Blog From The Bench

Well, kids, it's zero hour. Launch day is in a few hours and though my Xbox 360 is secured it amazes me how limited a supply there will be. I predict violence. And suffering. Oh well, thanks for reading! And my all-time favorite game...

#01: Streets of Rage 2 (Genesis)

Why it Made the Cut: The brawler is my favorite genre. And no game has yet to exceed this 16-bit relic. Streets of Rage 2, despite its low-res sprite action, is relentlessly playable. Add that other player to the mix and you've got yourself a morning. The best character--Max, the wrestler, who would punish his feeble opponents with his killer atomic drops. This game also gets the award for "Most Drastically Improved Sequel to a Same System Predecessor." Compared to Streets of Rage 2, the original Streets of Rage is like one of those cheap-ass LCD wristwatch games.

Props: Probably the best music from the 16-bit era.

Poops: None, though it did suck that the special move took off life. Still, it was way better than the lame cop-with-the-bazooka from the first one.