River City Ransom

The Good
The mix of RPG and action elements in this title were superb. You beat up gang members and get cash. You use the cash to buy drugs, items, food, anything to improve you characters stats so he can beat up more guys and get more cash. The cycle was pulled off well enough to not be repetative by the time the end of the game came around.

The Bad
It's hard to zero in on a single negative aspect of this game. Perhaps it was too short. An aspect I didn't like about the story, was that River City Ransom 2 was never released in english, so this game seemed somewhat incomplete without it.

The Bottom Line
Any fan of Double Dragon for the NES should check this title out.

The Good
Humor is interspersed throughout this game. Everything from what the enemy will say when hit (Mommy! BARF! etc.) to the expressions of the characters tickles the funnybone. The powerups are amazing in this game, letting you fully customize your character in any different way you'd like. For pure fighting fun, this game is a "go". Colorful animations round out the likes of this classic remake.

The Bad
The sound gets a bit annoying at times, especially since it pretty much stays the same during the whole playing time. If you're looking for drop-dead graphics, you might want to look elsewhere, as this game has only slightly improved on the NES original.

The Bottom Line
Pure fighting fun on the go, wherever you might be. This game can also be addictive in it's play, as you can customize your character as much as you like. Humour abounds through this small fighting game, and if you like to punch, kick, and generally cause mayhem (without any blood being spilt), this game will be for you.

The Good
Hands down, River City Ransom was one of the best games ever for the NES, and way ahead of its time. You can pick up a large variety of objects and learn a huge arsenal of moves, plus you can get money from the beaten up gang members to buy food and other items, which replenish your health, will power, or other stats. Plus, it has a neat tilted view that gives the illusion of depth, like in Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy, which came out about 2 years later. Plus, the boss fights are very nice and challenging.

The Bad
The gang members had positivley bizarre names like "Stick" and "Dusty". Also, it gets to an almost unfair difficulty sometimes, with 3 or 4 gang members throwing stuff at you and beating you up.

The Bottom Line
When I was eight, I used to play this game every five minutes. The reason, you may ask? It's one of the best games of all time. It also makes a nice stress releaver.