Blaze's Hardest Mode Guide v99.5% (v0.995)
Streets of Rage for Sega Genesis
11 January 2004
(insert copyright and legal info here)
Aster Azul (
[email protected])
Best viewed in 9-point courier.
Table of Contents
A. Why Blaze?
B. Blaze's Hardest Mode Challenge
C. Overall Strategy and Par List
D. Printable Par List
E. Moves List
F. List of Enemies
G. General Tips
H. Guide For Each Level and Boss
Stage 1: Boomerang Guy in Streets
Stage 2: Wolverine Guy in More Streets
Stage 3: Wrestler at the Beach
Stage 4: Fat Guy in Construction Zone
Stage 5: Blaze's Sisters in Boat
Stage 6: Wolvering Guys in Factory
Stage 7: Elevator
Stage 8: Mr. X and Friends in Hideout
I. Stage Select Code: Great For Level Practice
J. There Isn't a "Mania Mode" Code
v50%- Need to do more research on Stage 5 before finishing up.
v90%- Finished to Stage 8, but I haven't done a complete run through using no
continues yet.
v99%- I DID IT!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! My game's par list is up.
v99.5%- Added names of completers and some of their tips.
** ***
A. Why Blaze?
Blaze is, in my opinion, the best character in this game. She may not have the
strongest jump kick or longest reach (see Truncated's damage listing FAQ) but
speed really counts in this game. She can use strategies that the other
characters are incapable of. I've tried the other two characters and I can't
stand them, especially on Hardest.
Most of my strategies will work with the other two, but some won't. The
Wolverine Guy's strategy is useless for the guys because they're not fast enough
to get to him right after they throw him.
Have fun trying to beat the game with no continues! I know that I did. Also
remember that practice makes perfect. You won't learn perfection the first time
through.
This is a solo guide, but playing with a friend is not a bad idea. Make sure
that you are both expert first if you wish to attempt a two-player "hardest
mode" game, though. Two-player is much more difficult than one-player.
** ****
** ****
B. Blaze's Hardest Mode Challenge
Are you up for the biggest challenge of Streets of Rage? Can YOU beat the game
on the highest difficulty level without losing a single continue? If you think
that you're up to this challenge, read on for a comprehensive strategy for the
feat.
If you manage to complete this challenge, send me an email about it listing your
final lives total and score (or not, it's just that you might top me) and I'll
send you three special wallpapers for Streets of Rage 1 that I created for the
winners.
For an even harder challenge, try starting the on two-player hardest mode and
killing off player two. Now you must fight two bosses every level and there are
even more enemies!
-courtesy Josh Kibler.
** ****
** ****
C. Overall Strategy and Par List
So, how does one go about becoming a super expert of Hardest Mode? Well, it
takes a heckofalota practice and diligence. Expect to practice the levels
relentlessly until you can match par. Take a look at my general tips-- some of
them are helpful. The most useful part of the level guide in here is my boss
strategy. I'm especially proud of my Stage 8 strategy, which allows you to beat
every boss without losing a single life! So don't stop practicing until you can
reach par, and then run the game through. Your experience in this game fades
quickly. I suggest running through all the levels once and then trying for the
no-continue jackpot in the same sitting. Good luck!
This list shows an idealistic game structure. When you practice and become a
very good player, you will be able to match the par of lives lost and beat the
game using only your given lives and no continues. If you have a good strategy
for beating that big shot Mr. X without losing more than 2 or 3 lives (on
Hardest Mode with Blaze) please let me know.
To match the par, I suggest using the level select code to practice. You won't
be able to reliably match it with a play-through, but you can get pretty close.
You may even be able to beat the par! I have a few times, but it's hard.
The first column lists the stage number.
The second lists an ideal but very possible amount of lives lost.
The third column lists my lives and score at the very beginning of the level
The fourth column lists my lives lost for the level.
Level Par Aster's Score at start Lost
--------------------------------------------------
Stage 1 - | 0 | 3 lives, 000000 points | 0 lives
Stage 2 - | 0 | 4 , 063000 | 0
Stage 3 - | 1 | 5 , 137300 | 0
Stage 4 - | 1 | 6 , 209400 | 1
Stage 5 - | 1 | 7 , 295500 | 1
Stage 6 - | 1 | 7 , 411700 | 0
Stage 7 - | 0 | 9 , 513200 | 1
Stage 8 - | 5 | 9 , 592000 | 4
Ending Total: 6 lives and 762000 points
Game Summary: I was in super form while running this game! I played this game on
a Saturday after hiking for a day and then eating pizza at Round Table. (I did
really well playing Metal Slug X, there, too!) After getting home, I practiced
stages two through eight until I could play through them almost perfectly. After
an hour of that, I started my game run through. I made sure my hands were clean
and non-sticky at all times, I sat back, and I focused hard. I also put my cat
in the other room so she wouldn't brush against my legs. But no matter how many
times I told my annoying brothers to shut their mouths, they didn't. Ah, well. I
can't say much about the run through. Everything just went as perfectly as could
be expected. I even ran under par a few times. The only time I went over was a
fluke in the elevator level. By the time I got to Mr. X himself, I had 10 lives
(it still only shows a nine, if you're wondering.) I had about zero health, and
one of his hired thugs made me lose a life. After that, though, I was able to
beat him pretty well. I was able to beat him with three lost lives. which is
very good for Mr. X. I was ecstatic and grabbed a digital camera to record my
feat! I had six lives left and ended up with 762000 points! ^_^ I pulled this
off after completing version 90% of this guide.
