Streets of Rage Remake

Last updated

Streets of Rage Remake
Streets of Rage Remake Official Logo.png
The logo of the fangame as originally displayed on the Bombergames forum, 2011
Director(s) Bomber Link
Composer(s)
  • Gecko Yamori
  • BGM1401
  • B-A-C
  • Groovemaster303
  • Naoki Kodaka
Series Streets of Rage (unofficial)
Platform(s)
ReleaseApril 3, 2011
Genre(s) Beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, two-player

Streets of Rage Remake is a fangame developed by a team under the leadership of a user under the alias of "Bomber Link." It was a remake of the original Streets of Rage trilogy, with usage of gameplay mechanics and original tone from the series combined with additions not previously present in the original games. The game was particularly large with the inclusions of many playable characters, gameplay stages, and remixes of official soundtracks from the original Streets of Rage games. The fan project first began on March 17, 2003, and was worked on by more than 20 people.

Contents

Streets of Rage Remake fully released on the Bombergames forum website in April 2011 for download on the Windows PC platform before the download links were taken down by the forum's moderators because of a cease and desist order by Sega. Despite this, the Bombergames team continued to update the game, releasing a few bug fix plus content addition updates years after the download link takedowns.

The fangame itself received positive receptions as an unofficial series entry, with critics arguing that it surpasses the original Streets of Rage games. As a result, they had also criticized Sega's legal actions against the developers of Streets of Rage Remake, accusing Sega of fearing its success and stating that their actions tainted the company's reputation. Critics of Sega's legal actions argued that the company could have taken advantage of the fan-made project to enhance positive relationships with the gaming community.

Gameplay and plot

Screenshot of a gameplay stage originally from Streets of Rage Streets of Rage Remake SoR Stage 1.png
Screenshot of a gameplay stage originally from Streets of Rage

Streets of Rage Remake is a fan-made homage to the original side-scrolling beat 'em up Streets of Rage trilogy, originally released for the Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Master System consoles. [1] The fangame aimed to remain loyal to the original series with responsive gameplay, consistent tone of the original games, and remixes of their soundtracks to evoke nostalgic responses from returning players while being distinct. [2] The fangame includes 19 playable characters, [1] most of whom were from the original trilogy, including hidden characters. [2] For instance, players are able to play as Adam, exclusively from Streets of Rage (1991) , with gameplay attributes from Streets of Rage 3 . Another playable character is the series' main antagonist Mr. X. [3] Streets of Rage Remake features 64 different enemy types, 83 remixes of the original games' official soundtracks, and 103 gameplay stages. [1] Also included in-game are 40 cutscenes, 8 endings, and additional game modes such as Survival Mode, Boss Rush Mode, Events Mode, and Volleyball Mode. [4] The likes of returning characters, remixes of the Streets of Rage trilogy's soundtracks, and multiple ingame pathways had previously been demonstrated in an early release of the fangame by 2007. [5] [6]

Streets of Rage Remake also contains gameplay features not originally present in the original games, such as new power-ups, bonus levels, an in-game shop to purchase items, and alternate level paths that players can choose from. [2] The remake additionally includes cut content from the official games, like the previously scrapped motorcycle stage gimmick found in the codes of Streets of Rage 3. [3]

Development and closure

Prior to the release of Streets of Rage 4 in 2020, [7] Sega released its last Streets of Rage franchise game in 1994, although it continued to rerelease the series on different ports. A development team, led by a Spanish developer named "Bomber Link" (known also as "Link"), began the Streets of Rage Remake project on March 17, 2003. [8] A 2007 interview of the lead developer of the fangame revealed that his name is Eduard Luna Bolano. [5] The team consisted of more than 20 collaborators and went through about 8 years recreating the game from scratch. According to Link on his website, the fangame used neither reverse engineering nor any code from the original games. They were assisted by five musicians for remixing the original series' soundtracks for the remake. Link noted on his website's FAQ that his team notified Sega about the game's development well in advance before its eventual release. [8] By the game's full release, Rock Paper Shotgun co-founder Alec Meer stated his concern that the fangame risks the provocation of copyright laws but expressed hope that it would remain because of it being apparently made from scratch and because its developers previously notified Sega about its existence. [9]

