Real Talk By: KJ

‘Streets of Rage’ was one of the top 90’s brawlers. It’s only real rival being Capcom’s ‘Final Fight’. While SEGA hasn’t delivered on a followup to its classic trilogy, all three games continue to be redistributed. PC, PS3, Xbox 360, iOS, Steam, Wii, and now Nintendo 3DS. It’s a trip down memory lane for me. This beat-em-up series was sweet back then, but does it hold up on the small screen?

Play as Ex cops: Adam, Axel, and Blaze. Each using their own moves. Strikes, grabs, and the best ability ever. You can Call for Police help. An officer drives to the scene, shooting a rocket down on enemies. for some reason players take no damage from the blast. How do you survive? Don’t ask, just accept it.

3DSOR has two screen options. One makes your screen look like an old CRT TV. The other is the standard view. At a $5.99 price range, I was expecting the bare minimum. A subtle 3D Effect here or there, certainly no coop. Well Developers M2 did great with the visuals, and exceeded my expectations. We wish more studios would adopt this feature. Letting the player change the 3D effect to their liking. You can have the 3D fall into the system, or pop out. Either way looks great.

Areas have several different layers going deep into the background. In stage one, notice how street signs, phone booths, stairs all stick out. This would be cool anyways, but seeing it in a game from 91′ that you’ve played 1,000 times, makes it better. Look out for stage 7. The Elevator ride is impressive. Since everything pops, you can see exactly where your character, and enemies are standing. Believe it or not, this makes it easier to align hits. This would have been useful 22 years ago. More 3D revivals of this genre are in-order. It’s a match made in heaven.

While the coop is just local, we appreciate the fact it wasn’t discarded all together. Handheld ports of classic games have this option missing way too often. The second player does have to own a copy of the game. You can’t mention Streets of Rage without bringing up its brilliant soundtrack. Still held in high regard, the Yuzo Koshiro composed urban-themed tracks still hold up 100 percent.

Play the International version of the game, or the Japanese build (known as “Bare Knuckle” in that area). Play this emulation with Genesis or Genesis 2 settings.

one punch mode is a fun diversion. Literally everyone can be KO’d in a single hit. Street thugs to big time bosses. One hit, and its lights out for them. My issues I have with the game are the same as when it first released. Some of the later bosses get incredibly cheap. A fire-breathing Fat man makes it hard to get a hit in. The roughest could be the Two Ladies who spam jump flip attacks. Of course in typical arcade fashion, expect to see them all again toward the last act. Also This series is known for having smaller sprites than Final Fight, so I wish the entire display was used. There’s a bit of screen cut-off. We could imagine non 3DSXL gamers squinting at times.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea for SEGA to push this line of 3D classics onto retail shelves. New comers should give it a shot. A friendly price tag, and superb 3D effects, brings this Genesis classic to modern times in style. Bring on part 2, 3, and let’s get some Golden Axe in the rotation. 3D Streets of Rage is a re-release worth your time.

3D Streets of Rage Gets

Out of five

What’s Legit?

+Great 3D effects

+Stellar Soundtrack

What’s Perpetrating?

-No online play

-Cheap bosses (Fat man with Flame Breath)

@PlayLegit #3DStreetsofRage