Media release for Home consoles

Hi there bare knuckled street ragers!

After 21 years, yeah 21 years, I thought this old rivalry between Streets of Rage and Final Fight has long been gone but only to find out SNES fanboys are still at it. I own the NES, Master System, Mega Drive & SNES but I like all of them and is not biased to any of them.

But....

A few days ago while I was browsing YouTube for SoR reviews I came upon this particular review of SoR for the Wii Virtual Console by a huge Nintendo fanboy on YouTube called Knight Wing or KWing.

He was reviewing the game with a know Mega Drive gamer called Total Biscuit who had nothing but fond memories & praise (as usual) for SoR. But at the ending part of the review
KWing knowing his Nintendo bias on all things not Nintendo made sure he inserted these unforgivable lies:

"Streets of Rage manage to be one of the most successful Final Fight clones on the market back then"

Final fight clone!

And I was instantly in Berserk Rage Mode!!! And wanted to Fatal Blow somebody!

I tried to be a gentleman & deal with this guy in a civilized manner.
So I made a Twitter account just to go after this guy.

I tweeted:

"@KwingReviews Why do you tell your viewers that Streets of Rage is a clone of Final Fight? By what logical proof?"


And this was his answer:

"@BanzaiJapan1 Final Fight was first, SOR came later. Sega was impressed with Capcoms brawler and did Golden Axe before SOR"

I replied (with a Flurry Punch of words of logical questions & facts):

Any reference to ur claim? Because SOR enemy placement, "magic" is basically Golden Axe. GA was inspired by '82 Conan movie not Final Fight

Or this "SOR is FF clone" claim your own opinion? SOR is the same 1989 Golden Axe formula BUT in brawler form not hack n slash, game master.

How can Sega be impressed by Final Fight when Golden Axe's development began a year before FF was even made public? Please explain.

Final Fight was first, SOR came later" If by ur logic SOR is FF's clone, & FF is a Double Dragon clone which is a Renegade clone? wow.


He has not come back at me for days because there is no way he can counter the truth with his fanboyish lies.

As in the ending credits of SoR "There is no accounting for taste Tinon" but fanboyism clouds & limits one's thinking. I played every Final Fight and Double Dragon game to death and I enjoyed them. But I can not tolerate fanboys spewing out lies like these.

This word fight victory proves that Streets of Rage is one of the greatest Beat 'em Up game franchise of all time! No one can touch its unprecedented greatness.

Here is the said SoR review.



My tweets: https://twitter.com/#!/BanzaiJapan1

I hope Sega will make a decent revival or reboot of the SoR franchise soon.

Hey Banzai, thanks for your highlights and your truly expressions for Streets of Rage.

I have seen their reviews on YouTube i still agree with your thoughts but at the end of the day it still depends on what they like to say on their site, but i strongly believe our site thinks differently.

Yeah. This is really an isolated case though 99% of the reviews game SoR games excellent marks.

SoR is a game I know by heart like my own dear child.
Anyone who spread lies about it will talk to my Bare Knuckles!!! LOL

Just in case someone is not aware of this:

Grin was the developer that earned lots of respect for succefully rebooting Bionic Commando with Bionic Commando Rearmed on XBLA, then later released on PSN and PC. After this success, Capcom ordered them to make a full priced game which wasn’t meet with much critical praise.

Though that didn’t slow the developer down; Grin was working back at Capcom trying to reboot the Strider franchise for them. The idea was that it was supposed to launch on XBLA, PSN and PC just like Bionic Commando Rearmed did. But the project was cancelled in 2009. So they moved on and looked for another company that wanted to reboot their IP and naturally came to SEGA. The remake was set for digital platforms only and like their last project, it was supposed to be a reboot like Bionic Commando Rearmed.


What I posted is all that has been released on the game, including a few screenshots, artwork and design ideas. Eurogamer states that there is a ‘working’ prototype of the game running. I want that, please. So what happened to Grin? They were also working on a big Final Fantasy spin-off game called Fortress. They stated that Square-Enix never paid the developers for their works, thus they filed for bankruptcy. With them, it seems that the Streets of Rage remake project is now dead. Or is it? Does this now explain why SEGA shut down the Streets of Rage HD remake?

http://segabits.com/blog/2012/02/21/bionic-commando-developer-was-working-on-streets-of-rage-remake-screens-included/#comment-14608

PSN download game?

