Difference between revisions of "Streets of Rage 3"

From Sega Retro

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{{cleanup|Information regarding cheats and unused content has either been duplicated from [[Streets of Rage 3/Hidden content]] or needs to be moved there. Also, all second-person terms need to be replaced with third-person ones. (i.e. replace "you" with "the player")}}
 
{{Bob
 
{{Bob
 
| bobscreen=streets_of_rage_3_title.png
 
| bobscreen=streets_of_rage_3_title.png
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{{company|[[Sega CS1]]|system=MD|role=art{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20210605201112/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/61429132331974656}}}}
 
{{company|[[Sega CS1]]|system=MD|role=art{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20210605201112/https://twitter.com/Mazin__/status/61429132331974656}}}}
 
{{company|[[M2]]|system=VC}}
 
{{company|[[M2]]|system=VC}}
−
| distributor={{company|[[SF Interactive Media]]|system=MD|region=SE rental}}
+
| distributor={{company|[[Ecofilmes]]|region=PT|system=MD}}
 +
{{company|[[SF Interactive Media]]|system=MD|region=SE rental}}
 +
{{company|[[Sega-Ozisoft]]|system=MD|region=AU}}
 +
{{company|[[Tec Toy]]|region=BR|system=MD}}
 +
{{company|[[Samsung]]|region=KR|system=MD}}
 
| system=[[Sega Mega Drive]], [[Virtual Console]], [[iOS]], [[Steam]]
 
| system=[[Sega Mega Drive]], [[Virtual Console]], [[iOS]], [[Steam]]
 
| sounddriver={{MD}} [[Ancient Music Driver MD]]
 
| sounddriver={{MD}} [[Ancient Music Driver MD]]
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| md_code_us=1539
 
| md_code_us=1539
 
| md_rating_us=ma13
 
| md_rating_us=ma13
 +
| md_date_us_sc=1994
 +
| md_rrp_us_sc=sub
 +
| md_rating_us_sc=
 
| md_date_eu=1994-07-22<!--1994-06{{magref|cvg|150|34}}{{magref|segamaguk|5|78}}-->
 
| md_date_eu=1994-07-22<!--1994-06{{magref|cvg|150|34}}{{magref|segamaguk|5|78}}-->
 
| md_code_eu=1539
 
| md_code_eu=1539
−
| md_date_uk=1994-07-22<!--1994-06{{magref|cvg|150|34}}{{magref|segamaguk|5|78}}-->
+
| md_date_uk=1994-07-22{{magref|ctw|496|8}}{{fileref|DailyMirror UK 1994-07-22 45.jpg}}<!--1994-04{{magref|segapro|31|10}}, 1994-06{{magref|cvg|150|34}}{{magref|segamaguk|5|78}}-->
 
| md_code_uk=1539
 
| md_code_uk=1539
 
| md_rrp_uk=59.99{{magref|cvg|153|50}}{{magref|segamaguk|5|78}}<!--49.99{{magref|megapower|10|43}}-->
 
| md_rrp_uk=59.99{{magref|cvg|153|50}}{{magref|segamaguk|5|78}}<!--49.99{{magref|megapower|10|43}}-->
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==Story==
 
==Story==
−
The city of Wood Oak recently experienced a cataclysmic event. An experimental weapon called "Rakushin" detonated in the city's suburbs, causing the deaths of 30000 people and wounded 80000 more. Alarmed with this terrifying event, Police Department assigns two of their top detectives, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, two of the heroes who saved the city in the past, to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.
+
The city of Wood Oak recently experienced a cataclysmic event. An experimental weapon called "Raxine" detonated in the city's suburbs, causing the deaths of 30000 people and wounded 80000 more. Alarmed with this terrifying event, Police Department assigns two of their top detectives, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, two of the heroes who saved the city in the past, to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.
  
 
Meanwhile, tension rises in the Lima Region, inhabited by a number of nations looking for an excuse to start a war. One of the representatives of the Lima countries, General Ivan Petrov has been invited to the White House for peace talks but now he is reported missing.  
 
Meanwhile, tension rises in the Lima Region, inhabited by a number of nations looking for an excuse to start a war. One of the representatives of the Lima countries, General Ivan Petrov has been invited to the White House for peace talks but now he is reported missing.  
  
−
Soon after these events, Axel and Blaze were contacted by a mysterious man named Gilbert Zan, who claims to be the man who invented the Rakushin. Zan claims that his research is being used by the powers who intend to use it for destructive purposes. But can he be trusted?
+
Soon after these events, Axel and Blaze were contacted by a mysterious man named Gilbert Zan, who claims to be the man who invented Raxine. Zan claims that his research is being used by the powers who intend to use it for destructive purposes. But can he be trusted?
  
 
Is the horrible attack that took place in Wood Oak City somehow connected to the conflict brewing in Lima? Why General Petrov is missing? The timing is very suspicious. Is someone using the Wood Oak City as a testing ground for their new weapons? Are Lima countries potential buyers?
 
Is the horrible attack that took place in Wood Oak City somehow connected to the conflict brewing in Lima? Why General Petrov is missing? The timing is very suspicious. Is someone using the Wood Oak City as a testing ground for their new weapons? Are Lima countries potential buyers?
Line 153: Line 161:
  
  
−
The element Rakushin is written in katakana in Japanese, suggesting that it is a name borrowed from another language. But a guess would hint at the fact that it could be actually derived from the word 烙心 i.e. burning core.
+
The element Raxine is written in katakana in Japanese and was originally assumed to be "Rakushin" per the fan translation ROM hack. The word is not written in a Latin alphabet language anywhere in game or in the instruction manual. Despite this, the term "Raxine" is used in the English translation of ''[[Project X Zone 2]]'', but left as "Rakushin" in the setting of ''[[Streets of Rage 4]]''.
  
 
==Gameplay==
 
==Gameplay==
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Like its predecessor, [[Motohiro Kawashima]] also contributed to the game's soundtrack.
 
Like its predecessor, [[Motohiro Kawashima]] also contributed to the game's soundtrack.
  
−
There are several inside jokes in the game. In the overseas versions, Axel screams "Bare Knuckle" during his blitz (running attack). Bare Knuckle is the original Japanese name of the Street of Rage.
+
There are several inside jokes in the game. In the overseas versions, Axel screams "Bare Knuckle" instead of "Ground Upper" (Like in the Japanese version and Streets of Rage 2) during his blitz (running attack). Bare Knuckle is the original Japanese name of the Street of Rage.
  
 
Boss of the 4th level, Yamato yells "Mijin" when defeated and blows himself to pieces. This is a reference to a ninja magic in Revenge of the Shinobi and Shinobi III, which has the same animation and name. Unlike its Shinobi version, Yamato's Mijin does not help him to defeat the heroes.
 
Boss of the 4th level, Yamato yells "Mijin" when defeated and blows himself to pieces. This is a reference to a ninja magic in Revenge of the Shinobi and Shinobi III, which has the same animation and name. Unlike its Shinobi version, Yamato's Mijin does not help him to defeat the heroes.
  
 
==Versions==
 
==Versions==
−
''Streets of Rage 3'' is a controversial game among many thanks to [[Sega of America]]'s heavy-handed localization policies of the era. Unlike previous releases, the differences between ''Bare Knuckle III'' and ''Streets of Rage 3'' are extremely obvious, involving the removal of features, a vastly different story (riddled in plotholes and missing scenes), and a higher level of difficulty (made worse by the fact that on the "easy" setting, the overseas release will stop after stage 5). Reasons for this massive spike in difficulty for overseas versions are unknown. (During the mid 90s and early 20s, this trend of increasing difficulty was quite common among American publishers who, for some reason, believed that Japanese games were too easy for "hardcore" western gamers. Many other overseas ports, such as Devil May Cry for Playstation 2 also received a similar treatment.)
+
''Streets of Rage 3'' is a controversial game among many thanks to [[Sega of America]]'s heavy-handed localization policies of the era. Unlike previous releases, the differences between ''Bare Knuckle III'' and ''Streets of Rage 3'' are extremely obvious, involving the removal of features, a vastly different story (riddled in plotholes and missing scenes), and a higher level of difficulty (made worse by the fact that on the "easy" setting, the overseas release will stop after stage 5). Reasons for this massive spike in difficulty for overseas versions are unknown. During the mid 90s and early 2000s, this trend of increasing difficulty was quite common among American publishers who, for some reason, believed that Japanese games were too easy for "hardcore" western gamers. Many other overseas ports, such as ''Devil May Cry'' for the [[PlayStation 2]], also received a similar treatment.
  
