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General discussionComing soon: Streets of Rage 4(61 posts)(61 posts)
(61 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted February 24, 2020
A tribute to 1990s side-scrolling beat’em up games is coming soon on GOG.COM. Streets of Rage 4 by DotEmu is a title for those who long for dynamic action and hand-drawn graphics that evoke nostalgia. Join Axel, Blaze, and the rest of Streets of Rage squad in their quest to clean the city from criminals.
Posted February 25, 2020
Looks interesting. Any plans to release it for Linux?
Posted February 25, 2020
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tfishell: Is the art style by far the important thing to you in games? I think that's the most common type of complaint I've seen you make about games.
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ReynardFox: I wouldn't say the most important, but art as a whole was a big part of my upbringing and If a game's art style actually annoys me as much as it does in this one, it certainly doesn't make me want to get immersed in the world I'm being presented. First impressions matter, and If I'm not blown away by the gameplay mechanics, any objectionable art direction is going to stand out like a sore thumb to me.

It really depends on the game though, aesthetics are more important in some games than others (usually my visual complaints here are aimed at games that I think look like lazy, hackneyed, low-effort jobs or those simply ignorant of the style they are going for, like the glut of pixel vomit games pretending to be "retro" or "8-bit" without any actual understanding of those eras) but this game here annoys me more than most as Lizardcube have clearly demonstrated they have the talent to do an authentic remake in Wonderboy. But here? It looks like they didn't care. All three classic SOR's all have such a great, consistent, gritty style and atmosphere, and all of that is completely gone in this new game.

More than that, I actually think the hit detection and movement in this looks floaty and indistinct as well, it simply looks like a game that's inferior to the old Sega ones. Or the SOR fan remake, a game that immediately shows a love of the franchise that the studio Sega palmed this off to simply does not share.
"art as a whole was a big part of my upbringing" - all mediums (games, movies, paintings, cartoons, etc.)?

I'm kinda broken-recording here but I guess I'm from the other side who has more "sympathy" for artists because I know art and animation can be hard, so while some developers with money and a publisher might be lazy, others - especially low-budget indies - just make the best of what they can, like via the hated simplistic pixel art or "Flash"-like animation/tweening. (I'd dissuade devs from going as far as the Cuphead devs did - "We quit our jobs, remortgaged our houses" - just for a video game, as cool as that game turned out. Set reasonable expectations and don't feel obligated to be a "starving artist".)

I guess you can also have high expectations for GOG specifically since curation should mean the cream of the crop, vs. the $1-2 dollar games on itch.io where anyone can upload.

Not that you brought it up, but in general I dislike the idea of "if you can't do a fantastic job, don't bother", but we might even disagree on that. A lot of life is making the best of a not-ideal situation.

In any case I think we may have to agree to disagree for the most part, but I'm glad we conversed about this. (and don't blow a fuse in the Amberland thread ;)
Posted February 25, 2020
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tfishell: snip
All art yes, I grew up enamored with animation, films and music, I was an artist myself at one stage until I burned myself out (and now physical problems leave me without the comfort or energy to want to resume), and I have an artistic family, with a dancer for a mother and a professional musician for a father.

I think you have me a bit wrong on one point, I definitely don't believe that "if you can't do a fantastic job, don't bother", I believe failing while putting your best effort in is still admirable, and when something is a huge undertaking by one person, like say, undertale, the passion shines through even though it looks rather simple. As long as real love for the project is there and genuine effort is put in I can respect it, even if I don't personally like it.

When compared to the polish and consistency displayed in their last game, I do not believe Lizardcube have put their best effort in here, I think they slapped this together without any passion for or real connection to the franchise. Even when setting aside my distaste for the art direction, the actual art itself appears to me to be sloppy and indistinct, with many elements not meshing together, plus they clearly have no understanding of or desire to stick to the series established aesthetic.

With SOR in particular, I have extremely high expectations. No one makes a good belt-scrolling brawler anymore (The last truly good one IMO was Sengoku 3) and this is my favourite series in that genre. After waiting 25 years for a new SOR game, I don't want some Saturday morning cartoony, hipster indie reinterpretation, I want a faithful new game with the proper, gritty look and feel, and I know quite a few old Sega fans who feel the same.

There was a fan project called Streets of Rage Remake, it was a massive love letter of a game by people who truly loved SOR and Sega C&D'd it in favor of this, that's what's really got me upset. After Sega literally hired fans to make Sonic Mania, I just look at this game and think "why couldn't you have done the same here?".
Posted February 25, 2020
I am just going to drop this here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lp0GJNTRV0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrF3WPi_7uI
Man, that soundtrack makes me want to get an old Megadrive with Arcade Power Sticks and have a go at it again...

And i wholeheartedly agree with RaynardFox' eloquently expressed opinion. If you are going to make a Streets of Rage game, you will be measured by Streets of Rage standards. It might be unfair to judge SOR4 just by its trailer video, but i unfortunately have to admit that (based on the trailer) SOR4 doesn't give me the warm fuzzies...
Post edited February 25, 2020 by elgonzo
Posted February 25, 2020
dont like teh artstyle atall, from teh thick black outlines to teh choppy an' floaty animations

looks like a really well improved flash game, buuuut a flash game anyhoohar
Posted February 25, 2020
Trop cool! :)
Posted February 26, 2020
Didn't expect this. Will there also be a naked Blaze option?
Posted February 26, 2020
I don't get it, why no pixel art graphics?
Posted February 26, 2020
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PromZA: Didn't expect this. Will there also be a naked Blaze option?
Played a lot of SoR2&3 back in the day and Blaze was my favorite fighter in SoR3 (actually that is the ONLY game ever where I prefer picking a female character over a male one) but never knew that was a thing until now. You live and learn...
I mean she is super kick-ass hot even with the skirt&top on, why push it over the edge!? Good thing they left the boots on, though. :D
Now that I think of it, the only naked character I ever tried out was Mona in Max Payne 2, those were some interesting backflips. xD
Posted February 26, 2020
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ReynardFox: All art yes, I grew up enamored with animation, films and music, I was an artist myself at one stage until I burned myself out (and now physical problems leave me without the comfort or energy to want to resume), and I have an artistic family, with a dancer for a mother and a professional musician for a father.
that rough huh? sorry

