Streets of Rage 2 Review: Does the Co-op Classic Hold Up?

This is a source-attributed retrospective, not a first-hand playtest: nobody on this project has replayed Streets of Rage 2 for this piece, so what follows draws on documented contemporary and retrospective coverage, attributed to where it came from.

Combat and character roles

Streets of Rage 2 (1992) is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up with a roster of playable characters with different speed, strength, and move sets, moving through a variety of settings including a bar, a baseball stadium, city streets, and a final island hideout.

Enemy design

Retrospective coverage frequently highlights the sprite work here specifically: enemy and player sprites were made nearly 50% larger than the original Streets of Rage, with more animation detail.

Co-op experience

Two-player local co-op is consistently cited as a highlight of the game, to the point that it's frequently described as the definitive two-player beat-'em-up on the Genesis.

Replay value

The game's soundtrack, composed by Yuzo Koshiro, is commonly ranked among the best in gaming history in retrospective coverage, which is frequently cited alongside the co-op combat as a reason it still gets replayed today.