−
Of particular note is the use of "gender-neutral colors" (whatever that means) amongst the character sprites, which leads to inconsistencies with both ''Streets of Rage'''s cover art (in all regions) and the designs in previous games. Scantily clad female characters were covered up an entire miniboss (Ash) was removed due to his perceived homosexuality. These and other changes ultimately hurt critical reception in Europe and North America, with some reviewers urging ''Streets of Rage'' series fans to import ''Bare Knuckle III'' or skip this title entirely.
+
Of particular note is the use of "gender-neutral colors" amongst the character sprites, which leads to inconsistencies with both ''Streets of Rage'''s cover art (in all regions) and the designs in previous games. Scantily clad female characters were covered up, and an entire miniboss (Ash) was removed due to his perceived homosexuality. These and other changes ultimately hurt critical reception in Europe and North America, with some reviewers urging ''Streets of Rage'' series fans to import ''Bare Knuckle III'' or skip this title entirely.
  
−
An interesting thing to note is the cover of the EU version, which is actually used by Mean Machines Sega magazine which featured the game. Sega of Europe loved the cover art so much, they purchased the rights to use it for the EU version's packaging.
+
An interesting thing to note is the cover of the EU version, which was actually first used by an issue of ''[[Mean Machines Sega]]'' which featured the game. Sega of Europe loved the cover art so much, they purchased the rights to use it for the EU version's packaging.
 +
 
 +
For years, the Japanese ROM remained unaltered until its re-release on the international versions of [[Mega Drive Mini 2]], where the second segment of Stage 1 with Ash as a mid-boss is skipped{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20220820060251/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000004685.000005397.html}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20221027114543/https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022/10/sega-removes-controversial-character-from-bare-knuckle-3-on-mega-drive-mini-2}} with no further reason given, also rendering said character being unplayable through cheat codes.
  
 
Today, [http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1375/ an unofficial fan translation] is available for the ''Bare Knuckle III'' ROM, whose script was used with the permission of the original author. Other hacks bring back the lost motorbike stages and additional areas of round 6 which were originally removed in the western releases of the game.
 
Today, [http://www.romhacking.net/trans/1375/ an unofficial fan translation] is available for the ''Bare Knuckle III'' ROM, whose script was used with the permission of the original author. Other hacks bring back the lost motorbike stages and additional areas of round 6 which were originally removed in the western releases of the game.
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==Production credits==
 
==Production credits==
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Production credits}}
 
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Production credits}}
−
===''Bare Knuckle III''===
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
{{creditstable|
 
−
*'''Producer:''' [[Ossiy]], [[Noriyuki]]
 
−
*'''Director:''' [[Yui]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Planner}}
 
−
*'''Main Planner:''' [[Wanta|Wanter]]
 
−
*'''Shinkon Planner:''' [[Zozo]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Designer}}
 
−
*'''Total Design:''' [[Seishi Atsumiya|Seisi Atumiya]]
 
−
*'''Mechanic Design:''' [[Ryuichiro Kutsuzawa|Ryuryu]]{{ref|https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%93%E6%BE%A4%E9%BE%8D%E4%B8%80%E9%83%8E}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200202105531/http://w01.tp1.jp/~a303594771/list.html}}{{ref|https://twitter.com/okunari/status/659617189545140228}}{{ref|https://vgdensetsu.tumblr.com/post/178315277068/ry%C5%ABichir%C5%8D-kutsuzawa-%E6%B2%93%E6%BE%A4-%E9%BE%8D%E4%B8%80%E9%83%8E-sometimes-credited}}
 
−
*'''Character Design:''' [[Ryo Kudou|...]], [[Ryuichiro Kutsuzawa|Ryuryu]],{{ref|https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%B2%93%E6%BE%A4%E9%BE%8D%E4%B8%80%E9%83%8E}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20200202105531/http://w01.tp1.jp/~a303594771/list.html}}{{ref|https://twitter.com/okunari/status/659617189545140228}}{{ref|https://vgdensetsu.tumblr.com/post/178315277068/ry%C5%ABichir%C5%8D-kutsuzawa-%E6%B2%93%E6%BE%A4-%E9%BE%8D%E4%B8%80%E9%83%8E-sometimes-credited}} [[Kaseizin]], [[Jun Matsuo|Juntaro]], [[Ma‑Kun]]
 
−
*'''Scene Design:''' [[Kazuyuki Iwasawa|Kaz Ewasawa]], [[Noomin]], [[Kanjii]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Programer}}
 
−
*'''Main Program:''' [[Hiroshi Momota|Momonga Momo]]
 
−
*'''Enemy Program:''' [[Takosuke]], [[Chata]], [[Nagisa]], [[Mr・Nobody]]
 
−
*'''Scene Program:''' [[Atsutoshi Takahashi|Tonsyun]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Sound}}
 
−
*'''Sound Producer:''' [[Yuzo Koshiro]]
 
−
*'''Sound Composer:''' [[Motohiro Kawashima]]
 
−
*'''Sound Programer:''' [[Akira Koyama]]
 
−
<br>
 
−
*'''Voice:''' [[Saru Man]], [[Elilin]], [[Kami]], [[Hamako]], [[Yossy]]
 
−
*'''Special Thanks:''' Say A, [[Tetsu Katano|Tetsu]], O Kitaoka, [[Katsuhiro Hasegawa|Hassy]], Todoroki Taiyo, [[Miya]], Koromi, Four
 
−
*'''Produced by:''' [[Sega]]
 
−
| console=MD
 
−
}}
 
−
}}
 
−
 
−
The following real names are known; the pseudonym is unknown:
 
−
{{creditstable|
 
−
*'''Program:''' [[Akio Setsumasa]]
 
−
| source=Developer mentions{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20220514103807/https://cedil.cesa.or.jp/cedil_sessions/view/1}}{{ref|https://web.archive.org/web/20231120111726/https://we-are-vanadiel.finalfantasyxi.com/post/?id=445}}
 
−
| console=MCD
 
−
}}
 
−
 
−
===''Streets of Rage 3''===
 
−
{{multicol|
 
−
{{creditstable|
 
−
*'''Producers:''' [[Ossiy]], [[Noriyuki]], [[Max Taylor]]
 
−
*'''Director:''' [[Yui]]
 
−
*'''Product Manager:''' [[France Tantiado]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Planning}}
 
−
*'''Main Planner:''' [[Wanta|Wanter]]
 
−
*'''Assistant Planner:''' [[Zozo]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Design}}
 
−
*'''Concept Designer:''' [[Seishi Atsumiya|Seisi Atumiya]]
 
−
*'''Animation Designer:''' [[Ryuichiro Kutsuzawa|Ryuryu]]
 
−
*'''Character Designers:''' [[Ryo Kudou|...]], [[Ryuichiro Kutsuzawa|Ryuryu]], [[Kaseizin]], [[Jun Matsuo|Juntaro]], [[Ma‑Kun]]
 
−
*'''Background Designers:''' [[Kazuyuki Iwasawa|Kaz Ewasawa]], [[Noomin]], [[Kanjii]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Programming}}
 
−
*'''Lead Programmer:''' [[Hiroshi Momota|Momonga Momo]]
 
−
*'''Character Programmers:''' [[Takosuke]], [[Chata]], [[Nagisa]], [[Mr・Nobody]]
 
−
*'''Background Programmer:''' [[Atsutoshi Takahashi|Tonsyun]]
 
−
{{creditsheader|Music}}
 
−
*'''Music Producer:''' [[Yuzo Koshiro]]
 
−
*'''Music Composer:''' [[Motohiro Kawashima]]
 
