Streets of Rage 3

Streets of Rage 3
Developer(s)	Sega (AM7)
Publisher(s)	Sega
Composer(s)	Yuzo Koshiro Motohiro Kawashima
Platform(s)	Sega Genesis, Gamecube, Virtual Console
Release	March 17, 1994 (North America) March 18, 1994 (Japan) March 20, 1994 (Europe and Australia)
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer

Streets of Rage 3 (Bare Knuckle 3 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 for the GameCube and PlayStation 2, and for the Wii Virtual Console on September 24, 2007. The game also appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

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 included to give the story greater depth. Max Thunder gave place to Dr. Zan Gilbert, a cyborg, who was important for plot reasons.

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.

Two new combat characteristics were given to hero characters: weapon special attacks and team attacks. Each character can have specific special attacks with particular weapons (any but the grenade). Exceptions are Zan (which converts any weapon into throwable plasma balls) and secret characters Roo, Shiva and Ash (since these cannot use any weapons). Such attacks, however, drain the weapon's "life bar" once the attack hits at least one enemy (in SOR3, any successful attack, be it standard or special, drains the weapon's "life bar"). The weapon disappears after expending its "life" or being dropped 3 times. Team attacks can only be done between 2 players, and consists on one player grabbing the other (either by front or back) and follow it by vaulting over (in the case, the grabbing player performs the attack) or performing a throw move (which causes the grabbed player to barge at the enemies). The grabbed player, when held behind by the partner, can perform the shoulder throw technique to toss the partner into barging at the enemies lurking ahead of them. However, if the grabbing player executes a non-throw move, the grabbed player may be hurt and take heavy damage.

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. Alternatively, the player can access the upgraded blitz moves anytime without getting a power star using a six button gamepad and pressing X followed by a d-pad combination. (which is the same for each character.)

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 however Skate is the only character that can throw these enemies without taking damage.

There are also increases in enemy intelligence: more enemies can pick up weapons, block attacks, employ co-operative attacks, and some enemies can even steal exposed food items to regain health.

Synopsis

Plot

The crime boss, Mr. X, 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 robotocist, 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 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 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 (due to his own assignments from within the police) and sends his young brother, Eddie "Skate" Hunter instead.

Rounds

• Round 1: Harbor - the coastal harbor where the search begins.
  Mini-Boss: Ash (Japan version only), a stereotypically effeminate man.
  Boss: Shiva.

• Round 2: Night Club - the task force fights their way through Syndicate-controlled streets and invades a crime-filled nightclub.
  Mini-Bosses: Bruce and Roo ("Danch" and "Victy" in Japan), if Bruce is defeated first Roo escapes and becomes a playable character.
  Boss: Twin acrobatics Mona and Lisa ("Onihime" and "Yasha" in Japan).

• Round 3: Construction Site - the task force follows the Syndicate's trail through the construction site of the new city hall.
  Mini-Boss: a Donovan enemy operating a bulldozer.
  Boss: Robot Axel ("Break" in Japan).

• Round 4: Subway - a hidden subway tunnel which is being used for illegal cargo hauling and training site for an army of dangerous ninjas.
  Mini-Boss: none.
  Boss: Ninja Lord Yamato.

• Round 5: Syndicate Hideout - the task force battles their way to the top level; however, Mr. X is no longer there.
  Mini-Boss: none.
  Boss: Robot X.

• Round 6: Save the Chief of Police - the task force races against time to save the Chief of Police, who is being held hostage and will be killed by toxic gas.
  Mini-Boss: none.
  Boss: Super Jet.

• Round 7A: Syndicate Robot Factory - if the Chief of Police is rescued in time, the task force then arrives at the Syndicate's true stronghold. Here, the team enters the laboratory and fends off Mr. X's robots before taking on the evil mastermind himself.
  Mini-Boss: Dr. Dahm ("Dr. Zero" in Japan), a stereotypical mad scientist operating a mechanic claw.
  Boss: Robot Y ("Neo X" in Japan), a robotic exo-suit operated by Mr. X himself.

• Round 7B: City Hall - if the task force fails saving the Chief of Police, this leaves the way for an impostor to take his place at a press conference in the City Hall.
  Mini-Boss: none.
  Boss: Shiva.(Stronger than the Shiva fought in stage 1.)

The 4 endings of the game

• Good Ending - The true ending of the game is the hardest to achieve. The player/s must rescue the chief of police in Round 6. Then during the boss encounter in round 7A, they must defeat Robot Y within 3 minutes.
• Bad Ending - This is the altenate scenario to the situation above. The player/s must rescue the Chief of Police in Round 6. Then at the end of Round 7A, the timer must expire before Robot Y is defeated.
• Alternate Ending - If the players fail to rescue the Chief of Police in Round 6, the game will continue with Round 7B. Shiva, who is now an imposter posing as the Chief of Police, is about to hold a press conference that will bring the city to the mercy of Mr. X (in the Japan version he is trying to widen a war in a country). The task force must defeat him.
• Incomplete Ending - if the game is played on the easiest difficulty, it will finish at Round 5. The task force end their campaign, and must wait until Mr. X performs his next move.