** ****
** ****
D. Printable Par List
You can cut and paste this into a new file and print it out. I like recording my
scores. It's fun! Then you can compare it with your other tries. You'll want to
make the font much bigger, though. About 14-point or higher is good.
Level Par Score at start Lost
--------------------------------------------------
Stage 1 - | 0 | 3 lives, 000000 points |
Stage 2 - | 0 | , |
Stage 3 - | 1 | , |
Stage 4 - | 1 | , |
Stage 5 - | 1 | , |
Stage 6 - | 1 | , |
Stage 7 - | 0 | , |
Stage 8 - | 5 | , |
** ****
** ****
E. Moves List
Infinite Jab: Punch, punch, punch, punch... (B, B, B, B...) Tap the button
slowly so that you do not finish the combo.
The infinite jab is one of the most useful moves in the entire game. Enemies are
helpless to its effects. They simply can't escape it! You can use it on multiple
enemies as well.
Infinite Three-Hit Combo: Punch, punch, kick, wait, punch, punch, kick, wait...
(B, B, B, wait, B, B, B, wait...)
This is just like the infinite jab, except that the enemies are not pushed
backward by the kick. It's useful because it does slightly more damage. Just do
the first three hits of the attack combo, wait, and do them again.
Four-Hit Combo: Punch, punch, kick, spin kick. (B, B, B, B [quickly])
This combo is nearly useless because it knocks your enemies down. If your
enemies are knocked down, then they are no longer under your power. The only
time I use it is when I want to knock enemies into Stage 4's pits.
Jump Kick: Move forward, jump, and kick. (forward, C, B)
Useful for knocking down enemies and VERY useful on some bosses, such as the
Boomerang Guy and the Wrestler.
Backwards Facing Jump Kick: Move forward, jump, turn around, kick. (forward, C,
backward, kick)
This is difficult to pull off, but it can save you a little bit of damage if you
have a generic punk chasing you.
Punch Escape: When you are being punched out by a generic punch, press away from
him to escape.
This is useful because you can avoid the punk's three hit combo. You will only
take one punch damage and will not be knocked down. After escaping, turn around
and punch him back.
Toss Grapple: Grab, knee, knee, throw (grab, B, B, back+B)
This grapple does almost as much damage as the Power Grapple and also hits
enemies in the way.
Power Grapple: Grab, knee, knee, vault, dunk. (Grab, B, B, C, B)
This is the most damaging grapple. The dunk is a very powerful move. It takes
time to pull off, though.
Triple Hit Grapple: Grab, knee, knee, spin kick. (Grab, B, B, B)
This is the weakest grapple combo, but it's useful if you want your enemy in
front of you but don't want to vault him or her.
Infinite Double Knee Grapple: Grab, knee, knee, press back to let go, grab,
knee, knee, press back to let go, grab... (Grab, B, B, back, grab, B, B, back,
grab...)
OR: Grab, knee, knee, vault, vault, grab, knee, knee, vault, vault, grab...
(Grab, B, B, C, C, grab, B, B, C, C, grab...)
This is only useful when fighting the Fat Guy boss. The former version is faster
and the latter is easier to do. It works on some enemies, but its not something
that you would bother using.
About the grapples: If you're short on time (like if another enemy is about to
punch you out) you can just use the throw or dunk. The knees do enough damage
that you'll usually use them, though.
Power Combo: Punch, punch, kick, grapple, knee, knee, vault, dunk (B, B, B,
grab, B, B, C, B)
This disposes of a slew of different enemies: generic blue punks, green punks,
red whip ladies, grey karate guys, brown karate guys, yellow turtle guys, purple
turtle guys, and red jugglers. For higher level enemies, just do the three-hit
combo multiple times. Enemies with weapons have slightly higher health and need
extra hits, as well. This power combo is great because it gives you the speed
you need to quickly defeat enemies.
Back Attack: Hold punch and press jump OR hold jump and press punch OR press
punch and jump at the same time (hold B, press C OR hold C, press B OR press B
and C at the same time)
This move is completely useless as far as I'm concerned. The only thing it's
good for is facing away from an enemy, waiting for it to come after you, and
then back kicking it. Hahahaha! Sucker!
Goad: Face away from enemy
If you do this, punks will run towards you thinking that you won't notice them.
You can then turn around and punch them. Take that! It's useful when a punk is
hiding at the edge of the screen.
Land: Up and C as you are thrown before you hit the ground. (up+C)
Oh-so-useful for avoiding damage from Turtle Shell Guys or Blaze's Sisters.
** ****
** ****
F. List of Enemies
Generic Punks (Garcias): These guys are all over the place. They are pretty easy
if they're alone, but watch out if you see one with a knife or bat. Those things
hurt... Colors include: blue, green, and brown. Each color is successively
stronger.
Diction Note: When I say "generic punk" I am referring to one of these. When I
say "punk" I am referring to any enemy. When I say "punk" after saying "generic
punk" I am referring to one of these as well. Confused yet? Sorry!
