Rivercity Ransom EX can suck my dick from teh back!

Just picked up my brand new copy of RCR EX an hour ago, and after an hour of messing around with it all I have come to the conclusion that the wait was not worth the hype at all. ATLUS did quite a damn good job with Double Dragon Advance intermixxing the best of the original, Arcade #2, NES #2, PCE #2 and Super Double Dragon... but to me, and this is IMHO... I think they tried a little too hard to make this ubber cool with all these new perks and to me it's too damn distracting.

If I had never played RCR/Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari before be it on the Famicom/NES or on the PC-Engine Super CD, I might not have room to bitch... but this really is pathetic. The original and it's PCE counterpart were known for it's marriage of RPGish elements within a "Roving Brawler", but they took the concept too far!

The controls when I punch and kick seem to have a slight delay in the response, and I cannot get the fluidity I have kept honed for years on the NES version with my attacks. The fuckin' stores are similar but not the same, and you cannot keep going into the Drugstore to stock up on KARMA JOLT???!!!!??? ---Seems after you leave or purchase something, it goes away only to pop up later. Then there's some new stuff in there that works slightly better than the KARMA JOLT, but has all the usual side-effects most pharmaceutical drugs do. ---The fight with the twin's after talking to Roxy doesn't feel the same anymore, and without the fludity of moves I once had, in lieu of starting off with what was once an "Earned Move" called Stone Hands now called the Atomic Punch or some shit I'm just pissed to high hell on this one. Possibly I'll calm down once I've spent some more time with the game, but for now I'm not really FEELING this at all. Oh I'll keep the game for my collection alright, but it seems the only thing ATLUS did well was keep the original "Nekkestu/KUNIO" look of the J.D.'s involved with their school uniforms, other than that... I still pick the original be it in NES form or emulated on the GBA on those GBA flash/firewire carts... or of course the PCE SCD game. I'm sure hundreds of you will disagree, but I don't like too much fucking with a good thing. Innovation is fine to some point, but I think ATLUS went a bit overboard with all the new menus for dexterity and what not!



MERCENARY X99

I have not played RCREX yet, but to me this "delay" you moan of was always a part of the charm too me, I'm more experienced with the Nes/Snes & X6800 versions which all had rubbish controls but i just loved the game.

Okay, I've never played NES or PCE version of RCR in my life. Can you believe it?
Okay, I bought GBA version and played it for 1 1/2 hrs at home this afternoon.

I still have no fuckin idea what I'm doing. YES, the moves are kinda "delay" by any chance. I have no idea wh at I bought in the stores. Each item has no description so how in the hell do I know the usage of it? I just like a dumbass to try everything one-by-one myself..............

I still prefer Double Dragon or Final Fight.......straight fighting and rescue my lovely one

Damn it, that sucks. My friend is going to buy the game, so I'll try it on his before I go to play it.

The only thing I really want to see is a battery back up, insted of the password system the game had. That would be a plus for sure, but messing up the controlls is bad.

I see your gripes, merc, and I agree with you partially.

I wish I had the chance to play PCE version
Played GBA EX for 2 hours myself, and here's my review so far:

THE BAD
-The 4 levels of power in your attack depending on how long you hold the button are GAY. You never hit with them, and they don't add anything to the gameplay at all. Worthless.

-Stat tracking adds nothing to the game (I don't mean YOUR stats, I mean the list of hits and attacks used)

-Names of items have been changed in stores and there seem to be less items available. And what's this? No smiles given out for free @ merv's???

-Highest difficulty in this game doesn't come close to original NES version.

-The "Lonely gamer mode" offered in this game is another pointless feature. A cool idea, but I don't believe you really need the help; moreover, all the computer controled buddy does is hit you accidently.

THE GOOD
-It's River City Ransom portable.

-The look of the game is fresh, and the costumes are nice.

-Music is top notch on the GBA, retaining all the original tunes.

-The built-in save feature is very welcome.

-Still plays great after all these years and hasn't aged.

The Neutral
-Possies have possibility. Supposedly, when you take down bosses, the boss and his cronnies will help you. I'm not far enough in the game to find that out. We'll see.

