Streets of Rage 3
Encyclopedia
Streets of Rage 3 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up
released by Sega
in 1994
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
. It is the last part of the Streets of Rage series. It was later released for the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2
, and for the Wii
Virtual Console
on September 24, 2007. The game also appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
for Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
.
The game had featured several enhancements over Streets of Rage
and Streets of Rage 2
such as a more complex plot, multiple endings, longer levels, increased difficulty, more in-depth scenarios (with interactive levels and the return of traps like pits) and faster gameplay (with dash and dodge moves). Weapons could now only be used for a few times before breaking and could now be integrated with unique moves with certain characters, hidden characters were added and a few cutscene
s were included to give the story greater depth.
code in the Japanese version.
Axel and Skate are absent from the European box art, while the new character Zan appears alongside Blaze. The artwork was created for a British European magazine for promotion and Sega bought the piece to use for the boxart.
.
Unlike the first and second game, weapons in Street of Rage 3 can only be used a fixed number of times. However, additional weapon special attacks could be performed. The game also features return of SOR1 team attacks in which two characters work together to perform a powerful attack just like it was in the first game. Blitz moves, performed while players run, were altered so that they can be upgraded in strength over the course of the game. The player would have to earn a set amount of points on one life to upgrade it. Losing a life would put the blitz move down a level, but the upgraded moves are still possible to do by pressing X on a 6 button controller, followed by a button sequence.
Traps in stages were brought back from the original game
, for example, enemies can once again be thrown into pits or off the side of an elevator.
Enemy AI
was expanded so more enemies can pick up weapons, block attacks, employ co-operative attacks (usually, a Big Ben-like enemy will throw one of the Garcia enemies at the character to smack them down), and even steal exposed food items to regain health.
Dr. Zan discovers what the research is really for and knows the Syndicate must be stopped. He contacts Blaze Fielding with the details of The Syndicate's plan. Blaze quickly contacts her old comrades Axel Stone and Adam Hunter for a task force to bring down The Syndicate once and for all. Axel quickly joins the task force, but Adam can't make it (due to his own assignments from within the police) and sends his young brother, Eddie "Skate" Hunter instead. The game has four endings depending on the difficulty level and if the player defeats certain levels in an alloted amount of time.
Good Ending: The player has completed the game in Normal or Hard mode, rescued the Chief of Police and defeated Robot Y before the time limit expires. The Syndicate headquarters are about to explode, but Adam manages to rescue his companions in his helicopter. The headquarters explode, and an image of the four characters looking happily at the saved city on a blue background appears, with an upward text relating the officers' rescue and the deactivating of the bombs, as well as the fact Dr. Dahm is being rehabilitated in a psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, the characters have their own separate ways, as depicted on the background pictures in the credits. After the credits, an image of the gang watching the sunset with Adam and Max is shown, with the message "THE END" below.
Neutral Ending: The player has completed the game in Easy mode (which lasts until level 5). The player has defeated Mr. X's clone, but after that, he says the characters must 'try harder' if they want to save the city. The image shown results to be a monitored image from Mr. X's office, who breaks the wine cup while furiously looking at the scene. The text "THE END?" appears below and there are no credits.
Neutral Ending 2: The player has completed the game in Normal or Hard mode, and failed to rescue the Chief of Police. In that case, the last level is played in the City Hall and the player must defeat the Chief's clone and Shiva in front of the press. When both are defeated, Dr. Zan tries to make Shiva confess, but he fails to do so, and an image of Shiva wounded with the gang behind him appears on Mr. X's monitor and, again, he breaks the wine cup while furiously looking at the scene. The text "THE END?" appears below and there are no credits.
Bad Ending: The player has completed the game in Normal or Hard mode, rescued the Chief of Police and defeated Robot Y after the time limit expired. The gang is saved by Adam, only to see the city devastated by the explosion series. A pitch black background appears, with the text telling of the player's failure, and there are no credits.
makes a story cameo, and Max only makes a cameo appearance in the game's "good" ending.
