Koshiro’s innovative work would go on to predict and even influence club music trends to come shortly after the series ended.
If – heaven forbid! – you’re not au fait with the intricacies of the Mega Drive’s audio configuration, we recommend checking out this video which helpfully provides a short overview and some isolated examples, including one from this very game. He produced a range of crisp, realistic percussion samples through the available PCM channel and used a combination of FM synth and PSG for the rest.
Using outdated hardware that he’d modified, Koshiro managed to make the Genesis really sing using its Yamaha YM2612 sound chip as well as the Master System’s PSG (Programmable Sound Generator - the previous console's sound chip was also present in the Mega Drive hardware). The composer of such classics as ActRaiser and Revenge of Shinobi, his soundtrack fused techno and house with other genres to propel the player from brawl to brawl. While it can be tough to return to the original game after playing the more-polished, smoother sequel, the music makes it more than worth the effort.Īrguably the biggest contributing factor to the game’s style, though, was the brilliant soundtrack from Yuzo Koshiro. Nintendo bagged exclusivity to the console port of Final Fight which, despite having some considerable downgrades from the arcade original (most notably lacking two-player co-op), still looked impressive on Super Nintendo. The original Streets of Rage - or Bare Knuckle as it's known in Japan - was released in 1991 and was very much a response to Capcom’s game. The arrival of Capcom’s Final Fight in arcades in 1989 took the genre to a whole new level, with huge and colourful character sprites and beautiful backgrounds complementing the pick-up-and-play mechanics. Games like River City Ransom were easy to understand, satisfying to play and made for excellent two-player co-op fodder (as anyone who had siblings in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s will surely confirm). A NES port arrived the following year and the concept caught on with the home console audience. The humble side-scrolling beat 'em up genre started life in 1984 with Kung Fu Master (later ported to NES as Kung Fu), but it was 1987’s arcade hit Double Dragon that ushered in a wave of classic belt scrollers.