This is another in obscure beat em ups, let alone it's another of those "Final Fight" clones but as I said I don't mind as long as their fun and something to them, so I wouldn't be put off from that. But also, don't be put off from the game because it has an uninspired title which is the name of the avenue, because this game does pack a wallop.
Not much to say in plotline, it's the cliche plotline of a president's daughter being kidnapped by some crime syndicate from the 1930 and your both private eyes assigned to getting her back by giving the syndicate the beat down. Yeah, like I said cliche it's typical in most beat em ups but by its nature it's a clothes line as were all in it for the action.
I like the graphical presentation as it's similar to you know what, from the color palette, backgrounds but also the character models who are slightly big which I like because I can see them clearly but also the facial expressions and features. You have a decent variety of sub enemies as you get further there are always a new one to cope with, like there is this crazy looking guy armed with Wolverine like claws and the usual muscle guys that looks like they extra wrestlers for any wrestling program.
However it's the bosses that stand out as each one of them are really colorful along with their gimmick, from one guy armed with a mallet and another whom is dressed as a pirate and has a hook he can go round and round with.
Gameplay is also solid, it's the typical kind from the beat em ups here it's attack and jump. Your characters have a decent combo system. You can throw when you get up close and the opponent fails to attack you. Both characters do have a power move when you press two of the buttons at the same time at the right time.
Even a rush attack when you double tap one direction on the joystick or d pad at the right time. And the music in the game is decent, there not exactly memorable video game tracks but they fit the game and a nice listen.
But what makes this fighting game slightly unique is the fact that you can throw you opponents into the background. This I thought was cool because you actually get to use your environment as your weapon. It's just really cool to see your opponents just crash into environments and the damage created, it is just art in motion. But you also in some levels there are no walls or buildings, there is water or in a moving level train track, this is also cool because here your able to depopulate the screen when it gets crowded.
Another is in the setting which is the 1930's which I really like and is not something I see in the beat em up where most of the time the game takes place in the present time, which sort of makes this game almost a period piece. The environments are animated well which show that era but also have that grit and grime giving the game sort of a noir feel.
Even the yesteryear clothing the character wear and their fashions really contribute as those were the fashions at the time. In a way this game is the closest we'll get to a beat em up for the "Dick Tracy" comic series, the game has that pulpish action atmosphere also as we see it doesn't take itself too seriously with most of the people you fight and those bosses that could be part of Tracy's rogue gallery.
But the only phantom punches of the game are I wish there were more weapons to use, you only have two throughout the game from the cliche lead pipe to the wrench, but that's really it; but then again you have the environment as your weapon throughout the whole game so I can't complain too much about this. And as I said the music isn't memorable, it's not bad but I felt there could have been more memorable beats in this game.
However, the secondary problem and this is a fundamental one in most beat em ups is that the difficulty can be a little cheap sometimes, making the game a quarter muncher. From the moves the bosses pull barely leaving any opportunities for attack which is why you sometime resort to cheep tactics to beat them. The number of enemies on screen which fill up and take up space a little too fast. But also, how some of them just get a little too strong and drain you health a little too fast with just one mere punch.
But these phantom punches I can easily avoid as it's still fun and functions well to play. Overall, this is another good B list beat em up, that is worth a walking a beat down its street.
Rating: 3 stars.
Not much to say in plotline, it's the cliche plotline of a president's daughter being kidnapped by some crime syndicate from the 1930 and your both private eyes assigned to getting her back by giving the syndicate the beat down. Yeah, like I said cliche it's typical in most beat em ups but by its nature it's a clothes line as were all in it for the action.
I like the graphical presentation as it's similar to you know what, from the color palette, backgrounds but also the character models who are slightly big which I like because I can see them clearly but also the facial expressions and features. You have a decent variety of sub enemies as you get further there are always a new one to cope with, like there is this crazy looking guy armed with Wolverine like claws and the usual muscle guys that looks like they extra wrestlers for any wrestling program.
However it's the bosses that stand out as each one of them are really colorful along with their gimmick, from one guy armed with a mallet and another whom is dressed as a pirate and has a hook he can go round and round with.
Gameplay is also solid, it's the typical kind from the beat em ups here it's attack and jump. Your characters have a decent combo system. You can throw when you get up close and the opponent fails to attack you. Both characters do have a power move when you press two of the buttons at the same time at the right time.
Even a rush attack when you double tap one direction on the joystick or d pad at the right time. And the music in the game is decent, there not exactly memorable video game tracks but they fit the game and a nice listen.
But what makes this fighting game slightly unique is the fact that you can throw you opponents into the background. This I thought was cool because you actually get to use your environment as your weapon. It's just really cool to see your opponents just crash into environments and the damage created, it is just art in motion. But you also in some levels there are no walls or buildings, there is water or in a moving level train track, this is also cool because here your able to depopulate the screen when it gets crowded.
Another is in the setting which is the 1930's which I really like and is not something I see in the beat em up where most of the time the game takes place in the present time, which sort of makes this game almost a period piece. The environments are animated well which show that era but also have that grit and grime giving the game sort of a noir feel.
Even the yesteryear clothing the character wear and their fashions really contribute as those were the fashions at the time. In a way this game is the closest we'll get to a beat em up for the "Dick Tracy" comic series, the game has that pulpish action atmosphere also as we see it doesn't take itself too seriously with most of the people you fight and those bosses that could be part of Tracy's rogue gallery.
But the only phantom punches of the game are I wish there were more weapons to use, you only have two throughout the game from the cliche lead pipe to the wrench, but that's really it; but then again you have the environment as your weapon throughout the whole game so I can't complain too much about this. And as I said the music isn't memorable, it's not bad but I felt there could have been more memorable beats in this game.
However, the secondary problem and this is a fundamental one in most beat em ups is that the difficulty can be a little cheap sometimes, making the game a quarter muncher. From the moves the bosses pull barely leaving any opportunities for attack which is why you sometime resort to cheep tactics to beat them. The number of enemies on screen which fill up and take up space a little too fast. But also, how some of them just get a little too strong and drain you health a little too fast with just one mere punch.
But these phantom punches I can easily avoid as it's still fun and functions well to play. Overall, this is another good B list beat em up, that is worth a walking a beat down its street.
Rating: 3 stars.
