Streets Of Rage 2 (Xbox360, Wii)

Hey kids, I'm here to tell you why you should stop playing the latest 'ActionFest 27: Now with 67% more gore and sex!', and instead move to the BEST 16-bit 2d side scrolling beat 'em up, Streets Of Rage 2.

First, a brief synopsis of the story: The evil crime lord known as 'Mr. X' is back, and has kidnapped your colleague Adam Hunter, meaning you and your vigilante crew must beat up all of his evil henchman, save the city and Adam, and take down Mr. X once and for all (until he returns in the third game. Cough.) Granted, this story isn't the best, but it's enough excuse to plough through bizarre locations and punch everything in the face.

Or kick. It depends on who is chosen from the four brawlers: Axel, Blaze, 'Skate', and Max. Each has their own distinct fighting style, and attributes. Skate is the 'quick yet weak' character, Max is the 'slow but (ultra) strong fighter', and Axel and Blaze are the middle-ground duo, with their stats evenly placed in all areas (making them the safe, 'newbie' choice). They all have their own different special moves; stronger attacks that knock down foes, but sap away a bit of your health, meaning they should be used sparingly compared to the basic punches, kicks and grapples. Occasionally, an enemy will appear, carrying a weapon (a pipe or a knife, for example), which can be taken by force and then turned against them, adding a extra layer of variety to the bashing.

Which happens a lot. While the earlier stages contain weak street thugs and burly brain-dead peons, later on speedy kick-boxers, fire-breathing fat guys, karate masters and ninjas (complete with swords) all join the fight, meaning some strategy needs to be developed to consistently counter the new attack patterns associated with them.

Graphically, all the sprites are vibrant, detailed and well animated, with all the characters being instantly recognisable. The level backgrounds are also all brilliantly designed and significantly different, featuring such locales as a theme park, construction site, motorised factory, and a jungle. They even have some flashy set-pieces, with a gang on dirt bikes (in stage 2) trying to kill you by running you over outright, throwing grenades, or jumping off their bikes mid-run to beat you up themselves. Granted, why the heroes have to cross these strange areas (there isn't any explanation whatever) is questionable, nothing beats the feeling of smacking around enemies in a baseball stadium and then beating up a wrestler in underground fight club.

Another huge plus point is the awesome soundtrack, which starts off fantastic and doesn't drop in quality throughout the whole experience. Even with the lo-fi midi soundchip the 16-bit era had, the heavy bass and techno-inspired tunes are a treat. Seriously, every level has at least one aural masterpiece for you to savor.

There are a few unfortunate downsides to Streets of Rage 2, one of which is the repetitiveness of the gameplay. With a limited moveset compared to newer beat 'em ups, and no move customisation outside of who is chosen at the beginning, it can get a bit monotonous towards the end. The vast contrast in the difficulty settings are another hindrance; the 'Easy' mode is possible to beat with one hand, while 'Mania' will overwhelm an average player in seconds.

Despite those flaws, the game handles perfectly. Pounding a regular enemy with your punch-combo is fun, the characters play differently from one another and are fun to play, and the stages are functional, adding both new enemies and scenery with each stages progression. All of this, and I haven't even mentioned the superb 2 player co-op. Helping your friend take down a giant boxing champion with a child on rollerskates and a female gymnast has never been so much fun!

Why should you buy this?
Streets of Rage 2 is still a classic and the gameplay holds up so well that it can be recommended even to those without fond memories of the original game. At 400 Microsoft points (about £3.40), or 800 Wii points (about £6) its a bargain.