Streets of Rage
Developer(s)	Sega (AM7)
Publisher(s)	Sega
Release date(s)	1991
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: All Ages (A) (Sonic Gems Collection) Ages 12 and up (B) (Virtual Console) PEGI: 7+ (Virtual Console)
Platform(s)	Sega Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, MegaPlay, Virtual Console, Playstation 2 & Gamecube (Japan Only)
Media	4-megabit cartridge
Input	game pad

Streets of Rage is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1991. The game is known as Bare Knuckle in Japan. It is the first part of the Streets of Rage series, a trilogy of games released for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. The Streets of Rage series, known as the Bare Knuckle series in Japan (ベア・ナックル Bea Nakkuru) is a well-known beat em up series developed by Sega. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (443x671, 263 KB) Streets of Rage box cover for the Sega Genesis. ... A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates video games. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Overworks (previously called AM7), was the Sega video game development group responsible for series like Skies of Arcadia, Streets of Rage, much of the Shinobi series, Sakura Wars, and Phantasy Star. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Video games are categorized into genres based on their gameplay. ... Beat Em Up is the Iggy Pop album on which the band were first labeled as The Trolls: Iggy Pop, Whitey Kirst, Pete Marshall, Alex Kirst, Lloyd Mooseman Roberts. ... In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ... Online gaming redirects here. ... This article or section is incomplete and may require expansion and/or cleanup. ... Sonic Gems Collection (ソニック ジェムズ コレクション) is a GameCube and (in Japan and Europe) PlayStation 2 compilation of the more obscure games of the Sonic series. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... PEGIs logo Pan European Game Information, or more commonly PEGI, is a European system for rating the content of computer and video games, and other entertainment software. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ... The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ... “PS2” redirects here. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ... The Megabit is a unit of information storage, abbreviated Mbit or sometimes Mb. ... Cartridge for the VIC 20 homecomputer In various types of electronic equipment, a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e. ... Categories: Computer and video game stubs | Input devices | Computer and video game terminology ... ... Beat Em Up is the Iggy Pop album on which the band were first labeled as The Trolls: Iggy Pop, Whitey Kirst, Pete Marshall, Alex Kirst, Lloyd Mooseman Roberts. ... Notable events of 1991 in computer and video games. ... The Streets of Rage series, known as the Bare Knuckle series in Japan (ベア・ナックル Bea Nakkuru) is a well-known beat em up series developed by Sega. ... The Sega Mega Drive ) was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world. ...

The game was released when Nintendo's SNES was imminent, and Sega needed exclusive games to rival the SNES. They needed a game similar to Capcom's Final Fight, a successful and popular arcade game. As such, Streets of Rage is very similar to Final Fight. A key selling points was that it supported 2 players, a feature omitted from the SNES port of Final Fight. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... Final Fight ) is a beat em up series from Capcom. ...

The game and its successors would all sport a soundtrack by Yuzo Koshiro based on various styles of European Electronic music. This series would eventually lead to Yuzo's rise in popularity among game composers. So much so that he has dj'ed several songs from the series at various clubs in the mid-90's and throughout recent years including one scheduled for June 2007 in Singapore. Yuzo Koshiro , born December 12, 1967 in Hino, Tokyo) is a Japanese video game music composer. ... For other uses, see Electronic music (disambiguation). ...

Storyline

According to the game's Instruction Manual:

Turmoil in the Streets

What was once a happy, peaceful, productive city, full of life and activity, has fallen into the hands of a secret criminal syndicate. The leader of the syndicate has somehow managed to keep his identity a secret. The organization soon absorbed the city government (anyone can be had if the price is right). They even had the metropolitan police force in their back pocket. Looting, random violence and destruction are rampant. No one is safe walking the streets, day or night...

As the chaos continued at full strength, three young police officers tried to establish a special attack unit. They were repeatedly turned down by their superiors, most of who had been bought by the organisation or were too afraid to make a stand. One day, when they could no longer stand by and watch their city being demolished, they quit the force!

