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Streets of Rage 4 Review Thread

iconmaster

Banned
I'm giving Michael Huber top billing on this one, obviously.

Easy Allies: 8.5
Streets of Rage 4 masterfully revitalizes the 26-year old series. The nostalgic feeling of bashing thugs into the pavement solo or with friends has been expertly recreated with loving faithfulness. The soundtrack and atmosphere pay tribute to the original trilogy while forging their own identity.



GameXplain: Liked-a-Lot
The entire package is simply a treat. Streets of Rage 4 captures the spirit of the franchise, while moving it forward in smart ways.



Nintendo Life: 9/10
Streets of Rage 4 is the very best the series has ever been. Its hand-drawn graphics breathe new life into Wood Oak City and its inhabitants, the soundtrack is outstanding and the combat feels better than ever. Lizardcube, Guard Crush Games and Dotemu have managed to completely modernise the look and feel of Streets of Rage, expanding on the experience without losing sight of what made the original games so popular to begin with – and the handful of additions made to the action here serve only to enhance the classic core gameplay, resulting in one of the best side-scrolling beat 'em ups we've played in a long time.


Eurogamer: Essential
For too long I used to think the beat 'em-up genre died a death all those years ago for good reason, and that this was a brand of game best left alone in the 90s. With its improvements, embellishments and above all reverence for the originals, Streets of Rage 4 makes me realise the error of my ways as it reframes the beat 'em-up as the forefather of the action genre that lives on today in the likes of Bayonetta and Devil May Cry - games born from the same mentality, and with that same swagger. Streets of Rage 4 has all that and then some. This is more than a mere revival of a once-loved series. Streets of Rage 4 is quite simply the best of the bunch.


Pure Xbox: 9/10
Taking a franchise as treasured as Streets of Rage and updating it was never going to be an easy task, but we can't imagine that any self-respecting fan of the series will be displeased with what has been achieved here. Streets of Rage 4 walks that fine line between paying tribute to its predecessors and forging its own unique path and feels like an evolution and a revolution at the same time. The gameplay is unmistakably faithful to the originals, but the addictive combo-heavy mechanics, gorgeous presentation and robust multiplayer options add a whole new layer of complexity, resulting in a game that fans and newcomers alike will enjoy no end.


Ars Technica: Approved
I'll leave it at this: I'm in love with my biggest gaming surprise so far in 2020. SoR4 is easy to share with friends and easy to get hooked on...If you're on board with the scant length and the game's urging that you replay it a few times for maximum value, I heartily encourage you to spend 10 satisfying hours with this beat-'em-up rebirth.


Push Square: 7/10
Streets of Rage 4 makes a valiant attempt to drag the old-school franchise into the modern age. We've ended up with a beautiful beat-'em-up that's perhaps a little too loyal to the original games, but is ultimately a blast to play, especially with others. The appeal might wear off after a little while due to repetitive gameplay, but it's a huge amount of fun while it lasts.


IGN: 7/10
Streets of Rage 4 delivers the greatest hits of the classic series and is at its best when played with at least one friend. If the primary focus was delivering a traditional Streets of Rage experience with a modern coat of paint, it absolutely succeeds. But while it layers on a few new and interesting mechanics, it’s still a very conservative update to the quarter-century-old format that feels like a slave to the past.
 
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Velius

Banned
This is awesome. What other corpses can dig up and put on strings to dance for us?

Think of something quick
 

Saber

Gold Member
Reviews looks solid so far.

Not sure I get IGN commentary.
They say they stick slave of the past...even though the game now has juggle combo mechanics and a special move? What they were expecting?
 

Kagero

Member
Literally just bought the physical copy on Limited run games. The choice of art reminds me a little of flash games, but the art is done really well so that makes a huge difference.
 
I'm definitely getting it day one and so are my brothers. Going for the Switch version. Beat me ups are perfect for a short handheld session. I'll probably best this game over 20x.
 

Orta

Banned
Eurogamer declaring it essential is a huge reccomendation. Not because I value their oppinion but because they are usually such a thoroughly miserable bunch of cunts who aren't happy unless they find fault with 99% of games purely to stand out from the crowd.
 