Turtle Shell Guys (Signals): These guys are really easy. If you know how to land
you'll be invincible to them. There only two attacks are throw and slide, which
they hardly use. You can tell when one is going to slide attack you if you see
it stay in one place for too long. Colors include: yellow, purple, and green.
Whip Ladies (Electras): The whip has great range both up and down the screen.
The Whip Ladies are annoying because they move slower than other characters.
They stay in back and whip you while you deal with enemies such as the generic
punk. Some varieties, starting with the black ones on the ship, while duck and
scream when attacked. Grab these and execute your best grapples. The whip ladies
have some of the highest health totals out of all the characters. Colors
include: red, black, and white. The white ones have insanely high health.
Karate Guys (Shivas): Some of the most difficult and damaging enemies. They
don't have much health but a few good kicks will ruin your lifebar. Use infinite
jabs or an infinite three hit combo to take one out. They travel in groups of
three sometimes. Defeat these groups by attacking one at a time. Often they will
allow you to beat up one of their pals while the other two remain where they
are. You can also punch three at time with an infinite jabs or an infinite three
hit combo. Colors include grey, brown, and black. The black ones can gang up on
you and take out entire lives.
Jugglers (Jacks): Very annoying. They have high HP and are difficult to defeat.
Your best bet is to use infinite punch combos to defeat them. Don't get too
close while attacking. Sometimes a stray ax or torch will fall down and hit you.
It's difficult to jump kick them, so don't bother. Bats or pipes work wonders on
them. They are most annoying when they stay out of the battle and throw
projectiles at you. Colors: Red, Black, White. The white ones have the highest
HP of all. They take forever to defeat. I think there is only one in the game,
though.
** ****
** ****
G. General Tips
Note: I'm a bit redundant in this section. Many of the things I say here are
also mentioned in other sections. This is because I did this section first and
then chose to catagorize the information listed here. If you don't want to read
anything twice, then skip this section. But I think it still has some good info
in it, so if you need it, read it.
*Remember: the point of Streets of Rage is to stay alive. Beating up a mess of
punks is no good if you lose lives doing it. Your goal is to get as far as you
can in the game while using the least possible amount of lives.
*Go e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y slowly. Scroll the screen so that one enemy appears at a
time. I like to tap the control stick so that I move forward slowly and bust
each solitary punk as he or she enters the screen.
*To beat a solitary enemy with ease and impunity, simply tap the attack button
with the correct timing so that you do not complete a full combo. If you
complete a full combo the enemy will be knocked away and will no longer be under
your power.
*Slow punching causes the enemy to move very slightly backward. At times you may
need to move slightly forward so that you are able to keep punching. This may
cause a new enemy to appear onscreen. To avoid this, lure the punk in the
opposite direction so that you can then beat him or her up without scrolling.
*As Blaze, use the first three moves of the punch combo (punch, punch, kick) and
then use them again. The timing will soon become second nature. Just make sure
not to knock the punk away with the fourth hit.
*Here is a great combo for Blaze that will defeat most enemies: punch, punch,
kick, grab, knee, knee, vault, dunk (B, B, B, forward and grab, B, B, C, B.) It
will move you very far across the screen, though, so use it when you are facing
left or you are in a non-scrolling area. It's great for taking out enemies
quickly. It works on: generic blue punks, green punks, red whip ladies, grey
karate guys, brown karate guys, yellow turtle guys, purple turtle guys, and red
jugglers. Enemies with weapons have extra health. For higher level enemies, just
do two or three punch, punch, kick combos instead of one.
*Jump kicks can get you out of tricky situations. Use them to knock over a slew
of enemies. Just make sure that you land in a safe place where the enemies can't
get you.
*If the generic punk enemy (they come in blue, green, brown, and black) starts
closing in to punch you, run away, jump, and kick towards him. If you time it
right, you will jump kick in his direction but be moving away. This is useful at
times.
*If you are trying to beat up a punk but it shies away off the screen, you can
make it come towards you by turning away from it. When it comes for you, turn
back and trap it with a slow punch combo.
*If a punk starts punching you, press the control stick away from him to avoid
being dealt multiple blows and then quickly turn back to jump kick or infinite
jab him.
*The whip ladies have excellent reach. Avoid it by staying far above or below
them, and then closing in. The ones that squat when you attack them can be
annoying, but just grab them when they stand up and take them out.
*The jugglers are a bit tough. The best thing to do is to start a punch combo on
one when it is safe and then finish it off with a grab, knee, knee, vault, dunk.
They have a lot of HP and are quite irritating, so get rid of them quickly.
Pipes and bats are lifesavers when fighting jugglers.
*The turtle shell enemies are very easy. Almost all they can do is throw you. If
you are thrown, merely hold up and C to land on your feet. If you can perform
this trick well, you never have to worry about them! Sometimes, they will slide
at you. But this only happens if you stay in their path for too long. The punch,
punch, kick, grab, knee, knee, vault, dunk combo should take care of them most
of the time. You often see them before a boss.
*Karate enemies are very annoying. The black and red ones in stage eight can
take entire lives from you in no time when they gang up. They often travel in
lines. When they do, sometimes you can trick them into letting you fight one at
a time by separating the front one from the group. Jump kicks also work well on
them. If they are all close by, you can hit all of them at once with a punch. If
the only enemies on screen are the ones you are punching, then you can easily
defeat them with an infinite jab! (Tap B slowly.) Pipes and bats are useful for
fighting these.