Three of the game's boss characters can also be accessed through in-game codes. The first mid-boss, the homosexual caricature Ash, was removed from the Western releases of the game (although he can be accessed through cheat cartridge
s). Shiva, the martial artist who debuted in Streets of Rage 2 and newcomer Roo (Victy in the Japanese version) the kangaroo
can also be accessed. Shiva and Roo are unable to use weapons.
Another notable difference between the two games is the plot: The Japanese version of the story opens with a new explosive substance called "Laxine", discovered by a character named Dr. Gilbert (who is revealed to be the true identity of Dr. Zan), which explodes in the city and kills thousands of people. At the same time, a military general named Ivan Petrov vanishes. It is later discovered that Mr. X orchestrated the general's disappearance and plans to use Laxine to start a global war.
In the English version, all references to Laxine were removed, General Petrov was replaced by the city's Chief of Police, and the plot now involves a scheme to switch major city officials with robot clones in order to take control of the city. Another difference was if the player failed to save the general, the player has to head to what appears to be the White House
. This too was changed in the English adaptation, where instead if the player failed save the Chief, then the player has to head to City Hall, although the building depicting the City Hall is still clearly based on the White House. The bad ending sequence of Bare Knuckle 3 features a photo of a devastated city as text narrates the player's failure; this was removed in Streets of Rage 3 and text scrolls upward on a black background. The credits were removed from the bad ending of Streets of Rage 3 (possibly to show that it was not the true ending), whereas in Bare Knuckle 3 they still play.
The game's overall difficulty was also altered for the English version, with the game's Normal setting being significantly more difficult than even the Japanese version's Hard setting. Also, the English version of the game cannot be completed on the Easy setting (it will end after Stage 5).
Axel and Skate are noticeably absent from the European box art, while the new character Zan appears alongside Blaze. This is because the box art for the game was originally used as a magazine cover art that Sega of Europe brought later to be used.
, Robert Hood
, etc), who were popular in Tokyo
dance clubs at the time. It used a random note generator programmed by Motohiro Kawashima and Yuzo Koshiro and featured more robotic, hard-driven lines.
, are excluded from releases outside Japan to obtain lower age ratings. Streets of Rage 3 later appeared alongside its other games in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
.
The PAL region version of Streets of Rage 3 is uncommon, and thus it usually fetches in high prices in secondary markets.
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
released by Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
. It is the last part of the Streets of Rage series. It was later released for the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, and for the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
on September 24, 2007. The game also appeared in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
for Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
The game had featured several enhancements over Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game...
and Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 2
Streets of Rage 2, known in Japan as , and in Europe as Streets of Rage II with a Roman numeral, is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The game is also playable in the game Sonic's Ultimate Sega Genesis Collection...
such as a more complex plot, multiple endings, longer levels, increased difficulty, more in-depth scenarios (with interactive levels and the return of traps like pits) and faster gameplay (with dash and dodge moves). Weapons could now only be used for a few times before breaking and could now be integrated with unique moves with certain characters, hidden characters were added and a few cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s were included to give the story greater depth.
Development
Several pre-release screenshots show that there was originally a section where the players got to ride the motorcycles they are so often attacked by. This section was removed for the final version, but is still playable (though buggy and unfinished) with a Game GenieGame Genie
The Game Genie is a series of cheat systems designed by Codemasters and sold by Camerica and Galoob for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Mega Drive/Genesis, and Sega Game Gear that modifies game data, allowing the player to cheat, manipulate various...
code in the Japanese version.
Axel and Skate are absent from the European box art, while the new character Zan appears alongside Blaze. The artwork was created for a British European magazine for promotion and Sega bought the piece to use for the boxart.
Gameplay
The game is more fast-paced than its prequels. Running and vertical-dodge moves were added (only Skate could run in Streets of Rage 2), and most player attacks deal less damage than in the predecessors. The level timer has been replaced with a "power meter" that, when full, allows players to perform special moves without draining the player's life barHealth (gaming)
Health is a game mechanic used in role-playing, computer and video games to give value to characters, enemies, NPCs, and related objects. This value can either be numerical, semi-numerical as in hit/health points, or arbitrary as in a life bar....
.