-Part of the fun of the original was figuring out what all the items did, and with the shuffling of items and effects, this game is no exception.

Despite all the gripes, I still enjoy this cult/niche game very much, just like I did 14 years ago when it first came out on the NES. All the link features of this game remain to be seen - I'll find that out in the next two weeks when I play with some friends. If you ignore all the pointless new additions and play it straight old-school style, it's a great game on GBA, if not the best.

Should beat em up fans check this out?
If you like a little RPG/stat building and exploring with your beat em up, I say go for it. The fighting system isn't too deep (the 4 levels of power depending on how you hold the buttons make little difference in combos), but it's simple enough to get into and enjoy.

I have the NES version. Why would I want this?
To tell you the truth, there are only a few reasons to pick this up if you have the NES version. All the new features don't add much to the game. The graphics have been updated slightly, and the easier difficulty are the only nice new additions. It's also portable, which is a plus. Possies helping you might be cool, and who knows? The link features might add a bit to the game. We'll see. Another reason to get it - support million and Atlus. If you buy this, more cool obscure cult games will be released on the GBA.

Final Rating - B+

...oh yeah, and let's not forget on a minor note that the Playground Tower is missing at Sherman Park where "Blade" is later on. For some reason it's just an open feild with some restrooms in the background? WTF? A park generally has a slide or a playpen for kids. I'm going to power the game up again in a few minutes and try to get through most of it. ---I did like being able to change the character's name though.

MERCENARY X99

Well, this kinda sucks...

I've been looking forward to this one for a while. Had the original RCR back on the NES and remember enjoying it quite a bit, so when I heard Atlus was coming out with an updated version I was thrilled.

Now to hear that the controls aren't all there (and this is a BIG no-no for any game, but especially a fighter/brawler), I'm not sure if I want to bother with it.

Still, my Gameboy hasn't seen much action lately, so it might be worth it just for something new to play to pass the time.

Don't change your mind just because 2 people kind of don't like it... I mean the one guy gave it a B+

Me? I played this game for 5 hours straight. It's awesome. The bosses are a lot tougher, you can't just keep standing by them and tapping the kick button every time they get up. You just need to adjust at first and eventually you'll get used to it.

The reason for the delay in the attacks is that you're pressing the button for too long, you just need to tap the button. Also, you can change how the shops work in the menus...

Liquid Snake... you just have to buy the items and see what they do. It's always been like that. There will be a faq on it soon probably, but the best thing to do is just buy random items to see what they do.

Will power seems to be more imporant in this game... it'll give you a little boost of energy before you die but it doesn't drain as quickly as it does in the original.

I just played the PCE version recently and it still kicks ass. Even if this game is mediocre I will still probabley pick it up. They should release a PS2 collection of Technos classics.

Terry330 said:

I just played the PCE version recently and it still kicks ass. Even if this game is mediocre I will still probabley pick it up. They should release a PS2 collection of Technos classics.

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I would like to see a redone version of Double Dragon II... or a remake of Super Spike V'Ball. The GBA and PS2 are DYING for a good volleyball game. A redone port of NES Super Dodge Ball would be nice, too.

I bought this game even though I don't have a GBA player anymore, and I've been playing the roms. So far I'm loving it. Seems much harder than the NES version, especially if you play solo. My only big gripe is how the items in some shops randomly appear. Oh well. This game is a lot deeper than buy grand slam and rush through it in 20 minutes, which is a good thing.

Matt

I like it. I believe it hold true to the NES game as I remember it. I had no problem with button delay at all. No different from the NES. It played the same only looked better.

Kunai said:

A redone port of NES Super Dodge Ball would be nice, too.

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Welcome to 2001.

It really would. Thats what I thought GBA dodgeball was going to be. But no... not half as fun.

Yeah I heard that the GBA version of Super Dodge Ball was disappointing.

Overall this is a great remake but MX99 is right they did a far better job with the rerelease of Double Dragon... it's still my #1 GBA game.

I thought it was great. I actually think the control is nicer on this GBA version.

