More Than River City Ransom / Super Dodge Ball: Kunio! (Kunio Three Kingdoms/RCG2 at TGS, Oct. 2/3)

[BigShad]

いよいよベールを脱ぐくにおくん35周年プロジェクトカウントダウンが開始！その幕開けまであと3日 https://t.co/ZTpQYaRPsE #くにおくん pic.twitter.com/Fme6woqQIB

— くにおくん公式アカウント (@Kunio_Kun_PR) September 1, 2021

The countdown to Kunio's 35th anniversary has begun, 3 more days!

 

[BigShad]

Not exactly sure if it counts as double-posting since it's news nonetheless, but here we go:

くにおくんの三国志だよ 全員集合！ 公式サイト

くにおくんの三国志だよ 全員集合！ 公式サイト

www.kuniokun.jp

New Kunio game announced for the 35th anniversary! According to Google Translate, it's "Kunio-kun's Three Kingdoms", and judging by the name, it seems to be a Kunio spin on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, an ancient Chinese novel.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Wtf? I need to see gameplay.

 

[BigShad]

Wtf? I need to see gameplay.

here's your gameplay bro

No but seriously, the official Twitter says it'll reveal more info in the future. If they really just do a spin on the novel, then that's all fine and dandy 'cuz that hopefully means they can focus more on improving gameplay/graphics.
Otherwise, I'd love to see some Claw of Kowloon inspirations. Or maybe pull a SEGA and basically just throw modern-day Kunio into the novel like those Sonic Wii games.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

So, who would be Lu Bu in this case, Goda?

 

[BigShad]

So, who would be Lu Bu in this case, Goda?

do not pursue lu bu

A couple bits of small news:

Kunio-kun no Sangokushi dayo: Zeiin Shuugou! confirmed for PS4, Switch, and PC; first look [Update]

Kunio-kun no Sangokushi dayo: Zeiin Shuugou!, the newly announced 35th anniversary entry in the Kunio-kun series, will launch for PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC, the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu r…

www.gematsu.com

The game sees familiar characters such as Guan Yu (Kunio), Liu Bei (Gouda), and Zhang Fei (Godai) run-amok in the world of Sangokushi (Romance of the Three Kingdoms).

Development is currently 65 percent complete.

皆さん、週刊ファミ通の「くにおくんの三国志だよ 全員集合！」特集記事はもうご覧頂けましたか？
武将紹介の他にゲームの画面も盛りだくさん！会社、学校の帰りに是非チェックください！#くにお三国志 #くにおくん35th pic.twitter.com/UEnCwkvZsN

— くにおくん公式アカウント (@Kunio_Kun_PR) September 9, 2021

Have you seen the special article of Weekly Famitsu's "Kunio-kun's Three Kingdoms, All-Member Assembly!" In addition to the introduction of military commanders, there are plenty of game screens! Please check it out on your way home from work or school!

Parece que mi corazonada era cierta. pic.twitter.com/T2DgSF7OHC

— La Gata Flowery (@LaGataFlowery_0) September 9, 2021

Looks like the spriter for Rival Showdown's still on the team and even worked in brown hair, very nice.

 

[BigShad]

So here's something for you v-tuber lovers.

東京ゲームショウ2021 オンラインの出展情報を公開しました！https://t.co/sa2IFkREYR

『くにおくんの三国志だよ全員集合！』をはじめ、新作情報盛りだくさんの特別番組を配信。
人気VTuberグループ「ホロライブ」所属の #戌神ころね さん、#さくらみこ さんがコーナーゲストとして出演！#TGS2021 pic.twitter.com/mhyL4nISbw

— アークシステムワークス公式 (@ARCSY_Event) September 17, 2021

There was a problem fetching the tweet

And if you're not a fan, it still means two things:
Arcsys is actually advertising Kunio on their own now, and we'll get to see some actual gameplay!
I'm still just hoping that no matter what they do, they don't butcher the western release.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

And here's a sneak peek at the new manga opening for River City Girls Zero! pic.twitter.com/VJ8682FdOt

— WayForward (@WayForward) September 23, 2021

So, they're using a framing device for this release. Okay then.

 

[BigShad]

I mean hey, WayForward was never known for having very good storywriters (much less with a guy heading the project who just saw the girls in Shin Nekketsu and wanted to roll with it). I do look forward to seeing how they're gonna explain the jump from Shin Nekketsu to the wacky world of RCG. Part of me's hoping for Kunio crossing over with some WayForward IP in the future, and due to WayForward storytelling shenanigans, at some point they just [$%#@]ing cause a time paradox in Kunio's world that creates the RCG universe -- but that's a pipe dream. Would be both an ArcSys AND a WayForward move tho.

I am feelin' a bit bad for them right now on Twitter though, they showed off this game as just "River City Girls Zero" and failed to mention the potential for the "original translation" and the "RCG-prequel" translation and they're pretty much getting blasted on both sides lmao.

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

I think they usually do a decent job when the plot isn't a minimal setup like "recapture/rescue the Hooligans!" or "kill the ancient mummy!", or is anything that doesn't involve Kickstarter funds (although it is funny how Double Dragon Neon somehow has a better plot than DDIV, even though it wasn't serious in the first place). But yeah, RCG1 felt like a bog-standard fanfic at times (especially "also, Sabu has a daughter that just wasn't mentioned before"). I can at least hope for RCG2 to have a Cycle of Revenge setup to mitigate it some more.

