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Arc System Works and WayForward have released the Double Dragon DLC pack for River City Girls 2. The earlier reveals in April and August 2024 noted that the DLC would be out in 2024. With the pack released today, the companies have kept their promise of releasing it within the year.

The company is basing the Lee brothers' appearances on their debuts in the inaugural 1987 arcade release. However, the characters will have voiceovers by the more recent voice actors. Billy and Jimmy are voiced in Japanese by Kazuyuki Okitsu and Takehito Koyasu—the same voice actors are also providing lines for the characters in the 2025 game Double Dragon Revive. Meanwhile, Starbomb's Dan Avidan and Arin Hanson are the English voice actors for the respective characters.

After purchasing and installing this DLC pack, players can have the Lee brothers as not only new playable characters but also their inclusion in the game's storyline. The set also adds a new dojo master named Boro. A vocal song performed by Starbomb completes the DLC pack's content lineup.

River City Girls 2 is readily playable worldwide on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam. The Double Dragon DLC for River City Girls 2 is now available on all the above platforms.

The post River City Girls 2 Double Dragon DLC Available appeared first on Siliconera.

Back in April 2024, WayForward announced Double Dragon River City Girls 2 DLC that would make Billy and Jimmy Lee playable. Now there’s a new gameplay trailer that shows how the two characters will work in the title and highlights some of the free content everyone will get alongside their debut. [Thanks, IGN!]

The River City Girls 2 trailer begins with the character select screen. It gives us a chance to see some stats, which are identical. Both have 15 ST, 7 SP, 5 AT, 4 AG, 3 Wp, and 3 LK. From there, we get to see the two actually get into fights. These are interspersed with black and white comic segments of the brothers. (As a reminder, everyone will get a free Double Dragon motion comic as part of the free update released alongside the add-on.) Some of the ensuing footage shows them fighting Marion and shopping at the Seasons Beatings store. 

Here’s the full River City Girls 2 Billy and Jimmy DLC gameplay trailer.

We already had one playable Double Dragon character in River City Girls 2 ahead of this DLC announcement. Marian Kelly showed up in the game at launch. She first debuted as a cameo character in the first installment, as she was a shop clerk you could buy accessories if you stopped by Swaggage. Of course, Billy and Jimmy are also already there as heads of in-game Dojos if you go to Crosstown or Ocean Heights.

River City Girls 2 is available on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and its Double Dragon Jimmy and Billy DLC will drop in 2024.

The post River City Girls 2 Double Dragon Billy and Jimmy DLC Showcased appeared first on Siliconera.

Now that the free River City Girls 2 online multiplayer update is live, up to four players can go through the beat'em up at once. The patch is now available on all platforms. In addition, there is also a new $74.99 bundle that packs it in with River City Girls and River City Girls Zero. There's a new trailer accompanying its debut to offer an overview of the series as a whole.

Prior to the patch, we could only have up to two players online with River City Girls 2 multiplayer. However, the offline local option let four people play together. As a reminder, the game also features cross-play.

Here’s the new River City Girls trailer, which covers all three games, It generally explains the characters and experiences. It doesn’t cite what’s specifically going on in each game or what to expect. But River City Girls Zero is a localization of the Super Famicom game Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka, only with one option being a themed localization that makes it part of this timeline. River City Girls is the original adventure of Misako and Kyoko trying to save Kunio and Riki. River City Girls 2 is the follow-up where the four of them, Double Dragon’s Marian, and River City Underground’s Provie face a whole new threat to the city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyQyKdKIPrA&ab_channel=WayForward

River City Girls 2 is available on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC, and its multiplayer patch for four players is live now.

The post River City Girls 2 Online Multiplayer Player Count Expanded appeared first on Siliconera.

WayForward is often known for both its original IP and work on other titles. With the River City Girls series, it gets to take the existing property and make lesser known characters the stars. River City Girls 2 builds on the original in a big way, with new characters, a new story, and of course more callbacks. To learn more about the sequel, Siliconera spoke with Director Bannon Rudis about Misako and Kyoko's latest trip around the city to right wrongs and beat up baddies.

Jenni Lada, Siliconera: What kinds of challenges did WayForward face when trying to handle a near simultaneous release for River City Girls 2?

Bannon Rudis, WayForward: Launching across multiple platforms and languages definitely took some effort, especially given the different timelines and needs for the WayForward-published version and the Arc System Works Japanese/Asian version. Like every game ever released, you always hope you found every bug possible. You always see stuff that your entire QA team couldn't even find. Once brand-new players get their hands on your game, they accomplish things you never even thought of.