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ReynardFox: I think you have me a bit wrong on one point, I definitely don't believe that "if you can't do a fantastic job, don't bother", I believe failing while putting your best effort in is still admirable, and when something is a huge undertaking by one person, like say, undertale, the passion shines through even though it looks rather simple. As long as real love for the project is there and genuine effort is put in I can respect it, even if I don't personally like it.
I'm glad we found some common ground. Of course, if Undertale was released day-1 on GOG and you didn't know anything about it, is it fair or unfair to say you would have been hard on the graphics as a gut reaction/first impression?

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ReynardFox: When compared to the polish and consistency displayed in their last game, I do not believe Lizardcube have put their best effort in here, I think they slapped this together without any passion for or real connection to the franchise. Even when setting aside my distaste for the art direction, the actual art itself appears to me to be sloppy and indistinct, with many elements not meshing together, plus they clearly have no understanding of or desire to stick to the series established aesthetic.

With SOR in particular, I have extremely high expectations. No one makes a good belt-scrolling brawler anymore (The last truly good one IMO was Sengoku 3) and this is my favourite series in that genre. After waiting 25 years for a new SOR game, I don't want some Saturday morning cartoony, hipster indie reinterpretation, I want a faithful new game with the proper, gritty look and feel, and I know quite a few old Sega fans who feel the same.

There was a fan project called Streets of Rage Remake, it was a massive love letter of a game by people who truly loved SOR and Sega C&D'd it in favor of this, that's what's really got me upset. After Sega literally hired fans to make Sonic Mania, I just look at this game and think "why couldn't you have done the same here?".
All right, fair enough. Since you seem to have a strong connection to the series I can understand having strong emotions about this. My dev side still says gamers can be far too whiny at times and you have to be careful about letting their complaints get too far under your skin. ;) Most likely we'll never see exactly eye-to-eye but I'm glad we talked.

It sounds like Streets of Rage Remake devs should make their own SoR spiritual successor (like Freedom Planet team did for Sonic lovers), if SEGA won't hire them. They could charge like $20+ for it and build some income to make even more games.
Posted February 26, 2020
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tfishell: I'm glad we found some common ground. Of course, if Undertale was released day-1 on GOG and you didn't know anything about it, is it fair or unfair to say you would have been hard on the graphics as a gut reaction/first impression?
Undertale specifically... I had to think about that for a moment because I heard about Undertale and its reputation before I ever actually saw the game, in fact it was through the incessant badgering of a friend that I actually gave in and played it even though I had become sick of hearing about it.

I just tried to put myself in a completely neutral mindset while browsing the GOG store page, looking at screens and watching the trailer, and you know what? Probably not. While the screenshots are not particularly well chosen, making it look a bit sparse and rough, particularly in combat, the trailer gives a proper vertical slice. From there I am finding the sprites appealing, the environments to be simple but nicely drawn, and it also highlights the fantastic soundtrack, and if anything is going to rouse me into giving something a shot that I might otherways have overlooked, it's a good score. The page also points out it's practically a one man project, which in and of itself makes me more curious.

Not to say that I haven't ever been too hasty in judging a game, but I think it's safe to say that at a glance, I can tell Undertale is not something that was just slopped together, it looks genuine. It also highlights how important a good trailer is for first impressions.

One last point, even though this wasn't how I experienced it myself, Toby Fox did the smart thing here and released a playable demo, and my interest is piqued if a developer is confident enough to let me try before I buy.
Post edited February 26, 2020 by ReynardFox
Posted February 26, 2020
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PromZA: Didn't expect this. Will there also be a naked Blaze option?
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BranjoHello: Played a lot of SoR2&3 back in the day and Blaze was my favorite fighter in SoR3 (actually that is the ONLY game ever where I prefer picking a female character over a male one) but never knew that was a thing until now. You live and learn...
I mean she is super kick-ass hot even with the skirt&top on, why push it over the edge!? Good thing they left the boots on, though. :D
Now that I think of it, the only naked character I ever tried out was Mona in Max Payne 2, those were some interesting backflips. xD
I didn't know either until I checked surely there would have been gamers with such fantasies but didn't expect a full game version. I'm not sure think it was a hacked version by some fans only for download. I do actually think she looks hotter and more proportionate with the mini and top like they tried to accentuate her in some Hollywood fashion for visibility unlike the original.

Blaze has always been the character for me with the best moves. Not very strong but all her attributes offset to make for a very good character. Funny but Max has always felt like the weakest character to me.
Posted February 26, 2020
Awesome!
Legendary game, hope it has the feel of the original.
Post edited February 26, 2020 by novumZ
Posted April 09, 2020
I'm very happy I will be able to buy here and won't have to give money to steam!!
Posted April 09, 2020
Streets of Rage 4 - Retro Reveal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5meiRPJTWU
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This is my favourite topic
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General discussionComing soon: Streets of Rage 4(61 posts)(61 posts)
(61 posts)