#brawler
#brawler

by Amr (@siegarettes)
With a high detail, pre-rendered art style, an aggressive techo-rock soundtrack and high-speed free flowing combat, The Takeover feels like an alternative history sequel to Streets of Rage, and its accompanying 90’s brawler aesthetics. Homages are abound in every moment, with plenty of familiar characters and settings, and tracks that channel SOR so hard that they even hired composer Yuzo Koshiro to contribute. There are even interlude missions that break up the pacing with minigames in the style of classic SEGA arcade games. Matching those aesthetics so closely provides a good example of how they can be modernized, and what remains fraught.


By: Don (@opobjectives)
After the opening cutscenes of Treachery in Beatdown City finish rolling, Lisa Santiago beats the shit out of a racist. The racist in question rudely complains about the state of the bathrooms at her home boxing gym and demands that she clean them. It should be noted that Santiago is not an employee of the gym. She’s just there to blow off some steam after hearing that third-term President Blake Orama has been kidnapped.

by Amr (@siegarettes)
Fight’n Rage may have drank in a little too much nostalgia, but its heart is in the right place. It begins with a fake CPS2 boot screen, so from the jump you immediately understand what its aiming for. Fair enough, since Fight’n Rage nails it, replicating the tense, high speed style of action seen in titles like Capcom’s Battle Circuit and Alien vs. Predator.