−
*'''Music Programmer:''' [[Akira Koyama]]
 
−
*'''Sound Effects:''' [[Saru Man]], [[Elilin]], [[Kami]], [[Hamako]], [[Yossy]]
 
−
<br>
 
−
*'''Special Thanks to:''' Say A, [[Tetsu Katano|Tetsu]], O Kitaoka, [[Katsuhiro Hasegawa|Hassy]], Todoroki Taiyo, [[Miya]], Koromi, Four, [[Steve Burton]], [[James Spahn]], Shinobu Yokoyama, [[Marianne Arotzarena]], [[David Javelosa]], [[Stewart Kosoy]], [[Adam Sevillia]]
 
−
*'''Game Testing:''' [[Julio Martinez]], [[Lancelot Nelson|Lance Nelson]], [[Jeff Junio]], [[Atom Ellis]], [[Jason Kuo]], [[Ty Johnson]], [[Daniel P. Dunn|Daniel Dunn]], [[Joe Cain]], [[Tony Lynch]], [[Siegie Stangenberg]], [[Rick Greer]], [[Harry Chavez]], [[Simon Lu]], [[Greg Watkins]], David Martin, [[Maria Tuzzo]], [[Christine Watson]], [[Jeff Todd]], [[Greg Becksted]], [[Vy Nong]], [[Ivan Foong]], [[Kurt Tindle]], [[Terry Thomas]], [[Alex Villagran]], [[Sam Saliba]], [[Michael Williams]], [[Wesley Gittens]], [[Kim Rogers]], [[Greg Fleming]], [[Fernando Valderrama]], [[Rey Alferez|Ray Alferez]], [[Mark Subotnick]]
 
−
*'''Produced by:''' [[Sega]]
 
−
| source=In-game credits
 
−
| pdf=Streets of Rage 3 MD credits.pdf
 
−
| console=MD
 
−
}}
 
−
}}
 
  
 
==Digital manuals==
 
==Digital manuals==
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| console=Mega Drive
 
| console=Mega Drive
 
| region=PT
 
| region=PT
−
| cover=SoR3 MD PT cover.jpg
+
| front=SoR3 MD PT cover.jpg
 +
| back=SoR3 MD PT box back.jpg
 +
| spinemissing=yes
 +
| cart=Sor3 md eu cart.jpg
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
| console=Mega Drive
 
| console=Mega Drive
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}}{{Scanbox
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
| console=Mega Drive
 
| console=Mega Drive
−
| region=SE rental (HENT orange)
+
| region=SE (rental; [[Hent Gruppen|Hent]]; orange)
 
| cover=SoR3 MD SE Box Rental.jpg
 
| cover=SoR3 MD SE Box Rental.jpg
 
| cart=
 
| cart=
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
}}{{Scanbox
 
| console=Mega Drive
 
| console=Mega Drive
−
| region=SE rental (SF)
+
| region=SE (rental; [[SF Interactive Media|SF]])
 
| cover=SoR3 MD SE Box Rental ALT.jpg
 
| cover=SoR3 MD SE Box Rental ALT.jpg
 
| cart=
 
| cart=

Latest revision as of 08:26, 14 November 2024

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This article needs to be edited to conform to a higher standard of article quality. After the article has been cleaned up, you may remove this message. For help, see the How to Edit a Page article.

Further information: Information regarding cheats and unused content has either been duplicated from Streets of Rage 3/Hidden content or needs to be moved there. Also, all second-person terms need to be replaced with third-person ones. (i.e. replace "you" with "the player")

n/a

  • NTSC-U
  • NTSC-J

Streets of rage 3 title.png

BareKnuckleIII MD JP Title.png

Streets of Rage 3
SoR3 iOS icon.png
System(s): Sega Mega Drive, Virtual Console, iOS, Steam
Publisher: Sega
Developer:
Distributor:
Sega Mega Drive
Ecofilmes (PT)
Sega Mega Drive
SF Interactive Media (SE rental)
Sega Mega Drive
Sega-Ozisoft (AU)
Sega Mega Drive
Tec Toy (BR)
Sega Mega Drive
Samsung (KR)
Sound driver:
Sega Mega Drive
Ancient Music Driver MD
Peripherals supported: Six Button Control Pad, Activator
Genre: Action[2][3][4]

















Number of players: 1-2
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP 		¥7,8007,800 G-4116
Sega Mega Drive
US 		$59.9959.99[7] 1539
Videogame Rating Council: MA-13
Sega Mega Drive
US ▼
(Sega Channel) 		SUBsub
Sega Mega Drive
EU 		1539
Sega Mega Drive
DE 		DM 150150 1539
Sega Mega Drive
PT 		MDJ1539
Sega Mega Drive
UK 		£59.9959.99[10][11] 1539
Sega Mega Drive
SE
(Rental)
Sega Mega Drive
AU 		$129.95129.95[12] FSTR02SMC
OFLC: M15
Sega Mega Drive
BR 		047060
Tectoy: 13+
Sega Mega Drive
KR 		GM94005JG
Sega Mega Drive
AS 		G-4116
Wii Virtual Console
JP ▼ 		600pts600[14]
CERO: B
Wii Virtual Console
US ▼ 		800pts800[15]
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Wii Virtual Console
EU ▼ 		800pts800[16]
PEGI: 7+
Wii Virtual Console
AU ▼ 		800pts800[18]
OFLC: Parental Guidance (PG)
iOS
JP ▼ 		¥333 (350)350i[21]
iOS
US ▼ 		$2.992.99[20]
9+
iOS
EU ▼ 		€2.392.39[19]
9+
iOS
UK ▼ 		£1.991.99
Steam
US ▼ 		$2.992.99[23] 211206
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Steam
EU ▼ 		€2.492.49[23] 211206
PEGI: 12+
Steam
DE ▼ 		€2.492.49[23] 211206
USK: 12
Steam
UK ▼ 		£1.991.99[23] 211206
PEGI: 12+
Steam
AU ▼ 		$3.493.49[23] 211206
OFLC: Parental Guidance (PG)
Steam Linux
US ▼ 		$0.990.99[25] 211206
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Steam Linux
EU ▼ 		€0.990.99[25] 211206
PEGI: 12+
Steam Linux
DE ▼ 		€0.990.99[25] 211206
USK: 12
Steam Linux
UK ▼ 		£0.790.79[25] 211206
PEGI: 12+
Steam Linux
AU ▼ 		$1.351.35[25] 211206
OFLC: Parental Guidance (PG)
Steam OS X
US ▼ 		$0.990.99[25] 211206
ESRB: Everyone 10+
Steam OS X
EU ▼ 		€0.990.99[25] 211206
PEGI: 12+
Steam OS X
DE ▼ 		€0.990.99[25] 211206
USK: 12
Steam OS X
UK ▼ 		£0.790.79[25] 211206
PEGI: 12+
Steam OS X
AU ▼ 		$1.351.35[25] 211206
OFLC: Parental Guidance (PG)

Streets of Rage 3, called Bare Knuckle III (ベアナックルIII) in Japan, is a side-scrolling beat 'em up released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive. It is the third and final part of the Streets of Rage trilogy, and a direct sequel to Streets of Rage 2.

Story

The city of Wood Oak recently experienced a cataclysmic event. An experimental weapon called "Raxine" detonated in the city's suburbs, causing the deaths of 30000 people and wounded 80000 more. Alarmed with this terrifying event, Police Department assigns two of their top detectives, Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, two of the heroes who saved the city in the past, to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice.

Meanwhile, tension rises in the Lima Region, inhabited by a number of nations looking for an excuse to start a war. One of the representatives of the Lima countries, General Ivan Petrov has been invited to the White House for peace talks but now he is reported missing.

Soon after these events, Axel and Blaze were contacted by a mysterious man named Gilbert Zan, who claims to be the man who invented Raxine. Zan claims that his research is being used by the powers who intend to use it for destructive purposes. But can he be trusted?

Is the horrible attack that took place in Wood Oak City somehow connected to the conflict brewing in Lima? Why General Petrov is missing? The timing is very suspicious. Is someone using the Wood Oak City as a testing ground for their new weapons? Are Lima countries potential buyers?

