STREETS OF RAGE X

Revisiting the 16-bit era with some added punch.

- Justin Wagner

It doesn't take much time to pick your average beat 'em up clean—even Streets of Rage, inarguably among the best games in the genre, is about an hour long regardless of which entry you pick up. The fun is in replaying it over and over, getting through with fewer and fewer continues, and roping your friends in for some coop button mashing; but even so, every well runs dry eventually. Until rogue fans step in, of course.

Streets of Rage X is an OpenBOR recreation of the 16-bit Streets of Rage games by developer Kratus which makes those originals feel minuscule. Each game from the Genesis trilogy is a mere 'route' on offer here, with each character previously unique to each game now playable in any of them. “But what about game balance?” I hear you retort; where we're going, we don't need it.

FLAIR KNUCKLE

Combat has seen a ludicrous, maximalist overhaul that feels inspired by