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The PlayStation 2 era is indisputably celebrated for hosting some of the finest beat-em-ups in gaming history. Iconic titles like Devil May Cry, Shinobi, Bujingai and a whole lot more come to mind. However, for every blockbuster hit, there were several action-brawlers that quietly slipped under the radar.
Enter Urban Reign, a 2005 beat-em-up from Namco, the studio renowned for creating iconic series such as Soul Calibur and Tekken. Urban Reign isn’t for the faint of heart; its challenging difficulty is brutal, grabbing you by the neck and slamming you to the ground. But that is exactly what makes it worth the mention.
Urban Reign’s plot of gang mayhem in urban areas is hardly anything marvel; the story follows Brad Hawk, a stoic and skilled street fighter, who is hired by Shun Ying Lee, the female leader of the Chinatown triad. Lee’s gang is under threat from rival factions, leading to a violent power struggle that puts everyone at risk. Hawk, a lone wolf with a mysterious past, is tasked with restoring order and protecting Lee’s interests amidst these chaotic events.
As Hawk takes it to the gang-infested streets, he uncovers a tangled web of deceit and betrayal. Allies become enemies, and the line between right and wrong blurs. Alongside a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motives and fighting styles, Hawk punches through waves of adversaries in brutal, fast-paced combat. His mission takes him from dark alleyways and abandoned warehouses to underground fight clubs and grand arenas.
The game’s controls are decent, offering a balanced mix of offensive and defensive attacks. On the offensive side, players can throw a few jabs at the enemy or use grappling moves for region-specific attacks, marked by a gauge that highlights damage to specific parts of the enemy’s body. On the other hand, a defensive approach mustn’t be ignored, as it allows players to dodge, reverse attacks, and counter by pressing the square button - these skills become crucial in the later levels of the game.
While players start with a humble collection of moves, extra ones become available, including the “Special Arts (SPA)”. It’s like unlocking new tricks up your sleeve, with wrestling moves such as the running powerbomb, stunner, leg whip, and mid-air powerbomb that add a cool factor to your repertoire. Other cool stunts have players running up and flipping off walls, performing devastating attacks, and taking out multiple enemies at once. By combining multiple button prompts, you can pull off some amazing stunts. While the characters cannot execute combo strings like those in games such as God Hand, it makes up for it with the option to throw jabs to juggle enemies and grapple them in mid-air, which should let you wreck anything that comes your way - most of the time.
While the story mode is single-player-centric, players will occasionally team up with an AI partner to complete missions. However, to gain an AI companion, you must first defeat them. You can pull off some impressive double-team moves with your AI partner and call them in for assistance whenever needed. Another cool feature is the ability to switch seamlessly between the AI and the main character, letting you unleash stylish combos without missing a beat. While most of the game features many martial arts techniques, players can use up to 30 weapons found throughout the environment. Luckily, there’s no weapon durability, so you can let loose on your foes. Additionally, as with the previously mentioned wrestling moves, having a weapon allows players to execute awesome weapon-specific finishers.
Urban Reign throws players into a predominantly fast-paced hand-to-hand combat affair, with over 100 missions to punch through. Some of the early missions are quite manageable, but as the player nears the end of the game, the difficulty skyrockets. Even with the easiest difficulty enabled, the game will still put your skills to the test. It’s also a tough game, a testament to the remarkable sixth generation of consoles. It was an era where games were designed to be tough, encouraging players to improvise and adapt with each setback. If you want to finish Urban Reign, then you have to master the game. There are several mechanics at play here, each requiring your full attention.
Unlike more modern action games like Sleeping Dogs, Urban Reign handles combat differently. First, enemies don’t telegraph their moves. Players have to pay attention to their surroundings and, above all, master crowd control. Enemies are clever and will surround the player at all times. How players handle that is just the tip of the iceberg. Second, there’s a mechanic called “Regional Damage”. This means enemies will target specific parts of your body - head, chest, and legs. As you take hits or land blows on enemies, damage accumulates, leading to side effects. For instance, repeated hits to the head cause staggering, which can be advantageous for dealing additional damage, but you definitely don’t want to be on the receiving end of those attacks.
Third, enemies will occasionally grab the player to unleash a devastating attack. Unlike most beat-em-ups, escaping these grabs requires careful attention. For instance, if an enemy grabs the player and targets their head, the player must press the square button and guide the joystick to the corresponding region to break free. It may sound easy on paper, but it’s not. Oftentimes, escaping a grab relies on pure luck or coincidence, as the AI can be deceptive. Sometimes it will appear as though the AI is targeting your head, only for their true goal to be your chest.
Urban Reign is, at its core, an arcade game. It features a multiplayer mode that supports up to four players via multi-tap, with up to 60 characters to choose from. Unlocking the full set of characters requires beating the game on the hardest difficulty. Additionally, extra modes such as “Free Mode” and “Challenge Mode” can be unlocked after completing all the story missions. The biggest surprise after finishing the game is the cameo appearance of Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law from Tekken 5, making replaying all the extra unlockable modes worth it.
Even after almost two decades since its original release, Urban Reign sports solid graphics, with well-crafted character designs kicking through various moderately interactive, though not-so-impressive, levels. Additionally, Urban Reign boasts an impressive lineup of blood-pumping soundtracks that will surely get you prepared for breaking some bones.
While the simple yet addictive gameplay is a highlight, the game is not without its flaws. Difficulty spikes can be quite jarring, especially when clashing with tough opponents like Napalm 99 and Golem. These two are beasts in human form. While Urban Reign is primarily single-player-centric, focusing on beating everyone up, some missions introduce specific objectives to mix things up. While this might sound facile, some of these missions can quickly become an exercise in frustration.
In summary, Urban Reign stands out as a fun, memorable, and entertaining action brawler on the PS2. Its robust engine brings the action vividly to life, drawing inspiration from a range of brawling games while adding its own unique flair. The game’s tough-as-nails combat and impressive finishers are sure to leave you awestruck every time you pull off a spectacular move. Urban Reign is tough, but that’s what makes it a great fit for seasoned players and also, beat-em-up fans. Apart from the obnoxiously absurd difficulty spike against Golem, Urban Reign is fun.