Too many questions, too little time. Every second wasted brings the city one step closer to disaster. The lives of the citizens under your protection, and possibly, millions of others are hanging in balance.

Bring the situation under control.


The element Raxine is written in katakana in Japanese and was originally assumed to be "Rakushin" per the fan translation ROM hack. The word is not written in a Latin alphabet language anywhere in game or in the instruction manual. Despite this, the term "Raxine" is used in the English translation of Project X Zone 2, but left as "Rakushin" in the setting of Streets of Rage 4.

Gameplay

Streets of Rage 3 aimed to build on the success of its predecessor, so while the style of gameplay and control scheme is largely identical to its predecessors, significant changes were made to the overall structure of the game. Streets of Rage 3 is a faster-paced release with longer levels, a more complex plot (which in turn leads to more in-depth scenarios complete with interactive levels and multiple endings), and the return of traps such as pits. Dash and dodge moves were added to each character's arsenal of moves, and weapons can now only be used for a few times before breaking.

Changes to the fighting mechanics allow for the integration of weapons with certain movesets. Team attacks, absent from Streets of Rage 2 but available in the original Streets of Rage, make a return, and are occasionally used by enemies too. Blitz moves, performed while running, have also been altered and are now upgradable over the course of the game (predicated on how many points are earned per level). The current grade of the blitz move is given by the number of stars appearing below the user's health bar, from none to three. Death causes a downgrade, however holding the X button before a series of button combinations can give players access to the upgraded moveset at any point in the game, at the expense of the time taken to perform attacks.

Enemies are also smarter with weapons, and some can even steal health upgrades, and there are also several secret playable characters, unlockable after overcoming certain conditions during the game. Special moves also no longer drain the user's health - a separate, automatically regenerating bar is introduced for this purpose.

Either by design choice or oversight, back attacks (Z button or B+C button) give a very high amount of score in relation to the damage they do. Score-focused gameplay, therefore, focuses on (ideally only consists of) back attacks. This is different from the prequel, where throws gave the highest amount of score.

Playable characters

Main article: Streets of Rage 3/Playable characters.

The attack names given in the below table are those listed on the back side of the poster coming with the Japanese release. The Western edition simply lists generic names.

Yuzo Koshiro revealed at the 30th anniversary of the 1st SoR that, although the American manual of SoR2 names Axel's blitz move as Grand Uppercut, he really wanted to render Ground Upper in the Japanese manual[26].


SoR3 Sprite Portraits.png
 Axel Stone
Occupation: Police Detective - Special Investigations Division, Martial Artist


  • Blitz: Ground Upper
  • Special Blitz 1: Extra Ground Upper X Right Right
  • Special Blitz 2: Ground Hook X Down Right
  • Special Blitz 3: Ground Hurricane X Left Down Right
  • Stationary Special: Dragon Wing
  • Directed Special: Dragon Smash


  • Blitz with katana: Rising Slash
  • Directed Special with katana: Sword Blast
  • Blitz with plank, pipe or bat: Power Strike


  • Special (cheat mode): Quadruple Ground Hurricane + Dragon Wing combo

A cheat code allows Axel to do an alternative special attack, replacing both the regular special and forward special moves. On the select screen, select Axel with C and when the message Round 1 Start/Stage 1 Start appears, do a clockwise motion on the D-pad quickly (about two completed circles per second) until the first stage begins and Axel appears on-screen. Press A to execute this new special attack.


Axel can get two other alternative regular attacks:

  • Score more than 10,000 points with Axel and lose all your life. On the name entry screen, enter "SUP". A sound should chime confirming that the cheat code worked. After selecting Axel again, he will be able to do a lighning-fast combo by pressing BBBBB, composed of 2 jabs, several hooks and 2 kicks.
  • Score more than 10,000 points and lose all your life. On the name entry screen, enter "H M" with a blank in the middle. A sound should chime confirming that the cheat code worked. After selecting Axel again, he will be able to do lighning-fast kicks by pressing B.

If you already have Axel with the cheat mode special attack, you can also activate one of the two above cheat code to cumulate two alternative moves.

SoR3 Sprite Portraits.png
 Blaze Fielding
Occupation: Police Detective - Special Investigations Division, Judoka


  • Blitz: Hishou Souzan 飛翔双斬
  • Special Blitz 1: Chou Hishou Souzan 超飛翔双斬 X Right Right
  • Special Blitz 2: Shouka Souzan 昇華双斬 X Right Up
  • Special Blitz 3: Shouka Souzan Ha 昇華双斬破 X Down Right Up
  • Stationary Special: Embukyaku 円舞脚
  • Directed Special: Kikou Shou 気功掌


  • Blitz with knife: Suisei Shouzan 慧星昇斬
  • Directed Special with knife: Hyakka Retsuzan 百華烈斬
  • Blitz with katana: Kikou Ken 気功剣


Blaze is the only playable character without any cheat codes to get alternative moves.

SoR3 Sprite Portraits.png
 Eddie "Skate" Hunter (EN) / Sammy Hunter (JP)
Occupation: High School Student


  • Blitz: Dynamite Head Butt
  • Special Blitz 1: Super Dynamite Head Butt X Right Right
  • Special Blitz 2: Rolling Head Butt X Right Down
  • Special Blitz 3: Rolling Head Butt Thunder X Up Right Left
  • Stationary Special: Double Spin Kick
  • Directed Special: Nakijyakuri Punch 泣きじゃくりパンチ


  • Blitz with plank, pipe or bat: Home Run Upper
  • Directed Special with plank, pipe or bat: Spinning Blaster
  • Blitz with knife: Ningen Missile 人間ミサイル


A cheat code allows Skate to get a more powerful punch. When the first stage starts, lose a life with Skate without scoring any points. Press B to execute this new lightning-fast punch.

SoR3 Sprite Portraits.png
 Dr. Gilbert Zan
Occupation: Former Military Scientist, Syndicate Defector, Cyborg


  • Blitz: Vernier Tackle
  • Special Blitz 1: Mach Tackle X Right Right
  • Special Blitz 2: Mach Booster X Left Up
  • Special Blitz 3: Hyper Booster X Up Left Right
  • Stationary Special: Power Spark
  • Directed Special: Thunder Bolt


  • Blitz with any weapons: Energy Shot (faster and weaker version, some weapons provide enough energy to toss several balls)
  • Directed Special with any weapons: Energy Shot (slower and stronger version, some weapons provide enough energy to toss several balls)


A cheat code allows Zan to get a more powerful punch. On the select screen, select Zan with C and when the message Round 1 Start/Stage 1 Start appears, hold C on both controllers until the first stage begins and Zan appears on-screen. Press B to execute this new lightning-fast punch.

SoR3 Sprite Portraits.png
 Roo (EN) / Victy (JP)
Occupation: Pet Kangaroo


There are two ways to select Roo / Victy:

  • When fighting the mid-boss of stage 2, defeat the clown Bruce (EN) / Danch (JP) without killing Roo / Victy. He will run away and become selectable by the players after losing all their life. Joining players will be able to select him directly.
  • On the title screen, hold Up+B then press  START . Roo / Victy should appear on the character select screen.
SoR3 Sprite Portraits.png
 Shiva (Cheat only, Non-Canon)
Occupation: Syndicate Member, Close Associate of Mr X


Right after beating Shiva at the end of stage 1, hold B until the next level begins. He will become selectable by the players after losing all their life. Joining players will be able to select him directly.

SoR3 Ash portrait.png
 Ash (Cheat only, Non-Canon)
Occupation: Syndicate Member and overall fabulous person


Right after beating Ash as the mid-boss of stage 1 on the Japanese version of the game, hold A until the next section of the first level begins. He will become selectable by the players after losing all their life. Joining players will be able to select him directly.

Items

Players can pick some items up to help them going through the enemies:

SoR3-Apple-Sprite.png
 Apple
Refills a 1/3 of your life gauge
SoR3-RoastChicken-Sprite.png
 Roast Chicken
Completely fills your life gauge
SoR3-1Up-Sprite.png
 1 Up
Adds an extra life
SoR3-CashBag-Sprite.png
 Cash Bag
Adds 1,000 score points
SoR3-GoldBars-Sprite.png
 Gold Bars
Adds 5,000 score points


Those items can be found directly on the ground or inside containers that must be broken.

