Streets of Rage 2 (Virtual Console) Review

In the world of beat-’em-ups, it feels like the whole world is against you. You can’t pass through any street or building without random thugs trying to run you over with motorcycles or beat you senseless with pipes and knives. This isn’t just another day in the life, though, since you are on a mission to rescue a kidnapped friend from the evil crime lord, Mr. X. And thus begins a lot of punching, kicking, and screaming.

Streets of Rage 2 takes you through eight stages ranging from parks, bars, baseball fields, and factories. Of course, everywhere you go, there’s a gang of thugs ready to rumble. Many of the enemies you come across are repeats, so you’ll get to know them quickly. Some are pushovers. Others like to uppercut you when you jump over them. Then there are the jerks with the jetpacks who are frustrating as hell to try and hit. Bosses and mini-bosses abound, taller thugs with bigger health bars who know how to block a punch. They aren’t as big or menacing as the bosses in the Final Fight series, but they prove to be a challenge.

Much of the game can be traversed by just mashing on the punch button, though this won’t work on every enemy, nor is it all that fun. Enemies will drop weapons which can be picked up and used against them. It’s often necessary to kick/punch somebody while jumping, which changes depending on if you are holding left/right or down. You can also grapple enemies and pound them up close and personal or toss them aside like a sack of cheesecake. One of the most satisfying maneuvers is to grab an enemy, punch him/her twice, then flip over his/her head and perform a back-breaking suplex. If you’re ever in a real bind, you can attack backwards or whip out a crazy special move that will, consequently, knock points off your own health. Beat-’em-ups usually suffer from a paltry list of available moves, but Streets of Rage offers just enough to keep things interesting throughout.

The four available characters also play differently enough to make it worth experimenting with each. There are two well-rounded characters, one who is short and fast, and the obligatory big, strong, and slow guy. This diversity helps add to the game’s replay value, because Streets of Rage 2 is pretty short the first time through. On Easy, it only takes about an hour to finish. But there are three additional difficulties that actually alter the game in significant ways. Not only are the enemies stronger and more aggressive, but they appear in larger groups. Stepping into Hardest mode and seeing the screen flood over with enemies is worthy of a “Holy crap!” This is when you need some backup…

Streets of Rage 2 is fun alone, but the game is far better with two players. Fighting crime in pairs just makes so much more sense. It’s quite pleasing to trap a boss in the middle of your punches and your partner’s. But the two of you can hurt each other, so you have to be careful. And since grabbing someone only requires running into them, you’ll find yourselves grappling each other at the worst possible times.

What really drives me crazy about beat-’em-ups, though, is that enemies rarely play by the rules. They love to hang out just outside the screen so you can’t see them. It’s exasperating to try and lure them back onto the playfield or to watch them pick up a weapon that was too far off screen for you to pick up. Grabbing or being grabbed by enemies is also spontaneous. Bosses seem to always get the upper hand in this, which can be aggravating since bosses do a lot of damage when they throw you. Later bosses can take 3/4 of your life away in one combo. The game only offers two continues, which is enough to get through Easy but, surprisingly, not Normal. So you really have to know what you’re doing.

Final Comments

The Virtual Console is a great way to relive the days of Super Nintendo vs. Genesis, when kids argued about which exclusive beat-’em-up series was better. I have a soft, biased spot for the Final Fight games, but Streets of Rage is no slouch. It’s a simple but pleasingly violent experience that’s quite a bit of fun alone but becomes a must-have for two players. Since the only Final Fight available on the VC right now does not feature a two-player mode, it’s easy recommending Streets of Rage to beat-’em-up fans. Besides, this game supports use of the Wii remote, and that’s always an appreciated bonus.