BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 14 of 14

Enjoy your ending.

BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 13 of 14

There sure are a lot of G-Men around here...

/quagmire

So many G-Men on the conveyor belt segment. Geez...you'll be doing a lot of dodging against far-range attacks, so roll to the side and you'll be all right.

You'll meet a jetpack guy at the end of the conveyor belt, but by this point the worst is over.

In the third section, you'll enter another room with a robotic claw in it. The guy at the controls is in the window in the background. This is Dr. Dahm, and he's made all these robots for the Syndicate. Wait for the claw to come out, then do a standing combo on it. You'll know when it moves when you see the claw open and close, followed by the bat swinging sound.

The conveyor belt on the floor pushes you to the background into a wall of lasers, so stay at the bottom of the screen as much as possible. When it's down to half a yellow bar, the claw explodes and comes off. At this point, when it comes down, it still moves. Wait for the robot to stop glowing green and spout a grey plume of smoke. When it does, hit it with a standing special for maximum damage.

You'll then meet a brain in a capsule. This is Mr. X's brain. His men have planted bombs throughout the city, and that they're all about to blow. He then sends a robot after you. This is Robot Y, and you have only three minutes to destroy it.

It'll fly into you and shoot rockets. When it stops to jump at you, jump towards it and kick it. Back up until it hits the ground, then move towards it and jump kick it again. Yeah, he's really advanced looking, and the detail Sega put into it predates Sonic 3D Blast by three years, but he's a very sorry excuse for a final boss.

BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 12 of 14

There sure are a lot of robots around here...

/quagmire

The first section takes place in some sort of factory in a forest. You'll be dealing with a lot of bikers that ride around and ninjas that jump out from all angles (including the bushes!) at the beginning.

If you see the bushes moving, there's a ninja there, so keep that in mind.

You'll also see some robots, and since they have more life, you'll see what they can really do: shoot lasers, charge at you and be annoying.

The second section has some of those Robot X clones. The good news is, they're just at regular enemy level and they have much smaller life bars. The bad news is, they have all the same attacks as Robot X, which makes them just as annoying as the boss variety.

When you're done with them, you'll see some blonde-haired guy in a white labcoat running around grabbing things every few seconds. Who is this, I wonder?

I am also very proud of that conveyor belt. Seriously, that is the most realistic looking conveyor belt I have seen in the series, and I like it. Nice job, Sega!

Speaking of that conveyor belt, when you hear a loud whir (or as I call it, "that elevator sound"), the conveyor belt stops, then switches direction. Nice twist.

Also, why do the G-Men not move when they shoot their guns? Is there a mechanism in the gun that activates another mechanism in their shoes that lets them float so low off the ground we can't see it?

Watch out for the pink lasers that come out of the blinking red circles in the walls, as they can hurt you. Thankfully, like most traps in the series, they can harm enemies as well.

BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 11 of 14

Well, this is weird. A stage where you can go in either direction!

It's not without its difficulties, though. As a matter of fact, it's probably the most interesting stage in the entire series, let alone the game! Read on and find out why!

Stage 6

You'll have to defeat three robots in this room...and it would be easy if there wasn't a bomb in the center of the room with a 50-second timer. Also, you have some freedom as to where to go. Yeah, that's right. You can go left and right. It's really interesting, but this new-found power can be really daunting if you don't know what to do. Best way to introduce that feature into any beat-em-up...ever.

Defeat the robots, then go to the elevator. There's one pillar with a down arrow, and another with an up arrow. Hit the down arrow two times, then take down all the martial arts guys. Enter door two, take down all the guys, and destroy the switchboard (love the "Suichboad" sign). As you take it down, more guys will show up, so take them all out and work on the switchboard again.

Take the two martial artists down again (they respawn), then go back to the elevator and go up once. Run right, and take care of the two G-men. Once again, enter the second door. Take out all the enemies and then take downt he switchboard, just like you did on the floor below.

If you enter the fourth door after taking down the G-Men again, you'll find some money bags and an apple. You'll leave the room automatically after a few seconds, though.

