Bare Knuckle II - Sega MD MegaDrive

Streets of Rage 2, known in Japan as Bare Knuckle II: Shitou e no Requiem (ベア・ナックルII 死闘への鎮魂歌 lit. "Bare Knuckle II: Requiem to the Deadly Struggle"), and in Europe as Streets of Rage II, is a Sega Mega Drive side-scrolling beat-'em-up game developed by Ancient and published by Sega. A sequel to the popular Streets of Rage, it was first released in the United States in December 1992 to widespread commercial success and critical acclaim, and has since developed a reputation as one of the finest examples of the beat-'em-up genre.

Boasting responsive and satisfying gameplay, well-balanced design, and a variety of creative and memorable stages, Streets of Rage 2 is equally celebrated for its world-renowned soundtrack. Veteran composer Yuzo Koshiro's club music-inspired approach to the game's soundtrack was exceedingly well-received, serving as an inspiration for a number of musicians, developers, and fans across the globe, and resulting in Koshiro becoming one of few Japanese developers to gain name recognition outside of Japan - such to a point where Streets of Rage 2's soundtrack received a stateside release, a rarity for the American market.

The passion and consideration visible in Ancient's work ensured the staying power and continued success of the Streets of Rage series, both as one of Sega's flagship franchises and as some of the Mega Drive's most fondly-remembered titles. It's phenomenal popularity saw it ported to a number of different platforms - such as contemporary Master System and Game Gear versions, as well as the eventual release of a successful 1994 sequel Streets of Rage 3 - and continues to receive direct ports to the majority of modern consoles, personal computers, and mobile phones.