Sega has announced that a remastered 3D version of the classic arcade beat ‘em up Streets of Rage 2 has arrived on the Nintendo eShop for the 3DS handheld range.
Initially released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive, Streets of Rage 2 continued the brawl-for-all tale of a band of former inner-city cops turned vigilantes versus the evil Syndicate and their big boss Mr.X through eight stages of side-scrolling fight frenzy.
The stages increased in difficulty as endless look-alike henchmen were sent to dispatch of the heroes and at the end of each stage players were confronted by a boss who would often be much larger than the regular street thugs and armed with a special ability who took plenty of skill and practice to overcome – including one who bore a striking resemblance to WWF wrestler the Ultimate Warrior.
Streets of Rage 2 (known as Bare Knuckle 2 in Japan) smoothed out the 16-bit graphics and improved on the gameplay mechanics of its 1991 predecessor. It also introduced new and powerful signature fight moves for each character which could deliver devastating blows in the form of fiery uppercuts, furious spin kicks and super-quick combos – this at the cost of a player’s energy bar but well worth it to hear the guttural roar of the individual fighters and the horrified howls of their fallen foes. The outlandish sound effects and Yuzo Koshiro produced soundtrack from the Streets of Rage series are still beloved by fans almost as much as the gameplay itself (just hear Andy Gillion’s beautiful guitar tribute on YouTube).
In the new 3DS version SOR2 has been completely rebuilt from the ground up to benefit from the handheld’s extra dimensional gimmick and everything that made us love it the first time around is included down to the finest detail. No compromises made.
Not only that, but Sega has thrown in a few extras and those who download the game from the Nintendo eShop can enjoy previously un-played modes including a Casual Mode and a Fists of Death Mode which allows you to finish any opponent with one hit. True SOR historians can also play the game in its original Japanese version by changing the emulation settings and enjoy co-op gameplay through local network.
3D Streets of Rage 2 is available to buy now from the Nintendo eShop for £4.49 on all versions of the Nintendo 3DS console, as well as the 2DS (no 3D mode on this one, obviously).