Streets of Rage 4 (Co-op) -- #10. A Concerted Effort
1Let the music move you. N-no, not to criminal acts, that's the WRONG music!
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Well, now we're clearer on who "they" are, since the troublemaking Y seems to be, more accurately, a pair of Ys. (Nobody tell Nihon Falcom!)
...do you guys just jump out of everywhere you happen to be in order to get the fastest possible head start on wherever you decide you need to go next? I'm just asking.
Unrelated thoughts, but do you guys like... enjoy having knees? Seems like you use them a lot. I'm not sure if you're using them responsibly, though...
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Stage 10: To the Concert
Oh, okay. My mistake. I see that there was... a rooftop... nearby? How near, exactly? I don't know! But it was definitely a smart idea to jump off a tower towards it, I'm sure!
Actually, after slippery rooms and glass elevators, the violence this time around is pretty standard. Refreshingly standard, actually... see guys, beat 'em up. Girls jump in and want to play hard to get? Go get 'em! They bring nice weapons? Take 'em! (Please don't exercise any of these suggestions outside this very particular context of video-enabled violence.)
We get to meet a brand new swap of Big Ben (alongside the original recipe no less!), and he's really rolling out the cheats... he can attack along a VERTICAL file of action! He aims for your location and proceeds directly along it, with blatant disregard for your inability to intercept him! This definitely needs to stop!
So... we're jumping again. From rooftops. Hopefully to other rooftops. Lower down. Repeatedly? Is that the idea? I guess if the first one wasn't a problem, it's probably fine... also it's pretty convenient that your destination is near enough that it only takes a literal hop, skip, and a jump to reach the central nexus of the mind controlling music. Apparently! Street justice finds a way!
As we get closer to the show, we find a neat new set piece... dangling wrecking balls! I didn't know Miley was playing tonight, too!
Oh, wait... um... huh. WHY are these hanging out backstage like this? Especially near precarious catwalks and scaffolds?! I don't think this workplace is approved by the proper government statutes and safety regulations... wait, are THESE your roadies? No wonder things are bad around here! Check their references! And not the ones that are hypnotized!
The wrecking balls are a fun and also incredibly dangerous piece of hardware... they're easy to get going, but the amount of force required to get them to do so might leave you pretty well committed to your position if you do it all up close and personal. They also occupy a deceptively wide area above and below their apparent swing arc.
It's probably safer to just take the hammers they bring and beat them senseless with those, even if they're the perfect way to get the ball rolling... experimentation and improvisation is (almost) always a good idea, but the consequences of that education are steeper for you than it is for the incoming swarms of thugs you might be trying to use this newfound knowledge against.
Even a certain recurring miniboss with the amazing ability of weapon generation is no match for a good old fashioned beatdown, even if it might seem like more fun to turn those things into powerful leverage... the wrecking ball is more powerful than any of you!
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BOSS: DJ K-Washi
So. Um. Given a name like that... was there any chance this guy wasn't in it for evil all along? Did anybody even think about that? Oh, wait, sonic long-range brainwashing. Fine. You got me there, Mr. Washi.
Unlike every other boss in the game, this one doesn't seem to be in it for the beatings. If anything, he'd prefer that you stay far away from him. And even if you DO get close, he's protected by a regenerating shield! He can do whatever he wants while it's up! ...and most of the time, what he'd like to do is scatter all manner of insidious projectiles around the place, putting all prior enemies to shame in his shamelessness.
It's not all bad, though. Being a certifiable dirtbag combatant means he's gotta stand still an unusual majority of the time, and if he's not aiming for you or manages to whiff his shots while you get into position, you've got a lot of freedom to mess him up yourself!
The trick is, however... after 10 stages of thuggish combat, you're actually going to be expected to have finally learned a thing or two about combos. Once you break the shield, he'll be vulnerable to ONE moment of direct attack of your choosing. If that attack should lead to further attacks before he can regain his composure, you an keep it going. If that attack is just a flying kick or jab you fail to follow up on, well, that's all you get.
Fortunately, even though it will appear that his shield is up and he becomes totally unresponsive once more while he's re-erecting that hateful barrier, all your damage won't go towards breaking the shield again... it'll go straight towards reducing his health!