Collection essentials #139: Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

Back in the heyday of arcades, a genre that rose to prominence was the “beat ‘em up”. These games typically are fairly simple. They’re games where your character can move in four directions and can attack, jump and pick up stuff to use as weapons or to heal. Usually there will be a few enemies at a time that the player(s) have to deal with, and very difficult bosses at the end of the stage that are sure to eat your quarters. Beat ‘em ups are not one of my favorite genres, partially because it’s very easy for them to feel stale and repetitive unless the developer is really good at spicing up the experience with each stage.

Streets of Rage 2 is somewhat unusual in that it was designed for home consoles first, and not arcades. Most of the time games came out on arcades first, and then an adaptation would be made for consoles, which often involved making compromises with graphics, sound and content since consoles usually weren’t as powerful as cutting-edge arcade technology. Streets of Rage 2 is one of the best beat ‘em ups of all-time, and I think being tailored for home consoles may be part of the reason. The difficulty is more fair than the game’s quarter-munching arcade contemporaries, with several difficulty options that still can provide a fierce challenge to those who want it. The game boasts an incredible soundtrack that was designed to take advantage of the strengths of the Genesis’s sound chip. 

Gameplay-wise, Streets of Rage 2 has four playable characters that all control differently and have different moves, strengths and weaknesses. The core gameplay and basic moves all feel very solid. I particularly like how this game gives you the option of attacking behind you, so you don’t have to turn around to deal with enemies when you’re surrounded. And of course, the game features 2-player co-op action for double the fun, as every beat ‘em up should.

I don’t have much history with Streets of Rage 2. This is actually a game that I solidified as an essential because I took it for a spin when coming up with this list. I played through to the end for the first time and was amazed at how much fun it was. It’s another one that’s available in “Sega Genesis Classics” on modern platforms, so you have no excuse not to try it. It’s a true classic from the old-school arcade era.