Go right and you'll find the Chief of Police! He's alive!

When you reach the rooftop, you'll fight three jetpack guys at the same time. Yeah, they're back. You fight them just like you would in SoR2. Just wait for them to come to your level, then grab them and smack them around. Just go for the guy in the purple, as his little flunkies will just keep respawning. (They do make good weapons against the main guy, though.)

When you beat the purple guy, a helicopter will finish off the rest. Adam Hunter from SoR1 will be on it, and he'll be ready to get the Mayor back to City Hall.

BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 10 of 14

That's no service elevator.

Stage 5

(continued)

It should be noted that if you die, you lose one of your stars, therefore losing one of your Super Specials.

When you reach the top, you'll meet Mr. X. Again.

He'll send a bunch of Zacks and Goldies after you, then you'll face two whip girls. Then Mr. X stands up...and his whole upper body ignites, revealing he's really a robot.

He'll shoot machine gun bullets and rockets out of his arm, and can also punch you three times. He can interrupt your standing combo, so stay on the move and use some dashing and jumping attacks. When you finish him off, he blows up, and he blows up real good.

BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 9 of 14

a
In this episode, we learn that Mr. X is very vain and that the game likes to pile on enemies right at the middle of the game.

Stage 5

(continued)

Oh, boy. First you see golden Mr. X statues, then you find out that Julio (the blue Garcia recolors with yellow hair) have an aerial elbow attack. Wonderful. I think all the Garcias might have it. I dunno.

The two fat fire-breathers are named Dwight and Ike (references to Dwight Eisenhower, perhaps?). Thankfully, you can fight these guys like you would in Streets of Rage 2. Just remember not to throw or suplex them.

I've also noticed the rolling attack that the fat guys have now. Didn't think they'd be that agile.

After this, you'll be fighting a bunch of martial artists as well as a few Signals. Fabio returns, and this time he wears red. The next section will be an elevator of sorts...

BirthofaNova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 8 of 14

Okay, let's get this straight. We had to go underground from a hatch on top of a building to find this dojo, and it happens to be the Syndicate's hideout? This makes no sense.

Stage 5

As soon as you start this stage, you're going to be ambushed by a zillion ninjas. As soon as you make it all the way to the right and beat them all, you'll fall through a hole in the floor.

The second section has even more ninjas as well as stacks of boxes. Destroy these stacks, as there are a lot of gold bars in this section, so if you're needing points for a 1-Up, the game just cut you a break.

Be careful when you charge a sword up for a beam attack. It uses weapon energy whether you land a hit with it or not.

When you go up the stairs to the third section, you'll meet some karate guys. One of them is pink, and his name happens to be Fabio. Yeah, nice one there, Sega.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 7 of 14

I knew these guys were an underground faction, but don't you think this is a bit literal?

Stage 3

(continued)

The third section has you fighting the Yamatos. These guys will throw shurikens at you, slash at you with their swords and even teleport around.

Be slow and steady with these guys. Wait for them to do that sword slash, then hit them with a standing combo. If they throw shurikens from the ground, sidestep out of the way and use that as an opportunity to get closer. Be sure to stay close to these guys at all times.

The first one teleports back and forth every so often. Stay close to him and smack him after he does that sword slash move.

Every once in a while, the second Yamato will split into two, do a twin blade attack, then reconverge into one again. Stand near him when he's doing this and pull off a special for some real damage.

The third one is the real one, and he has a special manuever where alternates between making a short hop and throwing a shuriken. Stay away from him as he jumps, then come in diagonally as he throws to grab him and shake him up a bit. He also has another manuever where he turns almost transparent and follows you around before he throws shurikens at you and re-appears. Roll away so the shurikens don't hit you, then get in close again.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 6 of 14

This is where the music becomes distinctly different from the rest of the series. Also, the ninjas are back, Japanese names and all!

Stage 4

Stage 4 takes place in an abandoned mine.

In the first section, watch out for the mine carts as they roll by, as they can cause a good amount of damage if they run into you. As you make your way further into the first section, see if you can get the mine carts to do some of the work for you, as they can damage the enemies as well.