Category Container Type
Furniture
SoR3-Lantern-Sprite.png

Japanese style lantern
SoR3-Lockboxes-Sprite.png

Stack of lockboxes
SoR3-Pedestal-Sprite.png

Golden pedestal (Mr.X bust)
SoR3-Statue-Sprite.png

Statue of a delicate maiden
SoR3-Table-Sprite.png

Table in a nightclub
Crates and boxes
SoR3-SmallCrate-Sprite.png

Small crate
SoR3-BigCrate-Sprite.png

Big crate
SoR3-SturdyCrate-Sprite.png

Sturdy crate
SoR3-Drum-Sprite.png

Oil drum
Miscellaneous
SoR3-LifePreservers-Sprite.png

Stack of life preservers
SoR3-LitterBin-Sprite.png

Litter bin
SoR3-RoadBlock-Sprite.png

Roadblock

Weapons

SoR3-Knife-Sprite.png
 Knife
Some playable characters in SoR3 always use knives as projectile weapons but not for Blaze as it is her weapon of choice.
SoR3-Kunai-Sprite.png
 Kunai
The kunai is a ninja weapon that works similarly to a knife.
SoR3-Katana-Sprite.png
 Katana
The katana (Japanese sword) is quite potent at slicing enemies from close to mid-range. Axel can perform his more impressive blitz moves with one.
SoR3-Pipe-Sprite.png
 Lead Pipe
The lead pipe is a staple weapon in the series and one of the more efficient when striking enemies thanks to its long range. Skate had troubles to use it effectively in SoR2 but this changed dramatically in SoR3.
SoR3-Plank-Sprite.png
 Plank
Classical products made of timber, planks can easily replace lead pipes whenever available. It is however less sturdy than pipes.
SoR3-Bat-Sprite.png
 Baseball Bat
Baseball bats should be viewed as lead pipes with style. You will find them more readily available than pipes throughout the game.
SoR3-Grenade-Sprite.png
 Grenade
Grenades can be thrown at enemies from afar. When exploding, its range allows it to hit several enemies at once.

Enemies

SoR3-Slum-Sprite.png
 Goldie (EN) / Slum (JP)
Slum is the new basic thug, kind of replacing Galsia at the lowest level of the Syndicate's hierarchy. Without any special attacks, he excels at coming at you in numbers.


Variations:

  • JP: Slum, Casino, Harlem
  • EN: Goldie, Stud, Dick
SoR3-Vice-Sprite.png
 Zack (EN) / Vice (JP)
Vice is a close combat expert. He especially likes using grab moves, immobilising opponents from behind or pummeling them when holding them from the front. He likes them so much that he'd rather circle around you until finding an opportunity to grab you than simply punching you.


Variations:

  • JP: Vice, Nasty, Sway
  • EN: Zack, Jack, Mac
SoR3-Galsia-Sprite.png
 Garcia (EN) / Galsia (JP)
Galsia is this common street punk from Streets of Rage but he improved a bit since the beginning of the series. He is still quite weak but he gained some special attacks, appearing sometimes wielding a knife, some other times executing a powerful jumping elbow drop.


Variations:

  • JP: Galsia, Julio, Carlos
  • EN: Garcia, Julio, Carlos
SoR3-Donovan-Sprite.png
 Donovan
Donovan is this skinhead thug with sunglasses, back from Streets of Rage 2. Uppercuts against jump kicks and lead pipes are still his tools of choice when it comes to street fighting.


Variations:

  • JP: Donovan, Fernand, Z
  • EN: Donovan, Bono, Muscles
SoR3-Signal-Sprite.png
 Scarab (EN) / Signal (JP)
Another enemy known from Streets of Rage, characterised by the mohawk. He is quite adept at throwing opponents in the air and at using sliding attacks.


Variations:

  • JP: Signal, Ice, Angle
  • EN: Scarab, Ice, Jools
SoR3-Storm-Sprite.png
 Storm
Storm and the other members of the Biker Gang are back from Streets of Rage 2. This time, they don't even bother going by foot to finish you, it's riding you over with their motorcycle or nothing.


Variations:

  • JP: Storm, Typhoon, Cyclone
  • EN: Storm, Wheels, Wings
SoR3-Mifune-Sprite.png
 Mifune
The Ninja Gang from Streets of Rage 2 is back. Mifune and his pairs still come at you wielding either a katana or a kunai. Their sidestep technique to dodge your attacks is quite efficient, and they can throw at through at you a barrier of shurikens while jumping.


Variations: Mifune, Kosugi, Chiba

SoR3-Tiger-Sprite.png
 Tiger
Tiger is a martial artist focused on giving kicks. His fighting style is reminiscent of Haku-Oh from Streets of Rage and Hakuyo from Streets of Rage 2: he performs powerful flying kicks, effective upward and low kicks to counter most opponents' moves.


Variations:

  • JP: Tiger, Dragon, Phenix
  • EN: Tiger, Leopard, Fabio
SoR3-Electra-Sprite.png
 Electra
Electra and her electric whip is back again from Streets of Rage and Streets of Rage 2. By alterning whip attacks and flying kicks, she is good at keeping you away from close combat. In the international version of the game, she wears a red jacket to cover more skin.
SoR3-Electra-Sprite.png

Electra in BK3
SoR3-Electra-Alt-Sprite.png

Electra in SoR3

Variations:

  • JP: Electra, Thundra, Gloria
  • EN: Electra, Lorena, Gloria
SoR3-Garnet-Sprite.png
 Soozie (EN) / Garnet (JP)
Garnet is a female punk on high heels. However, those high heels won't prevent her from slapping you or even from performing her high jump drop kicks. In the international version of the game, she wears tights to cover more skin.
SoR3-Garnet-Sprite.png

Garnet in BK3
SoR3-Soozie-Sprite.png

Soozie in SoR3

Variations:

  • JP: Garnet, Rubby, Diamond
  • EN: Soozie, Grace, Emma
SoR3-Bongo-Sprite.png
 Big Ben
Big Ben is that not-so-funny fat guy based on Bongo from Streets of Rage. Back from Streets of Rage 2, he can breath fire, slap opponents' faces and perform roll attacks. He gained some weight since the last iteration of the series and players won't be able to throw him away without getting smashed by his weight. Finally, he can help Galsia doing his deadly elbow drop attack by first launching him in the air.


Variations:

  • JP: Bongo, Heart, Big Ben
  • EN: Dwight, Ike, Big Ben
SoR3-Gold-Sprite.png
SoR3-Silver-Sprite.png
SoR3-Bronz-Sprite.png
 Agents
The agents are assassins named after precious metals in Japanese and with Scottish names in the international version. They shoot you at a distance with their pistols and throw you away when too close to each other. This is the only kind of enemies that doesn't only use colour swaps to differentiate each others.


Variations:

  • JP: Gold, Silver, Bronz
  • EN: MacLeod, MacLean, McBride
SoR3-P-1-Sprite.png
 Robots
P-1 is a robot that only moves around by small or big jumps. It has a jet boost to slide past you and a laser gun coming out from his "mouth". In critical situations, it can activate its autodestruction to take you down.


Variations:

  • JP: P-1, P-2, P-3
  • EN: Xp-1, Mark2, M-5
SoR3-Rocket-Sprite.png
 Rocket
Rocket is probably a cousin of Jet from Streets of Rage 2. He's flying around thanks to his jetpack and will come at you with flying punches or drop kicks.
SoR3-Ash-Sprite.png
 Ash
Ash is the mid-boss of the 1st stage. Despite behaving as the female lead of the Syndicate, he is astonishly fast and strong. In the international version, Ash is replaced by Shiva.
SoR3-Danch-Sprite.png
SoR3-Victy-Sprite.png
 Bruce and Roo (EN) / Danch and Victy (JP)
Danch is the mid-boss of the 2nd stage. He is a clown unleashing his whip on you while you're still distracted by Victy, his pet kangaroo. Despite being an animal, Victy masters boxing techniques and he's very deft at using his fighting gloves. In the international version, they are called Bruce and Roo.

