River City Ransom

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in Japan and Street Gangs in PAL regions) is a video game for the Nintendo Family Computer and the Nintendo Entertainment System from the now defunct Technos Japan Corporation, originally released in 1989. It was one of the first game (if not the first) that Technos published themselves in North America. It received an enhanced remake called River City Ransom EX for the Game Boy Advance in 2004.

The game is part of Technos's Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-kun series. The storyline was altered from the Japanese version. River City Ransom was directed by Mitsuhiro Yoshida (Super Dodge Ball) and Hiroyuki "Mokeke" Sekimoto (Double Dragon II) and scored by Kazuo Sawa.

Contents

1 Story
2 Gameplay

2.1 Passwords

3 Legacy
4 References
5 External links

Story

In America and Europe, the plot follows high school students Alex and Ryan as they cross River City in an attempt to rescue River City High and Ryan's girlfriend Cyndi from the clutches of a villain called "Slick" and allow her to shop afterwards. Along the way, they must do battle with gangs of students (with names such as "The Generic Dudes" or "The Frat Guys") and several minibosses. Enemies will warrant a yell signifying their defeat including the trademark phrase "BARF!".

Gameplay

River City Ransom gameplay (U.S. NES Version)

River City Ransom has been described as a cross between a beat 'em up and a role-playing game. The game follows a more or less linear path from start to finish, and fights take place in the style of Double Dragon (another Technos hit), with the player moving Alex or Ryan around the screen using the directional pad, and pressing buttons to punch, kick, or jump. However, the characters' effectiveness in battle is determined by several statistics and their knowledge of fighting techniques, such as Acro Circus, Stone Hands, and Dragon Feet, which are purchased like items in shops throughout the city using funds recovered from defeated gang members. This loot may also be spent on various food items and spa treatments which serve to revitalize the player's stats while displaying a funny animation.

Passwords

Passwords were an integral part of the game's replay value, allowing players to continue playing a character with boosted stats, skills, possessions, money, and defeated bosses. The length of the case-sensitive password, 33 alphanumeric characters long, made it nearly impossible to guess valid passwords.

Legacy

River City Ransom was not highly successful when initially released. However, due to its unique gameplay and sense of humor, it is today considered a cult classic. Some have produced video parodies of the series[link].

In 2002, an aspiring game designer, tester for Atari, and longtime fan of the game obtained the title's trademark and began work on a sequel aptly titled River City Ransom 2. The project was halted when it was announced at E3 2003 that River City Ransom EX, an remake of the game by Atlus on the Game Boy Advance, was to be released the following year. Atlus' rendition of the classic boasted new graphics and a number of new items, techniques, gangs, and other features, but also sacrificed some fan-favorite features from the original version, such as its two-player mode.

Later in 2003, [X-Strike Studios] completed and released a film version of the game, entitled River City Rumble. The film premiered at [Magfest 2.0], to great acclaim.

References

External links

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