Urban Reign
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| Urban Reign | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Release date(s) | September 13, 2005 (NA) February 3, 2006 (EU) |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 16+ |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
Urban Reign is a multiplayer Beat 'em up game developed by Namco in the tradition of Capcom's Final Fight, River City Ransom, and Double Dragon. The game has a very strong multiplayer component. Its fighting engine was influenced by Power Stone, Tobal 2 and Ehrgeiz.
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[edit] Plot
The plot of Urban Reign follows the exploits "brawler-for-hire" Brad Hawk, who is hired to find a kidnapped gangmember by the scantily clad swordswoman Shun Ying Lee. As Brad fights his way through the street gangs of Ragtown to get some answers, the true machinations of the protagonists reveal themselves and things become more complicated.
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The neutrality of this section is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. |
[edit] Game play
Urban Reign features a robust fighting engine for both single player and multiplayer action with both multiple AI opponents and human controlled characters on the same screen fighting at the same time. While the move sets of the characters are not nearly as rich as Namco's vs. fighting games such as Soul Calibur or Tekken, the ability of characters to freely move in the environment, pick up weapons, throw objects, give instructions to AI partners, and pull off moves on multiple opponents at once makes up for the lack of base moves.
Especially rich is the grappling system, which resembles and in may ways exceeds many pro wrestling games. There are low and high grapples, air grapples, counters and recounters each with its own animations for each character. The grapple system is the closest yet designed to the legendary system in Tobal 2 and is highly satisfying once mastered.
The combo system is simplified compared to the systems in Virtua Fighter or King of Fighters and reduces the necessity for memorization of long combo strings specific to each character. Though characters have optimal combo strings, most combos start with three presses of the attack button, the third of which will juggle an opponent. Then the player has choices of an air grapple, special move, simply continuing the combo or even running away to pick up a weapon or reposition.
A major difference in Urban Reign from other beat 'em ups is the replacement of a block action with dodge. Neutralizing attacks by opponents is done with a single button press that must be timed to the moment of the attack. Also, if the player presses up or down on the keypad while pressing dodge at the correct time, his character will reverse an attack, if possible. Even when cornered by multiple enemies, it is possible to dodge all oncoming normal attacks.
Finally, "special arts" can be pulled off with a press of two buttons. Special arts cannot be countered, reversed or dodged except by another special move, and they can be buffered. Like Street Fighter and King of Fighters characters have a "special arts meter" that must be at a certain level for a move to be attempted. The meter is expended when a move is pulled off, and increases when characters take damage, successfully dodge attacks, or strike their opponents with attacks.
Initially, it is not possible for two players to play through the single player missions together like Double Dragon, but once unlocked, the game includes ample game modes for multiplayer action, including four-player brawls with a Playstation 2 multi-tap and extra controllers. There is a code that can be entered to play through the single-player missions with a second human player, but unfortunately the camera will only follow whichever player is using the player 1 controller. In other mutiplayer modes, the game makes use of a panning camera to keep all characters on the screen at all times. While still playable, it can be difficult to identify what is happening from some of the distances necessary to keep all characters on screen.
[edit] Character Designs
Urban Reign takes place in a gritty, comic-book-like city populated by street gangs (none of which use guns) and revels in just about every American gang stereotype that currently exists. The cast of over 60 characters includes hooded and masked gang called the Zaps similar to the Crips and Bloods led by corn-row adorned Dwayne, a gang of muscle-bound, tatoo'ed skinheads (though of multi-ethnic origin), a Chinese gang that uses Shaolin style kung fu, a biker gang of tatoo'ed heschers, a Yakuza gang that is run by a mysterious man and the obligatory Karate school that takes to the streets.
[edit] Difficulty
Urban Reign is no cakewalk. Like many beat 'em ups, the difficulty of the game is based on the fact that the player can continue a mission over and over again when he or she is defeated. Many of the missions will require even an experienced player to retry multiple times. Since much of the game has to be unlocked, this has been a sore subject, especially for many of the game's reviewers. For example:
"...except [the] enemy AI is FEROCIOUS. You think you're getting the hang of it, and then enemies start hitting you unblockably between animations, and then juggle you in the air between them for several seconds; they wait off-screen until you're reaching for a health pick-up on the ground and then rush you at cheetah speed while it's technically impossible to react; they gang up on you (HA!) and fight perfect fights." -Tom Bramwell, Eurogamer.net
In accord with other games in the genre, few players have been able to beat the boss of Samurai Shodown 2, Virtua Fighter EVO, or Street Fighter without considerable practice and study with a particular character. One misleading aspect of the controls of Urban Reign is that they can be learned very quickly, giving the illusion of simplicity, but their application and timing takes quite a bit of practice, just like other beat'em up games. Namco's love of juggling combos can add a level of frustration when juggled by two, three or even four opponents at the same time.
