River City Ransom EX (USA)

Whether you're a first-time player or returning to River City after decades, these tips will help you dominate the streets of River City Ransom EX. First, prioritize your stat progression early: Strength directly increases your melee damage, so put at least 60% of your early stat boosts into Strength to make clearing low-level gangs faster. Stamina boosts your maximum health, and Agility improves your movement speed and dodge chance, which is critical for beating late-game bosses that hit extremely hard. Next, don't waste all your money on cheap food: higher-priced meals at specialty shops offer permanent stat boosts that are way more valuable than temporary health refills later in the game. Always check alleyways and hidden park areas for secret shops that sell rare weapons and stat-boosting food you can't find in main street locations. When recruiting gang members, look for fighters with high starting Strength and Stamina—they'll deal extra damage and take hits for you during boss fights, turning tough encounters into easy wins. For boss fights, always dodge diagonal heavy attacks by rolling away, and use thrown objects (like trash cans and bikes) to deal massive damage to bosses from a safe distance before moving in for close-quarters attacks. To unlock all hidden content, make sure to defeat every gang boss in every district before heading to the final fight at River City High—this unlocks rare secret characters and exclusive gear that can make your second playthrough even more fun. Finally, save your game often at the payphones scattered across the city, so you don't lose progress if you fall to a tough boss fight.