Streets of Rage 3
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| Streets of Rage 3 | |
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| Developer(s) | Sega |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Platform(s) | Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Virtual Console |
| Release date | 1994 (Japan) 1994 (North America) 1994 (Europe) |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | CERO: A (Sonic Gems Collection) ESRB: E10+ (Virtual Console) VRC: MA-13 |
| Media | 24-megabit cartridge |
| Input methods | Genesis controller |
Streets of Rage 3 (Bare Knuckle III in Japan) is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the last part of the Streets of Rage series. It was later released for the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and for the Wii Virtual Console on September 24, 2007.
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[edit] Overview
Streets of Rage 3, packed in a 24 megabit (3 megabyte) cartridge, had several enhancements over Streets of Rage 2 such as a more complex plot, multiple endings, longer levels, more in-depth scenarios (with interactive levels and the return of traps like pits) and faster gameplay (with dash and dodge moves). Weapons could now only be used for a few times before breaking (though they could now be integrated with semi-special moves with certain characters), hidden characters were added and a few cutscenes were added to give the story greater depth. Max Thunder gave place to Dr. Zan, a cyborg, who was important for plot reasons.
Besides the fact that it was far more difficult than its predecessors, it has also been criticized for having an abrasive and noisy soundtrack, more experimental than the previous two which used more melodies and dance beats.
[edit] Gameplay
The gameplay features a large increase in pace from Streets of Rage 2. The heroes move and attack faster, but so do the enemies. Enemy attacks can also be avoided with new running and vertical-dodge moves, though most player attacks deal less damage than in the predecessor. The level timer has been removed and was replaced with a 'power meter' (see below). The end-of-level 'Time bonus' has been replaced with a 'Life bonus', determined by the amount of life a player has at the end of a level.
A significant change is that special moves no longer always drain the player's life bar, thanks to the power meter. The power meter takes a few seconds to fill, and when empty, the player is weaker in attacking, and takes more damage when hit and when using special moves. When full however, the player attacks and defends at full strength, and use of a special move will not drain the player's life bar at all, though it will drain the power meter to empty again. However, although the power meter makes a large difference to the player's strength in Bare Knuckle 3, in Streets of Rage 3 the difference is barely noticeable. The change means special moves can be used much more often, extending a character's normal repertoire. Though this is balanced by the moves being weaker.
The semi-special (blitz) moves are also much weaker than in the previous game initially, but can be upgraded, with the 'power star' system. On gaining 40,000 points on a single life, the player receives a power star (maximum 3), enabling a more powerful blitz attack. Losing a life will cost the player a power star, making them difficult to preserve later in the game.
Traps in stages are brought back from the original game; enemies can once again be thrown into pits or off the side of an elevator. Trains and various electric/laser devices also make appearances. Other features to make a return from the first game in the series are co-operative attacks, and the inability to throw the heavy fire-breathers, where attempting to do so will fail, with the player taking damage.
There are also increases in enemy intelligence: more enemies can pick up weapons, or block attacks, some enemies employ co-operative attacks, and some enemies can even steal exposed food items.
[edit] Synopsis
[edit] Plot
Mr X, the crime boss may have been defeated, twice, but he is not down and out yet. He has started a research company called RoboCy Corporation to act as a cover for his business activities. The world's best robotocists, Dr Dahm, has been brought in to help him create an army of realistic robots to replace important officials from the city. With the replacements in place, Mr X plans to run the city using a remote control device. His criminal organization, The Syndicate, has strategically placed bombs placed around the city to distract the police while the city officials are dealt with.
Dr Zan discovers what the research is really for and knows the Syndicate must be stopped. He contacts Blaze Fielding with the details of The Syndicate's plan. Blaze quickly contacts her old comrades Axel Stone and Adam Hunter to for a task force to bring down The Syndicate once and for all. Axel quickly joins the task force, but Adam can't make it and sends Eddie "Skate" Hunter instead.
- Round 1: Harbor The coastal harbor where the search begins.
- Round 2: Nightclub The task force fights their way through Syndicate controlled streets and confronts the criminal boss of the Nightclub.
- Round 3: Construction Site The task force follows the Syndicate's trail through a construction site and defeats Donovan.
- Round 4: Subway A hidden subway tunnel which is being used for illegal cargo hauling. The task force encounters an army of ninjas and the level boss Yamato.
- Round 5: Syndicate Hideout The force battles there way to the top level, but Mr X is not here.
- Round 6: Save the Chief of Police The force races against time and saves the Chief of Police who is being held hostage.
- Round 7: Syndicate Robot Factory After saving the Chief of Police the task force arrive as the Syndicate Stronghold. Here the force enters the laboratory, fends off X robots, before taking on Robot Y before the timer expires, the bombs are defused and the city is saved.