The mine carts alternate sets of tracks, so if it shows up in the upper track, expect it to show up on the lower set next time around.

In the second section, the ninjas come back with a vengeance, Japanese names and all. Don't even bother waiting for the mine carts to take them out, because the ninjas will jump up to the ceiling and hold on until the cart passes (unless they're preoccupied with you, in that case they'll take damage). If you hear the cart coming, roll to the cubby holes in the foreground and wait for it to pass by. Luckily, the ninjas won't follow you in.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 5 of 14

Another Streets of Rage game, another construction site level. *le sigh*

Stage 3

You're not imagining things. The big fire-breathing guys can actually pick up lesser enemies and chuck them at you.

When you reach the end, use the pits to your advantage. This especially goes for the black-and-pink enemies with the long life bars.

In the second section, you'll be dealing with a bulldozer while punching out concrete walls. If the bulldozer gets too close, punch at it and you'll knock it back for a few seconds before it comes at you again. When you make it to the end, your special friend will run right into the wall and have a steel drum fall onto his head. Fun.

The third section is an elevator! Toss people into the right side of the screen to send them into the abyss! That will save you some time and unnecessary damage. This section is also the return of the martial arts guys, and these guys look a lot more Western and extreme than their Eastern counterparts from the second game.

When you reach the top of the building, you'll meet a clone of Axel. He dresses just like the real Axel, except his gloves and the stripes on his shoes are blue instead of red. He fights just like him, too, except he can walk backwards and he has some weird rushing attack where he puts two fingers to his forehead before he charges at you and then stops. He also does some weird front flip that changes into an aerial elbow drop.

As you damage him, his skin gets more and more red. When you finally beat him, you'll find out he was a robot the entire time.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 4 of 14

After fighting a mad circus clown and his trained kangaroo, we enter a dancehall. What strange oddities will we come across next?

Stage 2

(continued)

The bosses here are Mona and Lisa...a deadly upgrade to the Blaze twins from the first game. Not only do these guys somersault and jump kick, they can also kneel down and send shockwaves across the floor, throw wine glasses at you from above and even launch the other sister into the air towards you for a very high jump kick! Sidestep when they kneel down, and be sure to watch out when they hurricane kick their way across the screen together!

They also have another team attack where they send an even bigger shockwave across the room if they're right next to other, so keeping them apart is a good idea.

When you beat both of them, you'll find a note that tells you to inspect the new mall, before seeing a breaking news report that the Chief of Police has been kidnapped...and Axel is supposedly the last person to see him!

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 3 of 14

We cover the first half of Round 2 in this episode!

Stage 2

You'll be dealing with a lot of Signals and bikers in the first section. The green bikers have more health, and they are better dealt with with the regular jump attack instead of the Down+B attack in mid-air, since you have more range and you don't risk getting hit by the bikers on the way down.

The mini-boss here is Bruce the clown, and his kangaroo sidekick Roo. If you take Bruce down first, Roo will run away and you'll be able to play as him until you turn off the power. Watch out for Bruce's whip, as it has a fairly long range, and remember that if you're in close, that's when Roo can pack a punch!

The second section is the disco. The non-whip female enemies start showing up here, and they'll be dancing at the beginning...until you start beating down on them! The light show here can be somewhat of a distraction at times, so don't freak out if it goes dark for about a second.

If you're wondering what the stars do, they allow you to perform a hidden special move that require a six-button controller to pull off. To get one, you'll have to go a certain amount of time through the game without losing a life.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 2 of 14

Apparently the first level is no walk in the park...the game sends everything it can at you!

Stage 1

(continued)

As you continue through the second section of this stage, Shiva shows his ugly face again. This time around, though, he doesn't fight you right away. Instead, he sends a few thugs at you via the motorboat in the background. You'll also start meeting up with the bikers, too.

In the third section, you'll meet up with the new version of the whip girls. Not only do they look as trashy as ever, they have some new tactics, such as leaping backwards and kneeling down if you're nearby when they get up off the ground (which keeps you from hitting them until they're off their knees).

