Released back when the scrolling fighter was still seen as a massive money-spinner, Riot Zone (AKA: Crest of Wolf in Japan) was Hudson’s attempt at muscling in on the territory traditionally presided over by Capcom (Final Fight, Captain Commando, Knights of the Round, etc) and Sega (Streets of Rage, Golden Axe).
Now let’s not kid ourselves here – most scrolling beat ‘em ups are painfully generic with similar-looking characters and virtually interchangeable move lists (punch, throw, special move, etc). Riot Zone takes this banality to new levels though – the characters and their attack styles are lifted almost directly from other (far superior) titles. The entire game is totally bereft of any innovative ideas or fresh mechanics.
The visuals don’t improve matters either. Despite this being a CD-based release there’s nothing to impress in terms of graphics; even the obligatory animated introduction is as dull as dishwater. The music is also instantly forgettable and is accompanied by some truly underwhelming spot effects.
Regardless of all this, there is a shred of playability to be found deep with Riot Zone. Even the worst scrolling fighter is fun for a while and will keep you relatively content for a short period of time. However, the game is so limited, so repetitive, and so generic you’re unlikely to remain that way for long, and in terms of challenge the game represents the electronic equivalent of fighting your way out of a wet paper bag – it’s insultingly easy and even the most bumbling of gamers should breeze through it in the space of one sitting.
The final nail in the coffin is the lack of a two-player mode, something that all scrolling fighters should have by law (yes we know the SNES version of Final Fight didn't have this feature either but it's basically great so we're more willing to forgive).
If you feel the urge to play a scrolling fighter then go for Streets of Rage or Final Fight instead.
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1. ICEknight
18 Dec 2007, 11:22 GMT
Funny how "Hawk" was precisely how Axel Stone (from Streets of Rage) was gonna be called originally, it looks a lot like him.
By the way, for those who didn't notice, this game was made by the Wonder Boy guys... But I think I'll wait for Final Fight CD.
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2. Clinker
19 Dec 2007, 11:43 GMT
What do you mean bad?
Bad as in hardcore, or bad as in crap?
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3. Ben
20 Dec 2007, 02:17 GMT
Most likely bad as in crap. I can't vouch for the TGCD version, but the arcade game it's based on (Riot City) is pretty bland. It's not terrible, but it's nothing compared to the Streets of Rage and Final Fight sequels. Judging from the video, the TGCD version plays quite similarly, just with fewer enemies onscreen at once and no 2 player support.
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4. Aldo
20 Dec 2007, 21:54 GMT
Looks like Double Dragon !
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5. Ashfury
24 Dec 2007, 19:14 GMT
Looks more like Streets of Rage.
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6. michinmuri
29 Dec 2007, 19:54 GMT
Yeah, bad as in crap. The only thing I remember good about this game was the soundtrack being cd, and not much else. It's very much like all of the other games like Double Dragon and Streets of Rage, but without the hype. This is one of the few TG-CD games I wish I had never gotten due to it not being worth the money. For 800 points however, it may appeal to some of you.
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7. StarSoldier1
11 Jan 2008, 19:03 GMT
It's not only generic but it's easy as hell. Avoid it at all cost!
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8. Bass X0
14 Jan 2008, 14:53 GMT
I wonder how long it'll take Capcom to release Final Fight 2 and 3? I'd download 3 as soon it gets released.
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9. Jones from Indiana
14 Jan 2008, 18:04 GMT
Let's see, a muscular blond guy in a sleeveless white T-shirt, blue jeans and red-and-white sneakers punching up thugs in a gritty inner-city environment with a funky club-music soundtrack. Yeah, this looks EXACTLY like Streets of Rage... an inferior version, at least. There's no way that this is better than Streets of Rage 2.
Come ON, Nintendo. Where are the GOOD GAMES? And "obscure" does not mean "good."
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10. Adamant
14 Jan 2008, 19:47 GMT
"Tony" and "Hawk"? Snicker.
