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Streets of Rage (Sega, 1991)

bryan.eddy@newretrowave.com — Sat, 07 Nov 2015 22:06:38 +0000

You asked for it, you got it!

We’ve talked about a few beat em up games so far; some of them have been true-to-form classics, like Double Dragon or Golden Axe. Some of them have been departures from the norm, like River City Ransom. Readers keep asking me from time to time: “Dude, when are you gonna write about Streets of Rage already?”

Well, RetroManiacs, I guess I‘ll go ahead and do it. After all, it’s well worth talking about.

Gaming History 101… Back in the early 90s, the Fourth Generation war was on. That is to say, Sega still produced consoles, and they’d produced a real gem in the form of the Genesis/Mega Drive. It was competing well with the Super NES, and part of that was because Sega had the oomph to spit out home-developed games just like Nintendo did. In 1991, when the war was at its hottest, Sega released Streets of Rage. It ended up being a home run; the title had two sequels and was also ported to Sega’s whole line (then) of platforms. While it is well-known that the Mega Drive/Genesis did not fare well domestically, Streets of Rage helped their console do well in the US market by being everything a beat em up should be: brutal, colorful, and exciting.

No name is given in the manual for the city Streets of Rage is set in, but it is a corrupt and benighted city. The diabolical crime lord Mr. X has bought off or intimidated everyone, even the police. Well, except for three: Adam, Axel, and Blaze. The three cops do everything they can to fight within the system, but corrupt or terrified superiors block their way. The trio (who are also experts in their respective martial arts) end up quitting the force… but that doesn’t mean they’re done cleaning up the city. They’re going to put an end to Mr. X’s plague of crime, or die trying.

In case you’re curious, the “B” means they’re bad at it. Really, you can beat the game with any or all of them, but my favorite is Adam. Once he gets there, he gets the job done quick.

Players choose from among the three protagonists, and 2 players cannot choose the same one. Adam is a skilled and powerful boxer, but moves more slowly than the others. Blaze is agile and quick, but her strikes do less damage on average. Axel is the balanced one, and is usually a popular choice for new players. Gameplay resembles that of the game’s predecessor, Golden Axe, but only at the core level. Each character has a move routine, some up-close variants (throws, etc) and a jump attack. In addition, you can pick up knives, pipes, and other weapons your less scrupulous opponents drop as you pound your way across the streets. Each player also gets a token-based special attack. This token can be replenished by beating a level or gaining a life. What is the special attack, you ask?

Serve and protect.

That’s right. I’ll spare you the socio-political commentary.

The foes you face in Streets of Rage are trend setters. That is to say, every time this formula has been copied (and believe me, it has), the aesthetic of the enemy types has been loosely copied as well. The theme that ties them together could be described as “colorful.” Mr. X has really worked hard to make his gang of miscreants a diverse one. Most of the low-level baddies are easy to dispatch, but there are a few who know their stuff. You’ll want to use team tactics on them or just catch them quick; next to the bosses, the high-flying thugs are your worst threat.

Plenty going on in Streets of Rage. Above, left to right: two of the Freddy ripoff bosses; the boomerang guy just before he gets crazy; giving a low-down punk a broken bottle in the gut; waiting to hit a line-drive at the wharf.

Oh, the bosses, though. Every stage except stage 7 has one. They are all hilarious. Some of them become recurring baddies later on, albeit in slightly weaker forms (to compensate for their greater numbers). It is worth noting that the bosses are all also HUGE. When I say HUGE, I mean easily twice the size of your character. Again, as with the trickier hoodlums, these guys usually take team tactics or quick pattern recognition to defeat. It helps to have another player, but it also helps to have a rough idea of how far a boss’s attacks will reach.

The bosses. Immediate in-joke references can be seen, the most immediate being Freddy Krueger and the Ultimate Warrior (RIP). And yes, you eventually fight clones of yourselves.