By early April 2011, the final version of Streets of Rage Remake released for the Windows PC platform on the Bombergames forums, the install file being free for download and measuring 218MB total. [1] At the time of its release, the fangame was at the development version "v5." [3] The game file was subsequently dispersed across various other download and torrent links. Sega then proceeded to take action against the availability of the unauthorized game. They first targeted Link's forums to shut down public access of the project. [8] The week after the game's release, Bombergames forums withdrew all available download links for the fan-made game. A moderator on the forums website wrote that Sega contacted the development team and then asked the forum members not to redistribute the game's install file for downloading, threatening to remove download links posted in the forums. The thread for discussing the Streets of Rage Remake was then locked. Kotaku writer Michael McWhertor suspected that it was only due to recent press of Streets of Rage Remake that Sega noticed its existence and took legal action. [10]

A Sega spokesperson sent an emailed statement to Wired UK , stating on behalf of the company that while Sega was interested in supporting interested fans by involving them in beta testing games and other game development jobs that they felt the need to defend their intellectual property rights, which therefore can result in them requesting people to take down copyright violations. Wired UK author Mark Brown stated in an edited comment that Sega released a mobile port of Streets of Rage 2 at the same time of the fanmade remake's takedown in a "rather suspicious timing." [8]

Despite the takedown of download links for Streets of Rage Remake in 2011, the Bombergames team continued to develop updates for the fangame, releasing v5.1 on the Bombergames forum a few years later to add in bug fixes and additional in-game content. [11] On November 16, 2020, they released v5.2, implementing a new intro plus other improved graphics, improved AI for more challenging gameplay, and new or modified soundtracks by BGM1401 before his death the same year. [12]

Reception

Early on, the early version of Streets of Rage Remake was well-received by the writers(s) of Diànzǐ Yóuxì Ruǎnjiàn in 2007, who spoke favorably of the project, noting that fans used their spare time to develop it for several years. They considered it to be a "masterpiece of extremely high quality" and noted that while certain features were not yet fully implemented, the player can still complete the game normally. [6]

The receptions to Streets of Rage Remake from 2011 onward were generally positive, with Mark Kretzschmar and Mel Stanfill stating that the game appealed to both gaming publications and the overall gaming community. [2] Book author Ken Bruno considered the fangame to have surpassed the original game trilogy and therefore be a blessing for the franchise's fans. [3] A composer of a fan remake of the game Penguin Adventure , going by the name "Gryzor87," listed Streets of Rage Remake as amongst his favorite "indie games," stating his opinion that it surpasses all other games ever produced by Sega. [13] An article about the Streets of Rage franchise in the magazine Revista OLD!Gamer said that Streets of Rage Remake is both the "definitive" Streets of Rage and an example of fans producing unofficial content for an otherwise dormant franchise. The article remarked that the Bombergames team achieved a satisfying level of gameplay quality that Sega at its current state could never possibly achieve. [14] Mega Visions writer going by the name "VirtuaDrew" gave praise to the option to readjust visual options or enable gameplay features. He argued that while the latter did upset the balance of the game itself, the fangame was more of a fan service than a serious game. He also gave praise to the remixes of the soundtracks as previously produced by the composer Yuzo Koshiro and the retaining of the retro game style but with visual enhancements. [15]

As a result of the positive reviews of the fangame, Sega's legal actions against it were criticized by the Streets of Rage franchise's fans. The writer(s) of Revista OLD!Gamer in 2015 accused Sega of potentially fearing the remake's success and free access and deciding to take "revolting, but understandable" actions against it. [14] Bruno said that Sega's actions against accessible downloads to the fangame tainted the reputation of the game company and gave it the reputation of the top killjoy of fanmade projects until Nintendo's actions against a fan remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus known as AM2R in 2016. He considered the history of Streets of Rage Remake to be a counterpart example to the success felt by Sonic Mania , which was developed by fans in cooperation with Sega. [3]

