Streets of Rage 2

Reviewed by K T (June 07, 2005)

Streets of Rage 2 is, apparently, one of the most beloved Sega Genesis titles ever created – rarely have I found so much near-unanimous gushing praise for a side-scrolling beat-‘em-up. I’ve read more than once that this is the best brawler of its generation. The problem: I don’t see it.

Reviewed by Rob Hamilton (September 29, 2006)

And make no mistake — losing the services of Adam was such a crushing blow to comrades Axel and Blaze that they needed to enlist TWO other vigilante crime fighters in an attempt to replace him. Skate is a skateboarder who I’ve never used or even considered using. Just look at the little pipsqueak and you’ll understand. Max is a big, powerful guy who suffers from being the slowest-moving human being in the world. Sure, he can wade through Mr. X’s foot soldiers with ease, littering the city streets with broken bodies and shattered dreams, but put him against nimble, agile foes and things get ugly.

Reviewed by Zigfried (Date unavailable)

Mr. X would never hide Adam somewhere normal! You've got to truly search high and low to find your missing buddy. THAT is why you discover that the baseball diamond is a massive hidden elevator leading to an underground hideout! It's there because Mr. X is just that damn clever, it has nothing to do with the game designers smoking too much crack!

Reviewed by psychopenguin (August 31, 2003)

There has not exactly been a lack of beat-em-up side scroller games released over the years. Despite the dwindling popularity of the classic genre, the SNES and Genesis had a ton of great ones to choose from. One of the better known (and highly rated) ones was a Genesis game called Streets of Rage 2. Almost everyone I talk to makes it seem like an extraordinarily fun beat-em-up game with tons of innovative features.

Reviewed by retro (October 31, 2003)

STORY: Only a year has passed since the trio of Adam, Axel, and Blaze overthrew the evil syndicate, Mr. X, making the city's deadly streets peaceful. The fighter who seems like the perennial favorite from the first outing, Adam, has been kidnapped! Mr. X is like a relentless terrorist; he never gives up. As tough as his forces were in the original, they're even tougher now with more pesky enemies that must be dealt with along the winding road to Mr. X's hideout.

Reviewed by tomclark (March 06, 2004)

Y'all must have heard of this game. For me it is the definitive MegaDrive title, and one of the greatest games ever. However, for the two people out there who have never heard of it, I'll explain why I have come to this view.