Difference between revisions of "Streets of Rage"

From Sega Retro
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==Development==
 
==Development==
−
''Streets of Rage'' was primarily Sega's answer to [[Capcom]]'s ''Final Fight'', a very successful arcade game which Capcom had chosen to port to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Perhaps worried that this would divert attention away from the Mega Drive, ''Streets of Rage'' was created as a Sega exclusive, developed internally by [[Sega AM7]]. At the time of release, beat-'em-up games were very popular and Sega's title was no exception.
+
''Streets of Rage'' was developed by Sega as an answer to [[Capcom]]'s highly rated arcade beat-'em-up, ''Final Fight'' (or more specifically, the Super Famicom version from December 1990, which despite cutbacks, was proving a hit in Japan). The fledgling Sega Mega Drive had several beat-'em-ups in its game library at the time (most notably the likes of ''[[Golden Axe]]'' and ''[[Alien Storm]]''), but most were ports of old arcade games and weren't generating as much interest in the system as Sega would have liked. With Capcom choosing to favour Nintendo's machine over Sega's (for the time being at least), the company decided to create a brand new beat-'em-up game from scratch which would be exclusive to their console(s).
  
−
The music for ''Streets of Rage'' was composed by [[Yuzo Koshiro]], who had previously offered his talents for ''[[Revenge of Shinobi]]''. Koshiro's soundtrack would be widely praised, and he would be carried through into the development process of two sequels, ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' and ''[[Streets of Rage 3]]'', respectively.
+
''Streets of Rage'' was developed internally by [[Sega AM7]], and was set to address features lacking in the SNES adaption of ''Final Fight''. Unlike its rival, ''Streets of Rage'' was able to provide three playable characters and two-player co-operative play, as well as being able to support more characters on screen.  
  
−
==Storyline==
+
The music for ''Streets of Rage'' was composed by [[Yuzo Koshiro]], who had previously offered his talents for ''[[Revenge of Shinobi]]''. Koshiro was influenced by electronic dance and club music, specifically of the techno and house varieties, and intended to be the first to introduce these sounds to video games. The final soundtrack also shows the influence of contemporary R&B and hip hop music - styles which in the late 1980s and early 1990s, were immensely popular, particularly in the western hemisphere.
−
The game's Storyline takes place in a city that resembles New York. The city had been taken over by an evil syndicate, headed by the evil Mr. X. Chaos ensues and out of it comes three brave ex-cops: Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Adam Hunter. Together they are willing to risk everything including their own lives to free the city from the evil syndicate.
+
 
 +
Yuzo Koshiro claimed the most important element when recreating club music sounds for video games was to emulate the timbre and percussion sounds of rhythm machines, citing models by Roland Corporation (such as the TR-606, TR-707, TR-808, and TR-909). Music is one of the key elements of ''Streets of Rage'', with Koshiro's soundtrack being widely praised by the press of the era and inspiring his subsequent ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' and ''[[Streets of Rage 3]]'' soundtracks.
 +
 
 +
Like its sequels, ''Streets of Rage'''s soundtrack was composed using a PC-8801 computer, alongside an original audio programming language developed by Yuzo Koshiro himself. "MML", or "Music Macro Language" is based on NEC's variant of the BASIC language, but is modified to involve elements from assembly code.
 +
 
 +
Master System and Game Gear versions of ''Streets of Rage'' were produced following the success of the Mega Drive original (curiously this game stands as one of the few occasions where the Master System port is entirely different to the Game Gear one, with different game assets). The Game Gear version lacks stage 6, has only two characters and sports simpler graphics, while the Master System version omits two player co-operative support.
 +
 
 +
==Story==
 +
''Streets of Rage'' takes place in a New York-inspired city that which has been taken over by an evil syndicate, headed by the evil Mr. X. Chaos ensues and out of it comes three brave ex-cops: Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Adam Hunter. Together they are willing to risk everything including their own lives to free the city from the evil syndicate.
  
 
{{quote|This city was once a happy, peaceful place...until one day, a powerful secret criminal organization took over. This vicious syndicate soon had control of the government and even the police force. The city has become a center of violence where no one is safe.
 