*If you want to save time, grab a punk in the middle of the combo. The most
damaging grapple is knee, knee, vault, dunk (B, B, C, B). The throwing grapple
(back, B) is nice because you are temporarily invincible while using it and it
knocks away those hit by the projectile enemy. The knee, knee, spin kick (B, B,
B) combo is the weakest, but you might use it if you want your enemy to be
directly in front of you.
*Weapons can be useful at times, but I avoid them generally. Fist-fighting is
easier and more natural. The knives are useful to toss around, though.
*Save health items for when you really need them, especially the meat. You
should wait until you have beaten all the punks in the area before picking it
up. Don't let it scroll off screen, but don't pick it up right away, either. If
the meat scrolls partly off screen, it's gone, so give a little room between it
and the edge.
*When the screen stops scrolling then you no longer have control over the enemy
flow. You are in a melee area. You have to defeat all of the enemies before
proceeding. This tests your skill at fighting multiple enemies. You have to beat
them quickly and dodge well to succeed. When you do beat them, it will take a
few seconds before the "GO" arrow appears. Don't stand at the very edge of the
screen or it will scroll all the way very quickly, causing multiple enemies to
come towards you. Move to the middle and wait for the arrow. Then proceed with
caution.
*You can tell if you are in a boss area by flinging an enemy towards the right
screen edge. If it hits the edge as if it were a wall, then you're at a boss. If
it flies through, you're not. (The beach level is an exception.)
*When you see a health item in a boss area, leave it until you've cleared away
all of the enemies in the area and then assess the situation. If you're health
is at 2/3 or less, pick it up. If you are only missing a very tiny amount of
health, leave it. The bosses on "hardest" take away over half your lifebar with
a single hit, so you don't want to lose an entire life because you didn't take
the meat.
*Save your special A-button moves. Only use one if you are in a truly deadly
situation or during a boss fight.
*Watch your timer. It's rare, but sometimes your time will run out. If it's
about to, call the police and save yourself. To avoid running out of time, beat
punks quickly.
*The best general tip is, as always, practice. With enough playing, you will be
able to know what an enemy will do by looking at how it moves. I also recommend
practicing each particular level with the level select so that you geta feel for
it. If you do them before a complete play-through, you'll have better odds of
succeeding in the no-continue challenge.
** ****
** ****
H. Guide For Each Level and Boss
**
Stage 1: Boomerang Guy in Streets
The first level is pretty easy. Just remember all of those tips about the punch
combo and such and you will be fine. My favorite combo (punch, punch, kick,
grab, knee, knee, vault, dunk) will defeat all enemies with speed and
efficiency.
The first boss is fairly easy as well. A pipe is a very good weapon to use
against him, but you have to time it right so that he doesn't kick you. Stay
near the top of the screen, wait for him to come by, and whack him with the
pipe. Move to the other side of the screen, wait for hum to come again, and
whack him. Don't go ALL the way to the edge, just nearby. Even if he kicks you
once, you'll live and you can pick up the health. You can also use the police (a
button) to finish him off if he is low.
If you don't have a pipe, he's still easy. Use your jump kicks to keep him at
bay. Use the same strategy. Stay on the top of the screen, jump kick him when he
approaches, move to the other side, and jump kick him again. You should be fine.
If you start to run out of time, call the police.
Par: 0 lives lost
**
**
Stage 2: Wolverine Guy in More Streets
The level is again pretty easy. Don't get hit, be careful, etc. It's very
important to reach the boss with a full or nearly full lifebar.
The Wolverine Guy boss is difficult to beat without losing a life, but it's
possible. If it weren't for the enemy coming to punch you in the back, it would
be a cinch. Remember: you cannot jump kick this boss. It is nearly impossible.
He will go berserk and claw you.
Let the fight start. The boss will move into the middle of the screen and stop.
Wait for the punk to appear and then use your police attack. Otherwise you will
probably get hit by the boss. Now let him get up. Watch his movements closely
and you will be able to tell when he is going to attack you. When the enemy
seems to be out of the way and the boss has calmed down, sneak up to him from
below and grab him. Do the most powerful grapple you can before the punk comes
after you. If you can, use the tossing grapple (back, B) and walk towards the
boss as he flies through the air. If you do this correctly, you'll grab him just
as he stands up. Then you can throw him again and repeat until he is defeated.
Good luck defeating this boss with no lives lost. It's very difficult. Be
extremely cautious. At worst, you may lose 1 life.
Par: 0 lives lost
**
**
Stage 3: Wrestler at the Beach
Go slowly and stay alive! That's most of what you need to know! When you get to
the meat, you know that you'll be seeing two whip ladies. Lure the first one to
the left side of the screen and beat her up. Slowly move forwards until you see
the next one. Lure her to the left and beat her up, too. Now the annoying part:
a line of Karate guys will come towards you and start attacking you. Take them
out carefully-- you do not want the meat to disappear from sight! As long as the
meat is around, it doesn't matter how much health you lose to them.
Try to keep your health near the top for the rest of the round so that you can
survive one wrestler hit.