All of this mayhem eventually culminates in a face-to-face with Mr. X himself. The game offers multiple endings, because no matter which character you play, Mr. X offers you a job. You know what’s even cooler? If there are 2 of you playing and one of you refuses, you have to fight to the death. If you do the right thing and unanimously refuse, it’s on. Mr. X doesn’t screw around with kung fu or boxing… he just pulls out a Tommy gun and starts spraying his own mansion with bullets in an attempt to do you in. All the while, more of his cronies file in to make mince meat of you. If you win this colossal battle, the good ending plays: the city is restored to order and peace.

The graphics are splendid, even for the Genesis. Just look at the game’s intro: a sweeping background shot as the story scrolls down, and then our pugilistic protagonists phase into view. All is color and light in this game; it is very late 80s/early 90s, complete with neon everywhere. The soundtrack fits nicely with this aesthetic too, written by the gifted Yuzo Koshiro. It features out-and-out dance music, complete with drums that were purposefully made to sound like the popular TR line of rhythm machines made by Roland. The soundtrack was modeled closely after then-contemporary hip-hop and R&B music, which was enjoying a surge of popularity in the early 90s. The OST of all three games in the series has been released in CD format; these printings are rare and considered valuable by collectors.

Streets of Rage gave way to two sequels, both of which introduce new characters and new threats to the streets of the city. There is still a huge fan community even today in 2015, with Streets of Rage Online carrying the banner far into the Information Age. Streets of Rage is one of those franchises that never became a Sonic or a Mario, but nonetheless left a lasting impression on a generation of gamers. I give it 8 stars out of 10. It is an action-packed, exciting, and memorable title that stands as one of the Genesis system’s icons.

Until next time… keep your dukes up!!!

MOONBEAM CITY MAY BE A WIN FOR THE RETRO SCENE!

NewRetroWave — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 21:07:07 +0000

OKAY OKAY GUYS, WE HEARD YOU. FOR THOSE WHO DON’T ALREADY KNOW

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS!

WOAH!! But seriously…How do you guys feel about this? There have been plenty ads in the NYC subways since yesterday for this show and there is a clear 80s retro-revival feel here. Lots of Magenta and neon, with Miami life and witty one liners? Can we hope this will be the show we have been waiting for?!

Although the artistry does resemble the Rio Duran Duran album cover, this seems very fresh and original. Also expect to hear lots of synthwave influenced music in this you may or may not like. Will it be authentic, or shoddy top 40-esk production? Hope some of our finest retrowave producers made the cut for this show.

Kung Fury really helped to bring the due attention this scene deserves. In a few years, the synthwave scene may truly take over radio, television and possibly Hollywood.

Will his be a boon or bust for us? Do you even like Rob Lowe?

Thoughts?

Moonbeam City airs tonight and every Wednesday on Comedy Central after South Park.

Demon City Shinjuku (1988)

Sam HaiNe — Mon, 01 Jun 2015 20:24:19 +0000

Based on the novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi and adapted into the now famous 1988 OVA of the same name. Most of you may remember Demon City Shinjuku as one of the first anime’s to be viewed on the just launched Sci-fi network way back in the 90’s. Others may remember seeing bits of the opening fight scene in the cyberpunk film Johnny Mnemonic (1995). If you are neither of said groups then sit down and pay attention to one of the classics of anime, before cat ears and otaku’s candy coated the genre.

My verdict is this film is an absolute classic, genre defining piece of animation: gore, violence, sex, occult mysticism & symbolism, retro cartoon sneakers, red leather jackets, women with strange body parts, Yoda looking wise men, Rutger Hauer like villains, destruction, chaos and total and complete kicking of the ass. Must see if you haven’t already and re-watchable by the ones who remember the good old days.

The Japanese city of Shinjuku is at the center of an ancient battle between Good & Evil. The opening scene showcases a battle between the evil Rebi Ra vs Genichirou, after Rebi Ra allows himself to be possessed by energies from the underworld for ultimate power. Rebi Ra using black magic summons demons through the ether and into our plane of reality, wreaking havoc upon the citizens of Japan on a catastrophic scale; imagine 9/11 times a million with demons. Unfortunately Genichirou is killed during the battle, dooming humanity as a result.

