Sometimes you get so busy that life just flies right past you. That's why it's important to stop and smell the roses. One game that looks very rosy is River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next, the sequel to River City Saga: Three Kingdoms. The first game blended historical drama with the addictive beat 'em up/action RPG gameplay of the River City/Kunio-kun series, and the sequel promises throws in motorcycles for good measure. It's out now on PlayStation, Switch, and Steam.

Two years ago, Arc System Works released River City Saga: Three Kingdoms, a game that combined the famous Three Kingdoms story with characters from the River City/Kunio-kun franchise. Now it's getting a sequel called River City Saga: Three Kingdoms Next. The sequel promises more historical drama and beat downs, the ability to ride a motorcycle, and 4-player local and online co-op.

River City Ransom (known in Japan as Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari) is a highly influential beat 'em up RPG from 1989 that has seen numerous ports and remakes over the years. I'm partial to the PC Engine version, myself! Back in 2017, an enhanced remake of Ransom was released on 3DS called River City: Rival Showdown. That game is now heading to PlayStation, Switch, and Steam in October with both local and online co-op!

With the 16-bit classic, River City Girls Zero, having finally received a worldwide release this year and the freshly launched River City Girls 2 currently knocking gamers’ socks off, it’s time to take a fresh look at the original River City Girls from WayForward and Arc System Works. RCG1, as we’ll call it, combines elements of t...

The River City/Kunio series has seen numerous installments over the years, but precious few of them received English releases until a few years ago. Once Arc System Works took over the license from the defunct Technos, more games starring Kunio and his buddy Riki started making their way out of Japan. WayForward’s release of River City Girls ...

Last year, WayForward knocked the socks off of beat 'em up fans all over the world by announcing not just one, but two new games in the River City Girls series: River City Girls Zero and River City Girls 2. Fast-forwarding to 2022, River City Girls Zero has launched on Switch and will be coming to more consoles and PC shortly. RCG Zero is a fas...

Co-Op International has already looked at the little-known Japanese Turbografx CD version of River City Ransom. This time we return with a River City Ransom sequel/spin-off that was never released outside of Japan. Downtown Special – Kunio-Kun no Jidaigeki Dayo Zenin Shuugou! for the Famicom (Japanese NES) looks and plays even better than River City Ransom, but it takes place in Japan. And thanks to the magic of an English translation patch, anyone with an NES emulator can fully enjoy it.

Our previous Co-Op International looked at the Japanese versions of Double Dragon II. This month we follow up with River City Ransom. Think the GameBoy Advance version is the best? No way! Read on to discover the River City Ransom that never left Japan but does feature awesome co-op.