I'm definitely getting it day one and so are my brothers. Going for the Switch version. Beat me ups are perfect for a short handheld session. I'll probably best this game over 20x.
The new life regain mechanic looks awesome. You still lose life by using a special move, but can now regain it by combing after specials without getting hit.
 

Fat Frog

I advertised for Google Stadia
Reviews looks solid so far.

Not sure I get IGN commentary.
They say they stick slave of the past...even though the game now has juggle combo mechanics and a special move? What they were expecting?

Reviews looks solid so far.

Not sure I get IGN commentary.
They say they stick slave of the past...even though the game now has juggle combo mechanics and a special move? What they were expecting?

IGN are clueless Nintendo fanboys who always downplayed Sega.

Alien Isolation and SOR 4 are not an exception.

Their 2018 top 100 of all time is filled with Nintendo games (top 5 is 4 Ninty games for instance).

All Sega history is reduced to... two Atlus games ?!?

Not a single Sega game in the ranking but they even put a Nintendo mobile game !


They are not only clowns, they are also parasites since they contribute to failures of games like Alien Isolation.

I largely prefere sites like Nintendolife who don't hide behind fake neutrality. That's the difference between nintendo fans and Nintendo Fanboys.
 
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Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
So, it turned out well? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised, given how well Lizardcube's previous game channeled that old-school spirit. Not buying it at launch, but I will buy it eventually.
 

ILLtown

Member
I Googled it and according to The Express, this is when it will be available: -

PC & Switch - 9 AM GMT
Xbox - 10 AM "local time"
PS4 - midnight PT

I know that's all over the place in terms of the time zones, but apparently that info comes straight from the publisher.

 

Kazza

Member
The game got 97% from Mean Machines Magazine, that should bump up the Metacritic a little:

81XO0X8.jpg
 
I largely prefer sites like Nintendolife who don't hide behind fake neutrality. That's the difference between nintendo fans and Nintendo Fanboys.

NintendoLife has a lot of Writers who grew up with SEGA, which helps as they often do articles about SEGA but the fanbase there usually moan and say "This is NINTENDOLIFE!" even though the Mega Drive Mini Article was top notch and gave a fair review.

I used to be on that site, it's gotten worse on the Forum Side (which is surprising as there was one Mod who was ban happy about anything she didn't agree about).

Punished Miku Punished Miku Damn that gif is pretty erotic! :LOL:
 
SOR4 manages to present the weight i've been missing from a lot of scrolling beat em ups, over the last couple of decades. Everything from Castle Crashers to Fight'N Rage, despite being quality games, leave a lot to be desired more often than not. You could call the SOR series slow, but it also had a lot of weight. You always felt you were doing decent amounts of damage, the hit impact sounded heavy and you always had an array of attacks at your disposal. Konami and their copycats missed the mark with a lot of that. Games like TMNT, Aliens and The Simpsons were okay games, but utterly repetitive with little variation.

My only complaints are the size of the characters and the amount of space to move around, and that the game relies on too many enemies on-screen as a substitute for actual difficulty. It's not a hard game, but when it wasnts to put the pressure on...they just fill the screen with enemies and weapon users, like Final Fight did. Small gripe and still really enjoyable.
 
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wzy

Member
Any downgrades on the Switch version? Does it have all lighting effects, reflections, and 60fps?

I played through on Switch and if there was a frame drop, I didn't notice. All the effect discussed in the DF video are present as well. It's just simply not a very demanding game.
 
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wzy

Member
My only real complaint so far is Floyd, who is visually a bottom-tier Overwatch character and embodies all the worst tendencies of that style. The older designs hold up well, and Old Man Axel is pretty cool, but Floyd is just a complete bummer and looks like he belongs in a different franchise entirely.

The rest of the designs are hit-or-miss--if they were weak in the original game, they're weak here too. I don't envy the artists' job of having to update these goons while maintaining the original silhouettes and costumes, and some of end results are genuinely excellent and ooze character and style, but overall this whole Saturday morning cartoon aesthetic is just the most hideous thing imaginable. Even in when it's done well the best you can hope for is a notch or two above nauseating.

Edit: The exact same development team would make one hell of a Ninja Turtles game, though. Fingers crossed.
 
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