Was there any particular challenge in securing Provie as a playable character in River City Girls 2?

Rudis: Not really at all. I did direct River City Ransom Underground, so I hit up my old business partner on that project and asked Arc System Works, and both parties were super into the idea. To me, she absolutely had to be in this game. Her moveset was so special and I loved how well it worked in the RCG setup.

Two additional playable characters River City Girls 2's cast. Were any other people who were considered during the development cycle and, if so, who?

Rudis: Marian and Provie were the only ones I really thought about. My backup plan was another Underground character named Chris. Chris’s new design that shows up in RCG2 is cool. I love what Priscilla did with updating her.

How did the balancing process go, to ensure every River City Girls 2 character felt like they were on equal ground, but would still be unique?

Rudis: There was a lot of balancing. That usually came down to making sure that each move felt useful, but also not too spammable so the player didn’t end up not using everything in their arsenal. The sequel really allows players to be creative on the fly with their combos. I also did go back to the original playable characters and gave them updated moves and adjusted their combat altogether.

River City Girls 2 features a number of callbacks to past Kunio games. Which one do you think people might have missed?

Rudis: Well, there is an area that pretty much slams them over the head with a lot of Technos references. It’s basically a history lesson in the company and their games as a whole. For me to list all of the references, it would be an entire novel’s worth of them. I guess one reference that is way more personal to me in the new game is my mom as a shopkeeper in the store "Suzy’s."

With the original River City Girls, which platform proved most popular? What do the early results look like for River City Girls 2?

Rudis: I'm actually not sure. I do know it's doing great on Steam though.

River City Girls already expanded in such a way that there’s a sequel and a past Kunio game was retroactively included in its “timeline.” What would you ideally like to do next with the series? Would you want to go beyond video games?

Rudis: I would personally love to explore the Kunio sports titles. I'm not the biggest sports fan and I don't play sports games. But I love when a sports game takes something that's normally pretty simple like basketball and amps it up with special moves and ridiculous characters.

River City Girls 2 is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The post Interview: Talking About River City Girls 2 Characters and Callbacks appeared first on Siliconera.

If you're playing WayForward's new brawler sequel River City Girls 2 you might notice that not every quest is signposted in a detailed way. Most quests will highlight the location of your next objective, but a few aren't so clear on their instructions. One such quest is given to you by your buddy Godai, who instructs you to obtain Selfies with your phone camera at certain locations around River City. The issue is he doesn't say how to get them and where. With that in mind, we've come up with a guide on where to get selfies for Godai's quest. Read on to find out where and how to obtain them.

Getting the Godai Selfie Quest 1cr4s

To do Godai's quest, you've got to talk to Godai. Luckily, side quest notifications pop up when they're available. Godai should you via the Honkr app after you clear the mall area, pinpointing his location at the docks in Crosstown.

Godai will request that you take selfies in each River City Girls 2 zone (except Sanwakai Tower). He rather unhelpfully tells you to "use the camera app on your phone", which can be confusing, since River City Girls 2 doesn't have a way to take pictures manually.

What Godai actually means is that you should be on the lookout for special action prompts in the environment. They look like a camera, and indicate a spot where you can take a selfie, and there's one in each River City zone (except Sanwakai Tower). Putting your character near the prompt and hitting the interact button will take a selfie and clear one of the quest requirements.

You also won't be able to clear the quest as soon as you get it, as not every zone is unlocked at first. Simply proceed through the story, and as you unlock each zone, you'll eventually be able to visit the needed area.

Your reward for completing the River City Girls 2 selfie quest is the Muscle Charm, an accessory that maxes out the knockback effect of your heavy and special attacks, sending enemies flying off screen and into walls, objects, or other enemies.

River City Girls 2 Crosstown Selfie Location 332s2s

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The first selfie you can get for the River City Girls 2 selfie quest is located in the mall, on the second floor. Enter the Crosstown mall, and take the exit leading to the escalators.

You'll arrive at an area that's under construction, with an open pit and an elevator ing through it. The selfie spot is on the wall of the elevator shaft. You'll need to jump to the spot once the elevator stops in front of the prompt.

Watch your vertical movement, as it's easy to fall down the shaft.

River City Downtown Selfie Location 92w2m

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Downtown is the second area you can unlock after Crosstown. You'll need to fight your way to the heavily gentrified area near the zone's south exit. You can get there through the subway tunnels, like you did when you unlocked Downtown the first time, or by running over the Crosstown Bridge. The bridge is the more direct route, but can be dangerous thanks to traffic. If you're later into the game, the closest bus stop is the Food Truck parking spot.