Analysis

The cease and desist order by Sega for download links for Streets of Rage Remake was analyzed by several authors of academic sources. Ontario Tech University faculty member Steven Downing stated his opinion that the gaming industry should be mindful of the role of "digital pirates" in spreading gaming culture plus archiving old video games and maintain good relationships with "retro gamers" in order to sustain an active gaming community. Rarely, he said, did the gaming industry follow such practices. Using the Streets of Rage Remake takedown as an example, he said that Sega's actions seemed counterproductive to the potential ability for game publishers to maintain positive relationships with both game collectors and players who pirate games because they were unable to afford them in order to create better subcultural capital for retro gaming. [16]

Kretzschmar and Stanfill also described the legal situation of Sega and the Streets of Rage fan remake. They questioned whether the developers behind Streets of Rage Remake could have defended their property as being of fair use under the US legal system, guessing that Bomber Link did not counter against Sega's legal action against his work because he did not have enough legal resources to do so. The cease and desist, the authors communicated, was an instance of fan-made content that "threatened" an industry because it was made without explicit permission despite positive fan appeals. They also argued that while Sega had the right to protect their intellectual property from infringing works, they could have better responded to Streets of Rage Remake filling in a market failure for stagnant franchises. They provided one alternate scenario that if the remake was popular, they could have considered it to be a canon remake and therefore encourage other modding projects for other franchises owned by Sega to increase further interest in Sega's franchises themselves. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Video game remake</span> Closely adapted game

A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software shares essentially the same title, fundamental gameplay concepts, and core story elements of the original game, although some aspects of the original game may have been changed for the remake.

Spiderweb Software is an independent video game developer founded in 1994 by Jeff Vogel in Seattle, Washington. Its primary focus is on creating demoware games for the Mac, Microsoft Windows, Android and the iPad. The games emphasize storytelling and turn-based gameplay and use a retro style of graphics.

<i>Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble</i> 1994 platform game

Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble is a 1994 platform game developed by Aspect and published by Sega for the Game Gear. It is the sequel to Sonic Chaos (1993) and features classic side-scrolling Sonic gameplay. The player controls either Sonic the Hedgehog or Miles "Tails" Prower as they venture to protect the powerful Chaos Emeralds from Doctor Robotnik, Knuckles the Echidna, and series newcomer Nack the Weasel. Sonic and Tails' unique abilities, as well as various power-ups, can assist the player in gameplay.

<i>Streets of Rage 3</i> 1994 video game

Streets of Rage 3 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up developed and published by Sega in 1994 for the Genesis. It is the third installment of the Streets of Rage series and the last game in the original trilogy. The game includes several changes over Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 2, such as a more complex plot, inclusion of character dialogue, longer levels, more in-depth scenarios and faster gameplay. Weapons can be integrated with unique moves with certain characters, hidden characters were added, and a few cutscenes were included to give the story greater depth.

<i>Sonic Gems Collection</i> 2005 compilation video game by Sega

Sonic Gems Collection is a 2005 compilation of Sega video games, primarily those in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The emulated games span multiple genres and consoles—from the Sega Genesis to the Sega Saturn—and retain the features and errors of their initial releases with minimal edits. Player progress is rewarded with demos of other Sonic games, videos, and promotional artwork spanning the history of the Sonic franchise. While its 2002 predecessor, Sonic Mega Collection, comprises popular Sonic games, Gems Collection focuses on more obscure games, such as Sonic CD (1993) and Sonic the Fighters (1996). Other non-Sonic games are included, but some, such as the Streets of Rage trilogy, are omitted in the Western localization.

<i>Streets of Rage 2</i> 1992 video game

Streets of Rage 2, known as Bare Knuckle II in Japan, is a 1992 side-scrolling beat 'em up video game published by Sega for the Genesis/Mega Drive. A sequel to Streets of Rage (1991), the characters Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding return while the game also introduces two new characters: Max Thunder, and Eddie "Skate" Hunter, the younger brother of Adam Hunter from the first game.

