(a thousand ways to beat a dead horse:) SOR1/Bare KNuckle is the best in the series by far

DevilRedeemed · Dec 3, 2016

and probably top 3 a non-port side scroller for console.

in my opinion

and I know how ridiculous this seems, especially since SOR2 is a beast and left strong impressions with gamers.

I am speaking about this from where I see things today.

it's a case of less is more.

Streets of Rage 1 is a conservative and somewhat muted and sober approach to a beat 'em up. it is a successor to Double Dragon in spirit. it has all those condiments that made NES games shine beyond technical limitations.

character design is brilliant, box art is nice and trim. soundtrack is excellent as are the sfx. the pace is brisk enough but at the same time something of a stroll, when walking along the beach and the wind blows and the sea sways in and out - it creates a bit of a relaxing vibe.
attention to detail in terms of animation and presentation is really nice, makes the world this game is set in come to life.

amongst the very few beat em ups that where not arcade in origin which hits all the right buttons.

the only thing I think is shit is the desperation move. it's dumb - very Sega (I don't particularly like Sega's output in the arcades when it came to side scrollers - at least not until Spike Out came out - they always done these tasteless things with specials and stuff).

It doesn't try to be anything other than a respectable, balanced fighting game with simple but fine move list.

the simplicity of it is the refining aspect in my opinion.
SOR2 is all bells and whistles, has playability and atmosphere in spades (especially the dock stage), and was great in it's own right - definitely at the time - what one ached for, a lot more than what SOR had been.
but in retrospect I am a lot more inclined to choose the stripped down modesty of the first game over the second - whereby the challenge is more well laid down than subsequent games, where you could outdo stupid opponents with a plethora of super moves.

I think it is THE classic sidescrolling 16bit beat 'em up for console in the vein of DD.
I love SFC DD a lot - but that's a different story.
also I feel games such as FF fit in a different category. they are complementary titles

anyway. gonna get this game even though I don't even own an MD anymore lol.
the jpn version.

thanks for your time

LoneSage · Dec 3, 2016

Here's a good old ng discussion about the series: http://www.neo-geo.com/forums/showt...t-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-gt-SoR1

1 used to be my favorite as well for a long time, not sure anymore. First games in some series can feel like the odd man out, because sequels usually take what people like and then ramp it up to 11. Movies can too, like Star Wars.

1 is probably the grittiest in the series, like you said, 'less is more'.
No kids on rollerblades.
No kangaroos.
No old men with a cyborg body who never gets explained why he has a cyborg body.
No weird alien carnival shit.
Just three young adults walking right in bad parts of town having to fight bosses twice their size, occassionally calling their cop buds to rain fire when needed (and I disagree with you here, because I love that goofy move - it is so Sega).

However I was 6/7 in '94, and I do distinctly remember liking all the weird shit going on in the sequels - so, I mean Sega wasn't wrong to add a boxing kangaroo as a playable character because little kids ate that shit up, and little kids were the target audience for video games back then.

I haven't played 1 or 2 in a long time. You know what's a great game? E-SWAT.

NGCDFreak · Dec 3, 2016

I agree with you guys, but I still prefer Bare Knuckle 2 over part 1 still.

RAZO · Dec 3, 2016

Yea, SOR deserves all the credit but SOR2 is the better game hands down. SOR2 is the most complete beat'm up I have ever played. Adam was my goto character in SOR1, wish they had kept him around for SOR2 but Axel had so many badass combos, no complaints.

Dr Shroom · Dec 3, 2016

DevilRedeemed said:
and probably top 3 a non-port side scroller for console.

in my opinion

and I know how ridiculous this seems, especially since SOR2 is a beast and left strong impressions with gamers.

I am speaking about this from where I see things today.

it's a case of less is more.

Streets of Rage 1 is a conservative and somewhat muted and sober approach to a beat 'em up. it is a successor to Double Dragon in spirit. it has all those condiments that made NES games shine beyond technical limitations.

character design is brilliant, box art is nice and trim. soundtrack is excellent as are the sfx. the pace is brisk enough but at the same time something of a stroll, when walking along the beach and the wind blows and the sea sways in and out - it creates a bit of a relaxing vibe.
attention to detail in terms of animation and presentation is really nice, makes the world this game is set in come to life.

amongst the very few beat em ups that where not arcade in origin which hits all the right buttons.

the only thing I think is shit is the desperation move. it's dumb - very Sega (I don't particularly like Sega's output in the arcades when it came to side scrollers - at least not until Spike Out came out - they always done these tasteless things with specials and stuff).

