Streets of Rage is a series of side-scrolling beat ’em up video games, centering on the efforts of several ex-police vigilantes trying to rid a fictional, large American city from a crime syndicate that has corrupted its local government. The first three games in the franchise were developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s and have since been ported and re-released on various platforms. A fourth entry was released in 2020. Three games in the series were released between 1991 and 1994. The first entry, Streets of Rage, introduced the four main characters, three young former police officers known as Axel, Blaze and Adam and Mr. X, an evil mastermind. It is the only game in the series to feature a Shinobi-style special attack that defeats all non-boss enemies on-screen. Streets of Rage was supported by Sega’s Mega Drive/Genesis, Master System and Game Gear consoles. The second entry in the series, Streets of Rage 2, had new music (influenced by early ’90s club music) from series composer Yuzo Koshiro and newcomer composer Motohiro Kawashima, more defined graphics and a larger selection of moves. It also introduced two new characters: Eddie “Skate” Hunter, and Max Thunder (or Sammy “Skate” Hunter and Max Hatchett in some regions). Like the original title, Streets of Rage 2 was playable on Sega’s Genesis, Master System, and Game Gear. The third entry to the Streets of Rage series, Streets of Rage 3, was less well-received than its predecessors; despite some enhancements, it was seen as very similar to Streets of Rage 2. This entry added a more complex storyline told using cutscenes. The Western version featured increased difficulty, with other elements altered or censored from the Japanese release. The music, again composed by Koshiro and Kawashima, was also criticized for being radically different from the music from the first two games. Unlike the two preceding games, Streets of Rage 3 was available only on the Genesis.