Streets of Rage 4

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Streets of Rage 4 for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[andthenweplay]

I enjoyed every moment I have spent playing Streets of Rage 4. The art and animation is outstanding, and the soundtrack is near god tier. But what I really appreciated most about Streets of Rage 4 is its commitment to the old style of beat em ups I grew up playing. No levelling up, no loot or side quests. Just straight forward 2-D action at its finest. And although the game is challenging on higher levels I can genuinely feel my skill get better with every run, and that is more than I can say about many games I play today.

[Magical_Isopod]

I liked Streets of Rage 4, but I didn't love it - and not enough to complete it, at that. I'm certainly not a huge fan of the series in the best of times, but I enjoy the third entry the most - the movement tech available in that game, with dodge rolls and running attacks, always felt great. But strangely, 4 omits this freedom of movement, and instead opts for a more methodical pace where your character will slowly trundle around to get in punching position. It makes the game feel rather dated, like it's aiming to be a tribute to beat-'em-ups of the 80s and 90s rather than an evolution of the genre. That's all well and good if nostalgia is all you're after, but for a fairly expensive modern release, I was expecting more modern gameplay.

It's not a bad game by any means, but I am disappointed that it presents itself as a 4th entry whilst omiting some of the improvements of 2, and especially 3. It feels less like Streets of Rage 4, and more like Streets of Rage 2.5. It gets points for having some great music, but that wasn't enough to carry this one for me. It felt slow and repetitious overall, and I can't say I'm recommend it over newer brawlers like Scott Pilgrim and River City Girls.

Three-Word Review: Kinda Sorta Sequel

[stvnorman]

Completely faithful to its predecessors from what I’ve played of them, but also completely modern feeling, modern looking, and a fantastic beat ‘em up in its own right. So many things I love… some of the chaotic mass brawls that feel just like a Bruce Lee movie; finding the secret retro areas (and some old friends); just how 80’s the brilliantly styled (and massive variety of) hand-drawn art all looks; and, of course, the soundtrack isn’t bad either! Not much can top the massively concentrated fun on offer here, and with everything else on offer on top of the story mode, we definitely have a keeper to come back to for many years to come!

[seansthomas]

Streets of Rage 4 was far and away my favourite game of 2020. I had long hoped for a new entry in the series but never expected to be this rich.

The art style seemed divisive, but I thought it felt fresh and in keeping with the drawings and box art from the era. And I personally was pleased to see something different from the now commonly used pixel art style that they could have opted for. Likewise the music felt like a natural extension of the series and still bounces around my brain a year on.

But it's the subtle quality of life changes that made it a game that could only have come out this decade.

Switching from one long playthrough on restricted credits to multiple levels was brilliant, though I welcome that it can be played in the original manner. Deciding whether to hoard power ups for better scores or to take down bosses is great. And levels that can seem impossible on the first attempt seem doable without losing a life given a few repeat sessions.

There are so many other smart touches bit these are some of my favourites. Being able to catch a weapon you've thrown as it bounces off an enemy. Sacrificing a bit of health to land a more powerful punch. Bouncing enemies off of scenery to keep a combo alive. Hidden secret bosses in retro arcades and classic characters to unlock. The music ramping up when you go through doors, like in that jailbreak scene.

The variety in play styles of the main characters also leads to highly satisfying replays. And ultimately, that's what this game is all about.

I can see why a lot of people underestimated it as a shallow experience at face level, but Streets of Rage 4 is a hugely smart and rewarding update on a classic formula. It does have a couple of tough difficulty spikes but it feels so good when you start overcoming them and getting good high scores. As a love letter and update on an all time great, I don't think many developers have done it better. I'm excited to see what the DLC yields.

[Nupraptor]

Playing Streets of Rage 4 now gives me the same feeling as playing Streets of Rage 2 did back in the early nineties.

[Rhaegyr]

My brother and I both grew up playing SOR1 & 2 practically every weekend whilst we had a Megadrive - we couldn't wait to jump on this after years of wanting a sequel. Turned out as good, if not better than we'd imagined - it looks great, it plays fantastic and it sounds incredible. It's the perfect mix of new and nostalgia; Keeping the sound effect from the original SOR when you initially 'Press Start' on the menu was ingenious!

First Sonic Mania, now this. Sega, whatever you're doing (or asking people to do for you), keep it up.

[seansthomas]

Update on SOR4 already being amazing.

It'll soon have a swordfish as a weapon:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4LwwRrI-NY0

[shadowless_kick]

I’m honestly a bit baffled by the reception to this game. I wonder if I played the same title everyone else has.