Head to the craft goods stall and climb the ivy on the wall to get to the second level. There you'll see a heart-shaped plant with the selfie prompt. If the prompt doesn't appear, try waiting until daytime.

River City Girls 2 Uptown Selfie Location s2027

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Accessing the Uptown selfie location in River City Girls 2 requires some main story progress. Specifically, you'll need to gain access to the nightclub on the far side of the zone.

Once you're in, you'll get into a dance floor room just before the boss arena, with a large neon robot on the wall. Jump onto the robot's shoulder and shoot your shot.

River City Girls 2 Flatirons Selfie Location 441l4c

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The Flatirons district is characterized by a haunted forest that's easy to get lost in, but thankfully, the selfie location is easier to find. It's located at the temple area, at the top level. You'll need to go there after nightfall, so if you arrive in the daytime, you may need to wait a bit for the in-game time to advance.

After the moon rises, you'll see a dragon making its way across the moon, which activates the selfie prompt. Hit the button and you'll take a shot with the dragon in the background.

River City Girls 2 Technos Selfie Location 124z56

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The Technos corporate campus is crawling with goons, but like the Uptown area, you'll need to unlock your path to the boss arena before you can get the selfie. Proceed with the main story until you unlock the Bio-Sphere location, then make your way through it. On the left side of the laser pit, you'll see the selfie prompt. Get a picture of yourself menacing some wildlife.

River City Girls 2 Ocean Heights Selfie Location 6q5n5p

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Ocean heights might be the toughest location to grab a selfie from. But that's not because the area is difficult or dangerous, but because it requires some finesse or actual luck to grab.

The selfie prompt is located on Parade Street, where a parade runs from one end of the area to the other. The prompt is located on top on the Abobo float leading the parade, and moves with the float. You'll need to jump on top of the float, or onto the float's mechanized Abobo fist to grab the selfie. For whatever reason, I couldn't actually jump on the surface of the float itself, so I ended up having to jump up and down in front of the prompt, hitting the button to trigger the selfie.

Luckily, you can try again if the float moves off-screen by leaving the area and reentering it.

River City Girls 2 River City High School Selfie Location 6c4a56

The last location is in the game's penultimate zone, River City High School. It's almost impossible to miss, as it's in the film studies room, which you through on your way up to the roof. The selfie prompt is on the desk.

Once you land the selfie in River City High, the River City Girls 2 selfie quest should complete automatically, depositing the Muscle Charm accessory into your inventory. Equip it and enjoy knocking enemies all the way across the screen with bear power.

River City Girls 2 is available on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Check out Siliconera's official review.

The post Where to Get Selfies in River City Girls 2 – Godai’s Selfie Quest appeared first on Siliconera.

In its first hours, WayForward's River City Girls 2 feels a lot like a second River City Girls game. You're walking around River City as either Misako, Kyoko, or their boyfriends Kunio and Riki. You're beating down rowdy students, local toughs, and yakuza thugs. The characters reuse many of their combat animations. Even the graphics, already brilliant, got some extra visual flair thanks to some particle effects, but you wouldn't be able to tell which game is which from a random screenshot. Even the initial maps are similar, if not identical, in layout to the previous ones, often using the same background music at first.

Sure, there are narrative reasons for this kind of familiarity, but there's a sense that maybe a little bit too much is being "recycled" at first. If you're fresh off of River City Girls, you might feel like you just started a New Game Plus run instead of a sequel. Thankfully, the feeling doesn't last, and that slight suspicion is replaced by excitement.

The initial burst of familiarity is WayForward's way of letting you plant your feet on solid ground, because when River City Girls 2 opens up, it does so like a flower in rapid bloom. It's easily twice the size of the original in hour count, a mammoth game in a genre known for almost criminally short runtimes.

As events start to escalate and the "RPG" part of this Brawler-RPG makes itself more evident, the scope of River City Girls 2 unfolds, revealing a much more detailed and realized rendition of River City. It's not an open-world title per se, but each of the eight playable zones of the city is comprised of at least a dozen distinct areas. All those areas, from your neighborhood in Crosstown to the heights of Sanwakai Tower, are teeming with enemies all eager to take a piece out of you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OrWkuUfHlk

Clearing an area of foes only gives you a temporary reprieve: Enemies respawn after a minute or two. The only relief from an unending tide of baddies is to either duck into one of dozens of shops, or to retreat to your hideout (there's one in every zone). The hideout is perhaps the biggest addition to River City Girls 2, as it changes the flow of the game from a long, rambling brawler into one more akin to a survival title.

