I could have babbled for hours on the front page of this site about why this game is so awesome, but I figured I'd save that excess for those crazy enough to read what I have to say. *grin*

In fact, before I launch into some major babble, let me tell you the story of how I came across River City Ransom. The year was 1990, and I ventured over to my friend Donald's house for some spiffy grub and to wreak havok. I had owned an NES longer than them, since the day it was released in fact, but the sheer fact that their family has a lot of leisure money led to them having a bigger game library than I did. This is an important distinction, since it allowed them more freedom to explore various games. As many know, there were a LOT of dogs out by this time. So I go over there, and there's this game, River City Ransom. They've had it for a few weeks apparently, and I find myself wanting to play it. At first I suck--I die almost right away and can't figure out what the hell to do. A few minutes later Gordon and I are kicking butt and exploring. We got all the way up to River City High School, but neglected to beat the last Zombie. Being the impatient soul I am, I said the heck with it and suggested we go get something to eat.

I went on to forget about the game until 1994, when I remember Don owning it--and ask to borrow it from him. After that, the rest is history, I bought my own copy that same year and have loved it ever since.

River City Ransom is a near-perfect game; in fact, if the ending were a tad flashier and the bosses more diverse--it would be a perfect game. Coming from me this says a lot, since the only perfect games I've played on the NES are The Legend of Zelda, Crystalis, Contra, and Super Mario Bros. 3. However, River City Ransom doesn't enjoy the sheer popularity these games do, which baffles me. Heck, RCR didn't even come close to selling the # of copies Double Dragon did. Now that's the biggest mystery, since River City Ransom beats the pants off Double Dragon any day of the week.

One or two people can play this game, which is a major bonus when it comes to video games. As most people realize, one player games are kinda useless when friends come over. The game itself takes even an expert (someone who knows the game, not someone good at most games) about 45 minutes to beat. Those just starting to play, or those who play off and on have a good 3-4 hours of play time to look forward to while attempting to beat this game. All totalled, the replay value of River City Ransom easily eclipses the 40 hour magic number that most good games reach.

There are multiple gangs and enemies to fight, and they each have their own personalities. A good game needs variety, and River City Ransom's 9 gangs and 12 bosses easily meet this requirement. Add in the fact that you earn money to purchase only the power ups you want, and you've now got a game that's beating you over the head with quality gameplay, replay value and fun factor.

If all that weren't enough, you have objects to use as weapons, and a ton of background objects that you can interact with. There are pits to push people into, rocks to throw, and walls to leap off of. Basically, this game is an interactive action fighting game with RPG elements--what more could you want?