Retro-Bit have just opened pre-orders on two NES games: River City Basketball and River City Fighting Legend. These are officially licensed reprints of the original Famicom games that have been translated by Nathan Deren and Jonathan Antonioili, being released on region-free NES carts. They’re available individually, or as a bundle containing both games. The prices are $60 each, or $110 for the bundle containing both. Pre-orders will remain open until October 19th and they’re schedules to arrive with customers at the beginning of next year. More thoughts below the paid affiliate links:
River City Ball & Brawl Bundle
River City Basketball
River City Fighting Legend
Original River City Basketball aka Nekketsu All-Out Dunk Heroes
Original Fighting Legend aka Nekketsu Kakuto Densetsu Fighting Legend
As with all these re-releases, I always ask “why?”. For River City Basketball, the answer is easy – Original cartridges are far more expensive than the new one and buying the re-release gets you the translation as well. The original Fighting Legend is pretty cheap used though. I guess Retro-Bit must have gotten the license for both for the same price as just one and figured why not? And if you like both of these games, prefer physical copies and want a good translation, the bundle makes sense as it’s cheaper than just the original Basketball game.
Also, Retro-Bit has claimed that the carts run at the correct voltage and are properly beveled, making them totally safe to use on your classic consoles. And Retro-Bit has had a great history of releasing safe carts for years now, so while I always recommend checking before playing, it seems like a safe bet.