Getting killed in-game gives you the option to respawn from the last screen transition, in exchange for some of your money. However, you can instead choose to spawn at your hideout for no penalty. Going home is often the smarter choice, especially in the early going. This lets you swap characters, pick healing items from your storage, and crucially, select your preferred assist characters.

As before, you can recruit an enemy to use as a recharging special attack. River City Girls 2 deepens the system by giving each character space for two assists, and vastly expanding the selection of characters to recruit. Many of the enemies are palette-swaps, but a few use different attacks when summoned. For example, most "Female Yakuza" characters throw a pattern of knives when summoned, but the special Zombie Female Yakuza stabs an enemy and poisons them, making them useful against tough enemies and bosses. You'll want to collect them all, and go back home to pick your favorites.

Between the new shops, expanded areas, and quests that have you running all over town to gain access to the Sanwakai Crime Syndicate's toughest leaders, a session of River City Girls 2 feels more like planning an expedition than getting to the next "level". You'll still unlock new areas in a fairly linear progression, but the sense that you and the violent teens under your control are exploring - and saving - a whole city is vivid in the mind.

Well, it's not just teens. Marian Kelly, the formerly distressed damsel of the Double Dragon series, and Provie, the breakdancing fighter of River City Underground, are the new playable characters. Though you need to unlock them at first, they're definitely worth the hype. Even within the relatively simple structure of a brawler move list, Marian and Provie play distinctly differently from Misako, Kyoko, and the boys.

Marian is the biggest playable character in River City Girls 2, but feels like the fastest one in practice. Her boxing stance and animations give her shorter reach, but she compensates by closing quickly and having specials with a very long travel distance. With big jumps and powerful straight punches that send enemies flying across the screen, a capable Marian player jumps around the combat area, diving into scrums like Mirko from My Hero Academia had been translated into a 2D brawler template. Meanwhile, Provie uses smooth footwork and dance choreography to move around the battlefield while still seeming untouchable. The characters are so distinct I kind of wish WayForward had had them available from the start.

One other bonus is the fact that dialog changes depending on which character you're controlling and your selected "partner voice". This means you can experience the story of River City Girls 2 through Kunio and Riki, the River City Boys, with the tone and delivery of various lines changing appropriately. It's a great incentive for players to revisit the game and try out other characters, and underscores WayForward's excellent sense of humor and grasp of tone. Villains and NPCs alike get similar attention, with many, if not most of the shopkeepers being some reference to a deep cut from the history of Kunio-kun, Double Dragon, and arcade brawlers in general. You can even hire Abobo as an assist attack, and do side quests for Skullmageddon.

Of course, no game is perfect, and River City Girls 2 has its own issues. The sheer business of the 2D environments, complete with foreground objects, can make some combat areas difficult to read. I wish the experience-sharing between characters was a bit more generous, to make it feel less like a downgrade to switch characters deep into a run. Some of the side mission briefings are a bit too vague on instructions, leading to some frustrating flailing around until you cotton on to what the game wants you to do.

Perhaps the biggest issue isn't really an issue with River City Girls 2, but more one with brawlers as a genre: Playing it solo is lonely. It's lonelier in this game particularly because all the characters are presumed to operate as at least a pair. The game s online co-op, but I wasn't able to find any games to , perhaps due to it being before release, or due to my location (you can select a matchmaking region to improve your chances).

Lacking a local buddy to play with, I noticed that a few of the mission challenges were more clearly tailored to having a second player to take some of the heat off. As a result, their challenges felt hectic rather than exciting. I highly recommend having a buddy to play the game through with, if you can. Brawlers are better with more (human) players in the mix. You can even turn on friendly fire, if you feel like straining a few friendships.

In the end, though, those nitpicks are minor, and River City Girls 2 is an unequivocal improvement on its predecessor. It builds on the distinct atmosphere of River City Girls and greatly expands its horizons, without losing any of the charm of the original. I don't know if I'd agree with some of the characters when they claim "Sequels are always better," but I can say that this sequel definitely is.

River City Girls 2 is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The post Review: River City Girls 2 Blooms Brilliantly From the Original appeared first on Siliconera.

River City Girls 2 is out in North America and Europe, and you might be ready to get out of the house and evict an army of murderous gangsters from all the coolest spots in town. Misako, Kyoko, Riki, Kunio, Marian, and Provie are all up to the task. But if you're looking to have a bit of a smoother start, we've collected a few spoiler-free tips to help you along. In our guide you'll find some things we wish we had known starting out, as well as a few hints for the curious.