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 secret characters 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: 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 attacks include the Embukyaku (Backflip) and Kikoushou (Fireball). However, just as in the previous 2 games, her throws and bodyslams deal more damage than Zan or Axel in spite of her inferior strength stats (which makes sense considering her specialty is Judo, a martial art which focus heavily on throws and grapples).

• Eddie "Skate" Hunter (Samuel "Sammy" Hunter in Japan): he debuted in Streets of Rage 2. He is the fastest character and the second best jumper but still the weakest of all. His special attacks include the Double Spin Kick and Rolling Punches (this last one replaces his previous Corkscrew Kick from SOR2). He is also portrayed as an expert hacker according to the cutscenes.

• Gilbert Zan (Dr. Zan in Japan): a cyborg, replaces Max Thunder 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. When he picks up a weapon, it changes into plasma balls which he can throw at enemies; how much power it can be thrown with before it expires depends on what type of weapon he uses. If a weapon is dropped too many times, it "breaks" by disappearing. But if Zan drops or throws a weapon just once, it is lost.

Secret characters

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 easily accessible in the Japanese version. All 3 secret characters (Ash, Roo and Shiva) are unable to pick up and use weapons.

File:Bare Knuckle 3 Ash.png

Zan versus Ash.

• Ash (Japanese version only) is a minion of Mr. X's organization. Ash is a very tall man, wearing green (blue as playable character) tightpants, a golden necklace depicting the female symbol, a purple (red as playable character) waistcoat and cap, and black high-heeled leather boots. 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; in fact he has his own combo of slaps which have miserable range albeit powerful. When defeated, he cries. Being a homosexual caricature, he was removed from the U.S. / European ports of the game. Ash can be selected in-game as a playable character by holding the A button right after defeating him until the next scene starts, so he's available when the player uses a continue.

• Shiva (a boss character who debuted in Streets of Rage 2 as Mr. X's personal bodyguard) is another one of the main villains and is also unlockable (by holding down B until the next stage after defeating him). 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 a playable character is incomplete compared to the heroes of the game due to him being restrictly an enemy character. Even then, he does not have access to his most effective special move when playable: the 360-degree fire kick, making him the only playable character to have 1 special move (the Final Crash offensive special only)instead of the usual 2 (a defensive special for clearing out enemies when surrounded, and an offensive special focused at a single opponent). When playable, Shiva has the fastest punches and attacks of every character and the longest reach; his special move Final Crash is highly damaging and effective. 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. Shiva can be selected in-game as a playable character by holding the B button right after defeating him until Round 2 starts, so he's available when the player uses a continue.

• Roo ("Victy" in Japan), is a kangaroo wearing boxing gloves, blue shorts, protective tapes around its feet and a broken leash chain around its neck. The party encounters this kangaroo in the downtown Atlas district that is Round 2, in which he is controlled by Bruce ("Danch" in Japan), a cruel clown trainer who wields a barbed whip. Interestingly, and oddly enough, he uses a lot of the same voice samples as Skate. Roo is capable of several different spinning attacks, and kicking while standing on his tail. Its moveset is very complete (unlike Shiva and Ash), its semi-special moves resemble Zan's and even having its own team attack. Roo can be selected in-game as a playable character by defeating Bruce first, so the animal escapes and can be selected when the player uses a continue (alternatively, Roo can be selected directly at the player select screen by holding Up+B while pressing Start at the "Press Start Button" title screen).

Regional differences

While translating this game from Japanese to North 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 stereotypical gay man (replaced with generic thugs in the western versions), females were given more modest clothing (by switching "dominatrix" outfits with jacket and jeans pants, short jeans clothing with longer outfits, even though Blaze's outfit remains unchanged), and the costume colors were changed. Axel is dressed like Adam, Blaze's clothes were changed from red to silver, 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 certain Dr. Gilbert (who later turns out to be Dr. Zan himself), and the disappearance of a military general. In the North American and European versions of Streets of Rage 3, all references to Rakushin were removed, the general was replaced by the chief of police (who is basically the General in a suit and tie without his beard.) and a scheme to switch city officials with robot clones was invented. Another difference was if the player failed to save the general, the player has to head to the White House. This too was changed in the North American/European versions where instead if the player failed save the chief, then the player has 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.

References

• Streets of Rage 3 Megadrive review from Mean Machines Archive

External links

• Streets of Rage 3 (Sega Genesis/1994)
• Streets of Rage Expanded Universe
• Streets of Rage Wiki
• NTSC-uk's Streets of Rage Retrospective
• SOR Online: Streets of Rage 3 section
• Template:StrategyWiki
• A complete video walkthrough of Streets of Rage 3
• A complete undertitled video walkthrough of the SOR3 originalversion Bare Knuckle 3