River City Ransom EX

"Great nostalgia, even with a few nicks along the way"

First, let me tell you about my review. I LOVE this game. However, I'm not one of those people that just because they love a game, they rate it a 10. That said, thanks for reading, and here we go!

RCRex is of course, the GBA remake of the classic NES version. It improves upon the graphics, sound, and some of the gameplay experience. And of course that's good. However, Atlus did leave out some seriously mindblowingly common sense things, and that does hurt this title a bit.

Graphics: 6/10 - Let's face this right now. This game doesn't, and never did, have good graphics. They're cutesy and comedic, but technically speaking, the animations are bland and not as varied as they could be. Essentially, only a few more animations exist over the original, which I suppose could be a good thing if you're a purist. I however, am not really a purist, and I sort of have a little expectation when shelling out for another copy of the game (the NES version is something I already own). To its merit (even if you are a purist), the graphics DID recieve a somewhat decent overhaul. Sprites and backgrounds are much more colorful, shading has improved dramatically for this new hardware and that's good. Also, it's style is great. Just like on the NES, the sprites have the huge eye when they get punched, and the "oh no" look on their face as they get knocked off a ledge. Good times on the style, but I've seen better animations in other games.

Sound: 6/10 - Another 6.. why? Well, the sound effects are all new, which as before, are to this games merit. The new sounds are clear, and full of life. Simply awesome, especially give this type of game. Each hit, weapon swing, etc has plenty of emphasis and clarity. So why the 6/10? Again this may be a purist's issue, but the game has what.. about FIVE music tracks through the whole game, 2 of those being the last 2 boss fights only? Yikes. Even different remixes of said tunes throughout different stages would had made this awesome. The music may grate on your nerves after a while...

Gameplay: 8/10 - Ahhh.. now a high score! This game, if you dig this kind of thing, can have some of the highest replay value ever. I'll start off by saying this game (for the most part), is short, and pretty easy. However, the incentives to playing it start to finish repeatedly is where its charm lies. RCRex is a side scrolling beat em up. Blah. But! It has RPG elements that allow for items to be carried, techniques to be learned, and stats to be raised. This is what gives the game a unique experience that few games have ever attempted to emulate.

The first time through, your character is weak and slow. The game's AI isn't too hard, but some of the bosses will really stick it to you, and you'll get trashed by enemies in groups. However, the more enemies you defeat (and thus take their money), you're able to buy items that increase your RPG-like stats, as well as teach you new techniques. This makes the game a little easier. After you get to a certain point, there is a somewhat hidden shop that allows you to buy the items that give this game ALL of its replay value.

Custom characters... wait, strike that. Custom EVERYTHING.

And I've always loved this kind of thing in games, and RCRex doesn't dissapoint when it comes to customizing a charcter. You can give him just about everything. In addition to the new name that he could get at any time, you can now change the hair, face, skin color and outfit color. There are 60-some faces, and then 60-some hairstyles. Along with the 10-20 combos for outfit and skintone, you're able to pretty much make anything you choose. In addition to that, you're also able to eventually customize your characters moves in their entireity. What exactly does that mean? Not only can you choose WHICH moves, including boss moves that you have, but you can also change just HOW these moves are exectuted. Rather have warp items Matrix style with button A into your opponents face? It can be done.

So it's these things that give RCRex a HUGE replay value that pretty much give you the ability to have a different experience every single time you pick up the game. All of the character data is saveable, which means you can have a roster of demi-gods, or something that ranges from strong to weak, whatever you choose.

The gameplay isn't without a few things that could had improved upon it actually. Again.. a purist issue I suppose (sigh), you still must press A+B simultaneously to jump, even though there's an L or R button there doing nothing. Changing this would had made a good toggle option, but it's sorely missed. Also, once you DO get to a demi-god status, the game litterally takes about 15 minutes to go through all the way. And that's even on the games hardest difficulty. You can defeat most enemies with a single flurry of hits, so more baddies on screen (as I know the GBA could handle it) would had been sweet, again if only as a option. This applies only to once you get your stats high enough, which takes a LONG time.

Some say the way the save option works also could be a bad idea (however I disagree), but the game also only saves your character DATA only. The main game must be completed in a single sitting. I think this encourages character growth so you don't really NEED a progress save, but with the nature of playing this game on a handheld, I'm surprised that it saves in this fashion.

Lastly, a 2-player option like on the NES would had been awesome, and a 4-player link-up would had been even better, but were ommitted. Sad, but it doesn't hurt the game too much.

Overall, I have lots of fun with this game. It has so much you can do that if you enjoy the main game and it's mechanics, you can, as I said previously, have a totally unique experience every time. It's great pick-up then put-down fun, and the high replay value make this a worthy addition to your GBA library.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/05