The idea of combining Streets of Rage with rogue-like elements is so great, that it hurts so much greater, that its such a bad execution of this idea.
The randomness should more so be in the quality of the items you find than in the difficulty of each individual level. The items range from completely useless to very slight upgrades, which is sad, because nutters synergies are often the biggest appeal of rogue-likes.
One might then hope for rogue-light elements, meaning a skill tree between runs, but that one sucks even more. You only unlock more moves, that are too slow to be viable.
The randomness should more so be in the quality of the items you find than in the difficulty of each individual level. The items range from completely useless to very slight upgrades, which is sad, because nutters synergies are often the biggest appeal of rogue-likes.
One might then hope for rogue-light elements, meaning a skill tree between runs, but that one sucks even more. You only unlock more moves, that are too slow to be viable.
So I actually bought this before I had played the base game of Streets of Rage 4. Whilst a quality addition in it's own right, it feels like the right way to play it allowing to swap between story mode & the new inclusion of survival mode here to freshen things up.
Mr. X Nightmare story wise is meant to be an AI training program made by Dr. Zan after the events of Streets of Rage 4 for the crew to practice their skills. In reality it's essentially a wave based horde mode called survival that randomises the enemies, power ups and weapons getting progressively harder as the waves progress. Completing a wave will unlock some perks for you to choose from as a permanent buff going into the next one allowing you to build up your character to your choosing. To a degree at least, as these power ups are random from a set pool. Getting the same power up will increase it's level making it stronger which can be done up to four times per perk. The perks themselves are pretty varied including elemental effects. Poison which is great for big heavy targets, lightning and fire which work more for crowd control. There are basic stats buffs, weapon buffs as well as some more risk reward types like healing when attacking but food will no longer replenish health etc.
When playing co-op as I was most of the time only one of you can choose one of these perks. You have to work it out between you, share the poison or buff one person? Is one of you focusing purely on weapon usage? It makes a slightly interesting dynamic as these later waves can get extremely tough with multiple bosses taking large health pools. This isn't to mention that different levels also have environmental hazards like fire spewing on the ground, wind pushing you on the air craft carrier or occasional lasers. These can also be used against enemies too if played right. This all results in the survival mode having a surprising degree of tactical aspects to it. My friend and I only ever managed to get past wave 30 once on hours of trying, but it was fun the whole time.
This DLC also comes with three new characters to play as (and one secret one...), all of which were bosses in the base game. The first is Max making a return as a series staple. The second is Estelle, a brand new character and lastly Shiva, another series fan favourite. Each control incredibly well with a little practice and don't feel like throw ins. I especially like Estelle who has great range and power but the others are also great. The most fun we had on one of our survival runs was playing as Streets of Rage 2 Max and Streets of Rage 4 Max Power Sliding and suplexing everyone as we went.
The base game characters haven't been forgotten either with Survival mode earning experience for whomever you play as slowly unlocking alternative moves for their, blitz, special and star attacks. These aren't just extra moves but customisable for each type choosing which version you find more useful allowing to essentially build your character with varied move sets to help you progress further into survival. I really liked this.
All these new characters, weapons and features increase the re-playability of the game. These aren't limited to the DLC but transfer to the base story and arcade modes. Want to play as a customised Shiva through the storyline? Go for it. It all blends into the game extremely well like it should have always been there and is extremely well priced at just shy of £6.
If you liked Streets of Rage 4, there is no reason to not get this. I actually encourage it.
+ Survival mode is really fun.
+ New characters are all really fun to play.
+ New moves giving each character more variation.
+ Power Slide!
Mr. X Nightmare story wise is meant to be an AI training program made by Dr. Zan after the events of Streets of Rage 4 for the crew to practice their skills. In reality it's essentially a wave based horde mode called survival that randomises the enemies, power ups and weapons getting progressively harder as the waves progress. Completing a wave will unlock some perks for you to choose from as a permanent buff going into the next one allowing you to build up your character to your choosing. To a degree at least, as these power ups are random from a set pool. Getting the same power up will increase it's level making it stronger which can be done up to four times per perk. The perks themselves are pretty varied including elemental effects. Poison which is great for big heavy targets, lightning and fire which work more for crowd control. There are basic stats buffs, weapon buffs as well as some more risk reward types like healing when attacking but food will no longer replenish health etc.
When playing co-op as I was most of the time only one of you can choose one of these perks. You have to work it out between you, share the poison or buff one person? Is one of you focusing purely on weapon usage? It makes a slightly interesting dynamic as these later waves can get extremely tough with multiple bosses taking large health pools. This isn't to mention that different levels also have environmental hazards like fire spewing on the ground, wind pushing you on the air craft carrier or occasional lasers. These can also be used against enemies too if played right. This all results in the survival mode having a surprising degree of tactical aspects to it. My friend and I only ever managed to get past wave 30 once on hours of trying, but it was fun the whole time.
