Streets of Rage 3
What Is It?
The original Streets of Rage hit at just the right time. Released at almost the exact same time as Final Fight on the Super NES, this Sega brawler showed 16-bit gamers that they had a firm grasp on what was popular at the time. Best of all, Streets of Rage managed to one-up Capcom's arcade brawler by offering two-player support, more levels, and deeper gameplay. Streets of Rage 2 took that formula and added better graphics, more characters, tons of bad guys, and some truly impressive levels. After playing through Streets of Rage 2 a dozen times gamers across the world couldn't wait to get their hands on Sega's third (and ultimately final) Streets of Rage game. Unfortunately Streets of Rage 3 was the game that broke the series. Streets of Rage 3 features everything you would expect from a sequel, you get slightly enhanced graphics, different levels, new playable characters, some hidden stuff, and bigger bosses. There's just one problem, the entire game is absurd. Things fall apart right from the start; the characters you get to choose from include an old guy with bionic parts and a kangaroo. That's right; you get to play as a street fighting kangaroo. And the disappointment doesn't end there, the levels feel like nothing more than a retread of the first two games, and the gameplay hasn't changed at all since part two. But the problem I have is that I can't get over the ridiculous characters, whatever happened to the cool characters from the original Streets of Rage? Look, I was never a fan of Skate (the African American teenager who fights on rollerblades), but at least he's not as lame as controlling a kangaroo.
Does It Still Hold Up?
As is always the case when we review classic brawlers, Streets of Rage 3 suffers from somewhat repetitious gameplay. So much of this game is about mashing buttons and dodging other people's attacks, and you'll be doing that from beginning to end without much of a break. What's worse, this brawler formula wouldn't be properly updated for more than a decade. I'm not sure what Sega could have done to make this game hold up any better, but then again I'm not getting paid the big bucks to make a street fighting trilogy.
Is It Worth the Money?
Streets of Rage 3 is the disappointment of the franchise; that one game that seemed to kill all of the momentum. If you already own Streets of Rage 1 and 2 then you probably don't need to pick this game up, but if you're one of those people that needs to own the complete set then you will probably find some enjoyment out of this disappointing sequel. After weeks of nothing but Super Thunder Blade and Donkey Kong Jr. Math, this game is a refreshing change of pace. But it's not the kick-ass sequel that it should have been. And that's the triple truth, Ruth.
This Week in GameTap
1942:
Last week we talked about Vulgus, Capcom's vertical shoot-em-up. Despite being derivative of just about every other 2D shooter of the era, I ended up recommending the game for those who are looking for fast arcade action. This week I suggest you forget all about Vulgus, because GameTap has uploaded a far superior 2D shooter from Capcom. This is 1942, a classic vertical shooter that hits all the right notes. This exciting shooter features great graphics, fast arcade action and plenty of enemies to shoot out of the sky. While Capcom has newer 2D shooters, 1942 was a high water mark that the company has yet to reach again.
Alpha Mission:
If 1942 isn't good enough for you, then perhaps you should check out SNK's very own vertical shoot-em-up, Alpha Mission. While there's a lot of fun to be had in this action game, it's hard to not to yearn for the better looking Neo Geo game from 1991. The problem with Alpha Mission is that the game just doesn't have the style of Capcom's 1942; it's just another boring space shooter full of alien ships to blow up. That's not to say that you can't have some fun with it, but there's no reason to play this when 1942 is also available.
Bubble Bobble:
While I prefer the Puzzle Bobble series, I do have a soft spot for Bub and Bob from Bubble Bobble. Going through this 21 year old game I'm struck by how well it has held up, the controls are responsive and there's a surprising variety of levels to play through. The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but you'll hardly notice that when you're going through the levels with a friend. Bubble Bobble is now the kind of game we see much of anymore, and that's just one of the excellent reasons to play through the game again.
Liquid Kids:
Liquid Kids is, well, kind of weird. But then again, Taito has always been on the quirky side (just look at The New Zealand Story). Liquid Kids doesn't actually feature any "kids", instead you play Hipopo the Hippo who is on a quest to find his missing girlfriend. Chances are this is one arcade game you've never actually played before, and at the end of the day that should be a good enough reason to give this game a spin. Thankfully this isn't just another throw away title, Liquid Kids proves to be a lot of fun thanks to the endearing main character and some cute levels. This rare arcade game is definitely my top pick of the week.
Super Sidekicks:
Proving that I can't get away from classic sports games, Super Sidekicks is an old school soccer game from 1992. I'm not a huge soccer fan so perhaps I'm the wrong person to review this, but even a hater like me had an enjoyable time kicking the ball around and trying to avoid the dreaded 0 - 0 tie. Is it the best sports game I've ever played? Of course not, but fans of the sport will no doubt get a kick out of playing this with friends for free. Hmm ... I really hate to go out on a pun, but I guess that's the way the ball bounces.
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