A decent brawler that carries on the Streets of Rage tradition admirably, even though it isn't Streets of Rage 2.
Streets of Rage 3's story is rather complicated--involving robots, strategically placed bombs, and an absurd abduction plot. It's not so much about a city being overrun with thugs and all manner of urban scum--rather, Mr.X, the antagonist of the series, is back to wreak havoc with insidious new robotic technology. Axel, Blaze and Skate return for the third installment, joined by Dr.Zan--an uninteresting cyborg character who replaces the far superior Max Thunder from Streets of Rage 2.
The gameplay formula is pretty much the same as it was in past games. Streets of Rage 3 moves at a faster pace, and you have some new maneuvers at your disposal, such as the ability to dash and roll along the ground to escape sticky spots like surrounding enemies. The fisticuff action is much more streamlined and frenetic, and controls are smooth and responsive. Disappointingly, weapons now have limited use, but specific characters can use them in a variety of different ways. The baseball bat returns from the first game--a pity you don't get to use it long enough to thoroughly enjoy the sound it makes when it comes full contact with someone's rib cage. Special attacks that normally expend your health can now be performed freely so long as the meter next to your lifebar is filled.
As mentioned earlier, Dr.Zan is perhaps the most disappointing addition to Streets of Rage 3--even more disheartening that he replaces a truly awesome character from the second game. His attacks are weak, he looks stupid and his grunts and shouts are extremely annoying. Simply put, he's no fun at all to use. The enemy roster isn't any better--save for Shiva and a cool-looking Samurai dude. Aside from a bunch of new guys with goofy names like Goldie and Abadede (whoops, Streets of Rage 2), all the Galsias, Donovans, Yellow Signals and motorcyclists named after weather conditions are here to greet and beat you.
The music can be described as decent. With all due respect to Yuzo Koshiro's work, Street of Rage 3 isn't his best effort. Most of it stays true, more or less, to the pumpin' techno that I've grown to love, but for the most part, the whole beat is threadbare. Sound effects are as you remember them--curiously, English voice-overs replace the original Japanese when special attacks are performed.
Overall, Streets of Rage 3 keeps true with what it's got and is a worthy progenitor of the franchise. It may not be as good as Streets of Rage 2, but it certainly isn't a bad game by any means. Fans of the series would do well to chance it as should everyone else looking for a good action beat'em up.