Hands-On: Streets of Rage 4

[Melf]

Fans have waited almost two decades for a new Streets of Rage, and it's finally here. Lizardcube, Dotemu, and Guard Crush Games have delivered a solid addition to the series that will satisfy longtime players and attract newcomers. Regardless of the platform you choose, it's time once again to rage in the streets! Read our full hands-on for more details.

[bertodecosta]

I'm really surprised to see that this game is really that good.
I think I already found my 2020 GOTY.
Streets of Rage 4 rocks !!!

[zyrobs]

SOR4 is pretty awesome, but it has some questionable design choices that make certain parts pointlessly difficult.
However, they are planning on a balance change that fixes that: allowing you to special out of stun lock (allowing you to break free before enemies do a stupid long combo on you), the removal of the unnecessary amount of hyper armour moves on enemies, Axels Grand Upper changed so it doesn't suck anymore, things like that.

If that happens, it'll go from good to great. Right now the poor balance is the only thing keeping it from being as much fun as SOR2 was.

The soundtrack is a mixed bag, I agree, but it does have quite a lot of memorable songs. The stage 12 theme in particular is absolutely brutal - and so is the stage itself.

[Benjamin]

However, they are planning on a balance change that fixes that

Seems like it came out last month? I had no idea.

https://twitter.com/Dotemu/status/12...275328/photo/2

That's pretty neat. I love the game, but I have to admit PSO2 addiction took over shortly after launch. This update definitely gives me an excuse to go back and enjoy it again. The only thing missing for me is a playable Max in his SoR4 incarnation. Seems weird to have him in the game but only make his pixelated SoR2 sprite available.

Anyway, excellent and thorough review! For a game with seemingly insurmountable expectations, they did such an amazing job, and it's just surprising that of all things, the music would be the weak link. I do wonder if the soundtrack just feels weaker since the original series was so far ahead of its time.

[zyrobs]

Seems like it came out last month? I had no idea.

https://twitter.com/Dotemu/status/12...275328/photo/2

That's pretty neat. I love the game, but I have to admit PSO2 addiction took over shortly after launch. This update definitely gives me an excuse to go back and enjoy it again. The only thing missing for me is a playable Max in his SoR4 incarnation. Seems weird to have him in the game but only make his pixelated SoR2 sprite available.

Anyway, excellent and thorough review! For a game with seemingly insurmountable expectations, they did such an amazing job, and it's just surprising that of all things, the music would be the weak link. I do wonder if the soundtrack just feels weaker since the original series was so far ahead of its time.

No, that was an older bugfix patch. They are specifically targeting the balance with the new one, as well as removing some infinities. I hope they won't mess with the infinite combos too much though - or if they do, at least remove the stand-up invincibility for all non-boss enemies.