Streets of Rage 2

Streets of Rage 2, released in Japan as Bare Knuckle II: The Requiem of the Deadly Battle, is a beat-em-up created by SEGA for the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was released in 1993.

The title was developed by Ancient, the same studio that created Sonic the Hedgehog. The developers who worked on the prequel, released 2 years before, were involved in the sequel. However, game design and graphics were curated by Ayano Koshiro, which gave a distinct style to the new chapter. She took inspiration from Street Fighter II for the characters' moves. The sprites are also bigger than Street of Rage I, another distinctive feature probably inspired by the CAPCOM fighting game. Animations are more fluid, with many frames used for each move. But what makes this game really outstanding is the really perfect gameplay that makes this title not only one of the best Genesis/Mega Drive games ever created but also one of the best videogames of all time. Great enemies, plenty of moves and weapons to choose from, difficulty perfectly balanced. You can also add a superb soundtrack composed by Yuzo Koshiro (brother of Ayano).

Just remember, the Streets of Rage 2 is great when played alone, and superb when played with a friend. Not only in co-op, because you also have a duel mode if you want to challenge your pal. Let the fight begin!