It doesn't try to be anything other than a respectable, balanced fighting game with simple but fine move list.

the simplicity of it is the refining aspect in my opinion.
SOR2 is all bells and whistles, has playability and atmosphere in spades (especially the dock stage), and was great in it's own right - definitely at the time - what one ached for, a lot more than what SOR had been.
but in retrospect I am a lot more inclined to choose the stripped down modesty of the first game over the second - whereby the challenge is more well laid down than subsequent games, where you could outdo stupid opponents with a plethora of super moves.

I think it is THE classic sidescrolling 16bit beat 'em up for console in the vein of DD.
I love SFC DD a lot - but that's a different story.
also I feel games such as FF fit in a different category. they are complementary titles

anyway. gonna get this game even though I don't even own an MD anymore lol.
the jpn version.

thanks for your time

No.

ki_atsushi · Dec 3, 2016

I give the (very slight) edge to SOR1 in the soundtrack department, but SOR2 is the better game.

CORY · Dec 3, 2016

The best Streets of Rage is

Spoiler:

RAZO · Dec 3, 2016

CORY_POOOOOOOOON! said:
The best Streets of Rage is

Spoiler:

Final Fight.

FF fans gonna hate. Been playing FF for years and still think it's inferior.

wyo · Dec 3, 2016

RAZO said:
FF fans gonna hate. Been playing FF for years and still think it's inferior.

I agree. FF is too hard for my liking and not as fun to play. Some parts seem cheap as well but it's probably my lack of skill.

RAZO · Dec 3, 2016

wyo_vr4 said:
I agree. FF is too hard for my liking and not as fun to play. Some parts seem cheap as well but it's probably my lack of skill.

No you are right, it's not lack of skill. FF deserves the praise because it came first but SOR2 took everything that was great from FF and made it better.

Tanooki · Dec 3, 2016

I like both FF and SOR, but I also feel the original titles in both is the best. But stepping back I find Final Fight more fun and rewarding, but not like by a huge margin. As far as SOR goes, those sequels while ramping it up and being quite fun I don't care for the screwball stuff (roos, robots, etc) they went with as it was just odd.

Beelzebub · Dec 4, 2016

I grew up playing a lot of the SoR series as a kid, and I love all three entries. The first one is still probably my favorite, as far as nostalgia factor is concerned. I played it the most and I know it pretty much inside and out. In my experience it's also the most fair when it comes to scoring, since for the most part the playing field is pretty even no matter which character you choose. Unlike the second one, where you have no hope in hell unless you pick Max. Because you can easily use his Atomic Drop + rapid press technique to counterstop.

Although If you don't give a shit about score, and just want to beat up some guys co-op with a friend. I usually tend to prefer SoR 3 or SoR 2, since there is a lot more variety in character roster, enemies, and especially the movesets. Also SoR 3 has quite a few unlockable characters, pseudo branching pathways, and multiple endings to really up the replay factor. Though unfortunately Yuzo Koshiro didn't compose SoR 3's soundtrack, so it definitely took a major hit in that department. Still some decent tracks to be found despite that though.

sr20det510 · Dec 4, 2016

I prefer SOR 2 over FF and SOR 1 and 3.
I just think it's a cleaner, and more well balanced.
The music is also great, and seeMs to match what's happening on the screen.
Although, the weird alien shit in the game was kind of goofy now that I think about it.

I also think it was the best game included as a pack in for a 16 bit console. Was better than the Altered Beast game I got years earlier when I originally got a Genesis. (Although I enjoyed playing Altered Beast over and over)

ki_atsushi · Dec 4, 2016

Beelzebub said:
Though unfortunately Yuzo Koshiro didn't compose SoR 3's soundtrack, so it definitely took a major hit in that department. Still some decent tracks to be found despite that though.