Unlike the first and second game, weapons in Street of Rage 3 can only be used a fixed number of times. However, additional weapon special attacks could be performed. The game also features return of SOR1 team attacks in which two characters work together to perform a powerful attack just like it was in the first game. Blitz moves, performed while players run, were altered so that they can be upgraded in strength over the course of the game. The player would have to earn a set amount of points on one life to upgrade it. Losing a life would put the blitz move down a level, but the upgraded moves are still possible to do by pressing X on a 6 button controller, followed by a button sequence.
Traps in stages were brought back from the original game
Streets of Rage
Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game...
, for example, enemies can once again be thrown into pits or off the side of an elevator.
Enemy AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
was expanded so more enemies can pick up weapons, block attacks, employ co-operative attacks (usually, a Big Ben-like enemy will throw one of the Garcia enemies at the character to smack them down), and even steal exposed food items to regain health.
Plot
After being defeated twice, Syndicate crime boss Mr. X has started a research company called RoboCy Corporation to act as a cover for his illegal activities. The world's best roboticist, Dr. Dahm, has been brought in to help him create an army of realistic robots to replace important officials from the city. With the replacements in place, Mr. X plans to run the city using a remote control device. His criminal organization, The Syndicate, has strategically placed bombs around the city to distract the police while the city officials are dealt with.Dr. Zan discovers what the research is really for and knows the Syndicate must be stopped. He contacts Blaze Fielding with the details of The Syndicate's plan. Blaze quickly contacts her old comrades Axel Stone and Adam Hunter for a task force to bring down The Syndicate once and for all. Axel quickly joins the task force, but Adam can't make it (due to his own assignments from within the police) and sends his young brother, Eddie "Skate" Hunter instead. The game has four endings depending on the difficulty level and if the player defeats certain levels in an alloted amount of time.
Good Ending: The player has completed the game in Normal or Hard mode, rescued the Chief of Police and defeated Robot Y before the time limit expires. The Syndicate headquarters are about to explode, but Adam manages to rescue his companions in his helicopter. The headquarters explode, and an image of the four characters looking happily at the saved city on a blue background appears, with an upward text relating the officers' rescue and the deactivating of the bombs, as well as the fact Dr. Dahm is being rehabilitated in a psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, the characters have their own separate ways, as depicted on the background pictures in the credits. After the credits, an image of the gang watching the sunset with Adam and Max is shown, with the message "THE END" below.
Neutral Ending: The player has completed the game in Easy mode (which lasts until level 5). The player has defeated Mr. X's clone, but after that, he says the characters must 'try harder' if they want to save the city. The image shown results to be a monitored image from Mr. X's office, who breaks the wine cup while furiously looking at the scene. The text "THE END?" appears below and there are no credits.
Neutral Ending 2: The player has completed the game in Normal or Hard mode, and failed to rescue the Chief of Police. In that case, the last level is played in the City Hall and the player must defeat the Chief's clone and Shiva in front of the press. When both are defeated, Dr. Zan tries to make Shiva confess, but he fails to do so, and an image of Shiva wounded with the gang behind him appears on Mr. X's monitor and, again, he breaks the wine cup while furiously looking at the scene. The text "THE END?" appears below and there are no credits.
Bad Ending: The player has completed the game in Normal or Hard mode, rescued the Chief of Police and defeated Robot Y after the time limit expired. The gang is saved by Adam, only to see the city devastated by the explosion series. A pitch black background appears, with the text telling of the player's failure, and there are no credits.
Characters
Three of the playable characters from former games return in the sequel: Axel Stone, Blaze Fielding, and Eddie "Skate" Hunter (Sammy Hunter in the Japanese version), each of which have their respective strengths and weaknesses. Dr. Zan replaces Max from the second game, with any weapon he picks up turning into a ball of energy. Adam from the first gameStreets of Rage
Streets of Rage, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. It is the first installment of the Streets of Rage series which was followed by Streets of Rage 2 and Streets of Rage 3. The game was also converted over to Sega's Game...
makes a story cameo, and Max only makes a cameo appearance in the game's "good" ending.
