Streets of Rage 4

Yeah Blood Thirst is necessary to get... Eventually. The amount of healing goes from "Multiple full-course meals per wave" to "We'll give you an apple... Maybe. If we feel like it." once you ride past the mid-20's.

Yeah, once you're confident you can make it into that level range, you need to consider it to go further. The biggest problem is that you technically want the perk later rather than sooner, but if it shows up early you still have to take it. At least, as far as I'm aware, there's never multiple copies of it in a run (which is a shame, but allowing multiple levels on it would probably be a bit much).

So I did a co-op survival with a rando online and discovered that the "EXP" gained to learn new moves applies both your character and the character your partner uses, so you can grind more quickly for them.

Did the first weekly sim a couple times, couldn’t get past Stage 13 either time. The second time I was using Blood Lust and the stage hazards basically murdered me immediately.

The stage hazards will do that. Damage from them ramps up fast, so you need to be on point with movement or get wrecked.

God damn I got my ass wrecked by FOUR Bruces all thanks to their whips perpetually stunlocking you.

Oops, I meant Glass Cannon earlier.

Glass Cannon is dangerous but I always pick it.

I've been told R.Bear is a possible retro enemy, anyone run into him?

Yes I fought him before. I think all retro bosses are in survival at this point.

Oh boy.

No enemy in the entire franchise has shaved more lives off me then R.Bear.

The retro bosses feel weird compared to how you fight them in their home games. Antonio gives me so much shit despite being piss easy in the first game.

Man screw R. Bear. I got a handle more or less on Abadede but R. Bear is problematic every game, even Remake.

Yeah Bruce's stunlock is absurd. You can make a sandwich by the time you're able to move again.

Most of the retro enemies play totally different tBH. It's the one thing I feel Remake did a lot better in making the Retro bosses feel like expanded versions of how they are in the source games.

Edited by Vertigo_High on Jul 27th 2021 at 2:46:45 AM

Oh, yeah, Glass Cannon is super bad long term. I've seen streamers get one-shot, or very nearly one-shot, by attacks slipping between their blitz iframes through maxed Def Up (+30%, I believe) and Ground Level (+15% Def).

And R. Bear does exist, but I feel like he hardly impacts anything. He's got all those old moves, but none of them seem to have priority over the iframe blitz cheese. The retro boss I find the worst is Bongo at level 20+. His speed is buffed so much that he's just continually breathing fire with no pause and charges with that fire at the speed of light. Makes it hard to time blitz chains on him (especially if other enemies are causing hit stop). He's usually an instant star special for me because screwing with that shit is a good way to instantly die.

Holy crud I've been so obsessed with Survival mode I didn't notice how fun Mania+ is.

Real test of your reflexes, that.

Understandably. Survival is a lot flashier, with all the new tech. I personally did Mania+ first (and found the jump from vanilla Mania pretty fair 90% of the time), but since all the alternative moves (many of which are just way more versatile than the base moves) come from Survival, I think Survival first is the better order.

So, one of the streamers I watch who grinds out the super-high Survival runs is currently live at stage 69, going on 70, with Shiva 4. It's just crazy spam all the way down.

EDIT: Oof, I guess I'm a curse or something, because he wiped near the very end of 69. Still, worth at least skipping to near the end of the VoD to see how ridiculous Survival can get at very high levels.

Edited by KuroiTsubasaTenshi on Jul 29th 2021 at 12:55:30 PM

An artist's interpretation of how Blaze and Estel treat one another after the whole story is over.

I'm working on my Platinum for this game. Only trophy I'm hesitant over is the arcade hard run; while I'm sure it's well within my capabilities I can see a stopping point at the "Hellevator" level and that's a decent amount in. I can see myself failing there once or twice and getting seriously disheartened.

-Axel stares unfazed out into the ocean- I need to go punch Shiva in the face.

Cherry is doing the covers face but is peeking through her fingers

Adam removes sunglasses and rubs eyes: Get a Room you two.

Max politely turns around...

Floyd is just happy to be here

Save you star specials for the Goro and kick girl waves. Abuse whichever of your normal specials (or Blitz, depending on character) lets you iframe through attacks on the Big Bens. Enemies can't cheese your run if you nuke them as soon as they appear.

Is Shiva technically part of the Good Boys Club now that he split from the Syndicate and is like a Zen master or something?

Also Axel's alt Shoryuken blitz is kinda kickass

Can't really say since the story don't go beyond him being a lone wolf doing his own thing.

Shiva does give the heroes information, which would suggest he has better intentions now. Mind, he doesn't actually join up to help stop the twins, so who knows?

Thank you for the advice, Kuroi.

As for Shiva... I guess he's always been a wildcard. I don't think his alignment really changed.

I'm guessing he didn't approve of Mr and Mrs Y because he hates millenials.

Shiva's basically Good but Neutral but is Axel's spirited Rival

They are basically Ken and Ryu in they want to one up the other. Its just Shiva has no real criminal misdeeds to place him at odds with Axel and Co anymore with X dead.

I mean basically Axel shows up at Shiva's door... and Shiva immediately throws down. once they have sufficiently beat the shit out of each other... They calm down and have civil conversation and Axel and Co go one their merry way once Shiva points them in the right direction

Let's be fair here: Axel arrives at Shiva's door by punching his way there. Through several city blocks. I'd take that as a challenge too.