Urban Reign

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Urban Reign is a Beat'Em Up from Namco for the PlayStation 2 released in 2005. In it you play as Brad Hawk, a "brawler for hire" in the city of Green Harbor. He is hired to find a missing gang member, who has become the catalyst for gang wars across the city. However, the more gangs he beats down, the more answers he gets and the more complicated things become.

Tropes used in Urban Reign include:
  • Anticlimax Boss: The last boss is the mayor, who simply shoots at you with a gun. You can easily dodge the bullets. Then, once he's out, rush in and quickly take him out. Then again, many people suggest the Yakuza boss was the real final battle, and this was just an afterthought to tie up loose ends.
  • Batman Gambit: At the end, you find out the Mayor of the city had purposely let loose criminal gangs, and was then going to use Yakuza to take them out, all so he can become popular with the public and run for state governor. It almost works, until Brad beats the leader of the Yakuza and finds letter with his signature on it, exposing all of the mayor's plans.
  • Beat'Em Up
  • Book Ends: The game opens with Brad arriving in town and gaining the ire of two thugs who of course are the opening mission. At the end of the game, we see the two wondering what gonna happen after everything settles down and cross path with Brad again, but this time they stay out of his way.
  • The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Trust us, you'll be yelling foul a lot at the AI.
  • Defeat Means Friendship: After you beat certain bosses a number of times, they'll eventually join your side and become available to use for partner missions.
  • Excuse Plot: Very little in the way of plot, and most of it you're only told through voiceovers.
  • Enemy Mine: You start off beating down gangs just for information and the like. While they're rough costumers, they were hardly evil. Once the psychopaths start to run amok in the city and cause riots, you soon team up with former adversaries to protect the city.
  • Guest Fighter: Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law from Tekken.
  • Nintendo Hard: This game does not play around. Some of the specific mission don't exactly help matters.
  • Needs More Love: Very unappreciated game that hardly got much notice. A real shame as the game has a variety of fighting styles and some of the most brutal combat in town.
  • Ruthless Foreign Gangsters
  • The Smurfette Principle: Shun Ying Lee is the only female seen within the game story. There are other girls whom you unlock with the challenge missions.
  • Steve Blum: Voices Brad
  • Zerg Rush: More often than not you'll find yourself surrounded and getting beaten from every side.