{{quote|This city was once a happy, peaceful place...until one day, a powerful secret criminal organization took over. This vicious syndicate soon had control of the government and even the police force. The city has become a center of violence where no one is safe.
Line 67: Line 75:
 
Streets of Rage|Opening sequence}}
 
Streets of Rage|Opening sequence}}
  
−
==Characters==
+
==Gameplay==
 +
Gameplay is typical for a beat-'em-up from the era, and shares many similarities to prior Sega game of this nature. {{B}} punches and {{C}} jumps, and in mid-air, {{B}} causes the character to perform a jumping kick. For the most part, movement is two dimensional, however as was the standard for the time, players can walk into and out of the screen, creating a primitive "2.5" style of gameplay. Though it is possible to walk left, the screen will only scroll to the right in most circumstances, making extended backtracking an impossibility.
 +
 
 +
Like ''Final Fight'', ''Streets of Rage'' has a primitive weapon system. If the player is standing over a weapon {{B}} will pick it up and, with subsequent {{B}} presses attacking with it. Pressing {{B}} and {{C}} together iwill trigger a rear attack, and it is possible for the player to grapple close range enemies without taking damage.
 +
 
 +
Similar to ''Golden Axe'''s magic spells, ''Streets of Rage'' assigns {{A}} to a special attack, which takes the form of a police car that fires a bazookas at enemies on-screen. In multiplayer games the effect is exacerbated for even greater damage. Subsequent games would eliminate the police car, possibly in the interests of retaining gameplay flow, but also because the command is unusable in certain situations (such as the last round, where players find themselves on the top floor of a skyscraper indoors.
 +
 
 
===Playable Characters===
 
===Playable Characters===
−
*'''Axel Stone:''' Axel is the leader of the three. He is a 22 year-old white blond male who is skilled at Martial Arts and loves to play video games. Axel is one of only two characters who appear in all three ''Streets of Rage'' Games (the other one being Blaze Fielding).
+
*'''Axel Stone:''' Axel is a 22 year-old white blond male who is skilled at Martial Arts and loves to play video games. The well rounded option, Axel is one of only two characters to appear in all three ''Streets of Rage'' games (the other one being Blaze Fielding).
−
*'''Adam Hunter:''' Adam is the powerhouse of the three. Adam is a black 23 year old male who excels in boxing. His weakness is that he moves more slowly than Axel and Blaze which makes handling Adam somewhat difficult.
+
*'''Adam Hunter:''' Adam is a black 23 year old male who excels in boxing and is the powerhouse of the three. The downside however, is that he moves more slowly than the others, affecting his handling.
−
*'''Blaze Fielding:''' Blaze is a 21 year old white female. She enjoys lambada as a hobby and masters at judo martial arts. Blaze is physically weaker than Axel and Adam. However, what she lacks in physical strength she makes up for with speed. Blaze is an excellent choice for new players who are trying to master the game.
+
*'''Blaze Fielding:''' Blaze is a 21 year old white female, who enjoys lambada as a hobby and is a master at judo martial arts. Blaze is physically weaker than Axel and Adam, however is the fastest, and more appropraite choice for new players.
  
 
===Bosses===
 
===Bosses===
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*'''Antonio''': Antonio is the boss of Round 1. As his name implies, he wields a large boomerang and can sometimes kick. Antonio also appears in Round 8.
 
*'''Antonio''': Antonio is the boss of Round 1. As his name implies, he wields a large boomerang and can sometimes kick. Antonio also appears in Round 8.
−
*'''Souther''': Souther is the boss of Round 2. He has claws attached to his gloves and can lunge at the player from far away. He can also counter the players' flying kicks with a slashing attack that leaves after images (it is possible to hit him with a flying kick but difficult to do and not recommended). In Round 6, two Souther will appear as the boss. He also appears in Round 8. Souther's name is reused as an alternate name for a similar enemy encountered in ''Streets of Rage 2'' named Zamza. It is unknown if these characters are the same person but it is highly unlikely.
+
*'''Souther''': Souther is the boss of Round 2. He has claws attached to his gloves and can lunge at the player from far away. He can also counter the players' flying kicks with a slashing attack that leaves after images (it is possible to hit him with a flying kick but difficult to do and not recommended). In Round 6, two Souther will appear as the boss. He also appears in Round 8. Souther's name is reused as an alternate name for a similar enemy encountered in ''Streets of Rage 2'' named Zamza.  
−
*'''Abadede''': Abadede is the boss of Round 3. He is a muscular brute who can charge and punch from long distances. He also appears in Round 5, and Round 8. He returns in ''Streets of Rage 2'' with some new tricks up his sleeves.
+
*'''Abadede''': Abadede is the boss of Round 3. He is a muscular brute who can charge and punch from long distances. He also appears in Round 5, and Round 8.
−
*'''Bongo''': Bongo is the boss of Round 4. He is a big-bellied fighter who can breath fire and walk quickly across the screen diagonally. A player will take damage if he or she attempts to throw him. He also appears in Round 6, and Round 8. An enemy similar to Bongo, but unknown if it is the same person or not, Big Ben, appears in ''Streets of Rage 2'' and ''3''. In ''Bare Knuckle III'', he's more commonly called Bongo just like this Boss. Though similar, it is unknown if they are somehow the same person or not.  
+
*'''Bongo''': Bongo is the boss of Round 4. He is a big-bellied fighter who can breath fire and walk quickly across the screen diagonally. A player will take damage if he or she attempts to throw him. He also appears in Round 6, and Round 8.  
−
*'''Onihime and Yasha''': Onihime and Yasha are twins who resemble Blaze. Because they attack together and are always jumping around, they can be difficult to defeat. Their most common attacks are kicking in midair and grappling. They also appear again in Round 8. The also return in ''Bare Knuckle III'' but in ''Streets of Rage 3'' they were renamed Mona and Lisa.
+
*'''Onihime and Yasha''': Onihime and Yasha are twins who resemble Blaze. Because they attack together and are always jumping around, they can be difficult to defeat. Their most common attacks are kicking in midair and grappling.
−
*'''Mr. X:''' Mr.X is the final boss and head of the syndicate. He is the main antagonist throughout the series. Generally he carries around a machine gun when fighting or sits on his throne sicking goons on the player. However in ''Streets of Rage 3'', he has been reduced to a brain inside a jar.
+
*'''Mr. X:''' Mr.X is the final boss and head of the syndicate. He is the main antagonist throughout the series. Generally he carries around a machine gun when fighting or sits on his throne sicking goons on the player.  
  