Fight Your Way (Through) 204p71

River City Girls 2 is a brawler, so expect to punch your way through a whole army of yakuza thugs on your way towards Sabu, the big man on top. Unlike some older-school arcade brawlers, though, it's also an RPG, with levels, progression, and unlockable skills. That means fighting is rewarding, particularly when you're starting out. Beating everything in your way senseless is a great way to gather up money, which you'll need to buy supplies, skills, food, and accessories. It's also a way to gather up XP, which is needed to level up.

Leveling up will improve your stats, which make you do more damage and take less, among other things. A character at the maximum initial level of 30 will take significantly less damage from a goon's attack than a level 1 newbie, giving you room to breath when dealing with bosses or tough enemies.

Home Sweet Hideout 3p1752

The hideout is a new addition to River City Girls 2, and there's one in every zone. Every hideout is a safe zone, and serves as a place to swap characters, pull healing items out of storage, and change out your assist attacks. You'll also have the option to respawn here if you die, in exchange for no monetary penalty. Early on, going home is the smart move, because it allows you to beat up more baddies on the way to the objective, earning you more money and XP.

Once you unlock a new zone, try to locate the hideout by exploring nearby areas. That way you'll minimize your return time if you die.

Money Makes the World Bow Down 1hj43

Money is the lifeblood of River City Girls 2, and you'll need it to buy everything, including new attacks. Early-game players should focus on saving their cash to spend on moves at the dojo. New moves expand your combat toolkit, letting you beat up enemies and earn more money, more effectively. Accessories also tend to be more expensive, and are better considered "Nice to Have" rather than "Critical" things like new moves and healing supplies.

When you can afford them, though, some accessories can be very powerful. The Socks and Fire Gem accessories are particularly strong, as they add shock and fire effects to your heavy attacks. These have a chance to stun or ignite enemies, disabling them briefly and even transferring the effect to enemies they touch.

Play the Story to Unlock Marian and Provie 1y2x6w

Marian Kelly from Double Dragon and Provie from River City Underground are arguably the headline additions to River City Girls 2. Unfortunately for the impatient, they're not available at the start of a fresh game. You'll need to play through the story to encounter, then unlock the two for use in your roster.

Marian is unlocked first, and you'll encounter her as you make your way into the Flatiron district from Downtown. Provie is unlocked in the closing moments of your time in Uptown.

Both characters with a slightly lower level than your active character (about half their level if you've been soloing the game with a single character on normal), and can be swapped to from a hideout.

Make sure to visit a dojo before proceeding with the game, as they'll need to buy moves to expand their move list past the basics. Luckily, they should have a fairly fat stack of cash when they , so you should be able to buy a good number of moves off the bat.

Punch Normal 1v1642

You'll unlock new moves as you level up. Some new moves are available immediately, while others must be purchased at the dojo. You'll have your full move list accessible (provided you have the money) by the time you hit level 15.

When buying new moves, focus on "Normal" and "Heavy" attacks first over specials. Normal attacks in particular extend your core combo, meaning you have a better chance of knocking a foe out faster. Heavy attacks are also key tools, as they knock away enemies and give you breathing room. Running and aerial heavies are particularly potent tools for resetting an encounter in your favor.

Special moves can be very strong, but demand special meter use, and can even be interrupted if you're trying to use them in the middle of a heated scrum. Similarly, grab moves are strong, but you rarely get a chance to use them, since you can only grab an enemy that's dizzy or begging for their life. Get grab moves last if you're short on cash.

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Feast and Be Strong 4z2z59

River City Girls 2 has over forty shops scattered throughout River City, and many of them are food stores, serving everything from candy to haunted dumplings. You might think the shops redundant for selling food that mostly heals you, but there's a reason to splurge on good eats. Almost all the food items in the game add points to specific stats the first time a character eats them.

That means that besides healing, eating food is a great way to strengthen your character beyond what you'd gain just from leveling up. It's also the closest River City Girls 2 gets to allowing you to "build" a character out like a true RPG.

So if you've got some money left over after buying new moves or accessories, consider dropping by an eatery and spending it on some grub. Even if you're not injured, you can choose to "Store It" to deposit the food item in your inventory for later consumption. You can even eat food in combat, so it's a good way to keep yourself healthy during a pitched boss battle.

An Enemy in Need is a Friend on Your Trigger Buttons 3q382f

As in River City Girls, you can recruit enemies to your gang by beating them up so much they beg for mercy. You'll often see this when tackling the last enemy onscreen. When they start begging, walk up to them to grab them, then hit one of your trigger buttons (or its keyboard equivalent). This recruits the enemy to your side and turns them into an assist attack.

