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Streets of Rage 4

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    #31
    I found that I could do a quick dash sideways with Adam by double tapping the direction. I think. I’d had a few by that point.

    I agree it’s an oversight. I think they were modelling more on 2 than 3, because 2 is the pinnacle. Nevertheless, it could have been included.

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      #32
      I played more today and I really like the big guy with the arms. His reach really helped make up for my lack of skills.

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        #33
        Yeah he’s a good addition. Cherry is great, too. Really nippy and able to string together some decent combos. Her ‘forward forward attack’ move is really useful for clearing a pack.

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          #34
          Originally posted by prinnysquad View Post
          I found that I could do a quick dash sideways with Adam by double tapping the direction. I think. I’d had a few by that point.

          I agree it’s an oversight. I think they were modelling more on 2 than 3, because 2 is the pinnacle. Nevertheless, it could have been included.
          Yeah, I always assumed it was modelled on the second, due to its iconic status. I remember the reviews of the third game were hit and miss at the time. Funny, as playing the original carts back today the second one feels like the character is trudging through treacle at times, whereas 3 feels a lot slicker.
          3DS FC (updated 2015): 0447-8108-3129

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            #35
            You can do a double tap to get Cherry to run. You can also meander along the y-axis mid-run.

            Finished the game on Normal, with mostly D rankings. I’m not particularly good at the game, but it’s a very good title in my eyes.

            I started another run through and decided to stop the screen to see what was going on in the background.

            Movement:
            Silhouettes in a bar chatting, with the glow of orange lights through the glass.
            Reflections in the puddles.
            A power box flickering.
            A sign flickering.
            Steam/smoke drifting from various areas.
            A rat poking around.

            And the static, ‘unfinished’, ‘lazy’ stuff?
            There’s litter on the path. Open boxes and wooden planks propped against walls. Blemishes and scuffs on different-sized brickwork. Mesh fences with dingy alleys behind. Barred doors. Signs held up by masking tape. Bent posts and random wires draped all over. Binliners and half-broken shutters. Vents and grates. Different-sized paving slabs and broken guttering. Bins and manholes. A road with dozens of bricks missing, all at random angles. Sunset-glows striking the pavement from the interior lights.

            All in that sketchy, Spiderverse style (I like that comparison).

            This was a random screenshot taken at a quiet moment with no other people on screen. Yet it was alive with carefully-drawn creativity, motion, light, darkness and atmosphere.

            Please let’s stop this narrative about it being lazy or inept. If it’s not your style, fine. There’s a ton of work gone into the visuals, though, which are anything but lazy and inept. Pause the game and really look at it.

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              #36
              So, had a bit more time with it.

              Firstly, is it just me, or is Adam just straight-up better than Axel?

              Secondly, I'm in two minds about it. It's fun, certainly. It's definitely not bad. However, I feel that it's not quite right in some ways.

              I really don't feel for the music. It feels produced okay, like objectively it's fine, but I don't really feel it.

              The art style is what it is. I like some elements, and dislike others. For instance, one of the bosses looked really strange in this style, not how I expected. Also, the enemies... Some of them look great, but I think many of them are a bit bland?

              They brought back the hazards and pits from Streets of Rage 1; these were removed in 2. I always assumed it was because people didn't like them. Personally I'm really not a fan of them, but what's worse is how they're timed; some of them are set up in way where you can only get past them with constant, timed movement as Axel; as the game has no dash, and jumping isn't much faster than walking, if you get knocked into their path, you're pretty much screwed; by the time you start moving you're going to get hit. Again, personal tilt, I wouldn't have brought that element back, though it is satisfying to chuck enemies into them.

              I've had a few weird bits; times when I would be overlapping an enemy and expected to grab, or times when I clashed hits and lost where I'd expect to win. One of the reasons SoR2 is so good is that this kinda stuff is flawless. Similarly, I've had things like weird sounds on the end-of-stage screen because I was mid-combo when the boss died.

              There's a weird disconnect with some of the enemy patterns. I think it's because I was playing as Axel. The guys who are standoffish are a real pain. With Adam they were easy because you have the dash as a gap-closer, and it almost feels as though the enemies were designed with this in mind. Similarly for how some of the bosses have a state where they telegraph an attack (like the electric boss), but it kinda feels that when they start the telegraph, it's already too late to move... As Axel. One of the characters with a dash or side-step wouldn't have this problem.

              Then, sometimes, as the enemies can juggle you, if you take a lucky hit you can take enormous amounts of damage in effectively one hit. Is there a "quick recovery" or something, like how you roll out of throws?

              They've made it so the neutral special takes off health; in SoR2 it only did that if it hit. That's quite a big change. In SoR2, the primary use of that move is actually because you're invulnerable in the middle of it, so it can be used on some of the bosses like Zamzah in a speculative way, like if you think you're gonna take the hit, you can use it, and you don't lose anything if it misses. That being said, I do like the "regain your health by dealing damage" mechanic.

              It's a bit more methodical. Some of the enemies have very specific patterns; for instance, Donovan now has an uppercut which means jumping at him is a bad idea. It makes you think your way through just a bit more.

              I think I should have a read of the "fighting tips" though before I try again.