The following missions in the game have been noted by players to be extremely difficult.
- Mission 10: Observer
- Mission 15: Fury
- Mission 21: World-Ranked Boxer
- Mission 45: The Duel
- Mission 50: The Scoundrel
- Mission 69: Toe-to-Toe for Glory
- Mission 89: An Unexpected Call
- Mission 92: The Escape
- Mission 93: Little Brother
- Mission 98: Monster Slayer
- Mission 99: Closing In
[edit] Major characters
While Urban Reign has a huge amount of minor characters, the game also has a decent amount of major characters that take part in the storyline. These characters have more extensive movesets and backgrounds compared to the minor characters. The major cast are as follows:
[edit] Brad Hawk
DoB: Unknown
Height: 185 cm
Weight: 87 kg
Fighting Style: All-Round
The main protagonist of Urban Reign. Much about his past is unknown, and he isn't too talkative. Hired by a Chinese gang leader, Shun Ying Lee, to sort out the mess in Green Harbor.
Brad's fighting style, All-Round, is heavily influenced by Boxing, Kickboxing, Wrestling and Submission Grappling.
[edit] Shun Ying Lee
DoB: 2/23 (age: 24)
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 54 kg
Fighting Style: Kung Fu/Chinese Broadsword
The leader of Chinatown and the Chinese Triads. When her father died, he passed down command to Shun Ying Lee. Her younger brother, Lin Fong Lee, however, was not pleased with this decision. She is currently having a gang war with Dwayne and his gang, the Zaps.
Shun Ying's fighting style, Kung Fu, is quite similar to Tekken's Ling Xiaoyu's style of Kung Fu, or Bajiquan. Her Chinese Sword fighting style is also quite similar to Soul Calibur's Chai Xianghua's style of fighting.
[edit] Dwayne Davis
DoB: 12/17 (age: 32)
Height: 187 cm
Weight: 75 kg
Fighting Style: Rush
The leader of the Zaps gang. After losing his family at a very young age, he values his gang members and homeboys. After having one of his closest member, KG, disappear, he suspects that Shun Ying and her Chinese gang may have taken him and begins to attack them.
Dwayne's fighting style, Rush, can be seen as a street fighting type of style. A style that utilizes Boxing and Wrestling.
[edit] Glen Kluger
DoB: 11/2 (age: 41)
Height: 194 cm
Weight: 97 kg
Fighting Style: Power
A thorough Biker gang stereotype, Glen is the leader of the Hell's Legions biker gang. Hired by Dwayne and the Zaps, he is out to fight Brad Hawk and Shun Ying Lee.
Glen's fighting style, Power, is influenced by both wrestling and street fighting.
[edit] Kadonashi Shotaro
DoB: 11/25 (age: 34)
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 78 kg
Fighting Style: Karate
The grandmaster of the Kadonashi Dojo. In pursuit of the, "American dream," he traveled to the U.S. from Japan and opened his very own Dojo. Kadonashi is not fluent in English.
The Karate style that Kadonashi uses is Kyokushinkai. A lot of his moves are also based on Tekken's Jin Kazama and Kazuya Mishima.
[edit] Jake Hudson
DoB: 10/3 (age: 26)
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 102 kg
Fighting Style: Wrestling
Ever since giving up Amateur Wrestling from an injury, he has now become a muscle-for-hire. Hired by Dwayne to take down Brad and Shun Ying.
Jake uses a more professional wrestling and technical fighting style than Alex Steiner. A lot of his moves are based on technique in pro wrestling.
[edit] Grimm
DoB: 4/13 (age: 27)
Height: 186 cm
Weight: 105 kg
Fighting Style: Boxing
A former world-ranked boxer who also began to practice pro wrestling as well. Not thinking of others, he uses his strength and muscle to bring others around him.
Grimm uses a street type of boxing, which would convert to both boxing and street fighting and grapples. He is similar to Tekken's Steve Fox.
[edit] Chris Bowman
DoB: 1/28 (age: 23)
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Fighting Style: Capoeira
A man who has grown from a middle class family background and a practitioner of Capoeira. He does not tolerate being ridiculed for his middle class background, and will lose his temper if he is.