Most of the enemies in the game are palette-swaps of several basic types. This means they perform the same assist attack when called in. However, a few with unique color schemes and names have differing, sometimes much stronger assist attacks. For example, the Terminator-like cyborgs usually do a three-hit combo when called, but one special cyborg will lash out with a telescoping arm, knocking enemies away in one direction. Another delivers an electric shock, stunning enemies and setting them up for your combo.

Thus it's good advice to try to recruit at least one of every new enemy you encounter. You can switch out assists at your hideout, tailoring them to your fighting style.

One caveat: Assist character have limited health. If you summon them and they get hit by an enemy attack during their animation, they'll take a point of damage. An assist that gets "killed" is unavailable, and will need to be reset at the hideout.

A few characters can be hired for money to become one of your assists. These characters usually signal their availability via a side quest notification. If you walk over there and pay 'em, they'll pop into your bar like a newly recruited baddie. Their assists can be uniquely powerful, so they're often worth looking up. If they get killed, they'll need to be rehired, though. You can't equip them in at the hideout.

These tips should help you get a head start on headbutting Sanwakai gangsters out of the city in River City Girls 2.

River City Girls 2 is available on on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The post How to Beat up the World in River City Girls 2 – Tips for Starting Out appeared first on Siliconera.

With River City Girls 2 about to appear, it might get people wondering about the games. This spin-off series is tied to the Kunio-kun line. Two of them are entirely original adventures created by WayForward. However, the existence of River City Girls Zero mucks things up a bit. Do you need to play it? (I mean, do you want to?)

So, here’s a quick explainer to help you out.

If you want to play River City Girls and River City Girls 2, then yes, it is a good idea to play them in order. The first game establishes and introduces Misako, Kunio’s girlfriend, and Kyoko, Riki’s girlfriend. It sets the stage for the two of them being kidnapped, in need of a rescue. It also shows why Marian, a Double Dragon staple, is in these two games. People can find it on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, PC, and Amazon Luna service.

River City Girls 2 could be enjoyed as a standalone experience. It does involve an entirely new adventure with Misako, Kunio, Kyoko, and Riki. However, since the relationships are established in the previous game, it is a good idea to start there. It is available on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.

River City Girls Zero only became a “River City Girls” game after the fact. It originally appeared on the Super Famicom as Shin Nekketsu Koha: Kunio-tachi no Banka. This was a straightforward Kunio-kun game in Japan, starring Kunio and Riki. However, it did mark the playable debut of Misako and Kyoko. So retroactively, WayForward and Arc System Works made it a part of this series as essentially a spin-off, “prequel” adventure when it appeared on the PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and PC in February 2022. As such, you don’t need to play it at all if you are interested in the mainline games. It’s supplemental, and even Misako and Kyoko in the fourth wall-breaking introduction seem to suggest it is a fun game to know about.

The post Do You Need to Play River City Girls Games in Order? appeared first on Siliconera.

Good sequels don't try to reinvent the wheel, and instead look for new places for that wheel to go. If that's your metric of success, then River City Girls 2 may turn out to be very good sequel, at least judging by its opening hour or two. In fact, the opening hour of the game might be a little too familiar, especially if the first game is fresh in your mind. Nevertheless, if you're not yet tired of WayForward's blending of inimitable cartoon style, solid brawling, and light RPG progression, the game promises considerable expansion once the introductions are over.

As before, River City Girls 2 is led by Misako and Kyoko, the tough-as-nails girlfriends of Kunio and Riki (of River City Ransom fame). The girls have rescued their boys from the clutches of the Sanwakai crime syndicate, thoroughly humiliating its acting head, Sabuko. Now Sabuko's brother Ken and father Sabu (who happens to be River City Ransom's big bad) have stepped in. The result? Misako and Kyoko have been expelled from school, spending months laying low at home playing video games. Complications arise when they want to leave the house for once, and find the town taken over by yakuza goons. With their skills rusty but their hearts full violence, they need to beat their way through a small army of thugs to save the town again.

So far, so good. Brawlers like River City Girls 2 don't need hugely complex plotlines to get going. Instead, they're carried on the strength of the characters, and like its original River City Girls 2 is overflowing with personality. At the outset of the game you can play Kyoko, Misako, Kunio, and Riki, in single- and up to four-player local and online co-op. I haven't gotten far enough to unlock them yet, but Marian and Provie are also playable. Character designs, cutscenes, and dialog sprites are all illustrated in an art style that's an appealing blend of manga and American cartoons. The voice acting is also spot-on, and in one welcome addition, a Japanese voice track is available, adding new facets to the performances.