This DLC also comes with three new characters to play as (and one secret one...), all of which were bosses in the base game. The first is Max making a return as a series staple. The second is Estelle, a brand new character and lastly Shiva, another series fan favourite. Each control incredibly well with a little practice and don't feel like throw ins. I especially like Estelle who has great range and power but the others are also great. The most fun we had on one of our survival runs was playing as Streets of Rage 2 Max and Streets of Rage 4 Max Power Sliding and suplexing everyone as we went.
The base game characters haven't been forgotten either with Survival mode earning experience for whomever you play as slowly unlocking alternative moves for their, blitz, special and star attacks. These aren't just extra moves but customisable for each type choosing which version you find more useful allowing to essentially build your character with varied move sets to help you progress further into survival. I really liked this.
All these new characters, weapons and features increase the re-playability of the game. These aren't limited to the DLC but transfer to the base story and arcade modes. Want to play as a customised Shiva through the storyline? Go for it. It all blends into the game extremely well like it should have always been there and is extremely well priced at just shy of £6.
If you liked Streets of Rage 4, there is no reason to not get this. I actually encourage it.
+ Survival mode is really fun.
+ New characters are all really fun to play.
+ New moves giving each character more variation.
+ Power Slide!
They brought in my boy Max playable again of course I would give it a perfect score
Mr.X Nightmare is interesting in concept. Essentially a horde mode where the player selects their character, fights through waves of enemies on different stages with their own unique obstacles, and stacks buffs and bonuses at the end of each round to keep in competition with the climbing difficulties of each subsequent horde. It's alright. A perfectly fine Saturday morning distraction. Get a cup of coffee, turn on your favorite podcast, and shut your brain off for an hour or two.
But I also would caution against expecting anything more than that. There's not a ton of depth here. What you see is what you get, and outside of timed challenges (which appear to be set waves and bonuses rather than the procedural base mode), there's not a whole lot to it.
The real bonus to Mr.X Nightmare is the additional characters that unlock for Streets of Rage 4's story mode. Each one is fantastic and it really adds a lot to the game. I found the lineup of DLC characters to generally be more enjoyable than the main cast (outside of Cherry, who I really like playing as), and they're worth the price of admission alone. Which isn't that much, either. You can find the physical edition of Streets 4 with Mr.X Nightmare included for about three bucks more than the base game, on average, and at that point there's really no reason not to splurge for it. Definitely pick up this version if you've had your eyes on Streets of Rage 4.
But I also would caution against expecting anything more than that. There's not a ton of depth here. What you see is what you get, and outside of timed challenges (which appear to be set waves and bonuses rather than the procedural base mode), there's not a whole lot to it.
The real bonus to Mr.X Nightmare is the additional characters that unlock for Streets of Rage 4's story mode. Each one is fantastic and it really adds a lot to the game. I found the lineup of DLC characters to generally be more enjoyable than the main cast (outside of Cherry, who I really like playing as), and they're worth the price of admission alone. Which isn't that much, either. You can find the physical edition of Streets 4 with Mr.X Nightmare included for about three bucks more than the base game, on average, and at that point there's really no reason not to splurge for it. Definitely pick up this version if you've had your eyes on Streets of Rage 4.
Ah shit the DLC has jump cancels this game is a 5 now, damn.
roguelike beat em up but good
Game of the year, two years running!!!!!!!!!
Dotemu, Guardcrush and Lizardcube (which, despite the number of studio logos, is still only like five guys) continue to refine an already near-perfect game - you know a beat 'em up has proper chops when the developers are putting out patch notes that look like a fighting game balance update and people are crying/cheering for nerfs/buffs to their favourite characters.
Survival mode is the main draw here, of course. The execution is deceptively simple - at first it just feels like the devs have thrown together a procgen that throws together random enemies together with a series of roguelike buffs between brawls, but it quickly becomes apparent that the new mode has a ton of fun little surprises - fighting Max and Shiva at the same time in a mad factory of conveyor belts with lasers flying everywhere is so much more madcap than anything the main campaign tried, but the insanity is somehow tempered by the game allowing you to carefully Sophie's Choice your way to crazy builds that let you unleash twenty electric jabs that do 90% extra damage or build an army of kangaroo friends or whatever other mad shit you can conceive of - i.e. the good part of roguelikes - is something that feels really, really good in a game where most things already feel so good.