It took some time, but I eventually got used to the visuals. I think the actual designs are pretty strong, and I like the classic trio’s updated looks. Unfortunately, the animation is kinda meh, and aside from the art gallery and the police station, I thought the backgrounds were mostly bland and uninspired. The little voice work that’s here isn’t particularly great, either. Also, the music is suprisingly hit-or-miss, with only one or two tracks standing out to me.

As for the gameplay, I could initially only get into a good groove with the two Hunters, as the others’ relative lack of mobility made things really challenging. Things improved when I started unlocking the classic versions; they felt much springier and more fun to control.

But even so, the overall package just doesn't do a lot for me. Not a single aspect of the game goes beyond merely “OK." Realizing the fight with stage 10's DJ boss was an homage to Super Shredder from Turtles in Time just made this game's shortcomings more glaring. But maybe my limited exposure to the original games explains why my reaction is different than many others.

In the end, I think of Streets of Rage 4 in the same way I think of Sonic Mania: a loving tribute-slash-update by obviously passionate developers that just didn’t hit the mark for my personal tastes. As far as modern beat-em-ups go, I had a much better time with River City Girls and Ninja Saviors (Return of the Warriors).

[Seph]

I grew up playing the original games (especially the second) and as an avid fan of side scrolling beat 'em ups in general the announcement of this game was something I never expected, but I knew I immediately needed it.

Streets of Rage 4 is like the series was never gone. The look is different and the overall presentation is more bombastic, but this plays about the well as the original games. Maybe it was just me, but the characters handled like I remembered: everyone had the same strengths and weaknesses, I was able to string together my usual combos, and I could land on my feet after being thrown. It was like riding a bike. On release I spent an entire day playing through this with multiple characters, and even then I hadn't even scratched the surface of what is available. It also made realise that Blaze is the character I should always have chosen as her moveset fits my aggressive style perfectly.

If there's any problems with this game I would have preferred it to end with the usual gun-totting final boss instead of the annoying, overblown robot thing you had to fight here. That felt incredibly misplaced.

The only thing I haven't been able to do is experience some old fashioned couch co-op. While I had a lot of fun playing this on my own, these games are always better with others; so hopefully I'll get to try this soon once we're allowed to mingle indoors again. Maybe in time for the incredible-looking DLC.

SoR4 is unapologetically fun and I wish we had more games like this. Would it be tempting fate to suggest Capcom revisit Final Fight?

And I like the music. It's definitely better than the music in 3. I'll fight anyone who disagrees.

[HappyGreyBox5]

I rarely do day one purchases, but I loved SOR 1 and 2 as a child in the 90s and had been waiting decades for another entry in the series. 2020 was proving to be a difficult year and I hoped that the game could help me kill a few days, I therefore paid full price day one.

I’m so glad I did. It was easily my most played game of 2020 and I ended up obtaining the platinum trophy for it.
The music and gameplay are superb. It was so wonderful to have Blaze and the gang back. Working from home, I often played a quick stage (or three!) when I should have been working. Learning combo techniques with each character was rewarding and fun, especially enjoyed learning to chain air specials with Blaze.

My only very minor complaint is that the scoring system is frustrating. Very all or nothing, you can get a huge combo, and one sucker punch before the score is ‘banked’ means you get nothing. Very harsh. Going for S ranks on hard meant MANY retries. Playing the opening section of a stage again and again, hitting retry when the enemy got a lucky punch in.

The game is excellent and really helped me through a tough year. I don’t want to wait as long for SOR5 please.

[DeadpoolNegative]

Streets of Rage 4 is imperfect but a worthy sequel to the original games. It feels like the developers weren't trying to reinvent the series for the modern day so much as trying to guess what a sequel to the games would look like if it were made in 1996. The art style reminds me much of fighting games of the late 90s. The music is good but weirdly, I found myself missing the distinctive metallic clang and crunch of the Genesis' sound chip.

The fighting is good but as I said, imperfect- it can't quite match the white knuckle feeling of the original game. But when it cooks, it REALLY cooks. The enemy design is creative and when you meet a seemingly impossible foe, it's a decent challenge to figure out the pattern to defeat them.

Overall, it's a fun little game that isn't quite the memorable experience of its predecessors, but certainly worth a coin or two at the local arcade, or in my case, free on Game Pass.

--Dan

[seansthomas]

Enjoyed the podcast a lot team, well done all.

Leon, I didn't quite catch the name of the app / browser that helps tell you how long you've spent on a game. Could you link me to it please?

Thanks!

[ratsoalbion]

GOG Galaxy (2.0)

[seansthomas]

Thank you!