Are they kidding?

Sega needs to do PREMIUM treatment to this game.
Not like the Sonic 4 trash treatment.

This game needs to be done with a passion by the Japanese and with Yuzo Koshiro.

what the...? a 3D SOR? well... I have very big doubts with this... I hope that SEGA don´t waste it and make a crappy game, as always do...

ah, fanboys... always helping us to do everything... (sarcasm)

well, I like both series, each of them have something that makes special, so... why can´t enjoy everyone both series instead of brawling for nonsense things?
the world is f*** crazy...

Both Streets Of Rage And Final Fight are Epic Franchise.
In Simple Words SOR is an Epic Legendary win over FF,It simply dominates the entire Final Fight Series.

Yeah Sega is known for sloppy jobs nowadays.
arghhh! the quality control at Sega sucks.
Platinum games should make Streets of Rage!

Lyonthenecromancer wrote:

ah, fanboys... always helping us to do everything... (sarcasm)

well, I like both series, each of them have something that makes special, so... why can´t enjoy everyone both series instead of brawling for nonsense things?
the world is f*** crazy...

Yeah. Anyone who disturbs the peace between these games needs some Bare Knuckled beat down to bring them back to their senses.

now that we´re talking about this, look

banzai wrote:

Lyonthenecromancer wrote:

ah, fanboys... always helping us to do everything... (sarcasm)

well, I like both series, each of them have something that makes special, so... why can´t enjoy everyone both series instead of brawling for nonsense things?
the world is f*** crazy...

Yeah. Anyone who disturbs the peace between these games needs some Bare Knuckled beat down to bring them back to their senses.

yeah, it´s seems we must to do that... we must kick asses to keep peace

Its a unanimous decision among gamers tha Streets of Rage is number one but I want our game to claim a clean victory.

You are right SoR series is one of the best.
The first Streets of Rage IS NOT a Final Fight clone.
SoR is an evolution of the 1989 Golden Axe formula. A counterpart in brawler form instead of hack & slash. From level design & layout, the enemy & boss placement, Golden Axe's magic system vs SoR's police back up system.
Punk enemies in SoR, like fire breathing Heart, were inspired by Hokuto No Ken not Final fight.

Final Fight popularity probably is the influence that made Sega to cash in on the Beat Em Up genre. SoR2's enemy life bar & the omission of police back up are notable influence.

Harr this is one of the best review for Streets of Rage so far i have seen so far.

With the release of a new Double Dragon Neon by Wayforward Games which is in 3D but 2.5D presentation, which do you prefer a Sprite-Based SoR with the same old 2D model type or polygonal 3D be it in full 3D levels or 2.5 D side scrolling game play?

News Source: http://www.segashiro.com/2012/04/08/not-a-sega-double-dragon-neon-and-why-sega-should-take-notice/comment-page-1/#comment-313217

Hi Banzai,

I actually see through your link, it seems very interesting, i was unable to reply for the pass 2 nights. I was having a bad fever i also miss talking to all the members here. Anyway i find 2D or 3D is an additional choice for Consumer, Customer, Game Markets and Game fan Demands.

Seriously speaking i find Western countries(U.S) and Japan has a similar improvement and better development on games today, in this case i think it is best to appear both 2D and 3D versions for fair consumers. Because moderns days more people trying explore 3D stuff, some will begin to have interest in 3D games.

I still believe 2D can be improved.

Another excellent review of SOR Trilogy

Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage
Publisher: Sega
Developer: M2
Platforms: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PlayStation 3
Release Date: 30/05/2012
Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Overview:

Lately we have seen some new releases under the ‘Sega Vintage’ label, and instead of being just straight up emulations, these are actually proper ports of Sega’s classic games. These releases have so far included three games each, along with a host of extras and new features. Joining this lineup of retro collections is Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage (known as Bare Knuckle in Japan), which includes all three games in the series that were originally released for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis).

