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"Warcraft 3 Reforged": general overhaul of a cult classic
by Philipp Rüegg
"Streets of Rage 4": The cult brawler returns, prettier and more fun than ever
30.4.2020
Translation: machine translated
Beat 'em ups were one of the most popular game genres in the 90s. One of the best-known examples was "Streets of Rage". A new instalment was released 26 years later. And it still rumbles just like it used to.
"Double Dragon", "Golden Axe" or even "Streets of Rage": In the days of Sega Mega Drives, Super Nintendos and full arcades, there was hardly anything better than beating up muscle-bound villains in beat 'em ups. 2D graphics, a scrolling screen, enemies running in from the sides and a co-op mode that allowed you to beat up anything that came your way. The gameplay was simple, but compared to the static beat 'em ups like "Street Fighter", the world felt bigger. You always wanted to know which villain pack or boss was waiting for you in the next scene. With "Streets of Rage 4", there is now new fodder for fight-hungry retro fans - but also for newcomers to the series.
Always hit it hard
The last official instalment of Sega's cult series, Streets of Rage 3, was released in 1996. Now the game is in the hands of developer Dotemu, who specialise in porting classics for consoles and PCs. However, with "Windjammers 2" and "Streets of Rage 4", two promising new games are also due this year.
"Streets of Rage 4" relies on the tried-and-tested gameplay, but also dares to introduce a few new features. You can perform a special attack that costs you energy, which you can recharge with successful combos. There are also stars to collect, which can be used to trigger super attacks. Together with the chic hand-drawn art style and the groovy soundtrack, the fights are as much fun as ever. Fortunately, I no longer have to insert coins, otherwise the game would still be driving me to ruin today.
Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding and Adam Hunter are joined by two new fighters. One is Adam's daughter Cherry and the other is a cybernetic muscleman named Floyd Iraia. In local multiplayer, up to four players can fight at the same time. Online you are limited to two players. Streets of Rage 4 also features unlockable characters in the original 16-bit design and a retro soundtrack.
"Streets of Rage 4" is available for PC, Switch, PS4 and Xbox One and was provided to us by Dotemu.
We usually stream on Wednesdays on Youtube and now also on Twitch. Also check out our Discord channel.
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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