Streets of Rage 2 - DC Comics Heroes Edition Review by: Sidewinder - 9.6/10
outRAGEousStreets of Rage 2 was recommended to me by GenesisJunkie, and I am truly grateful, since it's a really good game. I did try out the DC Comics Heroes Edition however, and this is what is going to be reviewed.
Graphics: 8/10
Concerning graphics, of course, this being an old game, it won't have the graphics we hold standard today. However, if we were to go back in time and play the game when it was popular, it certainly would have great graphics, since they haven't seen the graphics of today.
There are some things concerning graphics though. Sometimes the graphics may get a bit blurry and mess up the gamer here and there, but it really is no biggie at all. The game is easy to play, the graphics flow easily for the most part, and nothing gets messed up too badly. The sprites are not insanely detail, but they certainly are much more detailed than one would expect. Overall, graphics are not a concern for the player.
Sound: 10/10
The sound track for the game is really amazing. The music is extremely catchy, and I just love listening to it. I might even beat all the bad guys, then just stand there, listening to the sound track.
What's great is that the sound track is not monotone. After completing each scene, you will be granted a new really solid piece of music. It is not bland, but rather exciting and at times, pretty complex regarding the music. No simple notes, like in many 8bit games sometimes, but an array of colorful melodies. Sound is definitely not something to worry about when playing.
Addictiveness: 9/10
Addictiveness is pretty big in this game. For many beat-em up games, it gets a little addicting. You want to keep going, beating the various different enemies and bosses, while each level gets a little harder, testing your gaming skills. This game is no exception. You get the same feel...each level gets harder, and you really want to keep going, trying your best to rid the streets of all these bosses. As you keep going, various little henchman are added to the game, but this is really the only issue. The henchman are added too little at a time...you may go three or four levels with the same henchman, and then there pops in a new one...and they really aren't much different than some of the ones you already are kicking butt. In a sense, that may be a little bit repetitive for a gamer...defeating the same enemies and variations of the same enemies.
What's really cool when you keep going through the story is that there are mini-bosses. They are new henchman, but are tougher than the usual henchman. There is one in the game called Jet. He is really tough, and quite frankly annoying. It was hard trying to knock him down since he was in the air all the time, dive bombing me. He was responsible for the many lives I have lost, but is also responsible for addictiveness as well. I really wanted to kick his hiney, so I kept playing, no matter how many times he dive-bombed me. It got a little frustrating, but I eventually beat him. I felt so good....for about three seconds. Then I went on through the story. These mini-bosses are quite hard, but contribute a lot to addictiveness as well.
Story: 6/10
The stories for beat-em up games are not much of stories in the first place...you are just on the streets, kicking bad guys' butts, and all that lovely jazzy stuff. The story for this game is not much different. There are the henchman, the mini-bosses, and the bosses, which really don't serve much as a good solid story line. However, a story line is not really of much importance to this game...sure, it would probably enhance the game and offer a lot more, but the game is fins as it is.
Depth: 7/10
The depth to this game is not bad at all. There are many mini-bosses and bosses that have their own unique style of fighting, which really spices the game up. There are many new henchman that you fight along the way that have their own unique entrances and fighting styles as well, which also spices things up. The sound tracks in new scenes is also a good example of depth. Each scene has nice music that compliments what's going on...a bar scene may have some soothing and smooth music, while the streets may have some cool exciting, "thug-ish" type music. There are certain moves you can do with your character that you wouldn't just do by smashing your buttons as well, which opens up some opportunities for strategy. You are fighting a boss that keeps kicking your butt...you don't just keep smashing buttons, you do certain attacks here and there, then open up with some special attacks and those cool abilities that you have to discover for yourself. That certainly shows the depth for this game.
Difficulty: 7/10
I would actually rate this a 7.5 out of 10, but there is no option for that. The reason that difficulty may be so high is mainly in part of the mini-bosses and bosses. Obviously, they are supposed to be hard, but not insanely hard. I stated a mini-boss named Jet. He was actually really difficult, because I couldn't high jump-kick him down, I had to wait for him to dive bomb, and that's when I would have to hit him to the ground, but he kept doing it so spontaneously, it was just really annoying and difficult. Bosses and mini-bosses in this game for the most part give you a run for your money. There are some bosses that are really easy, and then there are some that are just plain hard...very inconsistent at times. So for the new player, this game may get you frustrated quite a bit.
Overall, I rally liked this game. It was a really fun game to have played and experienced, and it gave me a taste of how beat-em ups were i the past. There were certain aspects of the game that were a bit iffy, but then there were some aspects that I really loved.
In the end, as GenesisJunkie recommended it for me, I also recommend it for others as well.
Have fun.
Graphics
8 Sound
10 Addictive
9 Depth
7 Story
6 Difficulty
7
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