You'll fight Shiva afterwards, and he has the exact same moves as he did in Streets of Rage 2: the kick attacks, the throw, the grab attacks, everything. The only difference is, he's much easier (and much weaker) now. Use your dash and special attacks to take this guy out.

When Shiva falls, a guy on a jetpack comes to take him away. You haven't seen the last of him.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 3 - Part 1 of 14

Well, it's been a long time coming: the only game in the trilogy I haven't played. Let's see how this goes.

Mr. X and the Syndicate are at it once again.

From Birthofanova's description:

This is the American version, which was changed from the original Japanese version in a number of ways. First, the difficulty was ratcheted up. Next, they removed Ash, an atrocious (and yet funny) homosexual stereotype. They also changed the introduction and changed Axel's Grand Upper into a Bare Knuckle. Both version nerfed this move pretty heavily, so canceling into it really isn't effective any more.

Keep that in mind while playing this game.

They also changed the storyline of the third game and also changed the outfits of all the playable characters to different colors. If you're playing the Japanese version, they're the same as Bare Knuckle II. We Yanks got Blaze wearing silver and Axel dressing like Adam (kinda).

Weapons now have life meters of their own. When you hit someone with a weapon, the meter goes down. When it's depleted, the weapon can no longer be used. Gee, so much for having an equalizer through the entire stage. Weapons have their own special attacks...you can do a dashing bat attack, which is quite nice and can take out a few enemies in a single swing.

You can also dash with any character, and also roll to the side by double-tapping Up or Down.

Enemy AI is better. Galsias (now anglicized to "Garcia") will pick up knives, while numerous enemies will pick up health replenishing items off the ground and use them against you by consuming them themselves!

The new character, Zan, fights differently. If he grabs a weapon, he'll change it into energy, and he'll be able to use that energy as a projectile against the bad guys.

The most notable change, though, is the timer being replaced with a blue gauge with "OK" at the top. When it fills up, you'll get the "OK," which lets you use a special attack without wasting energy...as long as the meter is full. When you use one, the meter depletes and you'll have to wait for it to fill back up.

Stage 1

There's quite a few new moves in this one.

The Goldies (the blonde-haired punks in the red tanktops, also well known by their sunglasses) can block attacks, so watch out. The Zacks (the men in the bandannas) can grab you and headbutt you. Also, the G-Men (the guys in the suits and sunglasses) can shoot at you with a pistol from a long range, so carefully make your way up to them before you give them the beating of their lives.

In the second section, you'll meet one of the fat fire-breathing guys almost immediately. (Sheesh, the game wants you to be good at the second game as soon as you play it.) Unfortunately, you'll have to handle him this time around like you did in SoR1: you can't throw him and you can't suplex him. Keep that in mind. You'll be fighting quite a few of these along with some Galsias.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 8

Mr. X is about to get his. Again. And once again, it's not gonna be that easy!

Stage 8

First Section

Ground Level

You'll have to fight some robots again as soon as you begin the stage. Just when you thought your robot fighting days were over...

You'll also have to face R. Bear's palette-swapped relation, Bear Jr. (Is it his son? I dunno.) Hope you got that pipe from that enemy and brought it here, otherwise you'll be doing more moving than usual.

Second Section

Elevator

You'll be doing some more fighting here. You'll be stopping at three floors and fighting a mini-boss before you finally reach the top and meet Mr. X. After so much time, you finally fight a wrestler again! How about that?

When you reach the top, you'll finally meet Mr. X sitting in a chair just like in the last time...and he's not alone. He'll send out his new right-hand man, Shiva, after you.

Shiva is just nasty. Throwing him backwards will result in him landing on his feet, and he can throw you out of your own grabs! If he grabs you from the front, you can hit him out of it with the A button. He also has standing kicks, aerial chops, punches, jump kicks, somersaults and slide kicks as well, making him more than a worthy opponent for a penultimate boss.

Mr. X fights the same as he does in the last game: running around, shooting at you, trying to hit you with the butt of his gun. Same strategies from the last game apply: throw enemies at him, walk diagonally into him to grab him, and...this time...use your extended moveset to your advantage!