Bosses

SoR3-Shiva-Sprite.png
 Shiva
Shiva is the boss of Round 1. If you let the Chief of Police (EN) or the General Petrov (JP) die in Round 6, you will meet him again as the last boss in Round 7B.
SoR3-Yasha-Sprite.png
SoR3-Onihime-Sprite.png
 Mona and Lisa (EN) / Yasha and Onihime (JP)
Yasha and Onihime are the bosses of Round 2. They are back from Streets of Rage with more powerful moves.
SoR3-Break-Sprite.png
 Axel (EN) / Break (JP)
Break is the boss of Round 3. This robot strangely looks exactly like Axel. It can reproduce all of his attacks and can move at astounding speed.
SoR3-Break-Sprite.png

Break in BK3
SoR3-Axel-Boss-Sprite.png

The Axel robot in SoR3
SoR3-Yamato-Sprite.png
 Yamato
Yamato is the boss of Round 4. After arriving on stage, he performs a ninja technique to clone himself into 3 entities:
  • The first clone can teleport by saying the below incantation:
  • "Magic" (EN),
  • "Ninpō" 忍法 (literally Ninja Technique) (JP).
  • The second clone can temporarily clone himself further for a multi-directional attack before merging back as one:
  • "Magic Decoy" (EN),
  • "Ninpō Kagami no Mai" 忍法・鏡の舞 (literally Ninja Technique - Mirror Dance) (JP).
  • The third clone can become invisible:
  • "Magic Invisible" (EN),
  • "Ninpō Yami ga Kue" 忍法・闇が喰え (literally Ninja Technique - Eating Darkness) (JP).

When Yamato has been defeated, he disappears using the famous self-exploding ninja technique from Return of Shinobi by yelling "Ninpō Mijin" 忍法・微塵 (literally Ninja Technique - Fine Dust) in Bare Knuckle III and "Magic Mijin" in Streets of Rage 3.

SoR3-RobotX-Sprite.png
 Robot X (EN) / Robo X (JP)
Robo X is the boss of Round 5. Much like Break, Robo X is yet another robot, this time mimicking Mr. X. Upon meeting you, it will directly go at full power by shedding its skin to be able to use its embedded firearms and missile launchers.


Variation: Robot (EN) / Mr. A-Z (JP)

SoR3-Jet-Sprite.png
 Jet
Jet is the boss of Round 6. Jet is back from Streets of Rage 2, completely changed this time as he's now bold and wears a mask linked to a portable air tank. He is accompanied by a swarm of Rockets.
SoR3-DrZero-Sprite.png
 Dr. Dahm (EN) / Dr. Zero (JP)
Dr. Zero is the penultimate boss of Round 7A, right before the final boss. You meet him only if you saved the Chief of Police (EN) / General Petrov (JP) in Round 6. Behind an enhanced bullet-proof window, he controls a mechanical arm that can output laser beams at you.
SoR3-MrX-Portrait.png

SoR3-NeoX-Sprite.png
 Mr. X and Robot Y (EN) / Mr. X and Neo. X (JP)
Neo. X is the last boss of Round 7A, accessible only if you saved the Chief of Police (EN) / General Petrov (JP) in Round 6. This is actually a robot remotely controlled by Mr. X himself, or rather what remains of his corpse: his brain inside a medical pod.

Levels

SoR3 MD US Stage1.png

Stage 1: South Pier Warehouse
You barely stopped the second bomb from exploding but there is still a lot of work to do. Fight through the warehouse, waterfront and fight back a "fabulous" new enemy. Your nemesis Shiva is waiting for you at the end of the level.


In the Japanese version, the mid-boss Ash unleashes goons transported using his boat before fighting you. In the international version, the enemy driving the boat is Shiva but he doesn't fight you as a mid-boss. He simply gets away after unleashing all the goons before acting as the final boss of the stage.

SoR3-Ash-Boat-Sprite.png
SoR3-Shiva-Boat-Sprite.png

SoR3 MD US Stage2.png

Stage 2: Downtown
Go through the most dangerous parts of the city during the night time and reach the Atlas Disco. Your old "friends", Onihime and Yasha are back for a rematch, this time wearing their own original attire.

SoR3 MD JP Stage3.png

Stage 3: District K Construction Site
Axel is framed for the kidnapping of General Petrov, but at least you have a lead. Reach the top of the building under construction. At the end, you will find out that Syndicate's robotic technologies are much more advanced than you imagined.


Be careful as Donovan wants to drive a bulldozer and run it over you. You can punch it to temporarily push it away but your escape is hampered by several concrete walls. Knock them down to go forward.

SoR3-Bulldozer-Sprite.png

SoR3 MD JP Stage4.png

Stage 4: Underground Entrance
Only way to find General Petrov is to go through the secret underground path Syndicate uses as a supply route. Watch out for small automated wagons that will pass through the area. At the end of the level, a trio of ninja mercenaries will try to stop you from reaching your target.

SoR3 MD JP Stage5.png

Stage 5: Mr. X's Skyscraper
You are only a few steps away from rescuing General Petrov. Fight back waves of enemies and face off Mr.X. Be careful of last-minute surprises from the criminal mastermind.


At the end of the first section, the game doesn't send you to the second section right after having killed the last thug. This is because, from this moment forward, the game gives you about 10 seconds to find one of the 3 alternative secret passageways. Punch the door, the wall or the floor as shown in the below screenshots to get access to them:

SoR3-Round5-GroundFloor.png


End of the first section on the ground floor

SoR3-Round5-GroundFloor-NormalExit.png


Normal exit

SoR3-Round5-GroundFloor-FirstFloorExit.png


Exit to the first floor

SoR3-Round5-GroundFloor-SecretRoomExit.png


Exit to the secret room

SoR3-Round5-GroundFloor-BasementExit.png


Exit to the basement

Here is a map of all the possible paths throughout the first part of stage 5, green arrows showing the normal path, red arrows showing the alternative paths: SoR3-Stage5-Map.png

SoR3 MD JP Stage6.png

Stage 6: Prison
Time is running out. You must locate and destroy two switchboards that power up the barriers denying access to General Petrov's cell. The first switchboard is located in cell 3 in the middle floor, while another one is located in cell 2 on the lowest floor. Quickly reach Petrov who is located on the middle floor. Hurry up! Poisonous Gas will be released soon.


This stage works a bit as a labyrinth where you must find your way through 3 floors of the prison building. Players start at the left section of the top floor. Yet, the developer team made a hidden 4th floor, below the lowest floor, that is not accessible as the left lift cannot go below its position given in the below map. This hidden floor connects to the right lift, which can lead you to the hidden parts of the accessible floors, including the right section of the top floor, marked as the exit of the building.

Those hidden parts are only accessible by using cheating devices like the Game Genie or the Pro Action Replay: when you are in one of the cells of the stage 6, activate the PAR code FF88E3:08 to exit just before the door marked "05" after clearing the cell of any thugs, then disable it to avoid some weird collision bugs. If you go up with the right lift, the playable character may disappear. In this case, use the PAR code FF88E0:0404 to make it reappear.


SoR3-Stage6-Map.png

SoR3 MD JP Stage7A.png

Stage 7A: Syndicate Hideout
You are almost at the end. Enter the abandoned factory in the Green Leaf district and "retire" Mr.X's robot army. Mr.X is waiting for you at the end with his state-of-the-art prototype combat robot.


Before the beginning of the stage, there should have been a section with the player riding a motorcycle going through the wasteland. Storm would have dropped some Molotov cocktails at you. Probably because of inadequate budget, this section has been dropped before its completion although it is still accessible through cheating devices like the Game Genie or the Pro Action Replay. Use the PAR code FFFB01:10 to get to the hidden level select screen and select scene 1 of round 7A.

SoR3-Storm-Molotov-Sprite.png

SoR3 MD JP Stage7B.png

Stage 7B: White House/City Hall
If you fail to save Petrov, this is where you will end up. Mr.X may have gotten away but at least you can still prevent Syndicate from starting a war that will claim the lives of millions. Find and arrest Petrov's impostor.