Back in the day, Streets of Rage was essentially Sega’s answer to Capcom’s hit Final Fight series, which at the time was ported exclusively to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. While Sega would eventually get their hands on Final Fight in the form of a Mega/Sega CD port, Streets of Rage still remained one of their biggest IPs with the series wrapping up as a trilogy on the Sega Mega Drive. While there hasn’t been a new release in this franchise for a very long time (Fighting Force was almost a 3D Streets of Rage title for the Sega Saturn), this new collection that is available for a digital purchase brings back the original trilogy in a very refreshing way.



Story:

The Streets of Rage series harks back to action movies from the early 90s, in terms of its style, ambience, and general premise. The games feature a classic action movie plot where a group of police officers take on an entire criminal organisation, with their bare fists. It’s really just one of those classic action movie settings where just a pair of cops, without carrying any guns, are somehow able to take down an entire criminal organization by just slugging it out the old fashioned way, because, you know, a whole squad of cops with guns just doesn’t get the job done sometimes.

These games actually do a decent job in storytelling, with cool characters and interesting back stories. The first Streets of Rage title even presents you with an opportunity to make a choice that affects the outcome of the game. Streets of Rage 2 does not offer that kind of choice, instead keeping the story straightforward, but the idea of multiple endings was brought back again in Streets of Rage 3.

Streets of Rage 3 is the most interesting of the lot, offering a very dark and edgy storyline portrayed via several sprite-based cut scenes. What’s interesting about Streets of Rage 3 was that, at the time, its original plot in the Japanese release (Bare Knuckle 3) was deemed too controversial and inappropriate for Western audiences, and so it was heavily modified and censored when it was released in Europe and North America. Thankfully, the original uncensored Japanese release is present in this collection.

Overall, these games have an interesting plot considering the genre and era they belong to, with a cool cast of characters. It’s also nice how the first and third game in the series have multiple endings, adding a bit more replay value to them.



Visuals and Audio:

The games in this collection have aged reasonably well from a visual standpoint, as they feature some solid sprites complemented by the cool edgy art style. The graphics improve noticeably throughout the series, but each of the games in this collection still has their unique visual appeal and character. The first game is the most simplistic looking of all, but the sprites still have style and character to them. The general ambience of these titles harks back to the visual style and presentation of action movies from the 90s. One thing worth mentioning is the night club level from Streets of Rage 3, which features some crazy visual and lighting special effects uncommon in a Sega Mega Drive title, but the effects are so intense that it may potentially cause seizures. Like with other Vintage collections, there are a variety of nice filters to enhance the graphics of the game.

What really stands out about the series is their soundtrack, all composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, one of the most innovative and iconic composers of the 16 bit era. His musical style is best described as well…a lot like Michael Jackson, characterised by very smooth, upbeat, and intoxicating rhythms to create some truly memorable pop tunes, perfectly complementing the style and setting of the games. The first Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 2 feature some brilliant chip-tune music, and in particular the soundtrack of Streets of Rage 2 is amongst the most praised and acclaimed soundtracks of the 16 bit era.

Streets of Rage 3 however is an extremely odd case and is a big departure from not just the musical style featured in the other two games, but also the style of Yuzo Koshiro in general. It features a very robotic and intense hard techno soundtrack that actually sounds pretty dark and brooding at times, with fast and repetitive beats. Personally, I think the soundtrack of Streets of Rage 3 sounds absolutely dreadful and horrifying, and it causes quite the headache.

Overall, this is a very well produced collection. The ports look nice and crisp with the sound quality being a significant improvement over the originals. Great presentation too as you get a nice virtual console set up in the menu and all sorts of cool extras and options to tinker around with.



Gameplay:

Streets of Rage games are all side scrolling beat ‘em ups, where you walk through various stages while beating down on numerous enemies, with each stage ending with a boss battle. The games are pretty simplistic in nature and are similar to other games in the genre, in particular Final Fight. That said, these are solid games to play, with the combat mechanics getting more interesting with each game.

