River City Ransom was released in Japan by Technos Japan for the Famicom in april of 1989, but didn't see a North American release until january of the following year. In Japan the game was an installment in the kunio-kun series. In north america, the game underwent heavy graphical and story changes in order to appeal to a different audience. Anyways, let's take a look at the game .

Story: The game starts off with a bunch of white text against a blue background. The text is a ransom note from the most infamous gang leader in town, Slick. Aside from stating that he is holding the city hostage, he also states that he has captured the girlfriend of some guy named Alex and is holding her for ransom. So as Alex (who is aided by his brother in two-player mode), you must set out on a quest to rescue your girlfriend and save the city. The story is prety much that of Super Mario Bros, but with gangsters instead of goombas and some guy named Slick instead of Bowser. Now you might argue that the story of many other famous NES games could be compared to Mario Bros and that the fact is simply an inevitable consequence of memory limitations. I believe,however, that memory plays no role in story and that making a great story can be accomplished without sacrificing other parts of the game.

Graphics: The graphics are above average for a typical NES game. Quite a bit of detail is put into the buildings, floors, e.t.c. As for the characters, they also have some detail put into them, with different gang members wearing different clothing and sporting different faces. My only problem is that the perspective can be a little confusing. Since the game is dislayed from a semi-isometric perspective with the floor seeming 3D but actualy lying on a 2D surface, it can be very easy to run into something you thought was flat.

Addictiveness: Despite its difficulty (see below), i find my self coming back to play River City Ransom quite frequently. Beating up gang members with either your fists or an assortment of melee weapons is quite exiting! Even more exiting is beating up the bosses with powerups that you can purchase from shops and taking no damage. Makes you feel so AWESOME!

Sound: The NES is capable of producing awesome music despite being outdated by todays standards, and this game is no exception. Even though the games requires you to be on your on your toes at all times, it's very easy to stop what you're doing just to listen to the music. It all matches perfectly with the situation, be it fighting gangsters or having a gelato in a mall, the music's always appropriate. As for the sound effects, only a few are used so it can get very annoying having to listen to the same punching sound 8 million times.

Depth: There are a total of 5 malls throughout the game. These malls contain shops to purchase power-ups and items, restaurants where you can restore your health, and book shops where you can learn new moves. To buy something from these establishments, you need money which you can find on defeated gangsters. Aside from that, there are no secret areas or anything hidden.

Difficulty: When you start up this game, you better get ready for the time of your life. Even the weakest gangsters in this game can take of half of your health. Considering the fact that these gangsters always appear in groups of 4-10, so you'll be mashing that attack button at lightning speed hoping to fend at least a few of them off. As for the bosses, usually all you have to do is keep your distance and attack when possible, but if they catch you first, you're dead. The powerups you can get in the shops hardly help, as the gangsters can still tear through you like paper.

Overall: River City Ransom boasts great music, graphics, and it's addictive as heck. A good pick if your into beating up people. If your looking for an NES game with more to find, you'd probably enjoy something like Zelda instead.