Well, it was only a matter of time before I played this game, too.
The game was (obviously) known as Bare Knuckle II: Shitou no Chinkon Uta in Japan. In Australia, it was known as Bare Knuckle II: Streets of Rage II in Australia (yeah, that's kinda confusing) and just plain Bare Knuckle II in South Korea.
Anyway, Blaze and Axel are back, and they're joined by two new brawlers on their quest to save their friend Adam, who has been kidnapped by the still-alive Mr. X and his revived gang of thugs! Max is a wrestler who brings atomic drops, choke holds and suplexes into the mix, while Adam's cousin Skate steps in with the ability to dash and the ability to throw an opponent into the air in the middle of a vault!
Stage 1
First Section - Downtown
Best opening track ever.
If you walk to the mailbox at the start and press B, you'll get a one-up.
Major improvement here: not only do you have special attacks that are similar to Final Fight's "Extra Joy" option as well as an expanded normal move set, you also have life bars for the enemies. It's still gonna be a bit of a fight, so get ready! When you have ane enemy grabbed, you can press B for a basic throw to the ground, but if you hold Forward, you can do the knees.
You can also do a dash attack by double-tapping Left or Right and pressing B. Skate is the only one who can actually run with the double-tap, but everyone has a double-tap + B attack regardless.
Pressing A for the special works differently in the sequel. Instead of calling for a police car that gives you a screen-clearing soundtrack, you now have a special attack that uses energy from your life bar much like the "Extra Joy" attacks in Final Fight. You have two at your disposal: a stand-alone version where you just press A and only uses energy if it connects, and a slightly better one performed by holding Left or Right before pressing A that consumes energy regardless of whether it connects or not. The stand-alone one can be used to remove enemies that are crowding you; the other is best for a single enemy in front of you.
You also have two jump attacks, as well. There is the standard one from just pressing B after pressing C to jump, but if you hold Down on the Control Pad before attack in mid-air, you can do a slightly stronger strike that can stun the opponent just long enough to get them in a grab combo. Try it out.
The Galsias and Signals here are back, and they're just as easy as ever. You also see a few newcomers here. The first is Donovan, a bald-headed guy with an eye patch that has an uppercut. It's his only attack, but it will knock you back.
You can also throw any weapon you have in your hands. Just press B and C at the same time and you'll send it launching into the nearest thug. Also, be careful when you have a weapon, because if you grab an enemy for close-range combat, you will drop the weapon and it will count as one of your three drops.
At the end of this section is another newcomer: a knife-wielding thug named Jack. He has an infinite supply of knives that he can cull from at any time, and if you can knock one out of his hands you can use it against him and his buddies. One of the signs near the door here has a turkey if you're aching for health. Which you shouldn't at this point, but just in case, because, hey, you could be playing on the hidden Mania difficulty.
Second Section - Bar
Love the music in this part. There is a slowed down version in the sound test, but it is never used in the game.
The tables carry some good power-ups, so smack those around.
The boss here is another girl with a whip posing as a karaoke singer...until you get close enough. When you do, she drops her disguise and the man at the bar walks out. This time around, the dominatrix girls are not only hotter, they're upgraded to mini-boss status. Watch out for her whip, as sometimes the lashes come with an electric shock. She's not too much of a pushover as long as you don't give her time to attack.
If you see a star next to their name, it means they have another life bar. Don't be surprised if you see a few bosses, mini-bosses or even normal enemies with stars next to their names in the higher difficulties...sometimes they'll even have four or five!
Third Section - Dead End
The boss here is Barbon, the guy who walked out of the bar earlier. He's not that hard, really. Sometimes he'll block your attacks, sometimes he'll roundhouse kick you in the head and sometimes he'll try to throw you if walk towards him, but these tactics are all easy to avoid.
If you wait long enough and take down enough of his goons, he'll rip his vest off and come after you anyway. It's hilarious.
Stage 2
First Section - Bridge
DESTROY ALL BARRELS
Shortly after the beginning, you'll see men riding around on motorcycles. Avoid them as they drive by, as they will run you over. If you can jump kick one off of the bike (which you'll have to do at some point in this section), do it. Be sure to avoid the bike afterwards as it [b]will[/b] explode. Some of them will jump off their bikes and try to fight you. Don't let them get behind you, as they'll try to either grab you and let other people have a go at you or hit you from behind. Also, all the bikers have weather-like names, such as Gale, Storm, Hail, Tempest, Cyclone, etc. Won't be the last time you'll see "naming themes" amongst enemies.
As you get closer to the end, the bikers will throw bombs at you. You can pick them up and throw them, but they'll probably explode before you can get one. The bikers
When you reach the end, you'll find a truck. Hit one of the barrels here to find another turkey.
Second Section - Truck
Now that you're in the truck, destroy the boxes to get power-ups (as well as a weapon, if you need one) and continue to the right to fight a martial arts master. These guys can be pretty powerful, and they can take you down with a jump kick if you let them.
When you take him down, you'll have to fight the audience...and another martial arts guy. Jump kicks will work well here.
Third Section - Incomplete Bridge
If you go to the top-left corner at the start, you'll get another hidden extra life.
Sweet Jesus, this part looks a lot better.
Break construction barriers as you bust heads. When you get close to the end, the whole bridge will be nothing but a bunch of steel girders that you can walk on and see through to check out the river below.
The boss here is Jet. He flies around on a jetpack, and he's pretty deadly if you don't know what to do. He'll try to rocket towards you and punch you, which you can jump kick him out of. When he flies straight up, he's about to dive bomb you. If you're at a good enough distance, you can hit him with a jump kick after he's come down. The main thing to do here is to watch his shadow.
If you can somehow grab him while he's on the floor, do it and go for the extra grab damage. It'll help a lot.
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