The sense of personality is reflected even in combat animations. Every character, even the generic mooks, animates in gorgeous pixel art, constantly moving, even in their idle cycles. Since they were available in River City Girls, all four of the initial playable characters have familiar move sets. Months on the couch have conveniently set their levels back to zero, giving players an excuse to grind and gain experience once more. They've got fast normal attacks, heavy strikes that knock foes down, and can grab and stomp enemies when they're stunned or knocked down. Thankfully, a few more moves, like specials, are available at the beginning of the game, so you don't need to unlock some basic attacks anymore. Though some of the animations feel recycled from the first game, additional visual flair like particle effects keep things looking fresh. Moves are unlocked with a mix of buying them from the Dojo and unlocking them by leveling up.

As before, you can also recruit goons to your side, deploying them like Assist Attacks in a fighting game. You can have two this time, and they come in handy to knock enemies out of a combo or absorb a charge. One new twist is the addition of a home base, where you can swap characters, change out your accessories, and even choose which goons accompany you into battle. They all appear in a big list, adding a Pokemon-like urge to "catch 'em all."

I'm still early into what looks to be a substantial expansion to its game world, but River City Girls 2 is a rollicking good time so far.

River City Girls 2 releases on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on December 15, 2022 in North America and Europe. It's already available in Japan and Asia. This preview is based on a PC copy of the game provided by the publisher.

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River City Girls 2 is coming, and coming soon. Developer Wayforward revealed the release date for the sequel to the River City Ransom spin-off announced back in 2021. The official River City Girls 2 release date for North America and Europe is set for December 15, 2022. The Japan/Asia version launched on December 1, 2022.

https://twitter.com/WayForward/status/1600219153104834581

On its release date, River City Girls will bring more side-scrolling brawler action to the Switch, PC, and PlayStation and Xbox platforms. The story continues with the revival of the Sanwakai crime syndicate. Sabuko, daughter of Kunio-kun/River City Ransom villain Sabu, is back, and has brought her dad and brother along to exact revenge. As in the previous game, the playable cast will be led by Misako and Kyoko, the girlfriends and protectors of Kunio-kun leads Kunio and Riki. They'll be ed by Marian, heroine of Double Dragon, who was an NPC in the first game. Provie from River City Ransom: Underground also s the fray.

In addition to the new cast , new weapons, locations, side quests, and over 40 item and equipment shops will be in River City Girls 2 upon its release date. RPG-style character progression and a "nonlinear" game world will also expand the offering. The game will four-player co-op multiplayer.

Wayforward also confirmed the English voice cast for River City Girls 2:

• Misako - Kayli Mills (HK416 in Girls' Frontline, Yunyun in Konosuba)
• Kyoko - Kira Buckland (Jolyne in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, 2B in NieR Automata)
• Kunio - Greg Chun (Kaji in Evangelion's Netflix dub, Lowain from Granblue Fantasy Versus)
• Riki - Kaiji Tang (Gaius from Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, Ichiban from Yakuza: Like A Dragon)
• Provie - DeeZumaki
• Marian - Erika Harlacher (Ann Takamaki from Persona 5, Aiba from AI: The Somnium Files)

River City Girls 2 releases on Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on December 15, 2022 in North America and Europe.

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WayForward took to Twitter to confirm there won't be a simultaneous worldwide release date for River City Girls 2. The game is set to debut in Japan and other Asian countries on December 1, 2022. However, it won't appear in other countries that same date. No specifics regarding the delay were noted, but WayForward noted it needs "a bit more time." It still suggested a 2022 release is possible for North America and Europe.

Here's WayForward's full statement regarding the River City Girls 2 release date delay.

The Japanese/Asian version of RCG2 launches tomorrow (December 1st) from Arc System Works, but we need a bit more time in the oven for the North American/European version in order to deliver the best, most full-featured experience possible.

As of now, we’re still expecting to launch the game before the end of 2022. When we have an exact date nailed down, or if anything changes, we’ll let you know. We know you’re all eager to battle your way back through River City in this brand-new, skull-cracking adventure, and we’re just as eager for you all to play it! Thanks for your patience.

River City Girls 2 is a beat'em up starring Misako and Kyoko, the girlfriends of Kunio and Riki. This time, all four are fighting through the city to right a wrong. They'll also be ed by Marian (from Double Dragon) and Provie (River City Ransom: Underground).

The River City Girls 2 Asian release date is December 1, 2022. The worldwide release is still 2022. It will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on December 1, 2022 in Japan and in 2022 worldwide.

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The newest River City Girls 2 character trailer is here, and this time it is all about Provie. She first appeared in River City Ransom: Underground. In addition to showing off her gameplay, it also hints that another person from Underground is why she’s showing up this time. Namely, Chris gets name-dropped.

