It's actually not very bad, the soundtrack just fucking sucks which is made worse since the previous one was so good in that regard. Also I feel like the first two games were just so much more commonly played that there is a nostalgia it can't live up to anyway
Also, got a tad ridiculous with robot old man and shit like that, the first game had a tiny bit of scifi shit but mostly kept it to the street brawling theme
>soundtrack just fucking sucks
Haven't played the game but I remember the Wikipedia article saying the soundtrack has jungle influence. I'm a slut for jungle and amen breaks in general so surely the music is excellent?
Interesting new ideas in terms of mechanics and branching levels, but way less interesting level/enemy variety and layouts. Also the Western release's "tweaks" tried to make it more challenging but merely succeeded in making it even more boring.
It's not a bad game, but considering the dramatic ramp up in quality between SoR and SoR2, the third game was a big disappointment.
In short, westerners wanted challenge, so they gave them what they wanted.
Then during the 5th onwards it was all about "cinematic" and "3D world adventure" and people started to dismiss challenge.
Fast-forward a few more years, people start emulating the old games, have completely forgotten about the challenge, start getting filtered and cry rivers about "artificial difficulty" and "rentals".
It is well known that japanese games were only made more challenging because of rentals, it has nothing to do with Americans wanting their games to be as hard as possible. And how tf is that pic proof of anything?
You decide to cling to what you think you know and dismiss evidence. When the vast majority of western magazines (the main reference at the time, unlike today) give such an important place to difficulty, devs are going to adapt the games to that. Think of how a few years ago reviewers all started complaining about "problematic content" in games, devs started to adapt their games. It's not any different.
And if you say "reviewers are not players", they certainly influenced players in the same way e-celebs do today and when a youtuber says something about a game suddenly you start having many people paraphrasing them and claiming it was their opinion all along, and whether that's true or not, it shows how in tune the two things are.
So yes, this is evidence.
As for the rental explanation, some of the most famous quotes are: one from the The Lion King dev. It's a western game, it would have been hard even without changes related to rentals. Western games were known for being more difficult (that review of Alien 3 in the pic is a good example). Two: Resident Evil's director, who gives "rental" as an explanation in one place, but in another place, say that westerners enjoyed difficulty more than the Japanese. And he wasn't the only dev saying that, (I just wish I remembered the other examples I read).
"Rental" was a factor, but was not the main one. The idea that the entire industry was up to fuck over the player on purpose by making the games impossible to beat is however completely false and it's absolutely crazy to think an entire (post crash) industry was "in" on doing things that the customers disliked.
Did anyone complain that SoR2 was too easy? Even on Normal it's pretty challenging.
Also, while not as bad as Mega Play's review, and in the end they don't make a big deal out of it because of the adjustable difficulty: Gamepro did note that Normal was too easy.
Now gee, I wonder why they changed how special moves worked in 3.... surely it's all the fault of rentals!!
Could you just imagine modern reviewers? The times really have changed. No way in hell a modern reviewer who never played SOR2 is getting far in that game on normal.
Just gave the soundtrack a skim, these tracks are awesome: >Dub Slash >Boss >The Poets I
But that's the limit of catchy tracks. Inga Rasen is great as ambience and is definitely very interesting to listen to, but I'm not playing it over the aforementioned tracks. The rest of the music is underwhelming
nothing, it is obectively superior in every way to sor 2. the complainers are just casuals who cant handle the difficulty, and the musically unsavvy who cant tolerate music that is slightly experimental or abrasive.
>obectively superior in every way to sor 2
Robot Mr X is a pain in the ass to fight. Admittedly this is partially my own fault because I always play Zan, but a boss that specializes in playing keep away and shooting homing projectiles is pretty shitty. At least when Mr X had his human body he'd have the courtesy to run up and bust your head open with the stock of his tommy gun.
>Robot Mr X is a pain in the ass to fight
I wouldn't know. I just keep jump-kicking it during its opening circle of the field and it never gets an attack off. Given how there's a time limit, I feel it's justified to be cheap.
That's where the next part of my post comes in: Fighting him as Zan is hellacious because his aerial attacks suck. Who do you use? Axel?
And yeah jump kicking him is like the main strategy against him.
Attacks lack impact and aren't that satisfying. It feels like you're slapping enemies. SOR2 had so much more impact. Just go listen to the sound of a pipe cracking an enemy's skull or Max atomic dropping a thug onto a crowd of other thugs.
The core gameplay is the best it's ever been and so are the bosses.
The difficulty controversy could have easily been avoided if Easy mode just let you play the whole game...
It would still have a different story with no le funny gay man though.
I like 3 but if I could tweak it a bit I would have included Max and Adam as playable. Maybe could be unlockable. Would also have balanced some areas and bosses better. Last I'd say get rid of that shit final boss and make something better out of it. If I have to fight a mech fine but the way you have to fight it is just so damn dumb.
It's a bemu
It was way ahead of its time.
It's actually not very bad, the soundtrack just fucking sucks which is made worse since the previous one was so good in that regard. Also I feel like the first two games were just so much more commonly played that there is a nostalgia it can't live up to anyway
Also, got a tad ridiculous with robot old man and shit like that, the first game had a tiny bit of scifi shit but mostly kept it to the street brawling theme
>soundtrack just fucking sucks
Haven't played the game but I remember the Wikipedia article saying the soundtrack has jungle influence. I'm a slut for jungle and amen breaks in general so surely the music is excellent?
It's more like abrasive experimental techno.
They ported the wrong game over to the west, instead of getting Bare Knuckle 3 we got a watered down shittier version with atrocious difficulty
>Koshiro experimented too much on the OST instead of playing to his strengths
>Muted drab colors instead of the poppy vibrance of SoR2
>Headache inducing visual gimmicks like the nightclub
Gameplay is pretty good though, it's nice that every character can dash and the combat benefits from being faster.