Three of the game's boss characters can also be accessed through in-game codes. The first mid-boss, the homosexual caricature Ash, was removed from the Western releases of the game (although he can be accessed through cheat cartridge
Cheat cartridge
A cheat cartridge is a device that connects to any sort of cartridge-based video game system. It allows a user to input special cheat codes to manipulate a game in a way not permitted by its original programming. Usually the effect is to gain infinite lives, ammunition, unlock secrets, or do things...
s). Shiva, the martial artist who debuted in Streets of Rage 2 and newcomer Roo (Victy in the Japanese version) the kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
can also be accessed. Shiva and Roo are unable to use weapons.
Adaptation differences
When the game was adapted from Bare Knuckle 3, the original Japanese version, to Streets of Rage 3, significant changes were made. The clothing of the three returning heroes (Axel, Blaze, and Sammy) were altered from their original colors seen in previous Streets of Rage games, the female enemy characters wore less-revealing outfits, and a sub-boss named "Ash", a gay stereotype was removed from the English version (though he is still accessible in Streets of Rage 3 as a playable character via cheat code). The voice-effects were also changed, with most noticeably Axel's catchphrase of "Grand Upper" for his semi-special move being replaced with "Bare Knuckle".Another notable difference between the two games is the plot: The Japanese version of the story opens with a new explosive substance called "Laxine", discovered by a character named Dr. Gilbert (who is revealed to be the true identity of Dr. Zan), which explodes in the city and kills thousands of people. At the same time, a military general named Ivan Petrov vanishes. It is later discovered that Mr. X orchestrated the general's disappearance and plans to use Laxine to start a global war.
In the English version, all references to Laxine were removed, General Petrov was replaced by the city's Chief of Police, and the plot now involves a scheme to switch major city officials with robot clones in order to take control of the city. Another difference was if the player failed to save the general, the player has to head to what appears to be the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. This too was changed in the English adaptation, where instead if the player failed save the Chief, then the player has to head to City Hall, although the building depicting the City Hall is still clearly based on the White House. The bad ending sequence of Bare Knuckle 3 features a photo of a devastated city as text narrates the player's failure; this was removed in Streets of Rage 3 and text scrolls upward on a black background. The credits were removed from the bad ending of Streets of Rage 3 (possibly to show that it was not the true ending), whereas in Bare Knuckle 3 they still play.
The game's overall difficulty was also altered for the English version, with the game's Normal setting being significantly more difficult than even the Japanese version's Hard setting. Also, the English version of the game cannot be completed on the Easy setting (it will end after Stage 5).
Axel and Skate are noticeably absent from the European box art, while the new character Zan appears alongside Blaze. This is because the box art for the game was originally used as a magazine cover art that Sega of Europe brought later to be used.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack featured influences from Detroit's hard techno scene (Jeff MillsJeff Mills
Jeff Mills is an American techno DJ and producer.-Career:Starting in the early 1980s, Mills, using the name "The Wizard", was a recurring guest DJ on "The Electrifying Mojo" radio show on WJLB...
, Robert Hood
Robert Hood
Robert Hood is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He is a founding member of group Underground Resistance as a 'Minister Of Information' with Mad Mike Banks & Jeff Mills. He is often considered to be one of the founders of minimal techno....
, etc), who were popular in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
dance clubs at the time. It used a random note generator programmed by Motohiro Kawashima and Yuzo Koshiro and featured more robotic, hard-driven lines.
Rereleases
The Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection includes Bare Knuckle I, II, III (Streets of Rage 1, 2 and 3). These, along with Bonanza Bros.Bonanza Bros.
is a 1990 3D-style, 2D shooting platform arcade game by Sega. It is one of the earliest arcade games powered by the arcade system board, the Sega System 24.-Gameplay:Bonanza Bros...
, are excluded from releases outside Japan to obtain lower age ratings. Streets of Rage 3 later appeared alongside its other games in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, known as the Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection in PAL regions, is a compilation of video games developed by Backbone Entertainment for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles...
.
The PAL region version of Streets of Rage 3 is uncommon, and thus it usually fetches in high prices in secondary markets.