Actually, he did. He just got very experimental with it, using a partially automated system that created randomized sequences.

Montatez · Dec 4, 2016

I have played so much Streets of Rage growing up that it does not matter which one you pick they are some of the greatest games ever conceived. My child hood was consumed by these games (along with a few others) and rightfully so. They are great.

One, two or three, you cant go wrong.

andsuchisdeath · Dec 4, 2016

I won't get into how comparing Final Fight (first game, be it arcade or console) to the SOR series is apples and oranges.

That's a horse I'll beat another time.

However, I will say that SOR3's OST deserves far more credit than it gets.

DevilRedeemed · Dec 4, 2016

LoneSage said:
You know what's a great game? E-SWAT.

snap!
lol
I cleaned stairs for 6 months plus birthday money to be able to afford an MD and E Swat.

DevilRedeemed · Dec 4, 2016

andsuchisdeath said:
I won't get into how comparing Final Fight (first game, be it arcade or console) to the SOR series is apples and oranges.

trutalk
we've been over that again and again and again
(Final Fight is lovely).
isn't SOR1 kind of old school - more 8bit like/late 80s style fighting game and SOR2 emblematic of the 16bit era, pinnache and confidence not seen before?
that's what I get from it.
SOR1 is fine bourbon
SOR2 is cocaine

Ip Man · Dec 4, 2016

probably going to be amongst the few here, but i like the first streets of rage the most. is it a better game than the second? probably not, but i really like the music in the first game and how it complements the backgrounds and stages to create a memorable atmosphere. and adam hunter is a badass.

plus, that intro :buttrock:

NeoGeoFanatic · Dec 4, 2016

Bogard said:
probably going to be amongst the few here, but i like the first streets of rage the most. is it a better game than the second? probably not, but i really like the music in the first game and how it complements the backgrounds and stages to create a memorable atmosphere. and adam hunter is a badass.

plus, that intro

I agree. The intro is awesome!

The elevator stage in SOR 1 is my all time favorite SOR stage.

DevilRedeemed · Dec 4, 2016

just watched a few vids to refresh my memory about SOR2. man I was totally blown away by the game when it came out (in hindsight though, I think it's bloated and too gimmicky. Final Fight 4life)
amazing to think how utterly rubbish Final Fight 2 turned out - specifically the enemy designs. blegh

The_Chosen_One · Dec 4, 2016

sr20det510 said:
I prefer SOR 2 over FF and SOR 1 and 3.
I just think it's a cleaner, and more well balanced.
The music is also great, and seeMs to match what's happening on the screen.
Although, the weird alien shit in the game was kind of goofy now that I think about it.

I also think it was the best game included as a pack in for a 16 bit console. Was better than the Altered Beast game I got years earlier when I originally got a Genesis. (Although I enjoyed playing Altered Beast over and over)

I'm a SOR 2 above the rest believer as well, but man making the claim of best 16 bit pack in game is tough because Super Mario World/Allstars is pretty tough to top.

Beelzebub · Dec 5, 2016

ki_atsushi said:
Actually, he did. He just got very experimental with it, using a partially automated system that created randomized sequences.

Hate splitting hairs, but in the game's credits he's listed as the Music Producer, and while he probably dictated what direction he wanted the music to go. His protege Motohiro Kawashima was technically listed as the composer. Still, was never intending on ragging on SoR 3's OST, because there are still some gems to be heard.

Montatez · Dec 5, 2016

Beelzebub said:
Hate splitting hairs, but in the game's credits he's listed as the Music Producer, and while he probably dictated what direction he wanted the music to go. His protege Motohiro Kawashima was technically listed as the composer. Still, was never intending on ragging on SoR 3's OST, because there are still some gems room be heard.

Love the sound track of 3. Just as good as 2 if not better refined.

Ip Man · Dec 5, 2016

DevilRedeemed said:
Final Fight 4life)
amazing to think how utterly rubbish Final Fight 2 turned out - specifically the enemy designs. blegh

i quite like final fight 2, although it's not as good as the first, still a solid beat em' up. but what's your opinion on final fight 3?.

(a thousand ways to beat a dead horse:) SOR1/Bare KNuckle is the best in the series by far

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