The first Streets of Rage is the most simplistic of the lot but still a fun game to play, with one button for the attack combos, and the ability to jump (and perform flying kicks), throw, and even call for police backup as a special attack. It gets better with Streets of Rage 2 as it adds more unique special moves for each of the characters and introduces some cool grapple maneuvers. Streets of Rage 3 adds a few more useful mechanics, allowing characters to run and roll.

Mechanically these games are sound, simple, and a lot of fun to play. The games themselves are actually quite challenging with some really tough bosses and constant onslaught of enemies. They each offer a short, but action packed adventure. Streets of Rage 3 in particular is the most intense and challenging game in the collection.



While all these games are perfectly playable and enjoyable as single player games, you definitely want to be playing them with a friend in 2 player co-op. The 2 player co-op offers the true Streets of Rage experience, and they still stand as among the most entertaining multiplayer experiences. Working together as a team, and even competing for the highest score, it really is an addictive and immensely re-playable multiplayer experience. Can’t find anyone for a local co-op session? No problem! Each game in the collection can be played online and the net-code is quite superb. The network play remains smooth and consistent with very minor lag and hitches that don’t break the game. Even when the connection between you and a player is poor, the game still performs fairly smoothly. However, the online play isn’t as good or innovative as the one in Final Fight Double Impact, which offered a superb 2 player online co-op mode where you could have random players join and leave at any time. It would have been nice if this Streets of Rage collection implemented something like this, but that said it still offers a very enjoyable online mode.

Like with the other Sega Vintage releases, you can play all the versions and localisations of all three games (including the uncensored Japanese version). This easily makes it the most essential and complete Streets of Rage release ever, and with the smooth online multiplayer you will be playing it over and over for a long time.



Overall:

Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage is the definitive release of one of the most fondly remembered and cherished franchises that graced Sega’s 16 bit console. The ports are beautifully produced, as they look and sound fantastic. It’s easily the most complete and comprehensive release the series has seen, and the solid 2 player online mode is the sole reason why you should grab this collection right now and enjoy these fantastic brawlers with a friend.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com/2012/06/sega-vintage-collection-streets-of-rage-review/

not a bad review but, instead of bringing another recopilation, they really think in make a new SOR game...
oh wait a second, we´re talking to SEGA, the crappy company...

what is going on with Sega?
Are they using this compilation as a gauge if they will ever make a new SoR game?

Well, thing is, a lot of people as you might know are trying too hard to be popular and get known, so they will do everything, even lying and post their "work" on youtube just so they can get some attention. It's the same thing with Russia, a lot of bad reviewers who, after getting caught, are laughed at and mocked.

PLEASE GOD DO NOT LET SOR BE REBOOTED AS A 3D BEAT EM UP.

if this happens i will not play it. i will scorn it. i will belittle it. i will laugh at it and tell game stop how stupid there are for stocking it.

if it gets rebooted it should be a 2d hd remake that stays true to the original concept. 4 player or more online and local play. updated storylines and hd music is essential. some new bad-guys. some concept art. some soundtracks. would be nice but not essential.
all this on XBL or PSN would be AWESOME

SHORYUKAN wrote:

PLEASE GOD DO NOT LET SOR BE REBOOTED AS A 3D BEAT EM UP.

if this happens i will not play it. i will scorn it.  i will belittle it. i will laugh at it and tell game stop how stupid there are for stocking it.

if it gets rebooted it should be a 2d hd remake that stays true to the original concept. 4 player or more online and local play. updated storylines and hd music is essential. some new bad-guys. some concept art.  some soundtracks. would be nice but not essential.
all this on XBL or PSN would be AWESOME

There was going to be a SoR 3D on Saturn made with Fighting Force's engine, SoR4 on Dreamcast was going to be 3D, and that Ruffian Games prototype was going to be 3D. Of course, those got cancelled and thrown in the pile. I see no reason why a reboot of SoR shouldn't play out in 3D for a generation that can play in 3D. It just needs to be handled well.
Of course, Double Dragon Neon tried to play like a 2D game, and that did pretty well in my opinion. So, 2D is also fine, I suppose.