E3 2016: River City: Tokyo Rumble (Hands-on)

The cult following behind the original River City Ransom on the NES is still going strong, and Natsume is keeping the dream of a big hit alive when they release River City: Tokyo Rumble this summer on the Nintendo 3DS. The brawling classic has received a new breath of life thanks to Arc Systems Works, and on a busy show floor with plenty of lines to play, I was able to get my hands on a demo for a short while. 

If you remember the classic River City Ransom, then River City: Tokyo Rumble is going to feel very familiar. The controls immediately made sense as I hopped into the high school uniform that Kunio is known for. Punches and kicks were doled out with high school fury as a navigated the Tokyo train system to move from objective to objective, pounding any punks that got in my way.

The game also has a variable camera system so you always have a perfect view of the fight. And all those weapons you carried, from bikes, to soccer balls, to your enemies themselves, pretty much everything is fair game. And the shop system that people loved is back as well, if you're to place it against something a little bit more contemporary, think of the recent Scott Pilgrim Versus the World game, which was very much the child of River City style gameplay. 

In addition to the main story there's also a 4-man rumble mode and a dodgeball mode as well, which has been a staple of the series for years now. The short time I had with the demo gave me a chance to experience a little bit of the story, and it's as wacky as it's ever been, but thankfully has a little bit more structure when compared to the original game. I could have stayed all day, but other appointments called, but this is looking like a great addition to the 3DS library.