Urban Reign Critic Reviews

There isn't a plot to speak of, nor any gameplay elements beyond the fighting. But the fighting really is exceptionally fun for novices and experts, which makes this game extremely successful on its own terms.

Urban Reign succeeds because it does what it set out to do: it is a fun, engaging brawler. The fighting system is deep and intriguing, the voice-acting is thankfully on-spot, and the game has a lot to offer, particularly for anyone looking for a quick, aggressive free-for-all.

A competent group beat 'em-up. The fast and violent fighting system works nicely. Too bad the arenas are flat and quite dull.

The developers have come up with an admirable gameplay engine for this brawler, one that provides the fluidity of a fighter, but with a streamlined control scheme that allows rookies to get in and have some fun beating down chumps.

It looks good, the combat is easy on the thumbs and if you're after some brainless combat or endless winner-stays-on retro fighting action, Urban Reign is a great choice.

A solid beat-'em-up. It's unbalanced and frustrating at times but, when the combat is flowing freely, Urban Reign is hard to beat.

If multiplayer is your game and you’ve got a multi-tap, Urban Reign is a great game to consider picking up and one I’m positive you’ll squeeze plenty of entertainment value out of it.

This is simply an underground fighter that is more of a diversion and a guilty pleasure for those who like brutal street fighting with a bit of martial arts elegance.

Better than "Beat Down."

Even the slightest mistake can lead to an instant beat down from a swarm of CPU-controlled gang members. The aggressive A.I. is relentless in its attacks and, especially later in the game, will easily frustrate even the most hardcore fighting fans.

Namco's brawler does thrill, but misses out on the crucial online play and a decent story.

For all those who gun Reign down for toying with its own rules and essentially cheating on the player at times it feels are appropriate, there'll hopefully be as many who recognise that such times are appropriate and and that even the dirtiest of its tricks can be bested.

There are some problems with the game, but a great combat system, great multiplayer and great presentation all make up enough for the game’s shortcomings.

Unfortunately the game grows stale rather quickly and is hampered by a ridiculous difficulty level and repetitive gameplay.

There's no doubt that with its flexible fighting engine and various game modes that it has a lot of 'weekend rental' potential for those willing to overlook its short missions and bad balancing, but it could have been so much more than that.

Despite some attempts at variety, the missions grow repetitive quickly thanks to a limited move set.

But battling groups of bad guys gets dangerously dull after an hour or two, especially when the game's unfair A.I., just like our booze-addled fathers, has a tendency to make you pay dearly for even the slightest gaff.

You have great graphics, huge move sets, lots of characters, lots of stages. But then it drops the ball on game difficulty, difficult controls, weak storyline, and no online game play.

Yet another game to add to the list of brawlers we will inevitably forget.

The best urban brawler sine "Def Jam."