When you get to the wrestler, beat all of the punks on screen and listen for the
music change. I suggest standing on the far left-- otherwise the wrestler will
surprise you and make you lose a life. When he appears on screen, wait for the
punk to appear and then quickly press A before you are hit. Now go towards the
fallen wrestler and time a jump kick to hit him. Jump kick him into the corner
of the screen. Now that you have him trapped, you have to worry about timing.
Jump kick him and immediately start moving away. When the time is right, jump
kick again and start moving away again. You really have to practice the timing.
Listening to the sound effects will help you time correctly. With all luck, the
punk will not come after you. When he does, there's not much you can do. Your
best bet is to grab the punk and throw him backwards just as the wrestler comes
for you. But it's really hard to avoid being hit! >_< After you are knocked down
and get up, grab the wrestler and do your best grapple: knee, knee, vault, dunk
to take a bite out of his health. If you can manage to beat him without losing
your life, great. But you will probably lose a life and end up using your police
special.
Par: 1 life lost
**
**
Stage 4: Fat Guy in Construction Zone
The construction zone can get you if you are not careful. You must go slowly,
but not so slowly that you run out of time (which happens!) You can throw or
knock enemies in the pits to save time, but DO NOT attempt to throw the turtle
shell enemies into the pit. You could easily be on the wrong end of the throw
and end up in the pit yourself! Pits take away lives instantly. The baseball bat
is a good item in this level. It can knock enemies into pits and is also the
best weapon for dealing with those pesky jugglers. After passing a meat (which
you should save until it's about to fall off the screen) you will be in the boss
area. If you beat up a punk with a knife, leave it on the ground. You'll want to
save it for the boss! The green turtle shell character is the last enemy before
the boss.
BEWARE!: You cannot throw or dunk the Fat Guy. He will land on you and hurt you!
It's not a good thing to let happen and it's easy to forget.
The Fat Guy is quite dangerous, but has a weakness that makes him very easy. If
you can grab him, he has no chance. Use this combo: grab, knee, knee, then press
the control stick away from him and back again. This will cause you to let go
and then grapple again. Just keep kneeing him twice, letting go, and re-grabbing
until you beat him. There's just one problem: the punk. He'll come at you and
interfere. I usually just toss him out of the way and try not to get attacked by
the Fat Guy in the meantime.
To start off this fight, move to the top right corner of the screen. Grab the
boss just as he appears and use the grapple method listed above. You can get
quite a few hits in before the punk starts attacking. When he does, use your
police special. The boss's life bar should be visibly decreased. The trick now
is to avoid the boss's flame and the annoying punk so that you can get in
another attack. Sometimes you can jump kick the boss and not be hurt. This gives
you a chance to grapple him. Otherwise, try to get in behind him to attack.
It's very possible to beat the Fat Guy without losing a life if you are careful.
Par: 1 life
**
**
Stage 5: Blaze's Sisters in Boat
This level is a real tough spot. Expect to practice like heck if you want to
reach par. The start is plagued with irritating little enemies. The very best
advice for defeating them is to go excruciatingly slowly. Try to move one pixel
at a time! Lure each punk to the left of the screen and beat him up there. At
one point three will come out at once. Lure them enough to the left so that the
screen doesn't scroll and beat them up with the continuous jab or continuous
three-hit combo. Just don't let the screen scroll or more will come at you.
After this area you will meet punks with knives. You'll know that they're coming
because the screen will stop. Use two three-hit combos on the first knife-punk
(punch, punch, punch, stop, punch, punch, punch), grab him, knee him twice,
vault him, and dunk him. you can do this very quickly if you're good. Now go to
the lower part of the screen and deal with the two down there. Use infinite
jabbing or a continuous three hit combo to deal as much damage as possible
before the last one comes from above. You'll take some damage in this area, but
if you are quick it will be minimal.
There's an apple under some of those metal objects here, thank heavens. Use the
same strategy in these areas. Go slowly and beat up punks one at a time. Soon
you will come to an area where the screen stops. About ten punks will ambush
you. Don't bother trying to fight them. They will most certainly defeat you or
drain your life to near nothing. Use your police special.
You will come across a meat health item after defeating some turtle shell guys.
There are many karate enemies that jump over the edge here. Some appear in twos.
Try to get both on the same side so that you can use an infinite punch combo. Go
very slowly to make it easier. You'll want to defeat the knife punk before
reaching the other double Karate guys.
When you reach the next meat health item, you know that you are about to fight
the Wrestler again. Beat the crowbar punk before reaching the edge of the
screen. Now assess your situation. Do not defeat the karate guy until you have
thought this out. If you are missing any health, grab the meat. If you are at
full health, leave it. Now defeat the karate guy and immediately start moving to
the left. Exactly four seconds after hearing the karate guy scream, the Wrestler
will appear on screen and run towards you. Count "one-thousand-one, one-
thousand-twoE" up to four while walking in the other direction and then jump
kick towards the right when you count four. If your timing is perfect, the jump
kick will connect with the wrestler as he appears on screen and runs towards
you. Now start your jump kick routine. Jump kick him and start walking left
immediately, then jump kick again at the right time. If you continue this
pattern you can beat him without losing any health at all. It's difficult but if
you practice you can pull it off.
