3D Streets of Rage 2 (3DS) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
458A playthrough of Sega's 2015 beat 'em up for the Nintendo 3DS, 3D Streets of Rage 2.
This video shows the Rage Relay mode played at the normal difficulty level.
Streets of Rage 2 for the Sega Genesis is, by most accounts, one of the best belt-scrolling brawlers ever made. It heavily expanded on the genre conceits that Final Fight established a few years earlier, and it provided an arcade-like experience at home with its simultaneous two player action, bright graphics, and thumping soundtrack.
It has been ported a few times over the years, but the 3DS version is the first (and only) time that we've seen it updated for newer hardware. It was released as part of Nintendo's popular 3D Classics line-up, and as you might expect from developer M2, Streets of Rage 2's 3DS update is superb.
The core gameplay feels exactly like it did back on the Sega Genesis. The emulation is dead on: the controls are just as responsive as they've always been, the graphics are pixel-perfect, and (unlike so many Genesis emulation packages) the music and sound effects are nigh-flawlessly reproduced. You are even given the choice of which revision of the Genesis hardware you'd prefer to listen to - model 1 tends to sound warmer and cleaner, while the model 2's output has a noisier, more metallic sound to it. I used the model 1 setting in this recording.
The 3DS version's stereoscopic 3D visuals are fantastic. They're thoroughly unnecessary, but there's no denying how effective they are at providing a sense of depth to the image, and even at the highest setting, it doesn't put a lot of strain on the eyes.
The game provides the option of playing the American or the Japanese versions of the game, and a few new game modes are included: Rage Relay changes your character each time you die, and the Fists of Death mode allows you to stroll along killing every enemy in a single hit, including the last boss. They don't add anything huge to the base game, but they are fun additions that change things up a bit if you've played the original game to death.
The last thing to note here is the 3DS version's staff roll (at 59:05). If you're familiar with the game and have a sense of humor, you'll appreciate what they did.
3DS Streets of Rage 2 is a faithful, portable recreation of one of the best brawlers ever made, and at a bargain basement price. You really can't go wrong in picking this one up.
You can find my playthrough of the original Genesis game here: https://youtu.be/-fd5wRZ7hP8
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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