Streets Of Rage 1 2 and 3

[brainerdrainer]

I was addicted to streets of rage for a while. Then recently got 2 and 3 and have been playing those a lot. I love them all. But seems like Streets Of Rage 1 was awesome, then 2 came out and the controls are a little more stiff and less fun, but then 3 came back and started kicking ass again. I love the 1st and 3rd streets of rage. What's your opinion, which do you like the most and why?

[ApolloBoy]

I always thought 2 was the best, the great music and controls make for a fun two-player romp. The first game is good too and the music is kickass but it's lacking just a bit of polish, understandable considering it's the first game of the series. The third game is alright but Sega decided to ramp up the difficulty on the non-Japanese versions for no real reason and it's censored on top of that. The best way to play the third game is to play the Japanese version, even if you liked the third game you'll love Bare Knuckle III even more.

[Fuzzy_Cthulhu]

2,3,1.

SoR2 didn't leave my Mega Drive for a long time. It's the whole package- music, graphics, controls, multiplayer. It took everything that was great about the first game, stripped away the stuff that didn't work and added a few new tricks. It even had a suitable replacement for the slow yet powerful Adam- Max, who is just as useless as I recall, having tried to play as him again recently.

SoR3 is very similar, even better in some ways, with a lot of hidden features and secrets. The music (again, Yuzo Koshiro proving he was/is, one of the best composers of this generation) remains fantastic and the graphics are even better. But there's something lacking from the game, I could never put my finger on it. Maybe someone else knows?

SoR is still great, very much worth anyone's time. But once you get through it and go onto numero two, you won't look back. Worth it just to see how many of the same characters are in every single SoR game.

The SoR games were a big part of my gaming past. Here's to hoping the series gets a new version- preferably along the lines of Sonic 4, rather than Fighting Force.

[ZeroAX]

Streets of Rage 1 is still my favorite in the series.

2 was very good, but just doesn't feel as "retro" as the first did. I know it's a weird comment to make, but the settings for the stages in SoR1 just felt much more 80s-early 90s than the ones for SoR2 did, which felt much more 90s. And the 80s rock .

I would place SoR3 last and well....I wouldn't even place it anywhere on the list if I could. The pallet swaps by SoA (which carried on to the PAL versions I think, I have only played this games on the sega ultimate mega drive collecting) look horrible, and the difficulty is way off. Plus the characters are horrible and the colors of the stages make me nauseous.

I'm a bit harsh on it I guess, but the other 2 are such great games, the best beat em ups I have ever played if you ask me, that this just disappointed me.

[xan_racketBOY_fan]

Big fan of Streets of Rage 2 over here. I do recommend you play Bare Knuckle 3, however. The Streets of Rage 3 we got over here is different than what was released in Japan.

[Gunstar Green]

2 is my favorite and that will probably be the popular opinion. Amazing music, larger move-set and bigger more-detailed sprites. I'm not entirely sure how anyone could find it "more stiff" than the first game since I feel the controls went through a refinement, but to each his own.

That said the first game is pretty good. Sega took Final Fight and made their own "home version" of sorts that's arguably funner than the original arcade game. There aren't a lot of moves but the cop car assists are hilarious and full of nostalgia.

The third is the one I like the least, both the edited US version and the original Bare Knuckle 3. The experimental music is completely ear-grating in parts and other parts of the game including the player characters had started moving in strange directions. I think it's still a better than average game though and I'd play it over the console versions of the Golden Axe series.

[Luke]

Streets of Rage, Sega CD, on stereo with a subwoofer. It doesn't get better.

SOR 2 and 3 didn't really add anything to the game; if anything it took away from the game. SOR 2 could be beaten by a toddler (you shouldn't be able to beat a game on your first half-assed attempt), the music wasn't as good, and the characters moves are a bit delayed. It's almost the same game with the same story, but no where near as good.

SOR 3 is more of an ugly final fight knock off with terrible sound than a streets of rage game. But that only goes for the NTSC release.

For me, SOR is a lot like the Golden Axe series. The initial game nailed it, and the rest are over achieving sequels that fall very short of the mark.

Do SOR2 and SOR3 have multiple endings like SOR?

[brainerdrainer]

SOR2 is a little more stiff, like on the 1 and 3rd one I can punch and walk, on SOR2 when I punch I stop walking. Also in SOR2 you have to get even closer to an enemy to grab them. I do love all three of them but I think I enjoy the 3rd more than the 2nd. I need to spend more time playing them though

[BoneSnapDeez]

Part 2 is the best - followed by part 1.

I never got into 3. The 6 button controls are annoying. Plus, it's too damn expensive.

[brainerdrainer]

Yeah I don't have a 6 button control to try on SOR3. But I should get one