 
===Regular Enemies===
 
===Regular Enemies===
−
*'''Garcia/Galsia''': This is the first and most common punk encountered throughout the game. Galsia (as he's better known in ''SOR 2'' as) attacks the player frequently and sometimes has either knives or baseball bats to attack the player with. He has two different knife attacks. There's one where he walks across screen holding the knife in front of himself and knocking the player down if he runs into them. Then there's the other one where he'll hold knives and throw them at you. This version will not drop knives even if you throw him and is more commonly encountered on higher difficulties. Galsia has returned in all of the ''Streets of Rage''/''Bare Knuckle'' games. In the other two, he's often paired with another enemy called Donovan.  
+
*'''Garcia/Galsia''': This is the first and most common punk encountered throughout the game. Galsia (the more accepted name, introduced in ''Streets of Rage 2'') attacks the player frequently and sometimes has either knives or baseball bats to attack the player with. He has two different knife attacks; the notorious "charging" type in which he runs at players, and a more typical throwing type. The latter version will not drop knives even if you throw him and is more commonly encountered on higher difficulties. Galsia has returned in all of the ''Streets of Rage''/''Bare Knuckle'' games, becoming as iconic to many as some of the main characters.
−
*'''Nora''': Nora is a female enemy who carries a whip. According to the Japanese manual, she works for questionable members-only clubs where everyone calls her queen. Nora uses her whip to hit and knock down the player. Some Nora enemies may get down on their hands and knees if hit and you'll be unable to hit them until they get up. The ones that do this depend upon difficulty. Throwing them prevents them from doing this. Predecessor to the Electra enemy from the other games.
+
*'''Nora''': Nora is a female enemy who carries a whip. According to the Japanese manual, she works for questionable members-only clubs where everyone calls her queen. Nora uses her whip to hit and knock down the player, though if knocked down herself, some Nora enemies may get down on their hands and knees and will be invulnerable until they get up. Throwing Nora prevents her from doing this.
−
*'''Y.Signal''': A somewhat common enemy who has a mohawk. Y.Signal will punch the player sometimes, however he loves to throw the player and do sliding kicks to knock them off of their feet. Uses the sliding kicks and throws more often on higher difficulties. Appears again in the other two games as well.
+
*'''Y.Signal''': A common enemy easily identifiable by colourful mohawks. Though Y.Signal will occasionally punch the player, he prefers to throw the player or perform sliding kicks to knock them off of their feet, both of which become more common when playing at a higher difficulty setting.
−
*'''Haku-Oh''': Although sharing a similarly pronounced name to the martial artist who appears in Streets of Rage 2, Haku-Oh is quite different. According to the Japanese manual, he is a student of the 4000 year old Chinese art of Shaolin Kung Fu. Also mentioned that his ruthlessness is why he became a member of the syndicate. Haku-Oh uses flying kicks on the player and has a habit of jumping from behind scenery in some stages, such as the boat in Round 5.  
+
*'''Haku-Oh''': According to the Japanese manual, Haku-Oh is a student of the 4000 year old Chinese art of Shaolin Kung Fu. The character is a ruthlessness member of the syndicate who uses flying kicks on the player and well as having a habit of jumping from behind scenery in some stages (such as the boat in Round 5).  
−
*'''Jack''': Not to be confused with the knife-wielding punk from ''Streets of Rage 2'' or one of the names for the Vice enemy in the US version of ''Streets of Rage 3''. Jack is a Juggler who will juggle dangerous things such as hatchets or torches and throws them at the player occasionally. Occasionally, you may come across certain ones who seem to not have weapons. They actually do have weapons, but they only throw them and only if the player stands still long enough. What is thrown is either a hattchet or a torch.  Despite this, the weaponless ones are easy to handle unless other enemies are nearby to protect them.  Walking into a Jack who is armed will knock the player down if they aren't careful. According to the Japanese manual, Jack works part time as a circus clown and despite being funny for a living, is quite strong. In prototype screenshots, his outfit is very different and he seems dressed similar to Galsia.
+
*'''Jack''': Jack is a Juggler who will juggle dangerous things such as hatchets or torches, throwing things at the player intermittently. An alternative type will only attack if the player stands still long enough. Walking into an armed Jack who will knock the player down. According to the Japanese manual, Jack works part time as a circus clown and despite being funny for a living, is quite strong. In prototype screenshots, his outfit is very different and he seems dressed similar to Galsia.
 +
Memory restrtictions mean that despite the existence of biographies, enemy characters are frequently recycled. This means that throughout the journey, the player will encounter, for example, multiple Garcias with identical clothing and stats.
  
