KissMammal wrote: ↑April 30th, 2020, 11:58 pm I'm enjoying Streets of Rage 4 as well, but is anyone else finding the character movement a little... sluggish? Perhaps that's faithful to the genre, but I'm finding myself a little frustrated by the apparent lack of a 'dash' or a 'block/parry' button.

I think that's just a staple of the genre, really. It takes a little while to get used to it but different games require different controls / functionality, which is not inherently a bad thing. Jumping helps a lot with avoiding attacks and adding some extra mobility!

KissMammal wrote: ↑April 30th, 2020, 11:58 pm Also, is there a reliable way of taking down the shield goons? The only way I've found to guarantee to not get hit is by slowly chipping away at them with flying kicks, but it gets really tedious really quickly.

Wait until they initiate their attack, jump over them, hit them in the back, repeat! After 2 or 3 times their shield should break which makes things much easier. Very safe strat provided you don't mash the attack button.

Cheers. Pretty sure I tried that but must have timed it wrong.

As I say, maybe its down to the genre, but there's something that gets under my skin a bit about repeatedly seeing an attack coming, then having half a second to wait for it to land with no way of avoiding it no matter what I do. Feels a bit jarring. Hopefully I'll get used to it. I suppose it's like when people complain about not being able to run and fire at the same time in Resident Evil 4 (which never bothered me!).

KissMammal wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 12:13 am there's something that gets under my skin a bit about repeatedly seeing an attack coming, then having half a second to wait for it to land with no way of avoiding it no matter what I do.

If you see them coming, you can dodge out of the way of most attacks by either moving vertically (up/down) or jumping away. If all else fails, the defensive Special (without directional input) has very generous invulnerability frames.

I had some issues at first because my muscle memory wanted me to dodge backwards too, but that's really not the way this game works.

KissMammal wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 12:13 am I suppose it's like when people complain about not being able to run and fire at the same time in Resident Evil 4 (which never bothered me!).

Oh, now you're speaking my language!

Yeah, that's just it. It's like my brain has time to perceive the incoming attack, so I instinctively try to reach for a 'dodge' or 'block' button that isn't there... Makes for a slightly aggravating gameplay loop at times.

It's possibly because I literally just got done playing Super Crush KO, which does have a dodge/slide ability.

Fantastic little game btw if anyone here hasn't played it. Very slight, but very addictive. I'm hesitant to say, for a modern scrolling beat em up, that the core gameplay is more fun that that of SoR4 has been so far.

Sengoku 3 is well worth trying if you want a more fluid combat system than SoR4. It doesn't have the nostalgia but it's got more varied movesets, including a dash and the ability to dash cancel out of certain moves to continue your combo string, not totally unlike FADC in SF4. It's also got those beautiful chunky Neo Geo sprites and variety of cool locations and enemies. Also cheap as chips on every format.

Cherry Hunter is really fun to play as on SOR4 I’m finding, she’s also the faster of the characters, so if you’re finding the movement a bit sluggish, perhaps try her out .

She has some really fun tappy combo’s you can perform, although her throw is a bit lame.

Also, when you find the hidden Bare Knuckle arcade machines in the levels, don’t smash them up. Press B on them.

Axel can cancel his punch combo into grand upper, and that trashes the shields. There’s a *lot* of fighting game mechanics in this that I wasn’t expecting. (Juggles, special cancelling, quick knockdown recover, and that’s just the stuff I’ve found myself)

Might have to do the unthinkable and switch over to Easy mode... The inability to avoid attacks is grating more and more the further I get. In particular the jump-kicking short haired female assailants and the black-suited cops who seem to be able to grab me from the other side of the screen are driving me up the bloody wall. It feels quite cheap a lot of the time, or like I'm playing the game wrong but I can't tell why because there don't really seem to be many tactical options at my disposal? Jumping lots doesn't really seem to help with evasion, sadly.

KissMammal wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 7:13 pm The inability to avoid attacks is grating more and more the further I get. [...] there don't really seem to be many tactical options at my disposal?

