French developer DotEmu showed off fresh looks for new entries to two classic franchises from back in the day—Streets of Rage 4 and Windjammers 2. While these games were in early development, we got a feel for how much time and attention are going into making these upcoming titles ones fans will love.

Streets of Rage 4 played very much like the classic side-scrolling beat ‘em up titles but came with a fresh new comic book-inspired look and a fluid combo system. The game encourages you to play with a friend as you can easily string combos together by timing your punches and kicks just right. Our demo had us playing with a buddy so we were really able to put this into action, learning as we progressed through the first level until we unleashed hell on the final boss.

The characters we played with, Axel and Blaze, also came equipped with two special attacks that did massive damage to enemies around them. You only get two chances to use these attacks and then need to replenish them by picking up stars from combat. Communication is still super important when playing with a friend to coordinate combos but also to avoid taking your friend’s stars or health-restoring items when they really need them.

A lot of the game’s development remains undisclosed—such as who is working on the game’s soundtrack—but it’s definitely shaping up to be a solid entry in the series. This fourth entry in the series takes place right after Streets of Rage 3 and will feature more characters than the two that were available to us. Whether or not the game will feature online co-op remains to be seen.

Windjammers 2 was also in early development but feels like it will be just as competitive as the original disc-throwing game has become. The object of each match is to throw you disc into your opponent’s goal and all while defending your goal. Think air hockey but with a disc. The four characters we were able to choose from each felt different in terms of speed and power and each feature special offense and defensive moves to psyche out your opponents. Like DotEmu’s 2017 remastered version of the original, the game featured quick controls and introduced new lob mechanics that really amp up the speed of each match and allow for some smart ways to punish your opponents.

Look for Streets of Rage 4 and Windjammers 2 out later this year for multiple platforms.

About The Author

Giancarlo Saldana is Blast's Gaming Editor. Follow him on Twitter @giansaldana to read his daily musings about the world of video games.

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