Year: 2018
Platform: PlayStation 4
Developer: Makin Games
Genre: Action
Review Date: 7/1/18
Rating: *

While "Raging Justice" does an excellent job evoking nostalgic memories of "Streets Of Rage" (1991), those memories only serve as a reminder of how much better the original games were. The mayor has been kidnapped by a crime syndicate, so three law enforcers set out to rescue him. They include ex-cop Rick Justice (who eerily resembles a muscular Larry King), ex-military fighter Nikki Rage, and an androgynous 15 year old girl named Ashley King (who takes on the Skate role from "Streets Of Rage 2" (1992) ) You make your way to the bad guys' compound with the fighter of your choice, navigating through dangerous streets, dive bars, grimy apartment buildings, abandoned amusement parks, and deadly construction sites. Similar to SOR, you can kick, punch, hold, jump, and throw, and there are two special attacks. Unfortunately, while the game has its heart in the right place, the clunky and unresponsive controls make it fall flat on its face. Often times the buttons don't respond at all, but it's even worse when they get stuck on endless repeat (which happens a lot). Through experimentation, I eventually discovered that the game loses its mind when you use the D-pad, which can usually be cleared up by quickly flicking the analog stick. But you shouldn't have to do that, and it makes the game considerably more complicated to play. The environments look good, but the characters are unattractive and the deliberately crude animation is disappointing. There are multiple difficulty levels, and I was able to almost finish the game on the "wimp" setting. Given more practice, I'm sure I could get to the end, but I'd rather just play "Streets Of Rage 2" instead.