3D Streets of Rage 2

Streets of Rage 2, known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan, is a 1992 side-scrolling beat ’em up video game published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. A sequel to Streets of Rage (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding return while the game also introduces two new characters: Max Thunder, and Eddie “Skate” Hunter, the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the first game. The Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version was re-released for the Wii Virtual Console in 2006 and the Nintendo 3DS eShop in 2013. One year has passed since the events of Streets of Rage.

To celebrate the defeat of the mysterious Mr. X and his criminal organization, The Syndicate, the trio of Axel Stone, Adam Hunter, and Blaze Fielding had met at their favorite nightspot in Wood Oak City, reminiscing about both their vigilante crusade and triumphant victory from within the previous year. Axel and Blaze had moved out of the city after the adventure, with Axel working as a part-time bodyguard and Blaze teaching dance classes. Adam has since rejoined the police force and lives in a small house with his younger brother, Eddie “Skate” Hunter.

Like the previous game, Streets of Rage 2 is a side-scrolling beat-em-up in which one or two players fight against waves of enemies while picking up weapons and items along the way. Along with returning characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, the game introduces two new characters; Max Thunder, a slow-moving but powerful wrestler, and Eddie “Skate” Hunter (known as Sammy Hunter in the Japanese release), the brother of previous game’s Adam Hunter who can move around quickly with his rollerblades.

In addition to standard attacks, which have been expanded from the previous game, each character can perform a unique Blitz Attack by double tapping a direction before attacking. Replacing the police car attack from the previous game, each character can perform Special Attacks which can deal extra damage or attack enemies from all directions at the cost of the player’s health. Along with the main campaign, two players can also fight against each other in the game’s Duel mode.