Excellent. That's the one word I'd use to describe today's VC releases. Whether you're a fan of beat 'em ups or RPG's, you're bound to be happy with this week's Virtual Console offerings. First up is River City Ransom for the NES, Technos' classic brawler starring Alex and Ryan (or Kunio and Riki, if you're in Japan). In this innovative RPG/beat 'em up hybrid, you attempt to save Alex's girlfriend from the villainous Slick. Punch and kick your way through various locales around River City, while stopping for food, shopping, and even spa visits along the way. Really just an excellent, excellent game, and I can't recommend it enough. A true classic. Second is Phantasy Star III for the Genesis. The third in Sega's classic RPG series, Phantasy Star III is often considered the weakest of the four main games in the series, but nonetheless is a great game. I can't really go into the plot on this one, as it's…well, it'd take me several paragraphs just to begin to explain it. So, if you're interested, grab the game and find out for yourself. Personally I find the plot and story progression style of PSIII to be very interesting, and a nice change of pace from the standard RPG plot.
So, not a bad week at all this week. And what's more, the next two weeks are sure to be great as well, thanks to Aksys bringing us Double Dragon and Renegade in that timeframe. I'm glad that someone finally snatched up the US rights to Technos' old properties. Now, bring on Double Dragon II, Aksys! I'd forget about Double Dragon III though…I swear that game cannot be beaten by mere mortals.
Images courtesy of Sega and Aksys.