−
==Gameplay==
+
==Soundtrack==
−
Gameplay is typical for a beat-'em-up. Use {{B}} to punch and {{C}} to jump. In midair, {{B}} throws a jumping kick. If the player is standing over a weapon the enemy dropped, use {{B}} to pick it up and {{B}} to use it. Pressing {{B}} and {{C}} together will trigger a rear attack. The player can grapple an enemy by coming close without being attacked.
+
:Main article: ''[[Bare Knuckle (album)]]''
−
 
 
−
In ''Streets of Rage'', the player can call for a police car with {{A}}. Upon doing so, the sunroof on the police car opens and a police officer fires a bazooka with a flare bomb in a ''[[Golden Axe]]''-esque way. In multiplayer games when player two calls for the car the police officer uses and even bigger gun and tons of blasts rain down in a meteor shower fashion causing large explosions.
 
  
−
==Soundtrack==
+
==Sequels and Re-releases==
−
The soundtrack was composed by Yuzo Koshiro. A slightly enhanced soundtrack is available (but was only sold in Japan) containing three beta tracks not available anywhere else. The first beta track is Up and Up. It has been said that it would have been used in round 7 but was replaced by Violent Breathing. The other track is called Super Threc (which is considered by some to be a typo so it should actually read "Super Three") The last track is Name Entry and has been theorized by some to be what played during the high score screen because the jingle that supposedly replaced it (which is a duplicate of the Round Clear theme.) also says Name Entry in the Sound Test. This Soundtrack was made using a Soundboard II sound chip rather than the Mega Drive's sound chip. Yuzo Koshiro also included Arrange remixes of ''The Last Soul'', ''Keep the Groovin'', ''You Became the Bad Guy'', ''Fighting in the Streets'', and ''The Street of Rage'' as bonus tracks in the album.
+
''Streets of Rage'''s success led to the release of two major sequels, ''[[Streets of Rage 2]]'' and ''[[Streets of Rage 3]]''. Attempts at a "Streets of Rage 4" have been made, but none have yet surfaced as commercial products.
  
−
This soundtrack was rereleased with somewhat better quality in 2007 as part of the Yuzo Koshiro Best Album series. The original version of the soundtrack while easier to find an official copy of than the ''Bare Knuckle III'' Soundtrack, is still quite rare. The arrange  tracks are not in the 2007 iteration of the soundtrack for some reason.
+
The game has been included in a multitude of compilations spanning two decades, and was also bundled with Mega Drive systems in North America and Europe. Of all these, the [[Sega Mega CD]] version included in ''[[Sega Classics Arcade Collection]]'' is perhaps the most notable due to its inclusion of higher quality sound effects. ''Streets of Rage'' was also released for [[Mega-Tech]] and [[Mega Play]] arcade hardware and is available through several download services, including the [[Wii]]'s [[Virtual Console]], iOS and Steam.
  
 
==Production Credits==
 
==Production Credits==

Revision as of 14:47, 23 April 2013

n/a

Sor title.png

Streets of Rage
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, Virtual Console, iOS, Steam
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Peripherals supported:
Sega Game Gear
Gear-to-Gear Cable
Genre: Action

















Release Date RRP Code
CERO
Missing Parameter!

Streets of Rage, known as Bare Knuckle: Ikari no Tetsuken (ベア・ナックル 怒りの鉄拳) in Japan, is a beat 'em up video game released by Sega for the Sega Mega Drive in 1991, before subsequently arriving on the Sega Game Gear and Sega Master System. It was the first in Sega's then-flagship Streets of Rage series.