The River City Girls 2 Provie trailer begins with the character “talking” to stars Misako and Kiyoko. The duo explain they aren’t the enemy. Provie still seems skeptical. She explains that her friend Chris, who leads the Flock group she belongs to, is missing. She believes Ken, one of River City Girls 2’s antagonists, kidnapped her. She then teams up with Misako and Kiyoko to achieve their common goals.

After the introduction, it shows how Provie fights in-game. As in River City Ransom: Underground, she’s a fast fighter who uses Capoeira-style moves when attacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fo-Ms5Iv5U&ab_channel=ID%40Xbox

Provie isn't the only newcomer. Another new character showing up in River City Girls 2 is Marian. While she did appear in the first game, it was only as a shopkeeper NPC. This marks the first time she'll be playable in the River City series. She hails from the Double Dragon games.

River City Girls 2 will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on December 1, 2022 in Japan and in 2022 worldwide.

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One of the new playable River City Girls 2 characters is getting time to shine, as WayForward released a new Marian trailer and talked about the heroine on the PlayStation Blog.

Formerly, Marian was known as Billy Lee’s girlfriend and tended to be in need of constant rescuing. Here, she’s a playable character beating up baddies in River City Girls 2. She’s a fast character in-game who uses moves inspired by boxers and wrestlers. This means in addition to punches like KO Cutter, she’ll use command grabs. In the original game, she only ran a shop. But here, she and Provie will Kyoko and Misako as they fight through the city.

Here's her new trailer:

There's also a new piece of concept art offering a closer look at Marian's design in River City Girls 2. It offers an idea of how her Elbow Driver aerial attack should look, as well as designs looking at some of her different punches and grabs.

WayForward’s been doing quite a bit to introduce returning and new River City Girls 2 characters like Marian. For example, in September 2022 the Sabu family got their own “villains” trailer. The cast as a whole

River City Girls 2 will come to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC on December 1, 2022 in Japan and in 2022 worldwide.

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Sabuko, the sword-wielding final boss of River City Girls, isn't one to take defeat lying down. She's back in River City Girls 2, and she's bringing the rest of the family with her. Wayforward ed a new "villains" trailer for the game on Friday. It teases some new story and character moments, as well as the series' trademark brawling action.

Check it out below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OrWkuUfHlk

Sabuko is the daughter of longtime Kunio-kun series heavy Sabu. Sabu's broken out of jail to take matters into his own hands after Sabuko's thrashing at the hands of protagonists Misako and Kyoko. Now with Ken, Sabu's son and Sabuko's brother, the trio will retake the streets if Misako, Kyoko, and their allies don't do something about it. These allies include two new playable characters.

As in the first game River City Girls 2 will see Misako and Kyoko's boyfriends Kunio and Riki (the original stars of the mainline Kunio-kun games) the fray. Besides them, however, are Marian and Provie. Marian is the lead heroine of Double Dragon, girlfriend of that game's protagonist Billy Lee. She cameoed in the first game as a shopkeeper. This time around, though, she's taken up a pair of knuckle dusters, discarding her damsel-in-distress role to jump into the melee. Meanwhile Provie travels in from 2017's River City Ransom: Underground, bringing her breakdancing-inspired fighting style. The new characters can get a workout in another new feature for the sequel: 4-player co-op .

River City Girls 2 releases on Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC later in 2022. River City Girls Zero launches on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC (it's already on Switch) on September 22, 2022. The director of the original River City Ransom, Mitsuhiro Yoshida, died on August 30, 2022.

The post The Sabu Family’s Back in the River City Girls 2 Villains Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

At TGS 2021, Arc System Works shared a River City Girls 2 trailer highlighting the new characters and gameplay. The video only shows four of the six total playable characters in action, however. But it did also show some new environments and capabilities characters might use.

The River City Girls 2 trailer kicks off with peeks at the manga story segments in the game. One even shows little Misako helping out Kiyoko. Then, it shows the duo running through some of the city's different environments. After that, Misako, Kiyoko, Kunio, and Riki are all shown beating up different opponents trying to get them down. While a brief image does show all six playable characters, which also includes Double Dragon's Marian and River City Ransom Underground's Provie, Marian and Provie are never shown in action during the clips.

As a reminder, WayForward announced Marian and Provie would be playable back in August 2021.

The end of the trailer went over the Japanese cast for the game. Here's who will voice the four main characters.

• Kunio is played by Makoto Furukawa.
• Kyoko is played by Sumire Morohoshi.
• Misako is played by Honoka Kuroki.
• Riki is played by Chiaki Kobayashi.

River City Girls 2 will come to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam in 2022. In case you missed it, Siliconera spoke with WayForward about the game.

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