Streets Of Rage 4’s Steam Version Has Features GOG’s Doesn’t

The GOG version of Streets of Rage 4 inexplicably lacks online multiplayer, a feature that’s present on all other versions of the beat-em-up revival, including the PC version on Steam. Back in the early 1990’s, Streets of Rage was one of Sega’s juggernaut franchises. Through three titles on the Sega Genesis, Streets of Rage (known as Bare Knuckle in Japan) represented the apex of the side-scrolling fighting game genre, in which players would move from left to right, beating up everyone in their way.

As video games moved to 3D, the Streets of Rage series quickly disappeared, and was long thought to be a relic of the past. However, last year saw the surprise announcement of Streets of Rage 4, a modern revival of the franchise that would retain the side-scrolling aesthetic and basic formula of the series while evolving the gameplay and visuals for today’s audiences. The game has earned rave critical reviews for successfully bringing back the beat-em-up genre, making grand advances for the series while reminding gamers why they fell in love with Streets of Rage in the first place.

Versions of the game have been released for all modern consoles, plus PC, with versions for both Steam and GOG. Unfortunately, the GOG port is of a lesser quality than its Steam counterpart, since this version of the game lacks any sort of online functionality. The removal of online gameplay was confirmed recently via developer Lizardcube’s official Twitter account, in response to a fan asking which version they should buy. Check out the developer’s message below:

Under normal circumstances, the lack of online play in Streets of Rage 4 would be unfortunate, but not a deal-breaker. For this genre, the best way to play is on the couch with friends. However, with the current Coronavirus pandemic preventing friends from playing together in person, the only way for a vast majority of players to have a co-op experience is through the wonders on online connectivity. Like most brawlers, Streets of Rage 4 is best played cooperatively, with up to four players together. With that in mind, GOG provides an inferior experience compared to literally every other version of the game.

Any way you cut it, Streets of Rage 4 is a fantastic game. The non-stop fighting action is a perfect fusion of old-school mechanics with modern day sensibilities. For players who plan to take their game online, however, the GOG version of Streets Of Rage 4 fails to deliver any sort of online experience, and is thus probably the worst version of the game for multiplayer-minded users.

Source: Lizardcube/Twitter

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Zak Wojnar
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Zak Wojnar is a writer from New York City. He’s covered everything from video games and movies to maple syrup and deli business. Thanks to Screen Rant, he’s discovered his newest passion, interviewing artists. He takes great joy in letting film and gaming legends tell their own story and share their passion for their art.
Zak’s first memory is going with his dad to Tower Records and buying the VHS boxed set of the original Star Wars trilogy. Over the next decade or so, those tapes would be completely worn out through overuse. When he’s not preparing for the next big interview, he can usually be found sitting too close to the TV, either re-watching Miami Vice or The X-Files, or getting lost in a video game.
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