Development

Streets of Rage was developed by Sega as an answer to Capcom's highly rated arcade beat-'em-up, Final Fight (or more specifically, the Super Famicom version from December 1990, which despite cutbacks, was proving a hit in Japan). The fledgling Sega Mega Drive had several beat-'em-ups in its game library at the time (most notably the likes of Golden Axe and Alien Storm), but most were ports of old arcade games and weren't generating as much interest in the system as Sega would have liked. With Capcom choosing to favour Nintendo's machine over Sega's (for the time being at least), the company decided to create a brand new beat-'em-up game from scratch which would be exclusive to their console(s).

Streets of Rage was developed internally by Sega AM7, and was set to address features lacking in the SNES adaption of Final Fight. Unlike its rival, Streets of Rage was able to provide three playable characters and two-player co-operative play, as well as being able to support more characters on screen.

The music for Streets of Rage was composed by Yuzo Koshiro, who had previously offered his talents for Revenge of Shinobi. Koshiro was influenced by electronic dance and club music, specifically of the techno and house varieties, and intended to be the first to introduce these sounds to video games. The final soundtrack also shows the influence of contemporary R&B and hip hop music - styles which in the late 1980s and early 1990s, were immensely popular, particularly in the western hemisphere.

Yuzo Koshiro claimed the most important element when recreating club music sounds for video games was to emulate the timbre and percussion sounds of rhythm machines, citing models by Roland Corporation (such as the TR-606, TR-707, TR-808, and TR-909). Music is one of the key elements of Streets of Rage, with Koshiro's soundtrack being widely praised by the press of the era and inspiring his subsequent Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3 soundtracks.

Like its sequels, Streets of Rage's soundtrack was composed using a PC-8801 computer, alongside an original audio programming language developed by Yuzo Koshiro himself. "MML", or "Music Macro Language" is based on NEC's variant of the BASIC language, but is modified to involve elements from assembly code.

Master System and Game Gear versions of Streets of Rage were produced following the success of the Mega Drive original (curiously this game stands as one of the few occasions where the Master System port is entirely different to the Game Gear one, with different game assets). The Game Gear version lacks stage 6, has only two characters and sports simpler graphics, while the Master System version omits two player co-operative support.

Story

Streets of Rage takes place in a New York-inspired city that which has been taken over by an evil syndicate, headed by the evil Mr. X. Chaos ensues and out of it comes three brave ex-cops: Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Adam Hunter. Together they are willing to risk everything including their own lives to free the city from the evil syndicate.


“ This city was once a happy, peaceful place...until one day, a powerful secret criminal organization took over. This vicious syndicate soon had control of the government and even the police force. The city has become a center of violence where no one is safe.

Amid this turmoil, group of young Police officers has sworn to clean up the city. Among them are Adam Hunter, Axel Stone, and Blaze Fielding. They are willing to risk anything...even their lives...on the...

Streets of Rage

„

— Opening sequence


Gameplay

Gameplay is typical for a beat-'em-up from the era, and shares many similarities to prior Sega game of this nature. B punches and C jumps, and in mid-air, B causes the character to perform a jumping kick. For the most part, movement is two dimensional, however as was the standard for the time, players can walk into and out of the screen, creating a primitive "2.5" style of gameplay. Though it is possible to walk left, the screen will only scroll to the right in most circumstances, making extended backtracking an impossibility.

Like Final Fight, Streets of Rage has a primitive weapon system. If the player is standing over a weapon B will pick it up and, with subsequent B presses attacking with it. Pressing B and C together iwill trigger a rear attack, and it is possible for the player to grapple close range enemies without taking damage.

Similar to Golden Axe's magic spells, Streets of Rage assigns A to a special attack, which takes the form of a police car that fires a bazookas at enemies on-screen. In multiplayer games the effect is exacerbated for even greater damage. Subsequent games would eliminate the police car, possibly in the interests of retaining gameplay flow, but also because the command is unusable in certain situations (such as the last round, where players find themselves on the top floor of a skyscraper indoors.

Playable Characters

  • Axel Stone: Axel is a 22 year-old white blond male who is skilled at Martial Arts and loves to play video games. The well rounded option, Axel is one of only two characters to appear in all three Streets of Rage games (the other one being Blaze Fielding).
  • Adam Hunter: Adam is a black 23 year old male who excels in boxing and is the powerhouse of the three. The downside however, is that he moves more slowly than the others, affecting his handling.
  • Blaze Fielding: Blaze is a 21 year old white female, who enjoys lambada as a hobby and is a master at judo martial arts. Blaze is physically weaker than Axel and Adam, however is the fastest, and more appropraite choice for new players.