Adam Hunter, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding decided to forego their careers in legal law enforcement and put their lives on the line. They are without weapons, but each possesses great hand-to-hand combat abilities. Take them into the heart of the city and battle the most dangerous wave of bad dudes and chicks ever assembled. Make the city a place where people no longer have to walk the Streets of Rage!

The city that the Streets of Rage games are set is unnamed, but it seems to be based on New York. The box art for the US/Euro release features the Empire State Building in the background, and in the Round 2 of Streets of Rage 2, one can see the Twin Towers of the now sadly destroyed World Trade Center in the skyline. The Twin Towers can also be seen in the box art of Streets of Rage 3. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in New York City, New York on the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. ... Streets of Rage 2 is a side-scrolling beat em up released by Sega in 1993, it is a sequel to Streets of Rage. ... For other uses, see World Trade Center (disambiguation). ... Streets of Rage 3 (Bare Knuckle III in Japan) is a side-scrolling beat em up released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Genesis. ...

Gameplay

Gameplay is simple and remains the same throughout all three games: 'B' is used to attack and pick up items, 'C' to jump, and 'A' is a special attack, and by pressing the jump and attack buttons together the character will do a back attack. In Streets of Rage, the special attack is 'assistance' from a police car which will pull up at the level's beginning and fire napalm for Player 1 and rocket-powered grenades for Player 2. The multiple explosions will take health from all enemies, but curiously, not the players. The player is given one Special Attack per life or per level, with power-ups shaped like police cars giving another. Similar to the game Golden Axe, enemies walk onto the screen from both sides as well as occasionally appearing from other locations (less so than in the game's sequels). With the exception of round 7, there is a boss battle at the end of every round with a disproportionately large enemy ; unlike its sequels, none of the enemies are named within the game (only in the Japanese version's manual) and only the bosses have Life Gauges (that appear below the player's during the boss battle). Power Up, the Professional Organization of Women in Entertainment Reaching Up is an organization with the stated mission to promote the visibility and integration of gay women in entertainment, the arts, and all forms of media. Power Up provided funding and assistance to the 2003 short film . ... Golden Axe is a side-scrolling arcade hack-and-slash game released in 1989 by Sega. ...

Characters

Adam Hunter

The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

This is Adam's only playable apperance in Streets of Rage series, which is a pity as he is a very good character to play, although he is a bit slow. Adam also must have the strangest hobby of any beat'em up character. Image File history File links Unbalanced_scales. ...

• Age:23
• Attributes:Ex-cop, Boxer
• Hobby:Bonsai
• Power:A
• Jump:A
• Speed:B

For other uses, see Bonsai (disambiguation). ...

Axel Stone

The most popular Streets of Rage character makes his first appearance. He is very functionnal and easy to play, but his poor jumping ability is a serious problem against jumping around enemies. Also, he is very similar in design to Cody Travers, the famous character from both the Final Fight and Street Fighter series. Cody Travers is a video game character from both the Final Fight and Street Fighter series. ... Final Fight ) is a beat em up series from Capcom. ... Screenshot of Street Fighter (arcade version). ...

• Age:22
• Attributes:Ex-cop, Martial Artist
• Hobby:Video Games
• Power:A
• Jump:B
• Speed:A

Blaze Fielding

Like almost all women characters in video games, Blaze is faster than the male characters (despite the make that she seems to be as fast as Axel) but weaker than them. Quite useful against the Bosses due to her speed. In addition, she is very similar in design to the main character in another side-scrolling beat 'em up by Sega, Flashgal, which was released in 1985. Romstar, Inc. ...

• Age:21
• Attributes:Ex-cop, Judoka
• Hobby:Lambada
• Power:B
• Jump:A
• Speed:A

Judo (Japanese: 柔道 Jūdō) is a martial art, a sport and a philosophy which originated in Japan. ... Lambada ( ) is a dance which became internationally popular in the 1980s. ...

