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Double Dragon [Round Seal]
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Console: Nintendo NES
Region:U
Year: 1988
RFG ID #: U-027-S-01890-A
Part #: NES-WD-USA
UPC: 031719198832
Developer: Technos Japan
Publisher: Tradewest
Rating:
Genre: Action/Adventure
Sub-genre: Beat 'em Up
Players: 1-2
Controller: Standard Controller
Media Format: Cartridge 2 Meg
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Collection Stats:

  • 433 of 7620 collectors (5.6%) have this game in their collection
  • 17 of 7620 collectors (0.2%) have this game in their wishlist.
  • 5 of 7620 collectors (0%) have this game for sale or trade.
Review:

I think Double Dragon for the NES is a wonderful beast, and I care little for what other people have to say to contradict this. In concept it is an arcade port, but mechanic-wise is owes little to its roots. True, you still progress through stages, beating up baddies as they approach you, most of the times with your appendages but sometimes with weapons (traditional or improvised). There are bosses, and an ending.

And that is where the comparison ends. See, while Double Dragon for the arcade is a straight up action title, Double Dragon for the NES throws in a little RPG to mix things up. What?!? Yep. RPG, I say. In the arcade, Billy and Jimmy Lee are seasoned vets of the streets, busting advanced pugilistic moves with fierce determination, with head butts, uppercuts, and jump kicks right out of the gate. But in Double Dragon for the NES, Billy or[/i] Jimmy (no two player simultanous on the NES) are kind of new at this vigilante justice thing. Punching, kicking, and head butts about all these dudes know how to do. But use these humble moves and you gain points, which adds "hearts", which in turn grants Billy or Jimmy new moves. Sounds like an RPG thing, right. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Double Dragon is a pre-Final Fantasy or anything, but I am saying that it does have some RPG in it. So what about the rest of the game? Straight up action, man, though with a certain amount of early NES "jank" thrown in for good measure, such as flying up walls and killing enemies with the screen. You know, good stuff that doesn't happen as much any more. Shame, really, that. Bring back the jank, I say!

Anyway, you battle enemies just like in the arcade original, though now with a little bit more strategy, as you now try to work around your initially limited moves list. This port is also quite a bit harder than the arcade, in my opinion, some oweing to the moves-thing we talked about earier in the paragraph, but also to the relentless way enemies trade blows with you, ducking roundhouse kicks and counterattacking if you get too close. Then there are the pixel-perfect jumps...

Finally, there is the "B" game, which is selected at the title screen. For the record, selecting the "A" game for either one or two players gets you the regular "story" game, but selecting "B" opens up the VS game, where you select from a roster of Double Dragon's meanest foes and face off against... the exact same foe! Regardless of whom you choose in this mode, your opponent will always be your twin. Even in two player. Despite its list of flaws, Double Dragon is a good game, and not just for the kids who learned to love it back in the day.

Extra Media:

  • Score display notice card
  • Variations:

    Console Reg. Type Title Publisher Year Genre
    Nintendo NES France S Double Dragon Nintendo 1991 Action/Adventure
    Nintendo NES Spain S Double Dragon Nintendo 1992 Action/Adventure
    Nintendo NES United Kingdom S Double Dragon Nintendo 1992 Fighting
    Nintendo NES United Kingdom S Double Dragon [FRA Cart] Nintendo 1990 Fighting
    Nintendo Famicom J S Double Dragon Technos Japan 1988 Action/Adventure
    Nintendo NES U S Double Dragon [Oval Seal] Tradewest 1989 Action/Adventure
    Page Credits:

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    atari_wizard: scans
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    bombatomba: Review

    Last Updated: 2020-04-28 00:28:58
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