Alternate endings
- City Hall/White House If the force does not manage to save the Chief of Police this leaves the way for an impostor to take his place at a press conference in the White House. The task force must battle their way to the White House and expose the Syndicate to the world's media.
- Syndicate Robot Factory If you beat Robot Y after the timer expires, the bombs will still detonate in the city, turning it into a complete ruin.
[edit] Characters
- Axel Stone, unlike its predecessor, (since there is a 6 feet 7 inches cyborg as a playable character), this time Axel is the "powerhouse" of the game (excluding Shiva and Ash who are superpowered). He is not anymore the Technique Master of the game, but he still remains a solid technician. His low speed and poor jumping ability are his downsides. His special attacks include the Dragon Wing and Dragon Smash.
- Blaze Fielding, along with Axel, is one of the only characters to appear in all Streets of Rage games. This time she is the best technical fighter and the weakest one after Skate and Roo. Her stats are very balanced making her the all-rounder of the game. Her special attackes include the Embukyaku (Backflip) and Kikousho (Fireball).
- Eddie "Skate" Hunter, named "Sammy" in Japanese version, he debuted in Streets of Rage 2. He is the second fastest character and the second best jumper but still the weakest of all. His special attacks include the Double Spin Kick and Rolling Punches. He is also portrayed as an expert hacker according to the cutscenes.
- Dr Zan, a cyborg, replaces Max from Streets of Rage 2, although he is neither as slow nor as strong. His reach is great, due to his robotic arms, and his special attacks are the Electric Body and Electric Reach.
- Ash (appears in Japanese release only) is a minion of Mr. X's organization. A very tall man, wearing tight green pants, a necklace depicting the female symbol, and a purple waistcoat, he strikes effeminate poses, such as covering his mouth while laughing girlishly with his knees bent inward. His attacks consist mainly of grabbing and throwing his opponents. When defeated, he cries. Being a homosexual caricature, he was cut from the U.S./European Streets of Rage 3.
- Shiva is another one of the main villians and is also unlockable. Even though he has a portrait in a cutscene it is not used when unlocked (on the character select screen and at the end of the stages). He combines voice samples from Axel with others of his own. His moveset as playable is incomplete compared to the one he has as an opponent. As a playable character, Shiva has the fastest punches and attacks of every character and the longest reach. Unfortunately, his special move is powerful but due to its short reach it rarely manages to strike the enemies effectively. Shiva does not have a Back Attack; however, his back attack can be used on non-boss enemies indefinitely as it strikes the enemy but they will not move back as they normally would.
- Roo, known as "Victy" in Japan, is a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves and green or blue pants. The party encounters this kangaroo in the downtown Atlas district that is Round 2, in which he is controlled by Bruce (known as "Danch" in Japan), a whip-wielding clown trainer. Roo is capable of different spinning attacks, and kicking while standing on his tail. Interestingly, he uses a lot of the same voice samples as Skate. His semi-special move resembles Zan's.
- Secret characters that can be unlocked, either by actions in-game or by Game Genie codes, and then selected when the player uses a continue. One of them, Ash, is only easily accessible in the Japanese version, Bare Knuckle 3. All the secret characters are unable to pick up and use weapons.
[edit] Regional differences
While translating this game from Japanese to American and European audiences, Sega of America altered it significantly. The most notable changes were that the miniboss character Ash was removed because he was a stereotyped homosexual, females were given more modest clothing, and the costume colors were changed. Axel is dressed like Adam, Blaze's clothes were changed from red to white, and Skate wears red and blue instead of red and yellow. Sega stated that these were changed to create "gender-neutral colors." The voice-effects were also changed, with most noticeably Axel's catchphrase of "Grand Upper" for his semi-special move being replaced with "Bare Knuckle".
The plot was rewritten, leaving many gaps in the narrative. In the original Bare Knuckle 3 the story dealt with a new explosive substance called Rakushin, discovered by a Dr. Gilbert (who later turns out to be Dr. Zan), and the disappearance of a military general. In the American and European versions of Streets of Rage 3, all references to Rakushin were removed, and the general was replaced by the chief of police, and a scheme to switch city officials with robot clones was invented. Another difference was if you didn't save the general, you had to head to the White House. This too was changed in the U.S./Euro version where instead if you didn't save the chief, then you had to head to the City Hall, although the building depicting the City Hall was still clearly the White House.
Also, Bare Knuckle 3, even on the highest difficulty setting, was significantly easier than Streets of Rage 3 on default difficulty.
A comprehensive list of all the changes between the versions, as well as a complete translation of the Japanese script, can be found at SOR online.
[edit] Trivia
A unrelated movie called Streets of Rage was released the same year of this game.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Streets of Rage Expanded Universe
- NTSC-uk's Streets of Rage Retrospective
- SOR Online: Streets of Rage 3 section
- Streets of Rage 3 guide at StrategyWiki
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