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                #37
                Interesting thoughts, Asura! Nice detail, and I agree with lots.

                I totally agree about Axel. He’s probably the character I’ve enjoyed playing the least. There was one boss - I can’t remember who - that I just couldn’t get near. They were two quick and kept hitting me with ranged attack. Axel’s lumbering movement was easy pickings. I switched character and nailed it first go.

                re, Donavan. Unless my memory is playing tricks, I’m sure he had that move in one of the previous games?

                The environmental stuff is a mixed bag, and I expect really annoying on harder settings. I’ve noticed that the enemies use weapons more on thai game, especially later on. When combined with environmental hazards, it can be chaos. Especially those girls with the flasks.

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                  #38
                  Originally posted by EvilBoris View Post
                  It doesn't support HDR. It's running in SDR and you have Windows set to HDR.
                  This is why it looks dimmer.
                  When I boot up a game my monitor will turn on GSYNC which blacks the screen, then it will pop up with an "HDR On" or "HDR Off" message box. With SOR, it thinks HDR is On.

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                    #39
                    Only played the first level last night and everything seems modelled on SOR/BN 2, no doubt; lots of boxes ticked - familiar HUD graphics,, enemy types, weapons, pickups etc. Gameplay was excellent, (I played with Axel) and movement and attacks felt satisfying.familiar. However, now that I have seen the comic book graphic style with my own eyes, i’m on the fence with it. Can’t put my finger on it, but it doesn’t look quite right (abit like a ‘Euro’ shooter), if you know what I mean. Not sure the devs have ever actually played SOR 2 or any other 16bit game on a crt, because that ‘retro’ filter is abysmal. The first levels music was fairly weak too; surely a bombastic remix of 2’s iconic track would have been better placed, although I have heard some of the others and they are pretty good. Also no 4k support? Come on devs, this is 2020 and you really want to make your game as pretty looking as possible, after going to all that effort with the new backgrounds/clip art etc ;-)

                    Looking forward to getting stuck in a the whole package tonight, to see some of the new stuff and I think the minor gripes will vanish pretty fast.

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                      #40
                      I feel the devs really messed up with the retro soundtrack option. It starts off well enough with tunes from the MD originals, but before long they're playing music from the Master System SOR games, and I can't imagine many people either like that stuff or are nostalgic for it. I'm forced then to go back to the new music, of which 90% of it is absolutely terrible. It's genuinely one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard in a game. Some of the boss tunes are decent, but none of it is anywhere near the level of the originals.

                      It's also weird how stage length is so varied. They start off a good length, but get shorter and shorter as the game goes on. The stage on top of the train is over in a few minutes and has no graphical variety at all. To say it feels rushed would be a huge understatement.

                      I do think this plays well overall, better than the originals in fact. Cherry is my favourite character by far, she's so much faster than the others and can bounce off enemy's heads like Mario. Compared to the tub of lard that is Axel, she's in a different league.

                      The art though I don't think I'll ever like. It's just not to my taste, and I do genuinely think the technical quality of it is all over the place. Some of the artists involved are just flat out bad artists. Proportions on some of the enemies are kind of hopeless, as if whoever drew them had a very limited understanding of proportions. Others are better, usually the bosses. If this team is given any more work from Sega I hope they ditch Lizard Cube and find someone else.

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                        #41
                        Had this on game pass playing on the one x but also bought it off the US e shop for the switch. Can't beat a bit of portable violence
                        Really enjoying it but only played about 25 minutes and got to the end of the police station level.

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                          #42
                          Originally posted by dvdx2 View Post
                          because that ‘retro’ filter is abysmal
                          Yeah; I mean, it's an optional feature and just a bit of fun, but I wouldn't personally have put that in the game.

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                            #43
                            Originally posted by Asura View Post
                            Donovan now has an uppercut which means jumping at him is a bad idea. It makes you think your way through just a bit more.
                            Originally posted by prinnysquad View Post
                            re, Donavan. Unless my memory is playing tricks, I’m sure he had that move in one of the previous games?
                            Yeah, he did. Definitely in SOR2 & 3. Can't be sure about the original; haven't played it in ages.

                            Edit: looks like he wasn't in the original.
                            Last edited by BearBoy; 02-05-2020, 09:39.

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                              #44
                              Originally posted by prinnysquad View Post
                              re, Donavan. Unless my memory is playing tricks, I’m sure he had that move in one of the previous games?
                              He did, but his AI is extremely responsive now. Like if you jump at him, he will do that consistently every time (unless he's in the middle of another anim).

                              They seem to have gone down the route of having enemies with very specific patterns required to kill them, moreso than was the case in the older games. The Shield enemies are case in point. Some of them are fine, but I disliked the judo bloke; his pattern is too reactive and there were moments I got hit where I really didn't think the enemy should be repeating his special attack so soon.

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                                #45
                                Originally posted by Kotatsu Neko View Post
                                When I boot up a game my monitor will turn on GSYNC which blacks the screen, then it will pop up with an "HDR On" or "HDR Off" message box. With SOR, it thinks HDR is On.
                                Perhaps some driver shenanigans of some differences between versions? Is this the steam or the windows store package?

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