Weapons

• Bottle: A simple beer bottle. With the first hit, it smashes over the enemy's head. After that it is used like the Knife.
• Knife: A combat knife. It stabs enemies at close range and it also can be thrown for a long range stab.
• Lead Pipe: A strong, large pipe. Good power and range, but the slow swing means that enemies can sometimes hit first.
• Baseball Bat: An aluminum bat used exactly like the Lead Pipe.
• Pepper Shaker: The infamous Pepper Shaker is one the most bizarre weapons in the series and also one of the funniest to use. Hit an enemy with it and he will go into a sneezing fit, leaving him vulnerable to any attack.

Levels

All rounds take place at night, apart from Stage 8, (which gradually progresses into sunrise). In Round 6, two clones of the second boss are fought at once. The only level without a boss is Round 7; however, all of the previous 5 bosses appear in Round 8 (in a tougher form), as well as the final boss for that level, Mr. X. The player also loses the ability to call the police car for aid on this last level with it happening in a penthouse. In the instruction manual of the game there is an introduction for every level, as it is mentioned below.

Round One: City Street.

• Round 1: City Street - Meet the first wave of hoodlums right out on the streets!
• Round 2: Inner City - Surrounded by condemned buildings, you continue the fight!
• Round 3: Beachfront - No time for fun and sun as the battle moves to the seashore!
• Round 4: Bridge - Brawl your way across this collapsing span!
• Round 5: Aboard Ship - Hope you have your sea legs!
• Round 6: Factory - The war moves inside, where industrial machines become a factor!
• Round 7: Freight Elevator - Our three warriors of justice are closing in on their objective!
• Round 8: Syndicate Headquarters - The only way to find out what horrors await you here is to run the gauntlet of enemies and step inside!

Streets of Rage screenshot using Kega Fusion, by wS for wikipedia This work is copyrighted. ... Streets of Rage screenshot using Kega Fusion, by wS for wikipedia This work is copyrighted. ...

Enemies

Underlings

Streets of Rage enemies are described only in Bare Knuckle's Instruction Manual. These are their names and profiles translated from Japanese.

Garcia

• Height:178cm
• Weight:75kg

Hoodlum hired by the Syndicate. Apart from attacking with punches and kicks, Garcia can also assault you with weapons.

Y.Signal

• Height:181cm
• Weight:59kg

In spite of his slim physique, Signal is proficient in techniques such as throwing. He also has uses a clever sliding kick.

Haku-Oh

• Height:180cm
• Weight:69kg

Student of the 4000 year old Chinese art of Shaolin Kung-Fu. Because of his ruthlessness, he became a member of the Syndicate. His trademark moves are his spinning and flying kicks.

Nora

• Height:166cm
• Weight/Measurements:Unknown

With her sharp whip, Nora lays down the law!! Works for questionable members-only clubs, where everyone calls her "Queen".

Jack

• Height:193cm
• Weight:73kg

A dangerous fellow who juggles hatchets and torches, occasionally throwing them. Jack works part-time at the circus as a clown, and despite being funny for a living, he is quite strong.

Bosses

Streets of Rage Bosses are described only in Bare Knuckle's Instruction Manual. These are their names and profiles translated from Japanese. Of course, there is no profile for Mr X.

Antonio - The Boss of City Street (Round1)

• Height:215cm
• Weight:120kg
• Heritage:Italian

In close combat, he attacks with a front kick, from a distance he attacks by throwing his boomerang. Antonio currently holds the 3rd place title in the world boomerang rankings.

Souther - The Boss of Inner City (Round 2)

• Height:208cm
• Weight:95kg
• Heritage:Scandinavian

Souther waits for his opponent to drop his guard, and then suddenly attacks with his claw-mounted gloves. He is a formidable enemy, using evasive manuevers and dropkicks. Souther's hobby is to sharpen his claws.

Abadede - The Boss of Beachfront (Round 3)

• Height:220cm
• Weight:180kg
• Heritage:Caucasian

A former pro-wrestler, Abadede has crippled 25 opponents in the ring. His biceps have a circumference of 70cm, and he uses them to deliver a lariat with tremendous destructive power. The body slam is another one of his specialties.

Bongo - The Boss of Bridge (Round 4)

• Height:200cm
• Weight:220kg
• Heritage:Chinese

Bongo rushes towards his opponents while breathing fire from his mouth. Because of his large build, you have to be careful when fighting this guy. If you attack him carelessly, you're asking to get yourself hurt.