Bosses

The following names come from the Japanese manual:

  • Antonio: Antonio is the boss of Round 1. As his name implies, he wields a large boomerang and can sometimes kick. Antonio also appears in Round 8.
  • Souther: Souther is the boss of Round 2. He has claws attached to his gloves and can lunge at the player from far away. He can also counter the players' flying kicks with a slashing attack that leaves after images (it is possible to hit him with a flying kick but difficult to do and not recommended). In Round 6, two Souther will appear as the boss. He also appears in Round 8. Souther's name is reused as an alternate name for a similar enemy encountered in Streets of Rage 2 named Zamza.
  • Abadede: Abadede is the boss of Round 3. He is a muscular brute who can charge and punch from long distances. He also appears in Round 5, and Round 8.
  • Bongo: Bongo is the boss of Round 4. He is a big-bellied fighter who can breath fire and walk quickly across the screen diagonally. A player will take damage if he or she attempts to throw him. He also appears in Round 6, and Round 8.
  • Onihime and Yasha: Onihime and Yasha are twins who resemble Blaze. Because they attack together and are always jumping around, they can be difficult to defeat. Their most common attacks are kicking in midair and grappling.
  • Mr. X: Mr.X is the final boss and head of the syndicate. He is the main antagonist throughout the series. Generally he carries around a machine gun when fighting or sits on his throne sicking goons on the player.

Regular Enemies

  • Garcia/Galsia: This is the first and most common punk encountered throughout the game. Galsia (the more accepted name, introduced in Streets of Rage 2) attacks the player frequently and sometimes has either knives or baseball bats to attack the player with. He has two different knife attacks; the notorious "charging" type in which he runs at players, and a more typical throwing type. The latter version will not drop knives even if you throw him and is more commonly encountered on higher difficulties. Galsia has returned in all of the Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle games, becoming as iconic to many as some of the main characters.
  • Nora: Nora is a female enemy who carries a whip. According to the Japanese manual, she works for questionable members-only clubs where everyone calls her queen. Nora uses her whip to hit and knock down the player, though if knocked down herself, some Nora enemies may get down on their hands and knees and will be invulnerable until they get up. Throwing Nora prevents her from doing this.
  • Y.Signal: A common enemy easily identifiable by colourful mohawks. Though Y.Signal will occasionally punch the player, he prefers to throw the player or perform sliding kicks to knock them off of their feet, both of which become more common when playing at a higher difficulty setting.
  • Haku-Oh: According to the Japanese manual, Haku-Oh is a student of the 4000 year old Chinese art of Shaolin Kung Fu. The character is a ruthlessness member of the syndicate who uses flying kicks on the player and well as having a habit of jumping from behind scenery in some stages (such as the boat in Round 5).
  • Jack: Jack is a Juggler who will juggle dangerous things such as hatchets or torches, throwing things at the player intermittently. An alternative type will only attack if the player stands still long enough. Walking into an armed Jack who will knock the player down. According to the Japanese manual, Jack works part time as a circus clown and despite being funny for a living, is quite strong. In prototype screenshots, his outfit is very different and he seems dressed similar to Galsia.

Memory restrtictions mean that despite the existence of biographies, enemy characters are frequently recycled. This means that throughout the journey, the player will encounter, for example, multiple Garcias with identical clothing and stats.

Soundtrack

Main article: Bare Knuckle (album)

Sequels and Re-releases

Streets of Rage's success led to the release of two major sequels, Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. Attempts at a "Streets of Rage 4" have been made, but none have yet surfaced as commercial products.

The game has been included in a multitude of compilations spanning two decades, and was also bundled with Mega Drive systems in North America and Europe. Of all these, the Sega Mega CD version included in Sega Classics Arcade Collection is perhaps the most notable due to its inclusion of higher quality sound effects. Streets of Rage was also released for Mega-Tech and Mega Play arcade hardware and is available through several download services, including the Wii's Virtual Console, iOS and Steam.

Production Credits

Mega Drive Version

Game Designed by: There Is "No" Accounting for Tastes., Tinon
Programmed by: Momonga Momo, Little Sun
Designed by: Seishi Atsumiya, Nandemo, Rascal Fuku-Chan, Udi
Music by: Yuzo Koshiro
Sound Assisted: T.N
Special Thanks to: Bo, Ore, Kottu, Thunder, Yamaichi, Scott
Presented by: Sega 1991

Game Gear Version

Game Designed by: Abadede
Programmed by: Nag, AT1000, IK
Designed by: Abadede, Honey
Music by: Yuzo Koshiro, Mikito Ichikawa
Special Thanks to: Mul, Kei
Presented by: Sega 1992

