Streets of Fury, the next-gen Beat ’em up finalist of the Microsoft Dream-Build-Play 2008 contest is now available on the Microsoft Xbox Live Arcade. Created by two talented indie developers, the game has seduced the whole jury among 350 other registered titles and offers a trip deep into gang wars and street culture...

Streets of Fury takes place in a Paris devastated by suburban gangs. The army being on strike, the President calls for the best privateer brawlers of Los Angeles streets to restore order and security.

As you battle your way through the streets attacking numerous hoodied youths you soon get caught up in the gameplay. The game takes inspiration from games like Streets of Rage, Fatal Fury and Guardian Heroes and does a good job of recapturing the feel of these classic games.

Up to four players can join in, with a choice of three cooperative game modes, or fight against each other in versus mode There are also many unlockables, crazy combos and devastative furies await you in this deep fighting game.

There are also two solo campaigns offering 30 stages and more than 60 types of opponents, a team or free-for-all versus mode, a versus AI survival coop mode and five levels of difficulty. There are nine characters available to choice from, each offering a wide range of combos.

When you consider the price and the fact that this is the work of two developers, then you can't help but be blown away by Streets of Fury. It's not really a huge surprise that this was a finalist in the Microsoft Dream-Build-Play 2008 contest.

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Nick Smithson