Onihime & Yasha - The Bosses of Aboard Ship (Round 5)

• Height:170cm
• Weight:Unknown
• Heritage:Japanese

These twins of Japanese descent fight with outstanding teamwork. Onihime's forte is her flying kicks, Yasha's is her throwing techniques. Lightweight and agile, their physiques are of the highest class.

Souther Clones - The Bosses of Factory (Round 6)

Same as Souther.

Mr. X: The Boss of Syndicate Headquarters (Round 8)

Identity Unknown.

Endings

The game has two endings. Players can either destroy Mr. X or take his place as boss of the crime syndicate. To achieve the latter, a second player is needed. Before the final battle, Mr. X asks both players whether they would like to join him as his right hand man. If one player agrees and the other refuses, the players will be forced to fight each other. Mr. X will ask the winner once again if he would like to become his assistant. If the winning player then refuses, Mr. X calls the survivor a traitor and they fight for control of the syndicate. If the player wins, he or she is shown sitting in the boss's chair and laughing as the new crime overlord of the city. The "bad" ending of the game is considered non canon due to the "good" ending having actually occurred.

If both players or the player in a one-person game agree to become Mr. X's right hand man, Mr. X presses a lever with his foot and drop the players back to Round 6 to play to the last scene again.

If the players say no, Mr. X will fight the players. Upon beating him, a slide show is shown during the credits with the three characters looking over Mr. X's body, walking outside to meet the cop in the police car, and then standing on a bridge watching the sun set.

Versions and Ports

In Japan, the game and the series is known as Bare Knuckle.

8-Bit Versions: A version of Streets of Rage for both the Sega Game Gear (1992) and Sega Master System (1993) were made. The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ... The Sega Master System ) or SMS for short (1986 - 2000), is an 8-bit cartridge-based video game console that was manufactured by Sega. ...

The Game Gear version suffers from poor color palette and gameplay. It also omits Adam from the game and does not have the sprite animation for kneeing enemies. It features 2 players support by cable link. It also has only 6 rounds instead of 8.

The Master System version has a different graphic engine and gameplay mechanics, not being a port from the Game Gear version as was used to be in the late years of the system. It also features a boss on Round 6 which is not found in any other version of the game. It lacks 2 player support.

Arcade Versions: Sega ported Streets of Rage to arcade cabinets using both their Mega Tech and Mega Play arcade boards, the difference being that in the Mega Tech version you pay for time, not credits.

Collections: A signature title and franchise for Sega during the Mega Drive era the title was collected often: firstly Mega Games II (with Golden Axe and Revenge Of Shinobi) that was later bundled with the Sega Mega Drive. Golden Axe is a side-scrolling arcade hack-and-slash game released in 1989 by Sega. ... One of the first games released for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, entitled The Revenge of Shinobi in North America and The Super Shinobi in Japan, this sidescrolling platform game for revolves around a shuriken wielding shinobi, Joe Musashi, searching for his stolen love who has been kidnapped by...

Sega Classics Arcade Collection (a Mega CD compilation with the two previously mentioned titles, plus Super Monaco GP and Columns, also available as in cartridge format for Mega Drive II). The voice effects for the characters in this version of the game were all redone. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Columns (also called Jewels) is a puzzle computer game, arcade game and console game with many similarities to Tetris. ...

6 Pak (composed of Streets of Rage, Sonic the Hedgehog, Columns, Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe and Super Hang-On); and Mega 6 (composed of Streets of Rage, World Cup Italia '90, Columns, Super Monaco GP, Revenge of Shinobi and Sonic the Hedgehog). Sonic the Hedgehog is the platform game that launched the career of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Team. ... One of the first games released for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, entitled The Revenge of Shinobi in North America and The Super Shinobi in Japan, this sidescrolling platform game for revolves around a shuriken wielding shinobi, Joe Musashi, searching for his stolen love who has been kidnapped by... Golden Axe is a side-scrolling arcade hack-and-slash game released in 1989 by Sega. ... Super Hang-On is a 1987 motorcycle racing arcade game from Sega, and the sequel to the acclaimed Hang-On. ... This article is about a computer game. ...