In a more likely situation (it's even hard for me to pull the timing off) you
will be hit as he appears on screen. Get up and grab him. Give him two knees and
dunk him. Immediately jump kick him until you have backed him into a corner and
use the same infinite jump kick strategy as above.
After defeating the wrestler you will encounter screens upon screens of Karate
guys. The best thing to do is to move to the bottom of the screen and jump kick
your way through them until you come under an overhang with one of those metal
ship pipes. Kick the ship pipe open, grab the police car, and press A. This will
defeat the whole mess of Karate enemies and jugglers at once. You will most
certainly be hit by one of the Karate guys on the way to this area, but if you
have full health you will survive and the manuever will be worth it. If you lost
most of your lifebar while fighting the wrestler, then there's not much you can
do to survive. You will probably lose a life in this area, but you should use
the same strategy.
You'll know when you have reached Blaze's Sisters because there will be a meat
on the deck. Pick it up only after defeating all of the enemies and only if you
have less than full health.
The way to beat Blaze's Sisters is to avoid their jump kicks. If you can do
this, then all you have to know is how to land on your feet because you will be
getting thrown A LOT. (Press up and C while in the air to land on your feet.) Do
not underestimate the range of their jump kick. Blaze's Sisters can turn around
in midair to kick in the opposite direction of their flight. Try to get behind a
sister and grab her as she lands her jump kick. This is the best way to grab
one. To damage Blaze's Sisters, grab them and use this attack: knee, knee,
vault, dunk. You can time your vaults and dunks so that you perform them just as
a sister is about to attack you. You can avoid damage in this way. Don't bother
trying to jump kick Blaze's Sisters. Attacking with your fists is not very
useful either, although you can stave off some damage with it. One of the
sisters jump kicks often and the other uses a spinning jump which does not
damage you. Don't let Blaze's Sisters dunk you. This is the one throw that you
can't use up+C to escape from. Always face towards them if they are nearby so
that at worst you will be thrown and not dunked. Time limit is an issue in this
battle. Be careful about it. If you have a police special from dying earlier,
use it when you see one of the sisters with less than half health OR when you
realize that you are about to be dunked. If you react quickly enough you can
save yourself from harm! If you focus and learn their pattern, you can avoid
almost all damage from them.
Truncated recommends using the backwards kick to defeat the sisters, as they
never see the move coming.
In total, you should only lose 1 life in this level. Whether you lose it to the
karate guys or Blaze's Sisters depends, but make sure that it's only one. It's
easy to lose multiple lives here. Good luck again. Practice, practice, practice
this level.
Par: 1 life
**
**
Stage 6: Wolvering Guys in Factory
The factory is easy compared to the boat. Just keep your eyes out and be
careful. The punks should be simple enough to defeat. There's one important
thing to know, though. To get past a flattener, trigger it by getting close and
then walking quickly away. Each one has a different trigger distance. Be careful
not to get hit by them.
After reaching the second screen stop (the background will be a netting but
without any caution signs) you know that you are about to fight the Fat Guy.
Defeat the turtle shelled characters and punks and the screen will be empty.
Hurry over to the left side and stand near the top but not quite at it. Walk
into the edge of the screen. You won't go anywhere, but when the Fat Guy comes
to get you you will be able to grab him. After you have grabbed the boss, he is
pretty much done for. Use this strategy: grapple, knee, knee, let go (by
pressing away), grab again, knee, knee, let go, grab, continue... It won't take
long to defeat him. If you are afraid of letting go for too long and getting
hit, use grapple, knee, knee, vault, vault, grapple, knee, knee, vault, vault,
grapple... Both strategies work, but vaulting uses slightly more time.
Watch out for the Karate enemies here. One of them getting in two good blows
will halve your lifebar. The bats are somewhat useful here. It's a matter of
preference whether you wish to pick one up. When you reach a lead pipe, however,
you should definitely pick it up. It is extremely useful for defeating the
jugglers. You can fight one juggler at a time if you want, but it is tricky not
to scroll because the conveyor belt moves you right. A pipe should do a good job
of defeating both, though.
After defeating enemies in the boss area, assess your situation. If you have
over half health, do not pick up the meat item. If you have less, do so. You
should have two police powerups from picking up the one in a crate. When the
fight starts, move to the bottom middle of the screen. Wait for the Wolverine
Guys to come out and come down the screen. Then use one police power-up. Grab
the lower one as soon as you can after the police attack and use the best
grapple you can before the other starts to attack you. You can try to avoid
being hit by throwing at the right moment. Now grab the other and use your best
grapple, preferably a knee-knee-vault-dunk. Now use your own discretion. Use
your second police attack when one of the bosses is at low health or when you
are about to be attacked. It is possible to beat this without losing a life, but
it is somewhat difficult (as always.)
Par: 1 life
**
**
Stage 7: Elevator
This stage is another toughie. You will have to summon up all of your fighting
skills to beat it without losing a life.
The most difficult enemies of this stage are the Karate guys. They will deal
very high and very annoying amounts of damage to you. This is why I chose to
deal with them first. Stand near the top left of the elevator as the elevator
stops and start an infinite punching and kicking combo. If there are no other
Karate guys around, then grab him and toss him off the edge. If there are two
Karate guys or other enemies nearby then trap them with the infinite jab.
