enough to be a 3rd game) and Gaurdians/Denjin Makai II. There's just a ton of moves each character is capable of. The 2nd game is really short, but combat options are crazy.

Night Slashers - classic Castlevania meets Final Fight...or something. Takes a bit of playing to appreciate what this game brings to the genre. I know at first I thought it was kind of generic anyway. There's a Japanese "uncensored" versions you could go for as well(this is another arcade game btw), but really, it just makes the gore, that's still there, red instead of green, and I don't think it's worth it just for that. (unless there are gameplay changes as well, I'm like the last person on earth that notices these kinds of things)

Alien vs. Predator(arcade as well) - well known among beat em up enthusiasts, but I think it can fairly compete with the Streets of Rage series.

Armored Warriors(arcade yet again) - Probably what Cyborg Justice(Genesis) wishes it could be. Though CJ is more customizable, especially in the beginning, this sees you piloting a giant mech, and as you destroy other giant mechs and leave their parts behind, you can replace your own with theirs.

Dungeons and Dragons: Tower of Doom/D&D: Shadow over Mystara(arcade, but also a Saturn import compilation) - again, well known by beat em up enthusiasts(I think), I'm not normally one for RPG elements in a brawler, in fact, I firmly believe in any action game, a character should be as strong as they are ever going to get by the time you start playing. However, these games only see you level up as you go to the next stage, and they offer a lot, including the branching paths options that seems to help make SoRR popular among it's players. Obviously, you're better off if you know the D&D license well, too.

Undercover Cops(arcade, and I think a not as good SNES import) - Especially the Alpha Renewal Version(arcade only), awesome Irem post-apocalyptic beat em up.

Light Bringer/Dungeon Magic - This one sees you level up as you go along, but it's via the items you pick up. Gameplay wise it's kind of like Landstalker meets Streets of Rage. You even have the 3/4 view, and trying to stack crates/barrels to reach higher planes(possible for better weapons that you can pick up as you go along, or to reach a new path). Funny part is, depending on who you pick you either have a regular beat em up or a hack n slash(but I think they can all get in close for grapple moves).

Shadow Force - Oh the possibilities...o.k. not really, there's never a huge amount of enemies in these games, but in this one you can play as them, by possessing any one of them(barring bosses and some other exceptions, obviously). The game is excellently programmed too. For example, if you need to finish a certain amount of enemies to move on, you'll be there until you do. You can possess enemies all day(leaving their bodies seems to disintegrate them) until you finally fight and finish of the amount needed to move on. there's also a jump button and 4 attack buttons, combos performed involving the directions(ex: holding up while kicking will perform a high kick, holding down would perform a crouching kick), and even every possessed enemy has a special attack.

.....I really have to get around to some of the other beat em ups/brawlers/belt scrolls I have for arcade emulation...

Other than that, I would definitely consider SoRR one of the best games of the genre, but I think these that I listed here, are also the best of the best(as good as Konami's entries are: TMNT, Simpsons, X-Men, Metamorphic Force, etc., they're usually far too limited on the combat side of things).

[brunoafh]

Tenchi wo Kurau II Can be played in English in arcade emulation as Warriors of Fate.

Yeah I know, but the English release bastardizes the game by changing all of the character names and completely dropping the Romance of the Three Kingdoms theme. I'm stuck up about that kind of thing.