Interesting new ideas in terms of mechanics and branching levels, but way less interesting level/enemy variety and layouts. Also the Western release's "tweaks" tried to make it more challenging but merely succeeded in making it even more boring.
It's not a bad game, but considering the dramatic ramp up in quality between SoR and SoR2, the third game was a big disappointment.
Motohiro Kawashima's tracks are excellent, but Yuzo Koshiro's are average to headache inducing. Too experimental.
>What went wrong?
In short, westerners wanted challenge, so they gave them what they wanted.
Then during the 5th onwards it was all about "cinematic" and "3D world adventure" and people started to dismiss challenge.
Fast-forward a few more years, people start emulating the old games, have completely forgotten about the challenge, start getting filtered and cry rivers about "artificial difficulty" and "rentals".
Also the soundtrack sucked so there is that too.
It is well known that japanese games were only made more challenging because of rentals, it has nothing to do with Americans wanting their games to be as hard as possible. And how tf is that pic proof of anything?
You decide to cling to what you think you know and dismiss evidence. When the vast majority of western magazines (the main reference at the time, unlike today) give such an important place to difficulty, devs are going to adapt the games to that. Think of how a few years ago reviewers all started complaining about "problematic content" in games, devs started to adapt their games. It's not any different.
And if you say "reviewers are not players", they certainly influenced players in the same way e-celebs do today and when a youtuber says something about a game suddenly you start having many people paraphrasing them and claiming it was their opinion all along, and whether that's true or not, it shows how in tune the two things are.
So yes, this is evidence.
As for the rental explanation, some of the most famous quotes are: one from the The Lion King dev. It's a western game, it would have been hard even without changes related to rentals. Western games were known for being more difficult (that review of Alien 3 in the pic is a good example). Two: Resident Evil's director, who gives "rental" as an explanation in one place, but in another place, say that westerners enjoyed difficulty more than the Japanese. And he wasn't the only dev saying that, (I just wish I remembered the other examples I read).
"Rental" was a factor, but was not the main one. The idea that the entire industry was up to fuck over the player on purpose by making the games impossible to beat is however completely false and it's absolutely crazy to think an entire (post crash) industry was "in" on doing things that the customers disliked.
Did anyone complain that SoR2 was too easy? Even on Normal it's pretty challenging.
One of the Mega Play reviewers did and it's one of the game's lowest scores
Also, while not as bad as Mega Play's review, and in the end they don't make a big deal out of it because of the adjustable difficulty: Gamepro did note that Normal was too easy.
Here is Mega Play
Now gee, I wonder why they changed how special moves worked in 3.... surely it's all the fault of rentals!!
>Grossman
It's always them
Could you just imagine modern reviewers? The times really have changed. No way in hell a modern reviewer who never played SOR2 is getting far in that game on normal.
Video related
I guess it's part of my why people believe so hard into the rental meme, they can't imagine things being ever different
What rental meme
Just gave the soundtrack a skim, these tracks are awesome:
>Dub Slash
>Boss
>The Poets I
But that's the limit of catchy tracks. Inga Rasen is great as ambience and is definitely very interesting to listen to, but I'm not playing it over the aforementioned tracks. The rest of the music is underwhelming
Yuzo was too concerned with pushing the Genesis sound capabilities and channelling the weirder shit he was listening to
I don't mind The Poets II, Fuze and Happy Paradise but yeah the soundtrack isn't as good as 2 or 1
>Shinobi Reverse
>bad
Get out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irXkxYfsBHU
I'm waiting for a chorus or something
pleb
Best track, best boss.
nothing, it is obectively superior in every way to sor 2. the complainers are just casuals who cant handle the difficulty, and the musically unsavvy who cant tolerate music that is slightly experimental or abrasive.
>obectively superior in every way to sor 2
Robot Mr X is a pain in the ass to fight. Admittedly this is partially my own fault because I always play Zan, but a boss that specializes in playing keep away and shooting homing projectiles is pretty shitty. At least when Mr X had his human body he'd have the courtesy to run up and bust your head open with the stock of his tommy gun.
>Robot Mr X is a pain in the ass to fight
I wouldn't know. I just keep jump-kicking it during its opening circle of the field and it never gets an attack off. Given how there's a time limit, I feel it's justified to be cheap.
That's where the next part of my post comes in: Fighting him as Zan is hellacious because his aerial attacks suck. Who do you use? Axel?
And yeah jump kicking him is like the main strategy against him.
SoA ruined it
The most common criticism I saw about this game was its music. They said it was the kind of rave music only enjoyed by pill poppers
It's a mediocre romhack of SoR2
Yuzo really filtered the plebs with these tracks
What the hell was with boxing kangaroos
These were simpler times. I know it's not as cool as your modern day memes, but back then we were really worried about kangaroos and quicksand.
Scarle is wet in her room.
Attacks lack impact and aren't that satisfying. It feels like you're slapping enemies. SOR2 had so much more impact. Just go listen to the sound of a pipe cracking an enemy's skull or Max atomic dropping a thug onto a crowd of other thugs.
The core gameplay is the best it's ever been and so are the bosses.
The difficulty controversy could have easily been avoided if Easy mode just let you play the whole game...
It would still have a different story with no le funny gay man though.
I like 3 but if I could tweak it a bit I would have included Max and Adam as playable. Maybe could be unlockable. Would also have balanced some areas and bosses better. Last I'd say get rid of that shit final boss and make something better out of it. If I have to fight a mech fine but the way you have to fight it is just so damn dumb.
too intelligent for americans, also censorship