Streets of Rage retrospective: Feeling the impact of the Sega brawler

First Released: 1991 (Mega Drive)
Now Available On: Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, 3DS, PC

The Sega Mega Drive had many jewels in its crown, but few that shone as brightly as no-holds-barred brawler Streets of Rage.

Following in the side-scrolling footsteps of genre-defining classics Double Dragon and Final Fight, the game is often cited as one of the finest beat-em-ups of its generation - and with good reason.

Released in 1991, Streets of Rage contained all of the hallmarks of a vintage slugfest, pitting players again hordes of thugs across eight rounds, with an oversized boss bookending each level.

There were three playable characters - boxer Adam Hunter, martial artist Axel Stone, and judo expert Blaze Fielding, who were ex-cops who turned to vigilantism to take down a crime syndicate that had the law in its pocket.

Core gameplay involved clobbering anyone who stood in the trio's way - either fighting solo or in two-player co-op - as they marched towards the final showdown with crime boss Mr X, who lay in wait at the end of round eight.

Unarmed combat was your bread and butter, but players could also bring the pain with weapons such as bottles, knives and pieces of drainpipe that were scattered around each stage.

Each character could perform a handful of special attacks based on their combat style, and all three had the ability to summon a police car that took out every enemy on screen before speeding off.

Requesting assistance from the cop car evened up the odds, but players could only use this ability once per level by default, with power-ups available to extend it.

Although Streets of Rage graduated from the same school of hard knocks as Final Fight, the inclusion of a female protagonist was just one of the factors that set it apart.

There was also the chance to see an alternate ending depending on a moral choice made at the end of the game, with players either crushing Mr X's crime syndicate or succeeding him as its leader.

Yuzo Koshiro's chiptune score provided a blistering soundtrack to accompany the action, blending house, techno and rave influences, and emulating sound effects from Roland's rhythm machines.

Streets of Rage's pumping soundtrack was critically acclaimed enough to receive a standalone CD release in the wake of the game's launch. Record label Data Discs recently brought the score to vinyl for those with a penchant for the vintage format.

The game itself also received widespread acclaim and its success paved the way for scaled-down ports on the Sega Master System and Game Gear, followed by two official sequels in the ensuing years.

Streets of Rage even became a cross-media property for Sega, spawning a comic series on the pages of the Sonic the Comic anthology, which included contributions from Kick-Ass and X-Men writer Mark Millar.

The less successful Fighting Force games followed as spiritual successors, beginning life as a Streets of Rage sequel for the Saturn before a disagreement between Sega and developer Core Design over ports on rival systems derailed the original iteration.

More recently, Streets of Rage has been re-released for systems including the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as a digital download, but its iOS port has fallen afoul of Sega's heightened quality control policy for mobile releases.

Although there hasn't been an official Streets of Rage release for more than 20 years, the series still has a fan base and it's done more than its fair share to keep the franchise's legacy alive and kicking.

Numerous fan games have appeared online, including Bombergames' Streets of Rage remake, which was painstakingly created from scratch over eight years.

An official Streets of Rage revival doesn't appear to be on Sega's agenda, but Axel Stone will make his first outing for over two decades in crossover role-playing game Project X Zone 2: Brave New World, due for release on 3DS in Japan this November.

There's nothing like a good crossover for bringing classic video game characters out of retirement.