10 Worst No. 3's In Gaming History
7. Streets Of Rage 3
If WhatCulture ever do a "Best No. 2's in Gaming History", we'd
a) definitely have to workshop the title and
b) almost certainly include Streets of Rage 2.
More than 30 years later, the second Streets of Rage game is still in the conversation for the best Belt-Action game of all time. Boasting still-impressive sprite-work, a tremendous soundtrack and oh-so-satisfying brawling, Streets of Rage 2 is a timeless masterpiece.
Streets of Rage 3, on the other hand, is as timeless as an ice-cream sandwich in the hands of a chubby schoolkid on a hot day.
Everything about Streets of Rage 3 just feels wrong. The graphics are more detailed, but poor art direction and a muted colour palette make it look uglier than its predecessor; the combat feels like it wasn't playtested, with enemies regularly wandering off-screen; the new characters are bland and unrewarding to play as; and the music sounds like an electronic synthesizer in a washing machine.
Put it this way: between 1990-1994, SEGA released a new Streets of Rage game every 2 years. After SoR 3, it took 26 years for Streets of Rage 4 to be released. Streets of Rage 3 may not have killed the franchise for good, but it came far closer to wiping out its heroes than series villain Mr. X ever did.