Physical Scans

Mega Drive Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
88 №50
83
91 №1, p54/55
93 №119
90
60 №18
90
95
96 №19, p128/129
92 №1
90
83
75
100 №23, p54
96 №6, p29
93 №13, p23
Sega Mega Drive
 88
Based on
16 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
70
[1]
ACE (UK)
89
[2]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
83
[3]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
78
[4]
Consoles + (FR)
91
[5]
Console XS (UK) PAL
90
[6]
Cool Gamer (RU)
70
[7]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
93
[8]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
90
[9]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)
70
[10]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
90
[11]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
68
[12]
FX (UK)
91
[13]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
80
[14]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
96
[15]
Games-X (UK) NTSC-J
60
[16]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
60
[17]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
90
[18]
Joypad (FR) NTSC-J
95
[19]
Joystick (FR)
96
[20]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK)
79
[21]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL
79
[22]
Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J
80
[23]
Mega Action (UK)
89
[24]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
95
[25]
Mega Play (US) NTSC-U
90
[26]
MegaTech (UK)
92
[27]
MegaTech (UK) PAL
92
[28]
Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)
73
[29]
Mean Machines (UK)
90
[30]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
92
[31]
Megazone (AU)
87
[32]
Megazone (AU)
91
[33]
Player One (FR)
83
[34]
Power Play (DE)
75
[35]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
100
[36]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
91
[37]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
93
[38]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
90
[39]
Sega Pro (UK)
96
[40]
Sega Mega Drive Review (RU)
80
[41]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
80
[42]
Tilt (FR)
90
[43]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
73
[44]
User (GR) PAL
71
[45]
Video Games (DE)
76
[46]
Sega Mega Drive
 84
Based on
46 reviews

Streets of Rage

Mega Drive, US
Sor md us cover.jpg
Cover
Sor md us cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, US (Sega Classic)
SoR MD US Box SegaClassic.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, EU
Sor md eu cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, JP
Sor md jp cover.jpg
Cover
SOR MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Sor md jp manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, AU (Sega Gold Collection)
SoR MD AU Box Gold.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, BR
SoR MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
Sor md br manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, KR
SoR MD KR cover.jpg
Cover

Master System Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
72
74
78
80 №2/60
63 №8, p56/57
80
89 №19, p40/41
Sega Master System
 77
Based on
7 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Consoles + (FR)
72
[47]
Joypad (FR)
72
[48]
Megablast (DE)
66
[49]
Mega Force (FR)
74
[50]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
78
[51]
Micromanía (segunda época) (ES)
80
[52]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
63
[53]
Player One (FR)
80
[54]
Play Time (DE) PAL
75
[55]
ProGames (BR)
75
[56]
Sega Magazin (DE) PAL
83
[57]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
81
[58]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
89
[59]
Sega Force (UK) PAL
81
[60]
Sega Master System
 76
Based on
14 reviews

Streets of Rage

Master System, EU
Sor ms eu cover.jpg
Cover
SOR SMS EU Cart.jpg
Cart
Master System, BR
SoR SMS BR cover.jpg
Cover

Game Gear Version

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
91 №16
80 №2, p82/83
25
86 №18, p63
Sega Game Gear
 71
Based on
4 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
Alaab Alcomputtar (SA)
88
[61]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
80
[62]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
55
[63]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
85
[64]
Computer + Video Giochi (IT)
85
[65]
Digitiser (UK) PAL
80
[66]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
77
[67]
Game Mania (UK)
80
[68]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
88
[69]
Gamer (GR)
79
[70]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
40
[71]
Hobby Consolas (ES)
89
[72]
Joypad (FR)
91
[73]
Joystick (FR) PAL
93
[74]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
80
[75]
Player One (FR)
25
[76]
Power Up! (UK)
79
[77]
Sega Magazin (DE)
85
[57]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
83
[78]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
86
[79]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
89
[80]
Sega Zone (UK) PAL
85
[81]
Sega Force (UK) PAL
81
[82]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
53
[83]
Video Games (DE)
81
[84]
Sega Game Gear
 77
Based on
25 reviews

Streets of Rage

Game Gear, US
<div style="margin:auto; max-width:Expression error: Unexpected < operator.px"> SoR GG US Box Back.jpgNospine.png320x120px
Cover
Sor gg us cart.jpg
Cart
Game Gear, EU
Sor gg eu cover.jpg
Cover
Game Gear, EU (Classic)

Game Gear, JP
SOR GG JP Box Back.jpgNospine-small.pngSor gg jp cover.jpg
Cover
SOR GG JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Game Gear, BR