Streets of Rage, along with its two sequels, was included in the Japanese Version of the Sonic Gems Collection for the Gamecube and PlayStation 2, but was omitted from the North American GameCube version to avoid it gaining a T rating, and also from the European GameCube and PlayStation 2 versions for similar reasons. They are now also available on GameTap. Sonic Gems Collection (ソニック ジェムズ コレクション) is a GameCube and (in Japan and Europe) PlayStation 2 compilation of the more obscure games of the Sonic series. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ... “PS2” redirects here. ... GameTap is a subscription-based video game service by Turner Broadcasting System (TBS). ...

Virtual Console: The Genesis version of Streets of Rage was made available for the Wii Virtual Console in North America on February 19, 2007 and in Europe on March 2, 2007. The Wii (pronounced as the pronoun we, IPA: ) is the fifth home video game console released by Nintendo. ... This article is about Nintendos emulation feature and download service. ...

Comic Strip

The SOR characters were later adapted for three comic strip storylines, published in the pages of the United Kingdom's Sonic The Comic publication, the storylines sometimes attempted to tie up loose ends such as developing the cop who aids the players with special back up, and Skate's involvement in the war against X. "Skates Story" (his nickname is misspelt as Skates in the comic strip), written by Mark Millar, provided an answer, revealing that X had been behind the death of Skate's step-father after he had stolen a disc containing crucial information vital to his network of criminal operations. After finding his mother victimized and his house raided by corrupt cops looking for the disc, Skate allies with Axel, Blaze, and Max. This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK childrens comic published fortnightly by Fleetway Editions (the merged companies Fleetway and London Editions, which progressively became integrated with its parent company Egmont until it became known as Egmont Magazines) between 1993 and 2002. ... Mark Millar (born December 24, 1969) is a Scottish comic book writer born in Coatbridge. ...

The storyline's conclusion was marked in the issue by a front cover illustration depicting Skate aiming a gun point-blank at the reader. In the story, he was aiming for Mr. X, only to hesitate and spare him. This particular storyline was remarkably violent, with illustrations depicting successful shoot-outs, rapes, and minors carrying weapons with murderous intent.

Adam did not appear in the comic stories.

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The police car used in special attacks is from E-SWAT: Cyber Police, a Sega Arcade game that was also ported to the Mega Drive. The driver of the police car used in the special attacks is never named, though he is met and greeted warmly by Axel in the game's good ending. In Sonic the Comic's adaptation, he was named "Murphy". This could be a possible reference to the character from the film Robocop, who is also called Murphy and has a similar police uniform and car.
• Round 5's bosses, the twins Onihime & Yasha are simply a palette swap of Blaze Fielding's sprite. They reappear as bosses in Streets of Rage 3 (called Mona & Lisa in the western versions), and have their own sprites. Unlike Blaze however, they do not punch in battle, but are also able to jump from one place to another diagonally (the heroes can only jump horizontally).
• Many of Team Shinobi, the team behind Revenge of Shinobi were part of the Streets of Rage development team, and many in-game sounds and the main font are identical to that game.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Sonic the Comic, known to its many readers as STC, was a UK childrens comic published fortnightly by Fleetway Editions (the merged companies Fleetway and London Editions, which progressively became integrated with its parent company Egmont until it became known as Egmont Magazines) between 1993 and 2002. ... A red Koopa Troopa from Super Mario Bros. ... Streets of Rage 3 (Bare Knuckle III in Japan) is a side-scrolling beat em up released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Genesis. ... One of the first games released for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis, entitled The Revenge of Shinobi in North America and The Super Shinobi in Japan, this sidescrolling platform game for revolves around a shuriken wielding shinobi, Joe Musashi, searching for his stolen love who has been kidnapped by...

External links

• Streets of Rage Expanded Universe
• Streets of Rage Online, in-depth fansite for all three games.
• Streets of Rage review from Mean Machines Archive
• NTSC-uk's Streets of Rage Retrospective
• Streets of Rage at MobyGames