Chris's Capoeira is quite authentic to the real life Capoeira, along with the use of Acrobatics and Gymnastics. His Capoeira resembles closely to Tekken's Eddy Gordo and Christie Monteiro.
[edit] Dae-Suk Park
DoB: 10/5 (age: 21)
Height: 178 cm
Weight: 62 kg
Fighting Style: Tae Kwon Do
A loner who enjoys wearing gothic fashion. Due to his quietness and always being and acting alone, it is impossible to read his mind.
Park uses the art of the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), and uses both Moo Duk Kwan Tae Kwon Do and olympic art of Tae Kwon Do. Park is very similar to Tekken's Hwoarang and Baek Doo San.
[edit] Tong Yoon Bulsook
DoB: 9/30 (age: 29)
Height: 177 cm
Weight: 72 kg
Fighting Style: Muay Thai
A former Muay Thai champion back in Thailand. While usually being a lone wolf, he's been recently getting involved with gang feuds, due to having fallen into hard times.
Tong Yoon uses many elements in Muay Thai, such as the brutal knees, elbows, kicks and fists in their attacks. Tong Yoon also performs a very brief Wai khru ram muay for his Charge-Up SPA (Down Circle+Triangle). He is similar to Tekken's Bruce Irvin.
[edit] Alex Steiner
DoB: 12/6 (age: 26)
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 97 kg
Fighting Style: Wrestling
An enforcer from Green Hill. He's an athlete who built his strength through Football and Amateur Wrestling in his school years. However, he also has street fighting experience as well.
Alex's style of Wrestling differs from Jake's style of fighting, mainly due to Alex's use of more power instead of technique and submission.
[edit] McKinzie
DoB: 7/1 (age: 37)
Height: 193 cm
Weight: 98 kg.
Fighting Style: Submission
He formed the gang known as the Shadow Platoon after he was discharged from his military service for abandoning his post. He enjoys destruction and chaos and will answer anyone from an underground network to cause mayhem.
While McKinzie uses submission holds in his grapples, his strikes are made up of kickboxing. McKinzie is similar to Tekken's Bryan Fury.
[edit] Napalm 99
DoB: 9/2 (age: 35)
Height: 200 cm
Weight: 110 kg.
Fighting Style: Mighty
After doing time in prison, he rounded up a bunch of convicts and created his own gang, The Outlaws. He despises all good in society and enjoys social disorder and conflict.
Mighty is a street fighting style that utilizes large amounts of strength and grappling. Very similar to wrestling.
[edit] Golem
DoB: 5/19 (age: 35)
Height: 207 cm
Weight: 158 kg
Fighting Style: Mighty
After killing an opponent during a wrestling match, Golem has since then fought in underground fights. He's devoid of all sense of pride and humanity.
Mighty is a street fighting style that utilizes large amounts of strength and grappling. Very similar to wrestling.
[edit] Lin Fong Lee
DoB: 3/25 (age: 22)
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 97 kg
Fighting Style: Kung Fu/Chinese Broadsword
Shun Ying's younger brother and only son of the Chinese Triads leader. After Shun Ying was chosen to become the next ruler in Chinatown, Lin Fong decided to round up his own gang to fight back Shun Ying and her gang. Being very ruthless and cruel, he is quite the opposite of his older sister.
Lin Fong's hand-to-hand combat style is a mix between Chinese Kenpo and Choy Lee Fut. Lin Fong's hand-to-hand style is similar to Tekken's Feng Wei. His Broadsword fighting style is similar to Soul Edge's Seong Han-Myeong, Soul Edge and Soul Calibur's Hwang Seong-Gyeong and Soul Calibur 2 and 3's Hong Yun-Seong.
[edit] Shinkai
DoB: 9/18 (age: 65)
Height: 189 cm
Weight: 95 kg
Fighting Style: Master/Personal Katana
The leader of the Mushin-Kai Yakuza. Shinkai was hired by a mysterious person to turn Green Harbor into chaos.
Shinkai's style, Master, is a mix between Karate and Yakuza style of fighting. His personal katana, Shinkai Katana, is known to be the deadliest of all weapons in Urban Reign when it is in the hands of its master.
[edit] Trivia
Urban Reign was dubbed one of the most violent games of 2005, yet is only T rated; the only T rated game to make the list. This is due to the bonecrunching sounds and extremely graphic pain animations for many of the moves. There is no blood in the game and no nudity or sexual content.
The game also features two characters from the Tekken series of games, Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. Both characters (in typical Namco fashion) must be unlocked before they can be used in the game.