Cyber Troopers Virtual-On is a series of video games created by Sega AM3. The series was created by Juro Watari. The original series was first published for arcades in January 1996. The game features fast, action-oriented gameplay requiring quick reflexes. It has seen five installments to date and has been ported to several video game consoles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Retrogaming</span> Cultural activity with old video games

Retrogaming, also known as classic gaming and old school gaming, is the playing and collection of obsolete personal computers, consoles, and video games. Usually, retrogaming is based upon systems that are outmoded or discontinued, although ported retrogaming allows games to be played on modern hardware via ports or compilations. It is typically for nostalgia, preservation, or authenticity. A new game could be retro styled, such as an RPG with turn-based combat and pixel art in isometric camera perspective.

<i>Sonic the Hedgehog 2</i> 1992 video game

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is a 1992 platform game developed by Sega Technical Institute (STI) for the Sega Genesis. Players control Sonic as he attempts to stop Doctor Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds to power his space station. Like the first Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), players traverse side-scrolling levels at high speeds while collecting rings, defeating enemies, and fighting bosses. Sonic 2 introduces Sonic's sidekick Miles "Tails" Prower and features faster gameplay, larger levels, a multiplayer mode, and special stages featuring pre-rendered 3D graphics.

<i>Wonder Boy</i> Video game series

The Wonder Boy series, also known as the Monster World series, is a franchise of video games published by Sega and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment. Beginning with the original Wonder Boy arcade game released in April 21, 1986, the game has spawned several sequels released for arcade, Master System, and Sega Genesis, as well as three compilation titles and three remakes by other developers. Several titles have been ported to other consoles by different publishers under different names, most notably Hudson Soft's Adventure Island adaptation of the original game. The main character "Wonder Boy" was named Book by the developer and Tom-Tom by Sega for overseas editions.

Streets of Rage is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up video games. It centers on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to eliminate the fictional American metropolis of Wood Oak City from a crime syndicate that has corrupted its local government. The first three games in the franchise were developed and released by Sega for the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s and have since been ported and re-released on various platforms. A fourth entry was also released in 2020.

A fan game is a video game that is created by fans of a certain topic or IP. They are usually based on one, or in some cases several, video game entries or franchises. Many fan games attempt to clone or remake the original game's design, gameplay, and characters, but it is equally common for fans to develop a unique game using another as a template. Though the quality of fan games has always varied, recent advances in computer technology and in available tools, e.g. through open source software, have made creating high-quality games easier. Fan games can be seen as user-generated content, as part of the retrogaming phenomena, and as expression of the remix culture.

<i>Sonic After the Sequel</i> 2013 video game

Sonic After the Sequel is a 2013 platform video game created by Brazilian student Felipe Daneluz (LakeFeperd). It is an unofficial game based on the Sonic the Hedgehog series and set between the official games Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Daneluz's second Sonic game, it follows Sonic Before the Sequel, which is set between the original Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Like its predecessor, After the Sequel stars Sonic the Hedgehog and his sidekick Tails in a quest to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds from Doctor Eggman.

<i>Sonic Mania</i> 2017 video game

Sonic Mania is a 2017 platform game published by Sega for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. Produced in commemoration of the Sonic the Hedgehog series' 25th anniversary, Sonic Mania pays homage to the original Sega Genesis Sonic games, featuring speedy side-scrolling gameplay. It takes place over 13 levels, including several redesigned from past games. The story follows Sonic, Tails and Knuckles as they venture to defeat their nemesis Doctor Eggman and his robotic henchmen, the Hard-Boiled Heavies.

<i>DMCAs Sky</i> 2016 video game by ASMB Games

DMCA's Sky is a 2016 open world platform game developed by ASMB Games for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux. As No Mario's Sky, it was a fangame of both Super Mario Bros. and No Man's Sky.

