Sega's cult beat'em up: one street, fists flying, memorable soundtrack. The MS version loses some details but keeps the essence. Still a blast in two-player, even today.
Your verdict
Category
Beat-'Em-Up1 player12+
Description
Beat-'em-up featuring Axel, Blaze and Adam battling the city's gangs to restore safety. Published by Sega, released in Europe and Brazil in 1991. Three characters in side-scrolling view with punches and special techniques, two-player co-op and varied bosses. A Sega beat-'em-up masterpiece on Master System.
Streets of Rage review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
The conversion reduces the number of enemies on screen but keeps the essentials of the visual identity: neon-lit night streets, a lift, a beach, a bridge, with sprites smaller than on the home version yet with silhouettes intact. The palettes stay dark, which preserves the urban atmosphere and lets the heroes' light outfits stand out at all times.
Transposing Yuzo Koshiro's genius onto the console's chip, the music makes its house rhythms and dancing basslines pulse at the heart of the city. Even reduced, these urban themes keep an irresistible groove that charges every fight. This sonic punch, inherited from a classic, remains stunning on the machine.
Gameplay
"Solid"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Cleaning up the streets with your fists, grabbing a pipe and calling in a saving police strike: this urban beat-'em-up cuts straight to the joy of pummelling. The brisk progression, carried by an unforgettable electro soundtrack, never flags. Readable, punchy and cathartic, it leaves a mark from the very first level and calls for a two-player game.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
An 8-bit adaptation of Streets of Rage, Sega's urban beat'em up where Axel, Blaze and Adam clean up a crime-ridden city, published in Europe and Brazil. Its desirability rests on the prestige of this major Sega franchise, whose Master System version stays sought despite its technical limits, and a run including Brazil. Collectors prize this title for its belonging to a cult beat'em up saga.
Is Streets of Rage still worth playing in 2026?
A port of Sega's flagship beat them up, Streets of Rage sends Axel, Blaze and Adam to clean up the streets of a crime ridden city, with fists, kicks and special attacks. The 8 bit conversion, impressive for the machine, keeps the pace, the snap and the catchy soundtrack that built the series' reputation. Co-op is missing, but the stress relief pleasure stays intact. For a retro beat them up fan, a series fan or someone curious about Sega's 8 bit feats, the title keeps a remarkable energy and fighting pleasure.