New weapons are stupid in all the right ways too - a swordfish that does crazy pushback and wallbounces, a multi-hitting duck umbrella/shield, those foam sticks from Gladiators, Cloud's buster sword.... and a hammer, that has been knowingly patched into that corridor scene in Stage 3 that every always said was like Oldboy. I like these devs!
Of the new characters, I've only tried Estelle so far. She rules. More devs should have the guts to create a fast-moving grappler! That's right - Lizardcube are so good at their job that they managed to make a cop fun to play as! Wow!! The talent!!!
Dotemu, Guardcrush and Lizardcube (which, despite the number of studio logos, is still only like five guys) continue to refine an already near-perfect game - you know a beat 'em up has proper chops when the developers are putting out patch notes that look like a fighting game balance update and people are crying/cheering for nerfs/buffs to their favourite characters.
Survival mode is the main draw here, of course. The execution is deceptively simple - at first it just feels like the devs have thrown together a procgen that throws together random enemies together with a series of roguelike buffs between brawls, but it quickly becomes apparent that the new mode has a ton of fun little surprises - fighting Max and Shiva at the same time in a mad factory of conveyor belts with lasers flying everywhere is so much more madcap than anything the main campaign tried, but the insanity is somehow tempered by the game allowing you to carefully Sophie's Choice your way to crazy builds that let you unleash twenty electric jabs that do 90% extra damage or build an army of kangaroo friends or whatever other mad shit you can conceive of - i.e. the good part of roguelikes - is something that feels really, really good in a game where most things already feel so good.
New weapons are stupid in all the right ways too - a swordfish that does crazy pushback and wallbounces, a multi-hitting duck umbrella/shield, those foam sticks from Gladiators, Cloud's buster sword.... and a hammer, that has been knowingly patched into that corridor scene in Stage 3 that every always said was like Oldboy. I like these devs!
Of the new characters, I've only tried Estelle so far. She rules. More devs should have the guts to create a fast-moving grappler! That's right - Lizardcube are so good at their job that they managed to make a cop fun to play as! Wow!! The talent!!!
Endless mode and 3 characters for the base game, not a must buy unless you mained Shiva/Max in the old games, or wanna play Estelle
A rather essential addition to the game, mainly adding the abilty to play as three of the boss characters. I absolutely love Estel, it feels so good to jump on a guy and punch him to death, she is my main alongside Axel, and overall the character that I find the most fun to play.
The other big addition is the survival mode (Similar to the base game's "Boss Rush"), I never pay attention to this mode in other games, but here it's actually great, cause after you beat a group of enemies on a stage, you earn a crazy extra superpower like double jump or electric damage, and you go in a fight in a completely new stage with different enemies, and they give you some stupid weapons like a giant swordfish, it's just fun to see how long you can last and the randomized aspect keeps it fresh. And once you are done playing a match, your points can earn you alternative moves for the character you played as, and you can use these moves in any game mode. Some of my favourite moves of the entire game are unlocked here, including the ability to make Axel roll into a fireball, I never walk normally now.
The other big addition is the survival mode (Similar to the base game's "Boss Rush"), I never pay attention to this mode in other games, but here it's actually great, cause after you beat a group of enemies on a stage, you earn a crazy extra superpower like double jump or electric damage, and you go in a fight in a completely new stage with different enemies, and they give you some stupid weapons like a giant swordfish, it's just fun to see how long you can last and the randomized aspect keeps it fresh. And once you are done playing a match, your points can earn you alternative moves for the character you played as, and you can use these moves in any game mode. Some of my favourite moves of the entire game are unlocked here, including the ability to make Axel roll into a fireball, I never walk normally now.
fixes every gripe with the base game and makes the whole thing swag
Very solid expansion.
The new playable characters are unique and fun to play.
Survivor mode is also a cool addition to the game
Final Rating: 6/10
The new playable characters are unique and fun to play.
Survivor mode is also a cool addition to the game
Final Rating: 6/10
Really good punches and kicks and swordfish
Might just fuck around and play this for 100 hours
As someone who tends to not be a fan of procedural generation I gotta say it just feels so fucking good to punch guys in this game that it works for me here. The new characters are all a joy as well. A shame that the Switch launch was a bit bungled as I imagine that's where most of their playerbase is and I hope this DLC does well for them. $7 is honestly a steal.
As someone who tends to not be a fan of procedural generation I gotta say it just feels so fucking good to punch guys in this game that it works for me here. The new characters are all a joy as well. A shame that the Switch launch was a bit bungled as I imagine that's where most of their playerbase is and I hope this DLC does well for them. $7 is honestly a steal.