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11. KJ
14 Jan 2008, 20:11 GMT
The intro story alone makes my brain hurt.
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12. lol
18 Jan 2008, 16:55 GMT
hhahahaha ha hawk walks like he has a dart in his fart
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13. Lochlan
31 Jan 2008, 05:42 GMT
I just played (and beat) this game on my Supergrafx/SCD setup. For an arcade game, it is remarkably easy (at least this port is). However, it wasn't so easy that I was able to 1cc it on the first try, although I feel that with a few more playthroughs that goal could easily be accomplished.
However, I feel that the above review and comments are overly critical of what is essentially a good game.
Riot Zone is a blatant rip off of Final Fight, and severly lacks bells and whistles. There are no destructable objects, the backgrounds are poorly drawn (although a few of them have a two-frame animation -- simplistic, but not something you typically see in "retro" beat 'em ups), and the game isn't two-player.
However, having said all of the above, I think this game is one of the better beat 'em ups I've played. All the above criticisms can nearly be excused by one reality: this is a PC-Engine game. Even though it is a Super CD-ROM2 game, there is still a black bar at the top of the screen; this game pushes the system nearly to its limits IMHO.
The control is perfect, the graphics and animation are excellent, and although the music is rather forgettable, it is still passable and rather enjoyable.
For a Final Fight clone that lacks co-operative play, it's one of the better beat 'em ups I've played. If you enjoyed Final Fight (beyond nostalgia), and can overlook a lack of bells and whistles, you might just get a kick out of this game.
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14. Damo
31 Jan 2008, 09:53 GMT
Lochlan - the fact that it's a PCE game doesn't change anything, this was released at the same time as much better scrolling fighters like Final Fight and Streets of Rage and it fails to compete with either of them.
Besides, the PCE proved that it was capable of going toe-to-toe with 'more powerful' 16-bit systems with games like Street Fighter II, so there's no excuse for Riot Zone being so shoddy!
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15. Bass X0
31 Jan 2008, 11:06 GMT
Plenty of equally shoddy fighters on the Super Nintendo too.
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16. Lochlan
04 Feb 2008, 03:33 GMT
@Damo: the PC engine was released a full year before the Mega Drive (in Japan) and almost three years before the Super Famicom. Even the Genesis and PCE are not really comparable (see the PCE port of Altered Beast/Juuouki).
The PCE version of SF2 is the worst of the three, btw.
My point was that the gameplay engine was solid (IMO) and the lack of bells and whistles could be attributed to under-powered hardware. Your review of Riot Zone is basically accurate, but overly critical. I think most fans of the genre will find something to like about Riot Zone.
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17. Damo
04 Feb 2008, 09:47 GMT
Lochlan - The PCE and Genesis cannot be compared? You might want to check out the PCE port of Outrun and place it alongside the terrible Genesis conversion. Also, there's plenty of games that were released on both formats and the difference between them is practically nil (Aero Blasters, Tatsujin, Tiger Heli, etc).
Considering the PCE, MD and SNES all fought for the same market in Japan, I think it's pretty fair to compare them, to be honest. The PC Engine is a fantastic console and extremely powerful, even when placed alongside 'superior' hardware.
And the PCE SF2 is practically identical to the SNES version in terms of graphics. It actually has much better sampled sound. Plus, you can play it with the excellent NEC Avenue 6 button pad which places all the punch and kick buttons on the front of the pad (the shoulder buttons on the SNES were a nightmare).
Back to Riot Zone though...the lack of bells and whistles has nothing to do with the hardware and everything to do with the fact that the developer didn't put enough effort in. The PCE is perfectly capable of hosting a decent scrolling fighter, it just never got one.
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18. theberrage
10 Feb 2008, 18:38 GMT
I like the music in this game
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19. TRON
12 Apr 2008, 04:59 GMT
Before you plop down the points on this mediocre game, play SoR 1-3 and Final Fight First. After that, avoid this, because you will be bored stiff after 10 minutes after playing those far superior games.
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