(Originally posted on April, 2015)
(1991, Sega Genesis)
(Note: The PC/Steam version was played for this review.)
Most of my exposure to this series was limited to owning the very solid Game Gear port of SOR2, which I had a lot of fun with, but could never quite beat. As for the very first game on the Genesis, I casually played it a bit on demo kiosks, briefly owned a copy and maybe fired it up on an emulator a few times. At a Borders (RIP) I frequented several years ago, a hilariously loud-mouthed employee once yelled about his love for the game all across the aisles. Raving about the music in particular, I was inspired to give the game a serious try. Within a couple plays, I could make it to the final stage, where sudden demolishment always awaited. Recently buying a Sega Genesis PC collection for an absurdly cheap price, this was the first game I dove in to. Whether or not beating the game on the default settings is worth the trouble, all those spent hours will at least sound great…
The game starts out very strong with an intro that impresses even today. A somber and hypnotic track plays as the plot is laid out against a gritty, brilliantly drawn nighttime cityscape. Say what you want about the rest of the game, but the minute and a half intro is still one of the coolest things ever. That moment alone likely inspired at least a few kids without a SNES to call their friend, yelling “THROW SUPER MARIO OUT THE WINDOW. THIS IS LIKE PLAYING AMERICA’S MOST WANTED!”
The often used Final Fight comparisons are apt. A trio of ex-cops with slightly varied attributes set off to deal with an army-sized gang threatening the city. Engaging in fairly simple, repetitive combat, you’ll also have to make the best use of items and weapons inexplicably placed along your path. Dominating arcades alongside Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat in the late 80’s to mid 90’s, 2D beat-em-ups can be a lot of mindless fun, provided there’s great level design, memorable bosses and unique mechanics. Unfortunately, Streets of Rage doesn’t have much going for it besides the soundtrack that’s now legendary among Genesis fans. The only flash of over-the-top creativity comes from a single ‘cinematic’ special move that was the eye popping in 1991 and still satisfying today. The enemies are all as generic as can be. Bikers, martial artists, wiry drug addicts, dominatrixes were not only nothing new at the time, but drawn with faces less expressive than even some 8-bit beat-em-ups.
At least the boss fights are going to be good, right? Going so far as to copy The Ultimate Warrior, a bunch of amazing possibilities were open. Since it is just a game, Sega’s take on the pro wrestler could have Gorilla Pressed you 20 feet in the air, followed by a FOREWARD 360 Running Splash. Lacking mannerisms and armed with a mere running clothesline, Sega managed to make WCW’s much ridiculed rip-off “The Renegade” look impressive in comparison. I’m not a huge Final Fight fan, but when (Hugo) Andore would show up in Capcom’s beat-em-up, he would always inspire a fear that ran deeper than just the impending loss of another quarter.
I mildly enjoyed figuring out the timing and strategy to deal with the nimble movements of the regular enemies, but unless you’re strangely obsessed with listening to what Black Box would sound like on the Genesis, the game ask too much of the player in order to master the bosses. Suffering the same issue as many other short, C/B grade 8/16-bit games, it’s tiring to constantly retread the entire game for half an hour just for a brief shot at figuring out what to do when things get tough. A short game taking around an hour to beat, after a couple attempts my interest quickly dulled around the 20 minute mark. I could consistently reach the final stage under the default settings. There, your spectacular special attack has been disabled…just when you need it the most! Realizing you’re almost certainly caputz without dozens of hours of monotonous replays, this is where most players (myself included) will resort to fiddling with the options and in-game cheats to take down Mr. X.
The graphics have a pleasant, gritty colorfulness to them, but are generally unspectacular. Character sprites are small and unexpressive. Only the first stage is mildly exciting, with it’s bright lights perfectly fitting Yuzo Koshiro’s take on Pump Up The Jam by Technotronic. The proceeding levels are all painfully bland, the same scenery, buildings and architecture repeating until you’re questioning if the game was either just hastily created or purposely trying to torture you. There’s a couple of neat wind and ocean effects, but otherwise it’s a very lackluster early Genesis game.
By far the high point and main reason to try the game out is it’s finely tuned, blood pumping soundtrack that makes anything (especially beating people up) better. Years back, clever youtubers have demonstrated how almost all of the material is borrowed from western club and hip-hop that was being played everywhere right when the game was being developed. Even so, the soundtrack is still wonderful, coming off more as a brilliant tribute and clever programming than plagiarism. Looking back, I now see how much the game resembles those 90s dance compilation ads I’d always see on TV. Even a drum pattern used in the final boss fight sounds a lot like the one from “Good Vibrations” by Marky Mark! In particular, I loved the non-stop, festering energy of stage 5’s music.
Bested by dozens of other 2D beat-em-ups, most of the fun comes from briefly taking in it’s ‘cool’ factor, as the gameplay offers little of interest. After the pleasure of the sweet intro and first stage, you’re likely to quickly experience a sharply diminishing return for your time and effort. Go ahead and check it out for the classic soundtrack and as an interesting piece of Sega’s history, however Manhattan, Springfield and River City are all better places to pick a fight than the Streets of Rage. But, don’t let my cold reception turn you away from its superior sequel…
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