Streets of Rage 2 did a lot of things right. It did everything the
original did (and better), beefed up the graphics, tweaked the gameplay, but kept
everything that made the first game so great intact. The Game Gear version follows suit
exactly as described above. Taking one of three hardened street veterans (Sam is missing)
through multiple levels of beatings, you'll engage in nearly every battle from it's
console cousin.
Though the look of the game can by no means match the 64 colors of the Genesis version, what Sega has done easily makes this one of the best looking games on the system. There are colors in this game that no other game on the console uses. The backgrounds gleam with intensity on every level as do the characters. Animation is at times limited, but no flicker or slowdown ever makes an appearance. It's a true rarity on the console.
Yuzo Koshiro provided the soundtrack for this one and you can tell almost instantaneously. Even with the meager sound chip, the compositions sound great. The sound effects have been toned down drastically (no voices), but as far as Game Gear games go, this one does quite nicely.
With the two-buttons the system supplies, there are a massive amount of moves to perform. With an simple D-pad/button combo, you'll have no problem pulling off every move from the Genesis version (you can even flip out of throws). This surely helps keep away the feeling of repetition through the occasionaly long stages. Can't beat the game no matter what you do? Go co-op with a link cable.
This is how all ports should be. It retains everything we all know and love from the Genesis version. If you can't think of a reason to own a Game Gear, this is as good of a reason as you can get. It's a perfect road trip title, and the replay value stems from the simple fact that it's a wonderful game.