It's just that I expected the RCG0/Kunio-Tachi No Banka anime opening to be just a music video, not the equivalent of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle's Side Job setups, even if Kunio is an universal adaptor setting.

(Although it's neat how it came about with some degree of involvement from best skeleton)

 

[DarthEnderX]

The weird thing is the load the writers are taking on, because RCG, as a continuity, is trying to mash together the continuities of Renegade, River City Ransom(Japan), River City Random(NA), and a bit of Double Dragon. Which is kinda like 4 different things.

Although I guess Tokyo Rumble already tried to mash 3 of those together anyway, although their explanation for Double Dragon is "It's a kung fu movie in the RCR universe."

 

[BigShad]

The weird thing is the load the writers are taking on, because RCG, as a continuity, is trying to mash together the continuities of Renegade, River City Ransom(Japan), River City Random(NA), and a bit of Double Dragon. Which is kinda like 4 different things.

Although I guess Tokyo Rumble already tried to mash 3 of those together anyway, although their explanation for Double Dragon is "It's a kung fu movie in the RCR universe."

In all fairness, trying to explain the Kunio canon post-Technos would very likely get you on some sort of secret underground hit list. Much like trying to explain the Zelda timeline. ArcSys has pretty much been doing very, very weird stuff with the continuity in Kunio themselves, like with what you said with Tokyo Rumble. In there, apparently it's just a movie (featuring real-life Green Abobo), but then in Rival Showdown, apparently they're such legends that even a strand of their DNA alone can create incredibly powerful fighters (like Randy and Andy's super moves in that game). Then there's the weird crap in Stay Cool Kobayashi-san where apparently directors thought that Kobayashi was "Kunio's biggest rival" or something.

 

[DarthEnderX]

Yeah, during the Technos era, even the Japanese games are split into two sorta timelines. The more serious games of the Renegade/River City Girls Zero branch, and the more lighthearted chibi NES games like River City Ransom/Crash & The Boys, etc.

You can basically tell which is which by the box art. If it's little chibi characters on the box, it's the latter, if it's the more realistic art style, it's the former.

And those were kinda separate for awhile(and is the origin of Kunio and Riki's two different sets of girlfriends in RCG), but then Tokyo Rumble mashes them together again. Because while it's very much one of the goofy chibi games, plotwise, it is a DIRECT sequel to the original Renegade.

 

[BigShad]

Yeah, during the Technos era, even the Japanese games are split into two sorta timelines. The more serious games of the Renegade/River City Girls Zero branch, and the more lighthearted chibi NES games like River City Ransom/Crash & The Boys, etc.

You can basically tell which is which by the box art. If it's little chibi characters on the box, it's the latter, if it's the more realistic art style, it's the former.

And those were kinda separate for awhile(and is the origin of Kunio and Riki's two different sets of girlfriends in RCG), but then Tokyo Rumble mashes them together again. Because while it's very much one of the goofy chibi games, plotwise, it is a DIRECT sequel to the original Renegade.

It's times like those that I wish the other Kunio Japanese 3DS games got english releases (mainly Renegade SP and Riki Dennsetsu), because it actually does find a way to throw the "Nekketsu Kouha" (Renegade) timeline into the "Downtown Nekketsu" (RCR, etc.) timeline pretty well.
If I remember right, Renegade SP basically had Hiroshi being a big target for stuff like even the Yakuza because his father is a very important worker for... something or other. The government I think. And Riki Dennsetsu was basically a story of before Riki fighting Kunio for the first time -- he basically was at risk of getting expelled because he defended his school from Shinji's bikers (the guys you fight in Stage 2 of Renegade), and had to become involved in part of that Yakuza plot. Could be wrong though.

Of course, there's still the big plot hole of Mami (Cindy in RCR) and then Kyoko. Kyoko was just kinda "there" in Tokyo Rumble's New Game+ as a way to swap between characters, but otherwise I don't think either even got mentioned until Rival Showdown where Mami was hooked up with Riki at the time.
Either way, very weird and confusing stuff.

 

[BigShad]

3 days. JP ArcSys is legit going the hardest they've ever done for Kunio-kun on this advertising, Korone on Twitter's even doing giveaways (to jp audience only sadly) and everything.

 

[BigShad]

The ArcSys panel starts in a little under 45 minutes!

 

[KirbyWorshipper2465]

New RCG2 trailer, boys.

 

[BigShad]

Someone uploaded the v-tubers playing River City Three Kingdoms. Bit of a volume warning.

 

[DarthEnderX]

New RCG2 trailer, boys.

I don't know who's talking during the segment at the end with the hannya mask.

 

[BigShad]

So.
Kunio's 35th anniversary. New (higher quality mind you) River City game coming out in December.
Sakurai apparently saying something about it being "a character some of you might not know" (don't exactly know the specifics)
ArcSys practically showing a whole damn hour of Kunio at TGS, when Strive was in the same slot (paying respect to guilty gear fans btw, not meaning to start crap)
ArcSys practically ramping the Kunio advertising in Japan up to 100.

If tomorrow ain't prime time for Kunio, I dunno what is. Could be anyone, but I've got my hopes up.

 

[BigShad]

Just a brief post before this sub-forum's apparently closing down:

Someone uploaded more River City: Three Kingdoms gameplay!

I'll also make sure to back up everything here just in case this thread doesn't end up moved to the "Next Smash" sub-forum or something, too. And I'll try to remember to make a new thread if so.