If the only enemies around are hiding in the doorway, they can be trapped there
if you just keep attacking the doorway.
A general rule for throwing enemies off the cliff is to do it when there the
other enemies are not likely to get you right away. If there is only one enemy
nearby, then do it. But if there are many then stick with your infinite jab.
Give the turtle shelled tossers a wide berth if you are near a the edge. As long
as you stay away from the edge you should be able to take care of them pretty
easily, but if go to close you can get thrown off.
In this stage weapons are nearly useless. Don't pick up a bat when you see one.
When enemies drop knives, get rid of them during the ride up. You will often
have to search for a knife behind the railway near the bottom of the screen.
(When they're there you can't see them.) Keep in mind that they seem to end up
farther right than you might think.
With all luck (and a heckofalot of practice) you should be able to reach the
starry top (there's a city scape and beautiful sky) without losing a life.
You'll probably be very low on health, though. Stand in the upper right hand
corner and wait for all three karate guys and the other enemies to appear on
screen and then use your special police attack. This clears away most of the
enemies here. The rest will only appear in the doorway. You should hurry over
there as soon as you use the police. You can trap your foes in the doorway
pretty well, but eventually some tend to escape. Toss them off, but avoid the
knifer punk. He's dangerous!
If all goes well, you should meet the 0 life par.
Par: 0 lives
**
**
Stage 8: Mr. X and Friends in Hideout
The enemies in this stage are again standard fare. If you could do the boat
level, you can do this level. Some of the enemies (like the white juggler and
white whip ladies) have extremely high health, so keep on using those jab
combos. If you see a cart coming towards you, turn towards it and punch. You can
tell when you are near a boss area because many purple turtle shell guys will
appear. The bosses in this area are SO much easier without their helper punks.
There is a meat item after every boss, too. This allows you to get hit once per
boss but no more. You should be able to complete the entire level up to Blaze's
Sisters without losing a single life.
Pick up a pipe to use on the Boomerang Guy. (He comes from the right side.) You
can stand near the top of the screen and whack him with the pipe, walk to the
other side and whack him again, then walk to the other side again to whack him.
It's not very difficult to get the hang of. If you don't have a pipe, use jump
kicks.
The next boss is the Wolverine Guy. He comes from the right. Grab him when it's
safe and then knee him twice, throw him (do not dunk him) behind you, and walk
towards him. You should grab him just as he stands up. Knee him twice and throw
him backwards again. Then walk in his direction and grab him, etc. You can
repeat this pattern until he is defeated.
The Wrestler is next. He comes from the right. After defeating the last punk
here, the wrestler attacks in exactly four seconds. Stand to the left and jump
kick just as the fourth second is counted (count one-thousand-one, one-thousand-
two...) If all goes well, you'll knock him over and proceed with the infinite
jump kicking strategy. Jump kick him into the corner. As you land, move away
from the edge of the screen and then jump kick towards the edge of the screen.
You should hit him, land, and immediately move away from the edge again, jump
kick towards the screen hit him, etc. If you practice the timing like heck
you'll be able to do this without getting hit. Use the sound effects to help
time your jump kicks.
If he is able to hit you and knock you over during the match, grab him as you
get up and use your knee, knee, throw backwards and then continue your jump kick
assault. You can dunk him, too, but it is slightly more dangerous.
The fourth boss in this level is the Fat Guy. (Remember: don't try to throw
him!) He comes from the right as well. Stay in the upper right of the screen
(but not too far up) and walk towards the edge. You will grab him as he appears
on screen. Now use your infinite knee grapple. Grapple, knee, knee, press away
from him to let go, press towards him to grapple again, knee, knee, away,
towards, knee, knee, etc. This is the faster method. The other method is a bit
safer. Grapple, knee, knee, vault, vault, grapple, knee, knee, vault, vault,
grapple, etc. It takes longer, though.
After the Fat Guys you will encounter many Karate guys. The black ones that look
like Shiva from SoR2 and 3 are the most dangerous. Go extremely slowly, as on
the boat, so that you fight only one at a time. There are also some extremely
high HP white characters. The white juggler especially has absurdly high HP.
You'll see double doors as you approach the end. After beating up the two brown
punks, they will appear from the right. Use the same strategy as before. "The
way to beat Blaze's Sisters is to avoid their jump kicks. If you can do this,
then all you have to know is how to land on your feet because you will be
getting thrown A LOT. (Press up and C while in the air to land on your feet.) Do
not underestimate the range of their jump kick. Blaze's Sisters can turn around
in midair to kick in the opposite direction of their flight. Try to get behind a
sister and grab her as she lands her jump kick. This is the best way to grab
one. To damage Blaze's Sisters, grab them and use this attack: knee, knee,
vault, dunk. You can time your vaults and dunks so that you perform them just as
a sister is about to attack you. You can avoid damage in this way. Don't bother
trying to jump kick Blaze's Sisters. Attacking with your fists is not very
useful either, although you can stave off some damage with it. One of the
sisters jump kicks often and the other uses a spinning jump which does not
damage you. Don't let Blaze's Sisters dunk you. This is the one throw that you
can't use up+C to escape from. Always face towards them if they are nearby so
that at worst you will be thrown and not dunked."