KSubzero1000 wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 12:18 am If you see them coming, you can dodge out of the way of most attacks by either moving vertically (up/down) or jumping away. If all else fails, the defensive Special (without directional input) has very generous invulnerability frames.

https://blog.eu.playstation.com/2020/04 ... up-series/

THE DEV wrote:There are small things (but which make a big difference), like downsizing the depth of the player character’s hitbox when moving up or down, so you really dodge when you want to dodge.

Can you try it? Pls. I promise you it works.

Stanshall wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 5:49 am Sengoku 3 is well worth trying if you want a more fluid combat system than SoR4. It doesn't have the nostalgia but it's got more varied movesets, including a dash and the ability to dash cancel out of certain moves to continue your combo string, not totally unlike FADC in SF4. It's also got those beautiful chunky Neo Geo sprites and variety of cool locations and enemies. Also cheap as chips on every format.

Thanks, I'm itching for a scrolling brawler but SoR4 is a little outside impulse purchase range - this looks great!

Ninja Saviors.
I’ll keep saying it.
Ninja Saviors.
https://caneandrinse.com/the-ninja-savi ... -warriors/

NB: No Z axis in this one, but agility and blocking, juggling and combo potential by the bucketload.

Also, Sengoku (3) is definitely cool and worthy of attention, but the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle brawler collection even more so in my opinion.

Warriors of Fate, Armored Warriors and Battle Circuit are all absolute doozies, and you can get the whole seven game compilation for about half the price of SoR4.

ratsoalbion wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 8:51 pm Ninja Saviors.
I’ll keep saying it.
Ninja Saviors.

Great reminder, I keep wanting to buy it based on your article but it never goes on sale... I still remember blindly grabbing Nex Machina after reading your recommendation, haven't regretted that one!

Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle is looking very tempting, however...

And by the way folks, I say all this as someone who considers Streets of Rage 4 a worthy successor to one of his all-time favourite games (that’s SoR2, not 3 so much).

I’ve been hammering the new game since it popped on Game Pass yesterday and I’m pretty pleased with how it’s turned out. Feels like a real labour of love by the multiple teams involved in its creation and conversion.

ratsoalbion wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 8:51 pm Ninja Saviors.

I took a break from it after repeatedly getting stomped by the martial arts master boss. I can beat him if I get lucky, but until I can confidently take him on, I can't clear it on one credit, which means no unlocks...

also, I've got this on a Switch Lite, and since I bought it for gaming on the go, I've barely touched it during lockdown. that's why I haven't even started Celeste yet.

ratsoalbion wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 8:59 pm Also, Sengoku (3) is definitely cool and worthy of attention, but the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle brawler collection even more so in my opinion.

Warriors of Fate, Armored Warriors and Battle Circuit are all absolute doozies, and you can get the whole seven game compilation for about half the price of SoR4.

Yeah, had this on my Switch wish list since I missed it on the last sale. Definitely picking it up next time.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2020, 10:58 am Yeah, had this on my Switch wish list since I missed it on the last sale. Definitely picking it up next time.

I know portability is a huge plus, but it's also regularly on sale on PS4. Like, right now for example.

Thanks for the heads up, but yeah I'd only be wanting to play it handheld really to be honest.

Alex79uk wrote: ↑May 2nd, 2020, 10:58 am

ratsoalbion wrote: ↑May 1st, 2020, 8:59 pm Also, Sengoku (3) is definitely cool and worthy of attention, but the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle brawler collection even more so in my opinion.

Warriors of Fate, Armored Warriors and Battle Circuit are all absolute doozies, and you can get the whole seven game compilation for about half the price of SoR4.

Yeah, had this on my Switch wish list since I missed it on the last sale. Definitely picking it up next time.

It goes on sale VERY often. I like to habitually scroll through the sale games on PS4 and Switch for no particular reason... There's something my brain likes about mentally tracking historical values, seeing what all's out there, etc. But that Beat Em Up Bundle seems like it's on sale 2 weeks out of every month for 50% off. Any time Capcom has a sale, or there's a Spring/Golden Week/Labour Day/Ramadan sale, it's right there. Mario + Rabbids, too. But yeah, it's on sale so often I see no value in buying full price.