Playing Streets of Rage 4 is an absolute no-brainer and it is without doubt one of the best games of the year.

Whether you’re a fan of the originals or not, Streets of Rage 4 is a blast from start to finish. Satisfying combat, incredible music and visuals and tons to unlock mean this should be sticking around on your hard drive for some time yet. A lack of 4 player online is a disappointment, but otherwise what’s here more than makes up for the long wait.

It's a game that will excite many people, it's fun to play, it's beautiful and it sounds great.

Taking a franchise as treasured as Streets of Rage and updating it was never going to be an easy task, but we can't imagine that any self-respecting fan of the series will be displeased with what has been achieved here. Streets of Rage 4 walks that fine line between paying tribute to its predecessors and forging its own unique path and feels like an evolution and a revolution at the same time. The gameplay is unmistakably faithful to the originals, but the addictive combo-heavy mechanics, gorgeous presentation and robust multiplayer options add a whole new layer of complexity, resulting in a game that fans and newcomers alike will enjoy no end. Let's hope we don't have to wait another 26 years for a sequel.

A new adventure from the Streets of Rage universe, with all the essence, with the main characters and with all the spirit of the 90s. Go back into the streets and fight with all the villains to clear the city of crime and corruption.

With several wonderfully constructed set-pieces and backdrops thrown in at regular intervals, picking up Streets of Rage 4 is something that we will do at some point again in the future. Thanks to its excellent feel, wide range of characters, and excellent soundtrack. With the return of the original composers in addition to new artists, the music here shifts between modern renditions of classic tunes to experimental techno and even some bass music. Not everything feels as timeless as the original soundtrack and the modern flourishes can feel out of step with the decidedly simple design. Not in the sense that modern electronic music is not as inventive or energetic or suitable for a beat-em up – but in the sense that perhaps Streets of Rage 4 doesn’t quite do enough to warrant the fresh coat of paint. And fresh set of beats.

Streets of Rage 4 delivers the greatest hits of the classic series and is at its best when played with at least one friend. If the primary focus was delivering a traditional Streets of Rage experience with a modern coat of paint, it absolutely succeeds. But while it layers on a few new and interesting mechanics, it’s still a very conservative update to the quarter-century-old format that feels like a slave to the past.