Well after spending a bit more time with the game I have come to "accept" and even like some of the re-tweaking, but to me the game just doesn't play right. I shouldn't have to worry about how hard or soft I push a button for basic kicks or punches... that shit is just Gh3y anyway you look at it. To me the fluiditiy is just gone, sure there's wagon loads of stuff you can do now. ---spinning opponents around, jumping on people etcetera... but the play mechanics are a lot stiffer than before. Then ATLUS took the liberty of even changing fundemental "Classics" that did not need to be changed. The Playground Tower is missing @ Sherman Park. The W.S.L. Warehouse is no longer a two tiered place divided by a strange wall... I could go on. My question is: Why change that stuff? It was fine the way it was. The game isn't entriely shizah, but on a scale of 1-10 I'd easily give RCR EX a 5.5 ---To me they took the legacy of a great game, TRIED to one up it, and in some respects it's a better game, but overall it's a bastardization to the "Cult" following it's always had. I can see the Johnny-Come-Latelys of the wold saying: This is what you guys have raved on about for fourteen years!??? if they had never played the original.

MERCENARY X99

More and more I'm sucking into the "Kunio" world..............

I still can't figure out lots things but I'll keep playing.

The saving feature is a big MESS......

BTW, my friend came to my house yesterday and he saw me playing RCR on GC, he was asking WTF is that funky looking, outdated graphics shit on the TV screen?

I told him it's "Kunio"

I'm one of these types that has to get your character up to the highest level, and/or learn all the techniques. I'm going to disagree with you guys...I think there are actually MORE moves that you can do on this game than there were in the PCE and NES versions. Now, how useful said moves are is debatable. Some of the descriptions on how to pull off the moves are absolutely terrible! A couple are just like "Up Up" or "Down Down". It doesn't really explain what cercumstance you have to be in to do them...so, they are basically worthless. Some of the moves you do have are absolutely cheap as hell, too. The ultimate defense move is just to push "Down Down" when a bunch of enemies surround you...INSTANT DEATH!

A couple good things I would like to say about it are that it has a save system..any time you want to save, you can. You ONLY save your stats, though..not what bosses or whatever you've beaten. Another thing is that it's much much easier than the NES or PCE versions..where you would get smoked in under 2 seconds by the easiest of enemies. (that goes DOUBLE for the PCE version...my god...)

Jon

Played this game for 6 straight hours with some buddies this weekend, and this game kicks absolute ass.

Sure, the new features are kind of gay, and don't add much to the gameplay whatsoever, sure million went wiggy on the computer controlled players and PAINFULLY omitted 2PL link up co-op play, sure they changed the names of alot of stuff to protect the innocent, sure they move around the items in the shops, and many other crimes...

This game is still a blast to play. If you do it right, you can blow though the game camping Entree gangs @ $7/member and buy upgrades and techniques in no time, but do you want to?

No. Because this game is so much fun, you want to keep playing and playing.

Well at this point my biggest gripe with the game is that it doesn't matter HOW FAR AWAY you are when you throw a weapon at someone, it somehow manages to bounce back and hit you EVERY DAMN TIME! ---Other than this, EX is slowy growing on me and maybe I should change the name of this thread to RCR EX Is like getting a blow job from a chick who's hot but hasn't perfected her techinque yet.

MERCENARY X99

Don't throw your weapons! Just get the long chain and the game plays like castlevania!

You're the man, Merc.

GregN. said:

Don't throw your weapons! Just get the long chain and the game plays like castlevania!

You're the man, Merc.

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Yeah I hear you man, it's just the "little" things that get to me is all. Overall ATLUS did end up doing a great service keeping things VERY Japanese. I can't seem to find the TEXAS BOOTS though, seems the best boots are the ARMY BOOTS???

MERCENARY X99

I like how they kept some of the "feeling" of the NES version, with the death cries ("BARF!") and the funny "gang" names (FRAT GUYS, MOB, GENERIC DUDES). They even added some interesting names for guys (the Homeboys had Slim, Dre, and Snoop, for example).

If you're having trouble finding the items that you want just change the shops to change every time you walk in. The Texas boots should be in the game... at least I think I've seen them.