<i>Wonder Boy: The Dragons Trap</i> 2017 video game

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is a platform action-adventure game developed by Lizardcube and published by Dotemu. The game is a remake of the 1989 game Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap, which was originally developed by Westone Bit Entertainment and published by Sega for the Master System as part of the Wonder Boy series. The game was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in April 2017, later releasing for Microsoft Windows in June 2017, macOS and Linux in July 2017, iOS and Android in May 2019, and Amazon Luna in October 2020. The game takes place after the ending of Wonder Boy in Monster Land, in which Wonder Boy has been cursed by the Mecha Dragon and must go on a quest to return to human form. In the game, players find items and clues needed to access different parts of Monster Land, and they can transform into other forms and gain different abilities.

Retro Engine Multiplatform game engine

The Retro Engine, also known as the Retro Software Development Kit, is a multiplatform game engine developed by Australian programmer Christian Whitehead, best known for its use in Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series.

<i>Streets of Rage 4</i> 2020 video game

Streets of Rage 4 is a side-scrolling beat 'em up game developed by Dotemu, Lizardcube, and Guard Crush Games and published by Dotemu. The game is a continuation of Sega's Streets of Rage trilogy, originally released for the Sega Genesis during the 1990s. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, Linux, and macOS, in 2020, for Stadia in 2021, and Android and iOS in 2022. Streets of Rage 4 received generally positive reviews and sold over 2.5 million copies by April 2021. An expansion, Mr. X Nightmare, was released in July 2021.

Tiago Lopes, better known as Tee Lopes, is a Portuguese-American composer primarily for video games. He is best known for his contributions for the Sonic the Hedgehog series beginning with the 2017 video game Sonic Mania.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Obsessive Streets Of Rage Remake Is Finally Finished". Kotaku Australia. 5 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Kretzschmar, Mark; Stanfill, Mel (2018). "Mods as Lightning Rods: A Typology of Video Game Mods, Intellectual Property, and Social Benefit/Harm". Social & Legal Studies. 28 (4). doi:10.1177/0964663918787221.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Bruno, Ken (6 December 2018). Ludothèque n°7: Streets of Rage: L'histoire d'une trilogie envoûtante! (in French). Third Éditions.
  4. ↑ Rose, Mike (12 April 2011). "Streets of Rage Fan Remake Taken Down At Sega's Request". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Streets of Rage Remake on the way". Play Magazine. Vol. 6, no. 1. January 2007. p. 97.
  6. 1 2 "Fighting Street: Streets of Rage". 电子游戏软件 (in Chinese). Vol. 203, no. 9. 2007. pp. 42–55.
  7. ↑ Biggs, Tim (29 April 2020). "Iconic brawler hits the streets again after 26 years". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on January 3, 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Mark (13 April 2011). "Sega shuts down monster Streets of Rage remake project". Wired. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  9. ↑ Meer, Alec (5 April 2011). "Pavements Of Anger: Streets Of Rage Remake". Rock Paper Shotgun . Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  10. ↑ "Fan-Made Streets Of Rage Remake Pulled After Request From Sega". Kotaku Australia. 12 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Hussain, Sajjad (29 January 2015). "Streets of Rage Remake – New version 5.1". Tech4Gamers. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "Streets of Rage Remake v5.2 Released". DiGiUP (in Russian). 24 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 November 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "[Interview:] gryzor87". RetroManiac (in Spanish). No. 6. May 2012. pp. 178–185.
  14. 1 2 "Streets of Rage: Punhos desnudos nas ruas de fúria". Revista OLD!Gamer. No. 25. 2015. pp. 12–27.
  15. ↑ VirtuaDrew (28 February 2019). "Remembering Remake: Streets of Rage Remake". Mega Visions. Archived from the original on 1 April 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  16. ↑ Downing, Steven (2011). "Retro Gaming Subculture and the Social Construction of a Piracy Ethic" (PDF). International Journal of Cyber Criminology. 5 (1): 750–772.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.