Game:

Streets of Rage 2 (1992)

Duration: 8:05

423 views

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Please pick the 720p60 or 1080p60 resolutions to play back in 60 frames per second. (Internet Explorer, surprisingly, appears to be the best browser for playback.)

***NOTE: This is the Normal Mode series for this game. I'm also uploading a Mania Mode at the same time. I think Mania is more fun!***

Normal Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7IEN-HGlR47D5kLqgP0D7W8LLo1qcTZK

Mania Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7IEN-HGlR44DCbHgn4bRysvi4B3LUFJt

Starting to get some flows and combos going with Skate! Not that that helps against scary glam-rock-80's-wrestler-speedo guy
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Hey, there! This is a series I've been wanting to do for a looong time: Sega Genesis at 60 frames per second! Why? Well... have you ever watched an older game on YouTube and noticed the main character turn invisible when hit, or some other such nonsense? That's because some older games use some ridiculously high speed flicker effects to achieve those crazy hitflashes on bosses or that "ouch I'm hurt!" flicker! These are not displayed properly at 30 fps, but now that we're able to upload at 60 fps we can see all the special effects that older games would use! (They'll be smoother, too!)
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This is THE beat-em-up game for the Sega Genesis! Waves of enemies running at'cha! Plenty of moves to lay into them with! Burly bosses that don't fall to any simple old strategy! All along with a crazy electronic beat: It's Streets of Rage 2!

The story in the game is that there is no story. Yes, they outline how poor little Skate's brother Adam (from the first game) got kidnapped, explaining why you can't play as him anymore, and how Mr. X. somehow came back to life and has unleashed his thugs again... but really, the game is all about running through the city and punching anything that moves! Also there's now Max the wrestler. He's stupid strong.

If you're following from the first game, there are a few key changes: No more Bazooka Joe! Aw~ BUT! You get special moves instead! Press the "A" button and you unleash a special attack that operates as crowd control and makes you invincible for that split moment! You sacrifice a little health when you use one, though. But it's worth it to get out of a bad situation or do some major damage! The stationary one only costs life if you hit someone, so if you're sneaky, you can use it to dodge incoming projectiles! Your forward special attack ALWAYS costs life, though.

Besides being more awesome, not too much is different from the first. Just some little gameplay changes. Oh. This one is also 60 fps, unlike the first.
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Some additional notes for those technically inclined:

This was captured from an original Sega Genesis system via composite output along with stereo sound to get as authentic a recording as possible. The Genesis used is one of the "good" models with proper sound and video output. Genesis can also output an RGB signal which is clearer, but I vetoed the idea because it breaks the dithering effect (color blending and transparencies) as seen here:
http://retro-sanctuary.com/comparisons%20-%20differing.html
Also, the vast majority of people could not use the RGB signal even if they wanted to, so the experience they remember would be the composite signal as shown in this video.

There are a couple things to note about the quality of the video, however. Sega Genesis has a very dirty video signal that often "breaks" attempts to capture it with a capture device. The capture device I use is considered one of the most capable when it comes to older systems, but the Genesis' video signal still introduces some inconsistencies. These usually manifest where there are extremely thin lines in game, mostly the text, and in some other places as well. As a whole, it is more than manageable, but it is worth noting.

Also, the original sega genesis resolution is, in essence, 240p at 60 frames per second. To take advantage of YouTube's higher bitrate offerings and to enable 60 fps I need to upscale that resolution to 1080p. There is also a step of video deinterlacing before that to create crisp video. That is a significant amount of video processing to the image, so I want to note that here as well.

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