Streets of Rage 3

If the second game felt fast to you, wait until you hit the streets a third time. Streets of Rage 3 from 1994 pushed harder on the pedal — it is faster, tougher and more ambitious than its famous predecessor, and after years of an unfair shadow it has earned a deserved reassessment as an excellent instalment of the series.

The combat got new options: characters can run, strikes can be upgraded and stronger versions of special attacks are unlocked over time. The game also offers a branching progression and several endings depending on how you do, which gives repeated play meaning. The pace is brisker and the enemies more aggressive, so it demands sharper reflexes and better use of space from the player.

The instalment's reputation was long marked by the Western localisation. The version for that market was censored and at the same time made markedly harder — character colours were changed, part of the content vanished and the difficulty cranked to the extreme put off a number of players. Only with hindsight and thanks to comparison with the original Japanese version, Bare Knuckle III, did it become clear what a quality game hid beneath those alterations.

Koshiro's soundtrack takes a more experimental path this time. His generative, almost techno-like tracks sound at times strange to the point of futuristic and divide fans to this day — some don't warm to them, others see in them a bold, distinctive shift. Either way it is an unmissable authorial signature that lends the game a unique atmosphere.

Streets of Rage 3 is today seen as an underappreciated gem of the Mega Drive: fast, deep and more inventive than its contemporaries granted it. For fans of the genre it is a mandatory stop and proof that the first impression need not be the last.

Why play it: A faster and deeper sequel with upgradable attacks and a branching ending, which after years won a reputation as an excellent beat 'em up.