PrinceWatercress plays Streets of Rage 2 - The Longplay

This is one of my better longplays, amazingly. Unlike the Let's Play, where I died a whole bunch of times, I only die a few times here and it's absolutely beautiful.

PrinceWatercress plays Streets of Rage 2 - Part 4 of 4

Whoever drew and animated Mr. X did a really good job. He looks very good in this game!

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 will 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.

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!

PrinceWatercress plays Streets of Rage 2 - Part 3 of 4

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.

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 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 dominatrices.

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. You'll probably be taking care of him first, anyway.

Streets of Rage 2 - Dreamer Acapella by Smooth McGroove

It was only a matter of time before Smooth McGroove showed up on this blog again.

Once again, feel free to play "find the cat."

PrinceWatercress plays Streets of Rage 2 - Part 2 of 4

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 "ninpou kage bushin" 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 potential 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 Kreuger, 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.

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 dominatrices 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 among 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! Line yourself up, hit one or two punches, then double-tap forward on the Control Pad and press B to do a dash attack to do some quick damage. He's not too hard with three life bars, but on harder difficulties (especially Mania), he'll have as many as five.

PrinceWatercress plays Streets of Rage 2 - Part 1 of 4

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.

Tool-Assisted Speedrun - Streets of Rage 2 GEN in 22:58 by Sonikkustar

Enjoy.

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.

Streets of Rage 2 Soundtrack: The Video

Here's the entire Streets of Rage 2 soundtrack in one video. You're welcome.

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.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 2

Hey, the bridge level...and this one from the first game didn't have motorcycle gangs and a huge fight taking place in a moving truck! Epic!

 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 will 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.

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.

Birthofanova plays Streets of Rage 2 - Stage 1

Say what? I'm covering the sequel?

AWWWWWWW YEAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

In all seriousness, this game improves on the sequel in just about every way, even though the team-up attacks are gone (don't worry, they come back in SoR3). This is one of the few sequels I've actually enjoyed.

By the way, BirthofaNova doesn't chicken out as much and he plays it on Normal, only to regret not playing it on a harder difficulty. Just wait until Streets of Rage 3, buddy, you'll be pleased with Normal like nothing else.

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 (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. If you stop it at exactly 1:30 on the video, you'll definitely notice it.

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!

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 eyepatch 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.

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 (more on that later).

Second Section

Bar

Love the music in this part. There is a slowed down version in the sound test, but it was 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, 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.