SpikeOut: Battle Street

Written by Glenn Wigmore  on April 20, 2005

Review: "Here Comes the Boss!!!"

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And with those four words, Spikeout: Battle Street sets the tone for its campy nature and throwback gameplay. An arcade beat-Сem-up through-and-through, Spikeout looks, sounds and plays like a button-masher of yesteryear, and this is both a point for and a point against. Granted, games like this were imperfect when they were actually more prominent so this isn't really a surprise. It's really quite difficult to assign a numbered score to a game such as this, but if you know what you're getting into and enjoy the game as is, you might find some amusement, especially with friends joining in.

The basic premise is that you (Team Spike) are a gangЕ err, УTeamФЕ that is at odds with the evil Team Inferno; this is probably about the level of preparation you need for the story. Your baddie-thumping adventures will take you from the Spiker's Camp (Team Spike's HQ) to the depths of the Team Inferno lair, complete with neo-nazi, devil-worshipping, sword-wielding, steroid-using, grunt uttering dudes who all have one name monikersЕ ah, good times. In between these two locales, you'll fight through urban sprawls, drab warehouses, and over-populated boat docks, all complete with location specific thugs and bosses.

You'll pick from one of four starting characters Ц eventually, this number will grow substantially with unlockables Ц and take it to the opposition with an array of strikes, throws, combos, and weapons attacks. As I noted in the preview, the game looks and plays a lot like Street of Rage, and this is, for the most part, to its credit. While it won't have the timeless appeal that some of the SOR games had, it does play quite a bit like it. You'll be able to punch, kick, sweep, and slam your opponents with all sorts of attacks, and you can even juggle them against walls with successive chain hits Ц this works very well with multiple players. Many of the throws that each character has are also very devastating, and this is particularly evident with the unlockable bosses, who all sport various powerbombs, spins, and bone-shattering slams. You and your teammates can also pickup various weapons Ц dropped by thugs or found in the environment Ц that can be used to lay waste to the never-ending horde of enemies. Some of the most memorable weapons include truck tires, coffee tables, potted plants, baseball bats, and flamethrowers. I must say, there's something intrinsically satisfying about chucking a six-foot coffee table at some guy's head, blindsiding him, and then knocking a couple more guys over a railing to their demise.

Of course, this game won't be for everyone Ц you really do have to know what you're getting into with Spikeout: Battle Street. The game suffers from all of the usual pitfalls that these genre games usually have such as awkward controls (although, these can be customized somewhat), wonky camera views, short duration, and shoddy production values. Some of these issues were turn offs for people when games like this were released a decade ago, and I don't see any likelihood of this title changing those opinions. However, for people who are into this sort of game, it should be noted that some of these problems are forgivable and some are not. This is a port of a Japanese coin-op game so that is a factor, but having no camera control and not polishing up the game's look and feel a little bit is of a downer. Another knock comes in the form of unlockables that are truly tough to unlock; I know that the game makers wanted a challenge for the player, but there doesn't always seem to be any rhyme or reason as to why you get a character in one instance, but get snubbed in another.

Still, the core gameplay delivers what one who knows this type of game would expect, and the developers did add one significant feature that most people would likely get this game for alone: Xbox Live play. Since the Story mode is a solo experience, the developers decided to expand on the Battle Street mode (multiplayer) by adding online functionality. I must confess: the XBL implementation on this game is some of the best I have seen to date. Not only do you have QuickMatch, OptiMatch and Create-A-Match features, but also friends/players lists, voice messaging, user stat tracking, host features (like kicking players), and customizable game settings. On top of this, the voice chat is quite good (it does cut out once in a while, though) and support for up to four players is relatively smooth, and not to mention a lot of fun. I was genuinely surprised at the quality of the online features, and they only serve to enhance the silliness that transpires when four people are walloping on thugs from all angles. Again, there are a couple of bugs here and there, but this aspect of the game was very well done and adds towards much of the title's value.

As alluded to above, presentation in the game is only so-so, with the visuals harkening back to the Sega Dreamcast. Players and baddies are represented in moderate detail, with some bright colors and objects being notable additions to some characters' look. The environments are fairly empty and uninspired, but there is some decent weapon integration into the level design, and some set pieces are better than others. Obviously, the game was being ported for its gameplay and the added online play, and not really for its looks. CGI cutscenes are also included to tell the Уstory,Ф and they don't look all that bad. The sound is quite average as well, with requisite punch, kick and slam noises sounding decent, and generic rock and electronica beats providing the ambiance Ц a lot like Streets of Rage, actually. The voice over work for the characters is as one would expect Ц hideous Ц but at least some laughs are had with the in-game announcer and his quips like УHow to see the Map,Ф УCool!!!У and УLife's Up!!!Ф It'll make you giggle at least, which is more than I can say for some other games' audio. In-game Dolby Digital support is included, which is a bit of a surprise.

So there you have it: Spikeout: Battle Street isn't for everyone, but it does do the things right for those who are looking out for them. Obviously, the online is the biggest draw for this title, but you still have a moderately entertaining game that has a decent combo/move system and a host of unlockables to be found. If you like beat-Сem-ups and would like to play them with your friends, you pretty much only have this game to choose from on the Xbox -- good thing it's not all that bad of a choice.