One of the best Beat-Em-Ups of all time! Good Job SEGA!!!
Story:
The game takes place in a urban city(New York maybe) where the main villian, Mr. X, has taken the police force under his control, and basically causes havoc on this city. So the three main characters: Adam Hunter, Axel Stone, and Blaze Fielding, leave their corrupt police force and begin fighting Mr.X's thugs.
Gameplay:
Just like Final Fight, The gameplay for Streets of Rage is fairly simple, which gives that "pick up and play" feel to it. One button is to Attack/picking up items, One is to Jump, and the other is for Special Attack. All three characters have different strengths and weaknesses. For Example, Blaze is the weakest of the three, but is the fastest, and has better hangtime when jumping. They also have unique combos when you mash on the attack button (Adam is Boxing, Axel is Martial Arts, an Blaze is Judo). But, their special attacks are the same. The Special Attack is a police car comes, and then shootes a fire napalm, or grenades to your enemies from about two screens away. So, although it can get repetitive, it still adds a bit of strategy into the game because you only get 1 to start with.
You can also pick up random items and weapons that are laying on the street.
Graphics: The game is beautiful, considering that it was made about 16 years ago. All the levels are bright and colorful, and never have a dull spot. The sprites are good-looking too, even when they are in animation. Sound:
This is where the game really shines. All of the music is perfect! Every tune is upbeat and goes with what's going on screen. It has a little bit of everything from Rock to Rap.
All in All, this game made a jump over Final Fight in many ways. It is truly one of the best beat-em-ups of all time!