64th Street - A Detective Story Review
PROS
- Traditional beat'em-up gameplay.
- Challenging difficulty offset by being able to restart from where you left off.
- Unlockable bonuses.
CONS
- Simplistic gameplay; spam that attack button and don't look back.
- No co-op implemented.
VERDICT
If you pine for the days of classic Arcades and their endless slew of quarter-ingesting titles, you might just want to grab 64th Street - A Detective Story to bulk up your collection of titles.
- Full Review
- App Store Info
While perhaps overshadowed by its peers, '64th Street - A Detective Story' by Jaleco was an interesting addition to the popular genre of beat'em-ups cropping up in the late 80s to early 90s. Although it sports a distinctly Final Fight-like appearance, the game distinguished itself by allowing players to fling opponents in to the environment and background, changing the world while also doing grievous harm.
As with any classic brawler your character's motivation for risking his life is precipitated by nothing short of the cliche of a girl being kidnapped, though in deference to being detectives they don't truly begin until they realize the kidnapping is related to a criminal organization called 'The Legacy'. Choosing between Rick or Allen boils down to whether you prefer slow-heavy attacks or fast-light ones, however the end result is often the same and combat is kept simple with a spammable attack button and a jump button for those moments when you feel like mixing things up.
Many of the game's background environments can be used as a weapon (although pipes and wrenches are available for a more traditional beat-down) and stepping in to enemies will initiate a grapple that can be turned in to a throw. This usually results in some sort of glass breaking, though some amusing moments include being able to tear down metal walls with your mighty Judo powers.
Ultimately 64th Street is a fairly basic example of the genre and even taking in to account its 'retro' status, the rough visuals and simplistic combat manage to only just keep things interesting enough to reach the game's ending. You don't have to be a nostalgic gamer to enjoy it, but it definitely helps.
Screenshots
$1.99