When you beat him, Adam Hunter is rescued and the city is safe yet again! You did it!

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 7

You thought the last few stages were hard? You haven't seen anything yet! We're headed back to the factory, and this time around the franticness of the music is at an all-time high!

Stage 7

First Section

Factory

You'll be beating up every enemy and mini-boss you've seen for the umpteenth time, and on the harder difficulties they really come out in numbers! Get all the power-ups, use the conveyor belts to your advantage, and wait for the bikers in the background to stop throwing their bombs!

Second Section

Elevator

There's a turkey hidden behind one of the domes, but wait until you really need it before you go get it. There are a lot of enemies here, and just like the elevator level in the last game, the enemies' life bars get bigger as you fight on. You'll be dealing quite a few enemies, and you'll be dealing with all the mini-bosses you didn't see in the first section again.

When the elevator makes it all the way up, you'll fight two robots, Particle and Molecule. If you grab them, make your attacks quick, as they [b]will[/b] shock you. Stay on the move so you don't get beaned with their eye laser when they line up with you, and watch out for the spiked ball that spins around when they stand still. When you defeat a robot, it explodes, so stay away from one when you destroy it.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 6

Despite how awesome the music sounds, the first section here is anything but fun and games. You're gonna meet a lot of kickboxers...

Stage 6

 

First Section

Beach

You'll meet a few ninjas at the beginning, but it's all fun and games until you reach the jungle. Then you'll meet three Muay Thai kickboxers! If you're able to grab one and throw him into the other two, it'll make a world of difference.

Second Section

Jungle Path

You'll fight a bunch of martial arts guys and Signals here. Using your Down+B aerial attack here and grabbing one of the Signals to throw them around works well in the diagonal corridor at the beginning.

Once you reach the straight end of the road, the bikers make their vengeful return here, so watch out for both the bikes and the bombs. You'll have to knock two bikers off of their rides, since they'll continuously run you over. All the while, you'll have to fight off both a fat guy and two dominatrixes.

When you reach the stronghold, you'll meet Souther (another Zamza clone) and Stealth (a jetpack guy). If you beat up Souther first, Stealth will instantly be defeated. If you need the extra points, though, Stealth isn't that hard to take out.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 5

Oh, boy. This is where the game really gets interesting.

Stage 5

First Section

Ship 1

Shortly after the beginning, you'll have to fight another fat guy. (By the way, the name "Heart" is actually a reference to Heart from Hokuto No Ken aka Fist of the North Star.) Then you'll have to fight another martial arts guy.

Second Section

Ship 2

No sooner do you start walking to the right that you'll meet another mini-boss: Raven. Raven is a kickboxer, and he has several buddies you'll meet later on that have bird-themed names, such as Bantam, Swallow and Eagle. Grabbing him can be kinda risky unless you walk diagonally into him, so take him on with your fists or a weapon instead. Once you're done with him, it's some more enemies as well as another Barbon clone.

Third Section

Ship Deck

There's a sword in the box at the beginning. If you can somehow keep it all the way to the end, it'll make the impending boss battle much easier. Thankfully, one of the ninjas near the end carries a sword in case you lose it, but it's the only other sword you're gonna get!

Before you can make it there, though, you'll have to fight another jetpack guy. (What's with the purple and white on some of these enemies, such as P. Signal, Jonathan, Brown and Mach? It's like one of the people who worked on the game really had a thing for Prince.)

Once you're done with Mach, it's more bikers. Some of them will pop out of the windows and throw bombs at you, making the way to the end much more dangerous.

When the boss music starts up, you'll have to beat down another fat guy before you can take on the real boss: R. Bear. He's a big, huge boxer and he can be a pain in the butt if you don't have a weapon. He has a jump attack that he'll use if you stand in one place for too long (it's pretty hard to dodge) and he'll punch you out with either a nice straight or a three-punch combo if he's lined up with you. Stay on the move with this guy and hit him from a distance if you can.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 4

This is one of my favorite levels in the game, if only because of the whole stadium thing going on. Also, Abadede is back, and he has more personality than in the last game! Wouldn't you know it?

