Streets of Rage 3

Streets of Rage 3 is a beat'em up video game released by Sega in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis. It is part of the Streets of Rage series.

Overview
Streets of Rage 3, packed in a 24 megabit (3 megabyte) cartridge, had several enhancements over Streets of Rage 2 such as a more complex plot, multiple endings, lengthier levels, better scenarios (with interactive levels and the return of traps like pits) and faster gameplay (with dash and dodge moves). Weapons could now only be used for a few times before breaking, hidden playable boss characters were added and a few cutscenes were added to give the story depth. Max gave place to Zan, a cyborg, who was important for plot reasons.

Besides the fact that it was far more difficult than its predecessors, it was also criticized for having an abrasive and noisy soundtrack, more experimental than the previous two which used more melodies and dance beats.

Regional differences
While translating this game from Japanese to American and European audiences, Sega of America altered it significantly. The most notable changes were that the playable miniboss Ash was removed because he was clearly homosexual, females are less scantily clad, and the costume colors were changed. Axel is dressed like Adam, Blaze's clothes were changed from red to gray, and Skate wears red and blue instead of red and yellow. Sega stated that these were changed to create "gender-neutral colors".

The plot was rewritten, leaving many gaps in the narrative. In the original Bare Knuckle 3 the story dealt with a new explosive substance called Rakushin, discovered by a Dr. Gilbert (who later turns out to be "Zan"), and the disappearance of a military general. In the American and European versions of Streets of Rage 3, all references to Rakushin were removed, and the general was replaced by the chief of police, and a scheme to switch city officials with robot clones was invented. Another difference was if you didn't save the general, you had to head to the White House. This too was changed in the U.S./Euro version where instead if you didn't save the chief, then you had to head to the City Hall, although the building depicting the City Hall was clearly the White House.

Also, Bare Knuckle 3, even in the highest difficulty setting, was significantly easier than Streets of Rage 3 on default difficulty.

A comprehensive list of all the changes between the versions, as well as a complete translation of the Japanese script, can be found at SOR online.

Endings
There are several endings, they are listed below.
 * If you fail to save the general/chief, you have to face a stronger Shiva as the last boss, instead of Robot Y (known as Neo X in Bare Knuckle 3).
 * Defeat Robot Y after the timer expires, and the bombs detonate in the city, turning it into a complete ruin.
 * Defeat Robot Y before the timer expires, the city is saved; this is the best ending.
 * There is an "Easy mode" ending in the U.S./Euro versions where Robot X in Stage 5 is the last boss. After defeating him, you are told to play the next difficulty mode.

Secret characters
There are three secret characters that can be unlocked and then selected when the player uses a continue. One of them is only available in the Japanese version, Bare Knuckle 3. All the secret characters are unable to pick up and use weapons. In order of appearance:


 * Ash (Japanese releases only) is a stereotypical homosexual minion of Mr. X's organisation. Ash was cut from the U.S./European Streets of Rage 3 because he was stereotypically homosexual, and therefore seen as possibly offensive.  He is a very tall man who wears tight green pants, a necklace depicting the female symbol, and a purple waistcoat.  He strikes effeminate poses, such as covering his mouth while laughing girlishly with his knees bent inward.  His attacks consist mainly of grabbing and throwing his opponents.  When defeated, he cries.  As soon as he is defeated, hold the 'A' button until the next scene begins to unlock him.  Ash can also be unlocked in the U.S. and European versions by using a Game Genie code. Unlocked to gameplay, Ash has the most powerful punches, defeating enemies easier than the other playable characters (even Shiva and Roo). He uses the same voice samples as Blaze.


 * Shiva, another one of the main bad guys, is also unlockable. As soon as he is defeated in the first level, hold the 'B' button until Round 2 begins to unlock him.  His moveset as playable is incomplete compared to the one he has as an opponent. As a playable character (often unlocked), Shiva has the fastest punches and attacks of every character, also the longest reach. He uses the same voice samples as Axel Stone character.


 * Roo (known as Victy in Japan): The party encounters this kangaroo in the downtown Atlas district that is Round 2. Roo wears boxing gloves and green or blue pants.  During the players' encounter with him in Round 2, he is controlled by Bruce, a whip-weilding trainer.  If the player manages to defeat Bruce before Roo, Roo will run off and is then unlocked.  Roo is capable of different spinning attacks, and kicking while standing on his tail.  Interestingly, he uses a lot of the same voice samples as Skate.  Note that the name and species resemble Ripper Roo from Crash Bandicoot.

Trivia

 * Several pre-release screenshots show that there was originally a section where the players got to ride the motorcycles they are so often attacked by. This section was removed for the final version, but is still playable (though buggy and unfinished) with a Game Genie code.
 * The Japanese version of Sonic Gems Collection includes Bare Knuckle I, II, III (Streets Of Rage 1, 2 and 3). These, along with Bonanza Bros., are excluded from releases outside Japan to obtain lower age ratings.
 * When the UK magazine Mean Machines Sega reviewed the game in 1994, they had their art editor draw a cover picture with Zan and Blaze standing in front of the building. Sega Europe bought the rights to the artwork to use it for the cover of the UK/Europe release.
 * The ninja characters named Chiba and Kosugi are probably a reference to martial artist actors Sonny Chiba and Sho Kosugi.
 * This game is very rare in the UK and, though copies are often available on the UK version of eBay, they are typically expensive.