Raging Justice

 Xbox One
Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. GameSpew
    May 10, 2018
    70
    While it's occasionally frustrating and the arrest system is hit and miss, I can't deny that it's a lot of fun to play.
  2. Xbox Achievements
    May 8, 2018
    63
    A retro-style beat 'em up without the retro charm, Raging Justice attempts to bring a dormant genre back to life with mixed results. Unfortunately, it just isn't as much fun as you'd hope it would be. So near, and yet so far, you'll be yearning for Streets of Rage in no time at all.
  3. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Jun 23, 2018
    60
    Mostly fun retro beat-'em-up that can be challenging, but not so much that it's rewarding. [July 2018, p.84]
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  5. ZTGD
    May 24, 2018
    60
    Raging Justice is a game that is defined by its screenshots. One look and I knew exactly what I was getting. I wish there was more, I wish it was more fun, but at the end of the day it just felt too limited by its inspirations to stand out and be memorable.
  6. DarkStation
    May 21, 2018
    50
    To succeed in its ambition as a homage to the long-lost genre, Raging Justice should have been an excellent street brawler. Now its desires are only skin-deep, basking in leftovers of aesthetics the time deserted. The game can be fun in short bursts, but only in short bursts. Any longer and the frustration due to the gameplay issues will kick in again. It’s a shame Raging Justice is not nearly as good - and more importantly, as fun - as it sets out to be.

User Reviews

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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Xbox_Alive
    May 8, 2018
    7
    I’ve been wanting to play a new old-school side-scrolling beat ’em-up for year’s now and thankfully I got my wish with Raging Justice. As aI’ve been wanting to play a new old-school side-scrolling beat ’em-up for year’s now and thankfully I got my wish with Raging Justice. As a kid I can’t imagine the amount of hours I sunk into this genre and Raging Justice brings back a lot of fond memories despite suffering with a few problems every now and then. Obviously the most important aspect of a game of this ilk is its combat, and thankfully it delivers everything I would expect in this area. The combat remains fun from start to finish and battering enemies remained satisfying throughout my time with the game. Speaking about the enemies there is a great deal of variety with each enemy you face, and I must admit that I especially enjoyed the boss battles that were present in the game. Each boss has a unique side to them and this in turn makes each boss feel important which is great because that is what it felt like back in the day. If you like lots of weapons to defeat these enemies then Raging Justice will satisfy you a great deal. Each weapon in the game feels awesome and there’s nothing better than clearing out a number of enemies at the same time with these weapons. To say I enjoyed my time with this game would be a massive understatement and it’s a shame that it doesn’t have a huge amount of content for you to sink your teeth into. I would have definitely liked an online component because this would have definitely gave the game more replaybility, but I understand that sometimes this can’t always be possible. Another thing I wanted more of is a story. There is a story present in the game but it’s very basic and generic and more information about the enemies you face would’ve been a nice addition. In terms of the technichal side of the game it’s a bit of a mixed bag. On the one had the controls are brilliant and remain tight and responsive throughout, there are however a few problems when it comes to the animations in the game but in the end I ended up forgetting about these problems. I will say though that they got the presentation side of the game absolutely spot on. With both the visuals and sound design they’ve managed to include both an old-school and modern feel and this without a doubt makes the gameplay even more fun and enjoyable. At the end of the day I applaud the efforts of the husband and wife developers that created Raging Justice. They’ve managed to make me fall in love with this genre again, and whilst the game isn’t perfect it easily gets more right than it gets wrong, and if you’re a fan of this specific genre then I fully recommend that you give this game a try.… Full Review »
  2. GBG_Jason
    May 16, 2018
    9
    Raging Justice tells a familiar story of a city overrun with crime and three heroes that set off to take down the criminal element. The storyRaging Justice tells a familiar story of a city overrun with crime and three heroes that set off to take down the criminal element. The story is just as campy as the games that inspired the title with laughable dialogue and an endless number of dimwitted criminals to pummel. Spanning a respectable nine levels, the game can be finished in under 2 hours with 2 different endings depending on where you fall within the Good Cop/Bad Cop rating (we'll get to this later), which means it never overstays it's welcome. Each level culminates with at least one boss battle per the standard for this long forgotten genre.

    The heroes you'll play as are varied and clearly modeled after Axel/Adam, Blaze, and Skate, each with their own pros and cons - a well-rounded character, a quicker fighter with less damage to compensate, as well as the small guy who is super quick but requires many more hits to dispatch the criminals. Each fighter has a fair number of attacks: punches, kicks, dash attacks, throws, a grab move, jump attacks, and a super move that can be used to clear huge areas of enemies. These work well and provide enough variety to keep the action from getting stale; the only downfall is the special move requires a fair chunk of your health to use.

    It wouldn't be a true beat-‘em-up without random weapons being dropped to assist you, and they drop quite often, almost in comical amounts at times. You'll find a huge range of weapons dropped at random, as well as the occasional vehicle that can be used to dispatch huge waves of enemies with ease. The only downside to these is many can only be used a single time, breaking upon use, but this will vary depending on the item.

    The biggest change to the standard formula this genre is known for is the Good Cop/Bad Cop system as well as level specific challenges, such as not dying, reaching a high score, collecting a certain number of pick-ups, or dispatching enemies in a certain way. Each level will feature a number of enemies that will flash red or just simply be stunned after taking a set amount of damage. Once stunned, you can press the grab button to arrest the criminal, earning Good Cop points and resulting in an extra life or health being dropped. On the opposite end, you can earn Bad Cop points by using a weapon on the offending enemy. This system doesn't work as well in action, as a number of the highlighted enemies will fall prior to being stunned, no matter how careful you are. The enemies’ attacks are prone to friendly fire which can also result in a failed arrest or even stopping the motion resulting in a resisted arrest. You can replay each level, with the game saving your best run for each level on each available difficulty if you wish to try for a perfect game; however, this doesn't make up for when the game robs you of your action resulting in you needing to restart the level entirely.

    I found the presentation to be outstanding with the game’s old school meets new school vibe, with highly detailed characters that reminded me of a more fluid style of the more obscure ClayFighter. Each level or character has clear nods to previous brawlers from yesteryear, which makes this seem as if Sega themselves finally released a follow up to their long dormant series.

    The game can be played in couch co-op with an additional player, but not having a third player or offering online gameplay is a bit of a missed opportunity. Additionally, the title gives the players a bank of continues that can be used, which are shared between the 2 players. This can prove to be a bit of an issue if you're playing with a youngster or someone who isn't as skilled despite the title being overly accessible. While I did not find the default difficulty to be overly challenging, the easy setting proved to be a bit much for my son, resulting in us needing to start the game over once he used our entire bank of continues by the game’s climax. I give the developers kudos for allowing the player to turn off friendly fire, as it's easy to lose your characters among the chaos, or if you have a partner like my son, who thinks it's hilarious to punch your partner in the face anytime the opportunity arises. If you wish to duke it out with your child, sibling, or friend, a duel mode is also offered, which neither takes away nor adds to the title.

    Since Sega will likely never return to the Streets of Rage franchise, this is probably the closest we'll ever get to a true sequel. While it has its imperfections, there is a lot to enjoy with the title at a low cost of admission. I strongly recommend purchasing Raging Justice on your platform of choice.    … Full Review »