Oh my goodness. Rivery City Ransom. This is my favorite NES game ever. Today I ran into a friend who had never played this on the NES, and I felt deep pity for him.  This is on par with Double Dragon, RCR is a beat-em up with various weapons, and even RPG elements like stats to raise and items to equip or use.
The plot is simple and told to you right in the intro of the game. Slick takes a girl, and the city. Who will stop his admittedly fairly quiet reign of tyranny?

To movie buffs, I would also break the game down like this:
Have you ever seen The Warriors? The classic movie about gangs fighting and running amok in New York? River City Ransom is like this.. if it was high-schoolers. These marshmallow bodied teen hoods, who dash about the entire town, no law enforcement to be seen, and you as a squatly-built high-schooler want to stop all this anarchy. Only the malls are safe from evil, and there you may buy items to strengthen your life and your skill set.

But you don't have to do so alone. Oh no. You can have a friend play along as a 2nd player, and together punch and kick them into submission, all while learning new techniques, buying and consuming food (and the dish it was served on), and maybe hugging a teddy bear when no one was looking. The music is somewhat catchy, but like the plot, its not the strong suit. You are here for the wacky fighting and weapons. Or for the free smile at Mervs if you are just lonely.

This game is a glorious free for all beat-em up, with various weapons, and vast number of different areas to traverse. There are hidden things to find, many bosses and gangs to overcome, and to make them BARF!! (the cry of defeat to many a hoodlum).  If you enjoy the NES, do your nostalgia a favor, and play this game, preferably with a friend. Do it for River City, do it for fun.

I love this post. The way you said it's like the warriors. This game has passed many a weekend with me and my friends. Any one who likes nes should play this game. Good work on this post.