In Stage 8, time limit is a BIG issue with Blaze's Sisters. I would expect the
player to lose at least one life fighting them, probably to the time limit. Try
to beat the enemies beforehand quickly so that you have more time to use on the
sisters.
And now Mr.X. Quite frankly, there IS no good strategy for defeating Mr. X.
First of all you need to have at least six lives left and even then you are
going to need to use all of the skill contained in your body to win. And you are
going to need practice before you take on the challenge of beating the entire
game from start to finish. I suggest finding a good emulator (DGen is alright),
savestating at Mr. X, and practicing the boss for an hour or two. That said,
here's how to beat him in six lives or less.
Walk up to Mr. X while he is still in his chair. As he gets up, grab him and
deal him two knees and a throw or dunk as fast as you possibly can before his
assistants attack you. The rest of the battle is completely unpredictable, so
here are some general tips.
*You can stun Mr. X by punching him, but if you stop for even a short while he
is going to smack you with his gun. If you can stun him and grab him quickly
then do so, but watch out for the punks.
*Mr. X's most dangerous attack is the one in which he elbows you with his gun.
By watching his movements you can tell when he is going to do this. But it
happens so fast that it's hard to avoid. Just rapidly punch in his general
direction and you will hopefully hit him.
*You can jump kick Mr. X, but you have to be high enough in the air. Your foot
should hit around his head. Any lower and you will be damaged.
*When Mr. X is spraying machine gun fire this is the best time to grab him. You
have to be about half a screen away. Walk towards him quickly and grab him from
the top of the screen, then use your best grapple. Mr. X's bullets can be
punched or jump kicked away.
*If the punks are too nearby, don't use both knee attacks on Mr. X while
grappling. Knee him once or not at all and then use your throw.
*Throwing enemies at Mr. X does a decent amount of damage.
*Throws are more consistent and easier to use in this battle than dunks.
*The pipe can be useful if you can time it right, but you have to pick it up
when no one is attacking.
*When Mr. X or an enemy knocks you over, grab Mr. X immediately after getting
up.
*Try to really, really, really focus here. Don't let anything distract you. If
you are doing really well, you can get Mr. X down to pink or orange health on
your third life.
*Once I beat him and only lost one life during the battle, but that was a
wondrous fluke. It happened while I was practicing using an emulator. Another
time I lost only two lives.
*Keep practicing until you can consistently beat him with the loss of less than
five lives. Good luck... oh heavens, you'll need it.
*If you have a really good Mr. X strategy that allows you to consistently beat
him while losing only two or three lives (on "Hardest Mode" with Blaze, of
course), type a well written and detailed description of your strategy and email
it to me at
[email protected]
If your strategy works, you will get a tremendous amount of credit in my guide.
*If you manage to complete Blaze's Hardest Mode with no continues, let me know
and I'll email you a special wallpaper as thanks for reading my guide and being
a bang up beat 'em up gamer.
Mr. X Strategy Two (by M. McGowan)
"My secret is very simple, but it requires lots of good timing, and also a bit
of luck.
Basically, the one time it can be assured Mr X wouldn't ram you with his gun is
when he is travelling vertically up the right hand side of the screen, and you
are to his right. It may also work on the left hand side, but I prefer the
right.
Hug the right of the screen until X comes close, then grab him. If you have
time, knee him twice then backdrop, otherwise knee twice/throw or knee
once/throw or just plain throw.
Now, when he comes back on screen there is a 50% chance he's going to attempt to
butt you with the gun. This is the luck part. Time it so that, when he is
running back on screen, you are at the top of a jump, then kick as he comes back
on. He'll get knocked down. Get out of his horizontal charge range, and he'll
resume his side to side pattern.
Just repeat, watching out for the thugs as you do so."
**
** ****
** ****
I. Stage Select Code: Great For Level Practice
You can use this to practice those really annoying levels, like the ship level
(Stage 5) until you can beat them within par. It's a useful feature.
On the title screen press and hold "A", "B", "C", and right with the 2nd
player's controller. Now select options on player one's controller. There should
be a level select option. When you start the game you will go to the selected
level.
** ****
** ****
J. There Isn't a "Mania Mode" Code
Trust me, it's only a rumor. If it did exist, my guide would be called "Blaze's
Mania Mode Guide" instead. Rumor codes are so annoying.
Thank heavens there isn't. "Hardest Mode" is bad enough!
** ****
** ****
Credits
** ****
Players who managed to complete the challenge:
Blaze Fielding 421,000
Christian Cristphor
Josh Kibler
Andrew Green
M. McGowan
Josh Kibler- Tip for even harder game.
M. McGowan- Mr. X Strategy Two.
Sega, Yuzo Koshiro, the rest: Making a great game!
Aster Azul: FINALLY beating this!
Truncated (aka Anton Berglin): Creating a damage list and writing great moves
lists for Streets of Rage games.
Atro City: Giving me some advice.
Frank Provo: The OTHER Streets of Rage guide. It's pretty good.
Jonny H: Best Streets of Rage site, although it has some naughty fan art.
http://www.classicgaming.com/soronline/
Anybody who bothers to read this!
Good luck completing this insane task! I wish you skill!
*Aster Azul*
E-mail me if you have a cool strategy for Mr. X or another boss.
[email protected]
This document Copyright 2002 Aster Azul
