By Robert Scucci
| Published 1 hour ago
I’ve recently set up a new PC and decided it was time to bust out my Sega Genesis emulator for some good old fashioned side-scrolling beat ‘em ups. Naturally, the first game I fired up was Streets of Rage 2, a game that has the potential to be the next John Wick-style film. I’m not throwing shade at the first, third, and fourth installments of the series, but everything about Streets of Rage 2 begs to be adapted into a stylishly ultraviolent feature based on its tight storyline and characters alone. Later entries get more complex in gameplay and story structure, and the sequel hits the sweet spot.
A simple left-to-right adventure about beating up thugs, swinging pipes, flaming fists, roller blading, and eating entire chickens, I’d love to see a true-to-form Streets of Rage 2 that leans into its gameplay while taking place in the real world, adding a surreal element to its storyline.
Fighting Bad Guys With Style
Streets of Rage 2 centers on Mr. X, a wealthy syndicate leader whose colorful goons have Wood Oak City at their mercy. Axel Stone and Blaze Fielding, respectively well versed in martial arts and gymnastics, are both ex-police officers tasked with taking down Mr. X, who kidnapped their former partner, Adam Hunter. Recruiting help from Adam’s kid brother, Eddie “Skate” Hunter, and professional wrestler Max Thunder, our heroes brawl through the streets to take down Mr. X and wipe the city clean of crime one uppercut, jump kick, and roller blade slide tackle at a time.
Interim baddies like the knife wielding, leather jacket wearing punk Jack, the manic jet pack happy Jet, the whip wielding Electra, and the cybernetically infused pair Particle and Molecule, are just a few of many layers of abstraction before tracking down and eliminating Mr. X, rescuing Adam, and restoring balance in Wood Oak City.
Should Lean Into Its Gameplay
We’ve seen plenty of John Wick copycats like Monkey Man, Nobody, and Atomic Blonde, all of which boast hyper-realistic fight choreography in their respective fictional universes. What I’m suggesting is that Streets of Rage 2 leans into its gameplay, making for a more surreal viewing experience. In the game, characters power up their health bars by picking up healing items like apples and full rotisserie chickens. If the film played it straight, so much comic relief could come from stopping the melee mid-rampage so the heroes could hit a food truck and power up before grabbing a lead pipe and getting back to business.
With each passing level, the fights would get more intense as a comical amount of identical henchmen flood the screen and our heroes have to mop the floors with Galsia, Donovan, Signal, and the pipe bomb throwing Riders. There’s so much fertile ground to tap into to make Streets of Rage 2 one of the most memorable, high-octane action movies of all time, and I can’t shake the idea that we need to get Michael Bay or Jerry Bruckheimer involved.
Cast Chris Hemsworth as Axel, Anya Taylor-Joy as Blaze, Michael B. Jordan as Skate, and Jason Mamoa as Max, and we’ve got a certified hit on our hands. Even better, get Nicolas Cage to jump in as Mr. X, and I think my heart might actually explode.
You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. Somebody needs to fund an action flick based on Streets of Rage 2, and I’ll make sure that everybody watches it.
