Streets of Rage

Streets of Rage 4 delivers a fun, traditional experience but prioritises nostalgia over any kind of modern reinvention.

Streets of Rage 4 expertly revives a beloved beat-'em-up franchise with great music, visuals, and most importantly, solid gameplay.

Glorious artwork and a fan's eye for detail combine for a sequel that manages to best its forebears.

Streets of Rage doesn't do much to innovate, but it's a beautiful brawler with just enough depth to stay engaging through multiple runs.

But Streets of Rage, as a series, is a time capsule from a different, simpler era. While it's blunt and repetitive, it also manifests a relaxing social space with ease. Call it video games as loitering. The music is as good as it's ever been in the series. The stages and characters are beautiful, reimagining the original trilogy's '90s locales and punk-inspired band of baddies in a way that stands up to those games without scarring modern eyes. The action itself is so simple that you can get lost in a conversation about, well, anything as you play.

Streets of Rage 4 is a fun stroll down memory lane, but it doesn't have enough depth to completely pull players in

For anyone hoping it would bring a little modern fluidity to a long-stagnant genre, you might have to moonwalk upwards from this one. But for Ragers, it’s a sturdy score-attacking blowout to while away some hours, perfecting your flying knees and enflamed uppercuts, arguing over who deserves the trash salad.

Streets of Rage 4 is an absolute triumph.

I will continue to play an absurd amount of this game in the years to come, and I’m glad to fit it into rotation when deciding which in the series I want to dive into with friends.

Streets of Rage 4 makes a valiant attempt to drag the old-school franchise into the modern age. We've ended up with a beautiful beat-'em-up that's perhaps a little too loyal to the original games, but is ultimately a blast to play, especially with others. The appeal might wear off after a little while due to repetitive gameplay, but it's a huge amount of fun while it lasts.