Stage 4

First Section

Stadium Entrance

With the amusement park behind you (actually, it's in the background), it's time to take on the stadium. There isn't much here other than a bunch of enemies and a martial arts guy. Hopefully, you can find a pipe and smash your way through the entire section here.

Second Section

The Baseball Field

How does one get from the entrance to the stadium to the batbox in mere seconds? Darn you, Nintendo Logic!

You'll fight two more dominatrixes in this part. If you haven't seen it already, you'll see it now: these girls have another whip attack that shocks you like Blanka's electricity. Now this seemingly useful upgrade to mini-boss status looks worthy.

When you reach the baseball diamond, you'll meet Big Ben. He's just like the fat fire-breathing guys from the last game, except he has some more attacks, he's smaller, and he's a lot faster. Amazingly, you can perform throws and suplexes on these guys this time around. When you beat him, the whole area around the home plate becomes an elevator...

Third Section

Elevator

As this elevator goes down, you'll be fighting six martial arts guys amongst other shady characters. When you beat them all up, the elevator stops.

Fourth Section

Underground Fight Pit

Oh, boy.

Break the boxes to find a turkey if you need it, then meet Abadede. He still has that clothesline, but he also has some knife edge chops, a suplex, a dive attack, and even the ability to break out of grabs and damage you, which he can also use to evade certain attacks! He's not too hard with three life bars, but on harder difficulties (especially Mania), he'll have as many as five.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 3

We go through an amusement park and destroy every last creep. Hold on for the ride, because the graphics and music here are awesome.

Stage 3

First Section

Amusement Park 1

Nothing much here. Just a bunch of street punks and their sprite recolor friends hanging around and sleeping on benches. Destroy them all.
 

Second Section

Arcade

When I first played this game back in the seventh grade, I freaked out upon seeing this stage. "I get to beat people down in an arcade OMG OMG OMG!"

No, you're not seeing things. The arcade machines actually say "Bare Knuckle."

The arcade machines can be punched out to get some power-ups. (Good lord, the heroes have gotten stronger since last game. Seriously, they're destroying arcade machines in one hit?)
 

Third Section

Path to Pirates 1

Just some more bad guys. Nothing much else here.
 

Fourth Section

Path to Pirates 2

More bad guys, plus another martial arts guy at the end.

Fifth Section

Pirate Ship

Oh, boy. This is where things get interesting. After you fight a couple more enemies, you get to fight ninjas for the first time in the game. These guys are pretty fast and can run circles around you. They also have somersault jumps, jumping palm strikes, throw attacks, an aerial shuriken toss, the ability to use swords and kunai, and a weird standing movement where they do some ninja hand signal and warp their way around you, kinda like some Akuma-style teleport move you can't hit them out of. These guys can be tough, especially on the harder difficulties and later levels, where they can be out in force.

By the way, they say "nippo kagebushin" when they do that teleport thing. Just thought you'd like to know.

Sixth Section

Amusement Park 2

More enemies, plus another knife guy and another dominatrix. Hitting as many people as you can at one time definitely works here.
 

Seventh Section

Alien House

There are enemies hiding around here, so keep an eye out. When you punch the eggs to get power-ups, stay away from them for a second to keep from being damaged by the explosion.

Vehelits is a pretty weird mini-boss. It's nothing more than an alien head, and it can damage you as it moves across the screen, especially if you jump kick it. It's not very tough, though.

If you stand in the center of the area where you fight Vehelitz, move all the way down and press B to find a hidden 1-Up. Yeah, that helps.

The boss is Zamza. Unlike the claw guy from the last time, which looked somewhat like Freddy Krueger, this one looks a lot better...and he fights like Blanka! He'll somersault all over the screen, run towards you, suplex you, slide kick, uppercut you, scratch you with his claws...he's much more interesting compared to the first game.

If he ever runs towards you, using your Down+B attack in mid-air can stop him in his tracks, giving you an opportunity to grab him and do what you need to do.