Streets of Rage Yet Not a Beat-em-up - Could It Work Well?

[Nz17]

What do I mean? Well, recently SEGA launched a poll asking people what classic SEGA game series they wanted revived. Now obviously there's a lot of potential there, but a lot of games of old simply wouldn't be popular today based on their old fame. The characters, the stories, and even the series are mostly forgotten by active game players. But it doesn't stop there: a lot of genres which were once popular have fallen out of favor with modern gamers. One such example is side-scrolling beat-em-ups. So that got me to thinking that while that exact combo of 2D + beat-em-up is no longer popular, the overall art style and attitude of Streets of Rage is still really cool and "addictive." I mean, even people who don't like b'mups like Streets of Rage in some way.

So that got me to thinking, how could you bring back Streets of Rage? Do you go for a 3D b'mup? What would you model that after? Or would you go for a free-roaming game where you found your own trouble hiding in back alleyways? Would it even be reasonable to resurrect Streets of Rage or would it simply be better to make a new game with a new name if you wanted to make a modern b'mup? What are some other genres that could work well within the world of Streets of Rage?

I know this might be "sacrilegious" to some fans of SoR, but what if SEGA were to publish an adventure game set in the world of SoR? The team or an individual from the originals is investigating what's going on in the city, going from place to place, interviewing people and solving puzzles. It's just that the solutions to the puzzles often involve smashing open windows with lead pipes or punching some guy in the face rather than using a rubber chicken on a badger. Pipes and knives and fists and skateboards would be your inventory items instead of newspapers and monkey wrenches.

[Graham Mitchell]

Just make a 2-d beat em up. Or 2.5-d. Cheap to make.

And btw--you know they're gonna put it on mobile platforms, right? I took the survey, and while it was cool that they were asking about sword of vermillion and gain ground, they also asked A LOT of questions about mobile.

So if you get your hopes up, be ready to play it with touch controls on a 4" screen.

[kupomogli]

Ever since Sega become stingy bringing Yakuza over here, I thought that what Sega could do was make Streets of Rage a Yakuza clone. Basically a western themed Yakuza, and with each new Streets of Rage release, include a demo of Yakuza on the disc. Or Sega could create a new Streets of Rage as a GTA clone, but focus on the beat em up aspects rather than shooting, sort of like Sleeping Dogs did. Either way, they'd bring the series to next gen. It's certainly one series they own that could be reworked from its original beat em up gameplay into something more fleshed out.

[Tanooki]

Just a heads up if anyone wasn't aware but the story goes that Fighting Force 64 was first developed by an outside party as a 3D Streets of Rage. Once they had it mostly into development they tapped Sega, they didn't make a deal, and instead of burying the project they reskinned/tooled things and called it what they did for N64 and PSX.

Given that hasn't been since I last read it proven as bs, there's your rough feel for how that would have converted to 3D and it's actually really not all that bad, it does feel like Streets of Rage enough even without the jamming sound track.

[celerystalker]

Sega should do exactly what nobody expects and just make a bad-ass 2D beat 'em up with absurdly good pixel art, more hidden moves, and loads of new thugs to pound into the ground. Make it hard, violent, and colorful, and keep the music pumping. Make the game to make Final Fight forever jealous. The simplest thing is the one no one would expect at this point.

[Gameguy]

Sega could start following Konami's example and make a Streets of Rage pachinko machine.

[celerystalker]

Sega could start following Konami's example and make a Streets of Rage pachinko machine.

That made me laugh an uncomfortable laugh. :)

[Graham Mitchell]

Sega could start following Konami's example and make a Streets of Rage pachinko machine.

That's what SNK did. Prepare for a Kid Chameleon slot machine.

[Nz17]

Oh, I know SEGA and all those Japanese game companies are going mobile-game-crazy right now on account of mobile taking up all the gameplay hours over in Japan away from traditional video gaming sources. That's why arcades, TV consoles, handheld consoles, and computer gaming is hurting over there. But my question isn't about what is likely, my question is about what could be.

Sadly, HD 2D is more expensive than HD 3D so nobody should expect any major game company to be putting major resources into a 2D game. 2.5D though, now that could be a nice middle ground. And while some of the old gamers might clamor for b'mups, I get the suspicion that we won't be seeing too many of those in the near future.

All well, at least there will always be Beats of Rage and its variants.

[kupomogli]

Sadly, HD 2D is more expensive than HD 3D so nobody should expect any major game company to be putting major resources into a 2D game. 2.5D though, now that could be a nice middle ground. And while some of the old gamers might clamor for b'mups, I get the suspicion that we won't be seeing too many of those in the near future.

Aside from the specific game here and there, I've occasionally enjoyed but have never been a huge fan of the traditional beat em up because of how repetitive they are in nature. When Final Fight came out, that became the template for all beat em up games and 95% of beat em ups in the past were mostly identical to Final Fight with a different coat of paint. If anything, I'm glad devs won't go back to the traditional style that's turned into a bunch of Final Fight clones. However, if you guys are interested in a 2D beat em up that rolls with this style and actually has a lot of depth to the combat, play Dragon's Crown. Hands down the best beat em up in this style. For me, after playing God Hand, Yakuza, and Dragon's Crown, it's pretty hard to go back to others like Final Fight.

[Niku-Sama]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned double dragon neon

[celerystalker]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned double dragon neon

Didn't care for that one, sadly.

[Gameguy]

I'm kind of hoping they leave the series alone. Right now the existing games in the series are all good, just quit while you're ahead. It's not like they can even keep the current Sonic games on track.

[Nz17]

Just quit while you're ahead. It's not like they can even keep the current Sonic games on track.

L.O.L. True enough. Then again, with the Sonic series, the problem is that the head of Sonic Team changed. During the "good old days," Yuji Naka was in charge and he worked on everything from Sonic 1 to Sonic Adventure 2. Then he left to form Prope to train university graduates in game design and funnel them into SEGA. But since Naka's departure in the early 2000's, that snaggletoothed bumbler Iizuka has been in charge of Sonic Team instead. Iizuka has been the one behind games from Shadow The Hedgehog to Sonic 2006 to Sonic: Lost World to overseeing and approving the Sonic Boom games.

[Gameguy]

So are the people who made the earlier Streets of Rage games still working at Sega and would still work on any future games?

[Nz17]

So are the people who made the earlier Streets of Rage games still working at Sega and would still work on any future games?

Looking over the credits listed for Streets of Rage at MobyGames (https://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/streets-of-rage/credits), no, nobody from that team from back then is still working at SEGA. At most one of the programmers listed for SoR3 is still there, but his newest credit for a game is from 2011, so I wouldn't count on it.

[Gameguy]

Looking over the credits listed for Streets of Rage at MobyGames (https://www.mobygames.com/game/genesis/streets-of-rage/credits), no, nobody from that team from back then is still working at SEGA. At most one of the programmers listed for SoR3 is still there, but his newest credit for a game is from 2011, so I wouldn't count on it.
So the main problem affecting the Sonic games is the same problem that Streets of Rage would have if new sequels were to be made. Like I said, I'd rather they not ruin it.

[Nz17]

So the main problem affecting the Sonic games is the same problem that Streets of Rage would have if new sequels were to be made. Like I said, I'd rather they not ruin it.

Bingo on both counts. Kinda like how Iizuka "ruined" the 16-bit Sonic games with his successors Sonic 4 Episode 1 and Sonic 4 Episode 2. They sold so badly, there will never be a Sonic 4 Episode 3... even though SEGA & Sonic Team were planning on making one.