Adam

Streets of Rage 4 has been in development for quite a while now, and while we're anxious to get our hands on it, as fans of the series we're happy to wait while joint developers Guard Crush Games, DotEMU and Lizardcube polish it to the Nth degree. The original Mega Drive / Genesis beat 'em ups are a classic trilogy and the last thing we want is a game which doesn't live up to them.

It's a tough assignment, although a recent demonstration at Montreal DemoNight (as brought to our attention by a tweet from Guard Crush) shows that things are coming along very nicely. The presentation was led with commentary from Cyrille Lagarigue, lead programmer on the game and co-founder of Guard Crush, and it showcased real gameplay footage of Adam Hunter, the latest character to be announced and a fan favourite we haven't seen since the original Streets of Rage:

Adam looks to be in good form after nearly 30 years since his debut, although you'll recall he also has his daughter Cherry to help out this time. Check out the entire presentation in the video below courtesy of Twitch streamer missharvey (be warned that it features some fruity language).

For fans of the series it's something of a relief to see the care and attention being lavished on every aspect of this sequel. It's one thing to get the music right (and let's face it, we doubt series veteran Yuzo Koshiro will drop the ball on that front - he's also backed up by a VGM supergroup this time, too), but it's the fusion of visuals, sound and gameplay which gives the Streets of Rage series its unique rhythm and feel.

We enjoyed our time with a build back in September and you can read all about our hands-on impressions of this third sequel. While you're waiting for a release date announcement, you might want to get in the mood by reading about the history of the series, too.

Looking forward to dealing out from justice in the shoes of Adam Hunter? Getting impatient for a release date? Unleash your grand uppers in the comments.

[source twitter.com, via twitch.tv]