Fast forward ten years later – The World President, yes the World president is attacked by minions of Rebi Ra to distract the agents of light from thwarting his plans of spreading the demon world all over the planet. However, what Rebi Ra doesn’t know is that Genichirou had a son named Kyoya Izayoi, who was raised in secret and trained by the grandmaster Aguni Lai. After the Presidents daughter’s plea for help, our reluctant hero Kyoya joins her on a journey into the darkest corners of Shinjuku to discover forbidden horrors and terrifying enemies. Meanwhile, observing their battles from a far is the mysterious Mephisto who may or may not be what he seems.

Will Kyoya save the World Presidents daughter? Will Rebi Ra unleash the hordes of hell upon the populace? Will there be a sequel based on Demon City Babylon? Is Mephisto the devil or an angel? Will you know? Who ever really does? Just strap in and grab your wooden practice swords and snap kick the rewind button, retro wavers.

Sam Kuzel – Angel Of The City

bryan.eddy@newretrowave.com — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 19:14:15 +0000

Angel Of The City is an independent film made as a nod to 80s vigilante/action movies. I have not watched the entire thing, but as part of this assignment I did watch a couple of trailers. The film looks promising, and I’m excited to see it in its entirety. But what I’ve been asked to do is talk about Sam Kuzel’s soundtrack for the film, and the soundtrack is more than good enough to discuss on its own.

On its own, the music is high-quality and I can tell a lot of effort went into authenticity. There are plenty of recognizable bits of 80s style. Kuzel is clearly influenced by John Carpenter’s film scores, and he definitely could’ve picked a worse soundtrack writer to emulate. Notably, the second track, “Posturing,” seems to be a nod to Escape From New York, with a steady arpeggio and bass tone creating the backbone of the track. The overall tone is appropriately gritty and grim, suitable for the city night backdrop that seems to dominate the film. While definitely retro, the music doesn’t completely avoid the modern; there is a crispness to even the softer tracks that makes the listener aware they are listening to something new. A group called Wind-Up Fascist contributes a track called “Doublethink,” and while it’s not awful, I’m going to be honest – I didn’t much care for it. The vocals seem, well, lazy, but the musicianship overall isn’t bad. I’d say Wind-Up Fascist needs some more time to gestate, to polish their sound, and they could do well.

Clumsily inserted rock tracks aside, this soundtrack is colorful and illustrative, well suited to its subject matter, and very professional-sounding. I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10, more than acceptable and worth examining by itself. Sam Kuzel has produced something worth being proud of here, and I look forward to viewing Angel Of The City in its completion.

COMMUNITY RATING

FIRST EVER FOOTAGE OF POWER GLOVE…… LIVE!!!!

NewRetroWave — Mon, 17 Nov 2014 22:13:00 +0000

THESE GUYS OWN!

STREETS OF 2043 & NIGHTFORCE NEVER LOOKED SO EPIC!

-NRW-

A NEW RETRO MOVIE IS IN THE WORKS!!! – THE RETROFUTURE AWAITS

NewRetroWave — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:42:00 +0000

POWER GLOVE HAVE INSPIRED MANY. WE NOW REACH THE NEW WAVE OF RETRO MOVIES.

BOASTING A MEAN SOUNDTRACK….MANY MAY NEED TO KEEP PEELED ON THIS PROJECT FOR 2014 RELEASE DATE.

FULL DETAILS

ENGLISH : Here comes the first song 100% made for STREETS OF 2047, composed by CHEVALIER II, from the group Chevalier Liqueur.

STREETS OF 2047 is an old-school movie, without CGI, taking place in a retro-futuristic Los Angeles, inspired by the old action movies like COBRA, or TERMINATOR.

Coming in 2014.

Chevalier Liqueur : @chevaliersliqueur

STREETS OF 2047 : www.facebook.com/streetsof2047

SOUNDTRACK TEASE….ITS REALLY GOOD!!

NRW