External Links

  • ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 225
  • ↑ ACE, "November 1991" (UK; 1991-10-08), page 96
  • ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "November 1991" (DE; 1991-10-11), page 143
  • ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1991" (JP; 1991-07-08), page 36
  • ↑ Consoles +, "Septembre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-04), page 54
  • ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 134
  • ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 22
  • ↑ Computer & Video Games, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-15), page 54
  • ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "August 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 20
  • ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 361
  • ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 97
  • ↑ Famitsu, "1991-08-02" (JP; 1991-07-19), page 1
  • ↑ FX (UK) (+0:00)
  • ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 3 No. 10 October 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 80
  • ↑ GamePro, "October 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 60
  • ↑ Games-X, "22nd-28th August 1991" (UK; 1991-08-22), page 38
  • ↑ Hippon Super, "August 1991" (JP; 1991-07-04), page 87
  • ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Noviembre 1991" (ES; 1991-1x-xx), page 32
  • ↑ Joypad, "Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-17), page 28
  • ↑ Joystick, "Septembre 1991" (FR; 1991-0x-xx), page 128
  • ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "September 1992" (UK; 1992-xx-xx), page 81
  • ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 94
  • ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "October 1991" (JP; 1991-09-xx), page 107
  • ↑ Mega Action, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 64
  • ↑ Mega Force, "Septembre/Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-13), page 100
  • ↑ Mega Play, "July/August 1991" (US; 1991-0x-xx), page 62
  • ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 80
  • ↑ MegaTech, "February 1992" (UK; 1992-01-20), page 30
  • ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Enero 1992" (ES; 199x-xx-xx), page 52
  • ↑ Mean Machines, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-08-29), page 80
  • ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 142
  • ↑ Megazone, "August/September 1991" (AU; 1991-xx-xx), page 24
  • ↑ Megazone, "April/May 1992" (AU; 1992-0x-xx), page 39
  • ↑ Player One, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 54
  • ↑ Power Play, "10/91" (DE; 1991-09-xx), page 148
  • ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 54
  • ↑ Sega Power, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-05), page 30
  • ↑ Sega Pro, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-08), page 23
  • ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 67
  • ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1992" (UK; 1992-03-19), page 29
  • ↑ Sega Mega Drive Review, "1" (RU; 1995-04-03), page 151
  • ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  • ↑ Tilt, "Décembre 1991" (FR; 1991-1x-xx), page 34
  • ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 186
  • ↑ User, "Septémvrios 1992" (GR; 1992-0x-xx), page 91
  • ↑ Video Games, "3/91" (DE; 1991-09-06), page 94
  • ↑ Consoles +, "Juin 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 142
  • ↑ Joypad, "Juin 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 102
  • ↑ Megablast, "4/93" (DE; 1993-09-29), page 47
  • ↑ Mega Force, "Juin 1993" (FR; 1993-0x-xx), page 98
  • ↑ Mega Fun, "06/93" (DE; 1993-05-19), page 90
  • ↑ Micromanía (segunda época), "Mayo 1993" (ES; 1993-0x-xx), page 45
  • ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-24), page 56
  • ↑ Player One, "Juin/Juillet 1993" (FR; 1993-06-10), page 90
  • ↑ Play Time, "9/93" (DE; 1993-08-04), page 116
  • ↑ ProGames, "Setembro 1993" (BR; 1993-0x-xx), page 37
  • ↑ 57.0 57.1 Sega Magazin, "September/Oktober 1993" (DE; 1993-09-01), page 62
  • ↑ Sega Power, "July 1993" (UK; 1993-06-03), page 28
  • ↑ Sega Pro, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-08), page 40
  • ↑ Sega Force, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-04-01), page 32
  • ↑ Alaab Alcomputtar, "" (SA; 1995-06-xx), page 81
  • ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "Avril 1993" (DE; 1993-03-08), page 137
  • ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "December 1992" (JP; 1992-11-07), page 33
  • ↑ Computer & Video Games, "December 1992 (Go! Issue 14)" (UK; 1992-11-15), page 22
  • ↑ Computer + Video Giochi, "Gennaio 1993" (IT; 199x-xx-xx), page 70
  • ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1993-06-14)
  • ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 170
  • ↑ Game Mania, "May 1993" (UK; 1993-xx-xx), page 70
  • ↑ GamePro, "July 1993" (US; 1993-xx-xx), page 128
  • ↑ Gamer, "Októvrios 1993" (GR; 1993-xx-xx), page 1
  • ↑ Hippon Super, "December 1992" (JP; 1992-11-04), page 82
  • ↑ Hobby Consolas, "Diciembre 1992" (ES; 1992-xx-xx), page 150
  • ↑ Joypad, "Janvier 1993" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 150
  • ↑ Joystick, "Novembre 1992" (FR; 1992-1x-xx), page 170
  • ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-xx), page 82
  • ↑ Player One, "Mars/Avril 1993" (FR; 1993-03-10), page 116
  • ↑ Power Up!, "Saturday, January 23, 1993" (UK; 1993-01-23), page 1
  • ↑ Sega Power, "January 1993" (UK; 1992-12-03), page 78
  • ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 63
  • ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 74
  • ↑ Sega Zone, "February 1993" (UK; 1993-01-20), page 18
  • ↑ Sega Force, "December 1992" (UK; 1992-11-05), page 78
  • ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 88
  • ↑ Video Games, "12/92" (DE; 1992-11-23), page 136
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