Before the beginning of the stage, there should have been a section with the player on a motorcycle going through a bridge. Donovan would have been on a pickup truck trying to stop you by sending some drums and knives at you. Probably because of inadequate budget, this section has been dropped before its completion although it is still accessible through cheating devices like the Game Genie or the Pro Action Replay. Use the PAR code FFFB01:10 to get to the hidden level select screen and select scene 1 of round 7B.

SoR3-PickupTruck-Sprite.png

History

Development

Prototype screenshots show that at one point, a motorcycle stage was planned for Streets of Rage 3, with some leftover code being present in the final game ROM. It is unknown why this feature was axed.

In comparison to its predecessors, Streets of Rage 3 takes a radically different approach to its soundtrack. Though still composed by Yuzo Koshiro, it is heavily influenced by Detroit's hard techno scene, popular in Tokyo dance clubs of the time. The soundtrack gathered a mixed reception in 1994, though is retrospectively considered by many to have been ahead of its time, containing elements similar to the "trance" era of dance music which would grow in popularity in the coming months and years.

Koshiro developed a composition system for this game, called the "Automated Composing System". Using features such as a random note generator (programmed in C++) , the soundtrack has a much more experimental tone, particularly noticeable in tracks such as "Bulldozer", whose composition is almost entirely randomized.

Like its predecessor, Motohiro Kawashima also contributed to the game's soundtrack.

There are several inside jokes in the game. In the overseas versions, Axel screams "Bare Knuckle" instead of "Ground Upper" (Like in the Japanese version and Streets of Rage 2) during his blitz (running attack). Bare Knuckle is the original Japanese name of the Street of Rage.

Boss of the 4th level, Yamato yells "Mijin" when defeated and blows himself to pieces. This is a reference to a ninja magic in Revenge of the Shinobi and Shinobi III, which has the same animation and name. Unlike its Shinobi version, Yamato's Mijin does not help him to defeat the heroes.

Versions

Streets of Rage 3 is a controversial game among many thanks to Sega of America's heavy-handed localization policies of the era. Unlike previous releases, the differences between Bare Knuckle III and Streets of Rage 3 are extremely obvious, involving the removal of features, a vastly different story (riddled in plotholes and missing scenes), and a higher level of difficulty (made worse by the fact that on the "easy" setting, the overseas release will stop after stage 5). Reasons for this massive spike in difficulty for overseas versions are unknown. During the mid 90s and early 2000s, this trend of increasing difficulty was quite common among American publishers who, for some reason, believed that Japanese games were too easy for "hardcore" western gamers. Many other overseas ports, such as Devil May Cry for the PlayStation 2, also received a similar treatment.

Of particular note is the use of "gender-neutral colors" amongst the character sprites, which leads to inconsistencies with both Streets of Rage's cover art (in all regions) and the designs in previous games. Scantily clad female characters were covered up, and an entire miniboss (Ash) was removed due to his perceived homosexuality. These and other changes ultimately hurt critical reception in Europe and North America, with some reviewers urging Streets of Rage series fans to import Bare Knuckle III or skip this title entirely.

An interesting thing to note is the cover of the EU version, which was actually first used by an issue of Mean Machines Sega which featured the game. Sega of Europe loved the cover art so much, they purchased the rights to use it for the EU version's packaging.

For years, the Japanese ROM remained unaltered until its re-release on the international versions of Mega Drive Mini 2, where the second segment of Stage 1 with Ash as a mid-boss is skipped[27][28] with no further reason given, also rendering said character being unplayable through cheat codes.

Today, an unofficial fan translation is available for the Bare Knuckle III ROM, whose script was used with the permission of the original author. Other hacks bring back the lost motorbike stages and additional areas of round 6 which were originally removed in the western releases of the game.

Re-releases

Compared to its prequels, Streets of Rage 3 is a less common and more expensive game to find in its original Mega Drive form. It has, however, been released for the Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The game also appeared in Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game has also been released on the Wii Virtual Console, iOS and Steam. The iOS version was removed from sale on iTunes in 2015.[29]

Version history

Main article: Streets of Rage 3/Changelog.
System Version Size Date Comment Ref Icon
iOS
 0000020000000000000000000000002.0 9.5MB 201211292012-11-29 [30]
iOS
 0000010000000000000000000000001.0.0 8.3MB 201104282011-04-28 [20]

Localised names

Also known as
Language Localised Name English Translation
English Streets of Rage 3 Streets of Rage 3
English (US) Streets of Rage 3 Streets of Rage 3
Japanese ベアナックルIII Bare Knuckle III

Production credits

Main article: Streets of Rage 3/Production credits.

Digital manuals

  • Steam manual

  • Mega Drive Mini 2 US manual

  • Mega Drive Mini 2 EU manual

Magazine articles

Main article: Streets of Rage 3/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Suuri lelukirja FI 1994 Sega.jpg
FI advert (1994)
Suuri lelukirja FI 1994 Sega.jpg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-03: "March 1994" (1994-02-08)
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1994-04: "April 1994" (1994-03-08)
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in VideoGames (US) #66: "July 1994" (1994-0x-xx)
also published in:
  • EGM² (US) #1: "July 1994" (1994-07-19)[31]
Logo-pdf.svg
Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #153: "August 1994" (1994-07-15)
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
59 №17, p56-57
Sega Mega Drive
 59
Based on
1 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
70
[32]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
67
[33]
Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J
75
[34]
Consoles + (FR)
89
[35]
Cool Gamer (RU)
80
[36]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
82
[37]
Digitiser (UK) PAL
75
[38]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
73
[39]
Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1 (RU)
70
[40]
GameFan (US) NTSC-U
78
[41]
Game Players (US) NTSC-U
90
[42]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
83
[43]
Gamers (DE)
47
[44]
Gamestar (AU) NTSC-J
74
[45]
Games World: The Magazine (UK) PAL
44
[46]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
78
[47]
Hippon Super (JP) NTSC-J
50
[48]
Hyper (AU)
83
[49]
Joypad (FR)
72
[50]
Joypad (HU)
72
[51]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
76
[52]
Mega (UK) NTSC-J
72
[53]
Mega Force (FR)
94
[54]
Mega Fun (DE)
75
[55]
Mega Power (UK) PAL
83
[56]
MegaTech (UK) NTSC-J
90
[57]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) NTSC-J
83
[58]
Player One (FR)
85
[59]
Play Time (DE)
84
[60]
Sega Magazin (DE)
86
[61]
Sega Magazine (UK) PAL
90
[11]
Sega Power (UK) NTSC-J
83
[62]
Sega Pro (UK) NTSC-U
82
[63]
Sega Zone (UK) NTSC-J
86
[64]
Sega Force (SE)
90
[65]
Sega Mega Drive Review (RU)
80
[66]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
78
[67]
Sonic the Comic (UK) PAL
85
[68]
Super Juegos (ES)
86
[69]
Todo Sega (ES)
89
[70]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
82
[71]
Video Games (DE) PAL
77
[72]
VideoGames (US) NTSC-U
80
[73]
Video Plus (CZ)
90
[74]
Sega Mega Drive
 79
Based on
44 reviews

Streets of Rage 3

Mega Drive, JP
Sor3 md jp cover.jpg
Cover
StreetsofRage3 MD JP CartTop.jpg
SoR3 MD JP Cart Back.jpgSOR3 MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Sor3 md jp manual.pdf
Manual
StreetsofRage3 MD JP Poster.pdf
Command List
Mega Drive, US
Sor3 md us cover.jpg
Cover
Sor3 md us cart.jpg
Cart
Sor3 md us manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, EU
Sor3 md eu cover.jpg
Cover
Sor3 md eu cart.jpg
Cart
Streets of Rage 3 MD EU Manual.jpg
Manual
Mega Drive, PT
SoR3 MD PT box back.jpgNospine.pngSoR3 MD PT cover.jpg
Cover
Sor3 md eu cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, PT (alt)
SoR3 MD PT alt cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, SE (rental; Hent; orange)
SoR3 MD SE Box Rental.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, SE (rental; SF)
SoR3 MD SE Box Rental ALT.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, AU
SoR3 MD AU cover.jpg
Cover
Mega Drive, BR
SoR3 MD BR Box.jpg
Cover
Sor3 md br manual.pdf
Manual
Mega Drive, KR
SoR MD KR Box.jpg
Cover
SoR3 MD KR cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, AS† (NTSC)
Sor3 md as cover.jpg
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Streets of Rage 3/Technical information.

