I recently played Streets of Rage 3 and after nearly 30 years of playing it on and off finally beat it but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. To clear it I went back to the original game, a game I've absolutely adored since playing it on the original hardware as a kid. I own it on multiple platforms at this point and just playing through it never gets old even as I do.

The sequel is the better game but I still love Streets of Rage. I love everything it does. That neon 80's vibe of the levels you travel through. The bosses that are unexplainably 10ft tall. The way the special move is a police car unafraid of firing military ordinance in an urban locale. The way you recover health by eating old chicken's found in the bottom of phone boxes or can slam dunk a thug through a lift to their death off the side of a building. It's all silly but does it all with aplomb, and it all just fits together with this gritty atmosphere I think is a hard thing to replicate. It's all supported by a god tier soundtrack. The music by Yuzo Koshiro is so popular that it has had remakes and remix after remix after remix. It's music that could and has been played in clubs and fit right in. I've had it on my mp3 player for years, I doubt they will ever come off my playlist.

The combat is simple, but I think it's why I like it. I don't need a huge amount of combos, moves or skills in a beat 'em up. I can punch dudes in the face, grab them, throw them, slam dunk them and jump kick them in the head. It's the simplicity that appeals to me about how it plays even if it is a touch on the easy side even on harder difficulties. That said it isn't perfect, the stage 5 boss Mona and Lisa are just awful to fight, impossible to hit and their hit boxes for grabbing you are extremely questionable. The fact you have to fight them again later in the game is just soul destroying.

Actually, that's the only thing about it I don't like. Timeless game I'll still be playing 20 years from now.