External links

References

  1. ↑ @Mazin__ on Twitter (Wayback Machine: 2021-06-05 20:11)
  2. ↑ File:Sor3 md jp cover.jpg
  3. ↑ File:SoR MD KR Box.jpg
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-20 09:51)
  5. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video.sega/c/uTtdnHiMV5w/m/Vbqi0eWtgkYJ
  6. ↑ GamePro, "July 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 62
  7. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 7 July 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 85
  8. ↑ Computer Trade Weekly, "" (UK; 1994-07-18), page 8
  9. ↑ File:DailyMirror UK 1994-07-22 45.jpg
  10. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "August 1994" (UK; 1994-07-15), page 50
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Sega Magazine, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-15), page 78
  12. ↑ Gamestar, "June 1994" (AU; 1994-xx-xx), page 55
  13. ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/software/05.html (Wayback Machine: 2018-03-05 23:22)
  14. ↑ http://vc.sega.jp:80/vc_bknuckle3/ (Wayback Machine: 2007-10-14 01:08)
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/FnAQeN4QsgnkYHGEAtqoUHEJX2vurFUg (Wayback Machine: 2010-11-23 02:21)
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 http://www.nintendolife.com/games/megadrive/streets_of_rage_3 (Wayback Machine: 2017-07-04 15:25)
  17. ↑ https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Virtual-Console-Wii-/Streets-of-Rage-3-279305.html (archive.today)
  18. ↑ http://www.nintendo.com.au/index.php?action=catalogue&prodcat_id=41&prod_id=19776&pageID=4 (Wayback Machine: 2012-04-03 02:25)
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 http://itunes.apple.com/es/app/streets-of-rage-3/id429820095?mt=8 (Wayback Machine: 2011-05-01 14:30)
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/streets-of-rage-3/id429820095?mt=8 (Wayback Machine: 2011-05-07 08:53)
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 http://www.4gamer.net/games/049/G004989/20110428123/ (Wayback Machine: 2011-05-04 20:38)
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 https://steamdb.info/app/211206/ (Wayback Machine: 2019-11-17 22:17)
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 http://steamdb.info/app/211206/ (Wayback Machine: 2013-05-22 20:15)
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 24.6 24.7 24.8 24.9 https://steamdb.info/app/211206/history/?changeid=5755263
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 25.3 25.4 25.5 25.6 25.7 25.8 25.9 http://steamdb.info/app/211206/ (Wayback Machine: 2019-11-17 22:17)
  26. ↑ @yuzokoshiro on Twitter
  27. ↑ https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000004685.000005397.html (Wayback Machine: 2022-08-20 06:02)
  28. ↑ https://www.timeextension.com/news/2022/10/sega-removes-controversial-character-from-bare-knuckle-3-on-mega-drive-mini-2 (Wayback Machine: 2022-10-27 11:45)
  29. ↑ http://www.polygon.com/2015/5/18/8622645/sega-pulls-games-from-itunes-app-store-google-play (Wayback Machine: 2017-11-08 17:39)
  30. ↑ http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/streets-of-rage-3/id429820095?mt=8 (Wayback Machine: 2014-08-03 18:04)
  31. ↑ EGM², "July 1994" (US; 1994-07-19), page 19
  32. ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 225
  33. ↑ Aktueller Software Markt, "November 1994" (DE; 1994-10-04), page 20
  34. ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "April 1994" (JP; 1994-03-08), page 19
  35. ↑ Consoles +, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 84
  36. ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 24
  37. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-06-15), page 55
  38. ↑ Digitiser (UK) (1994-08-02)
  39. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "July 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 34
  40. ↑ Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 362
  41. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 2, Issue 7: June 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 26
  42. ↑ Game Players, "Vol. 7 No. 7 July 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 84
  43. ↑ GamePro, "August 1994" (US; 1994-xx-xx), page 44
  44. ↑ Gamers, "Juli/August 1994" (DE; 1994-07-01), page 34
  45. ↑ Gamestar, "June 1994" (AU; 1994-xx-xx), page 54
  46. ↑ Games World: The Magazine, "July 1994" (UK; 1994-05-26), page 17
  47. ↑ Game Informer, "July/August 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 16
  48. ↑ Hippon Super, "April 1994" (JP; 1994-03-03), page 61
  49. ↑ Hyper, "June 1994" (AU; 1994-xx-xx), page 30
  50. ↑ Joypad, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 66
  51. ↑ Joypad, "1/1995" (HU; 1995-xx-xx), page 21
  52. ↑ MAN!AC, "05/94" (DE; 1994-04-13), page 40
  53. ↑ Mega, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 37
  54. ↑ Mega Force, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 78
  55. ↑ Mega Fun, "06/94" (DE; 1994-05-18), page 92
  56. ↑ Mega Power, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 43
  57. ↑ MegaTech, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 14
  58. ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-04-30), page 42
  59. ↑ Player One, "Mai 1994" (FR; 1994-0x-xx), page 104
  60. ↑ Play Time, "7/94" (DE; 1994-06-08), page 134
  61. ↑ Sega Magazin, "Juni 1994" (DE; 1994-05-11), page 10
  62. ↑ Sega Power, "June 1994" (UK; 1994-04-28), page 38
  63. ↑ Sega Pro, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-21), page 64
  64. ↑ Sega Zone, "May 1994" (UK; 1994-04-xx), page 38
  65. ↑ Sega Force, "6/94" (SE; 1994-09-14), page 10
  66. ↑ Sega Mega Drive Review, "2" (RU; 1996-01-03), page 18
  67. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  68. ↑ Sonic the Comic, "July 8th 1994" (UK; 1994-06-25), page 10
  69. ↑ Super Juegos, "Abril 1994" (ES; 1994-0x-xx), page 46
  70. ↑ Todo Sega, "Junio 1994" (ES; 1994-0x-xx), page 56
  71. ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 187
  72. ↑ Video Games, "7/94" (DE; 1994-06-29), page 87
  73. ↑ VideoGames, "July 1994" (US; 1994-0x-xx), page 70
  74. ↑ Video Plus, "" (CZ; 199x-xx-xx), page 1


Streets of Rage 3

Streets of rage 3 title.png

Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Changelog | Credits | Hidden content | Development | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | Bootlegs
Playable characters


Music: Bare Knuckle III (1994) | Streets of Rage 3 (2017)



SoR 1UP sprite Games in the Streets of Rage Series
Streets of Rage (3D) (1991) | Streets of Rage 2 (3D) (1992) | Streets of Rage 3 (1994) | Streets of Rage 4 (2020)
Streets of Rage (LCD) (1993) | Bare Knuckle Mobile (2010) | Sega Vintage Collection: Streets of Rage (2012)
Related Games
Streets Of Kamurocho (2020) | Fighting Force (unreleased) | Streets of Rage 4 (Dreamcast) (unreleased) | Streets of Rage Online (unreleased)
Related Media
Music
 Bare Knuckle (1991) | Streets of Rage 2 Original Soundtrack (1993) | Bare Knuckle III (1994) | Bare Knuckle Original Soundtrack (2012) | Streets of Rage (2015) | Streets of Rage 2 (2016) | Streets of Rage 3 (2017) | Streets of Rage 4 Limited Run Games Exclusive Track Selection (2020) | Streets of Rage Perfect Soundtrack (2017) | Streets of Rage 4 Original Soundtrack (2020) | Streets of Rage 4: Mr. X Nightmare The Definitive Soundtrack (2022)
Book
 Streets of Rage: Bad City Fighters (1994) | Warpzone Clássicos: Streets of Rage (2016)
Other List of Streets of Rage merchandise
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