Double Dragon (1987)

Double Dragon (1987)
Genre(s): Action-adventure Beat 'em up Platform(s): Arcade ZX Spectrum Amstrad CPC Commodore 64 IBM PC Atari ST Amiga Atari 2600 Nintendo Entertainment System Sega Master System Atari 7800 Sega Genesis Game Boy Atari Lynx Zeebo Xbox 360 PlayStation 4 (Arcade Archives) iOS (Trilogy), (Double Dragon) Android (Trilogy), (Double Dragon) Release Date: July, 1987 Developer(s): Tenchos Japan (most platforms) Arc System Works (Sega Master System Version) Publisher(s): Taito (most platforms) Tradewest (Nintendo Entertainment System Version) Mastertronic (all computer versions) HAMSTER (PlayStation 4 Version) Series: Double Dragon Successor: Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Double Dragon is a beat 'em up video game developed by Technos Japan for most platforms and Arc System Works for the Sega Master System and published by Taito for most platforms, Tradewest for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Mastertronic for all of the computer versions, and HAMSTER for the PlayStation 4. The game was originally available in arcades, but later received ports to countless home consoles, including the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Master System, the Amstrad CPC, the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64, the IBM PC, the Atari ST, the Amiga, the Atari 2600, the Atari 7800, the Nintendo Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy Advance, the Sega Genesis, the Atari Lynx, the Zeebo, the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 4, the iOS, and the Android. The game was originally released in Japan on July, 1987, and has since spawned one of the most popular series of 2D video games of all time. It was followed by Double Dragon II: The Revenge, and then Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone.  

Plot

Martial arts siblings Billy and Jimmy Lee must battle a tough gang known as the Black Warriors in order to rescue Billy's girlfriend, Marian. Set in a post-apocalyptic New York, Double Dragon is the story of Billy and Jimmy Lee, twin brothers trained in the fighting style of Sou-Setsu-Ken.

Why It Rocks

1. It's a very challenging game which requires both brains and brawn.  
2. Superb graphics, for their time, the character designs have a lot of attention to detail with the face making lots of expressions.  
3. Excellent controls, especially the handling and is also very responsive too.  
4. A variety of actions, locations and enemies that make this a true state of the art beat 'em up, centuries beyond those old Kung Fu games which still litter the arcades.  
5. The sordid street fights are great fun when you've got the guts and if you manage to get hang of the controls.  
6. Great soundtrack by Kazunaka Yamane, which is very epic and amazing.  
7. All of the ingredients are there for a really addictive, martial arts style kick 'em to bits.  
8. It's not that hard to find this game to play it, because it's been released on a total of 21 platforms over the years, including Nintendo Entertainment System, the Sega Master System, the Amstrad CPC, the ZX Spectrum, the Commodore 64, the IBM PC, the Atari ST, the Amiga, the Atari 2600, the Atari 7800, the Nintendo Game Boy, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, the Game Boy Advance, the Sega Genesis, the Atari Lynx, the Zeebo, the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 4, the iOS, and the Android.  

Bad Qualities

1. No health pickups, making the game impossible to beat, though you regain more health once you defeat all enemies and the area is clear.  
2. The home console versions, while not terrible (the NES version was the best), are still pale shadows of the original arcade version, which was common among old great arcade games.
   • Some of the ports are also mediocre to awful, such as the Sega Genesis and Atari 2600 versions.
3. The game is very slow and makes the game irrationable for speedrunners.

Reception

The original arcade version was met with critical acclaim upon release. The reception for the home varied depending on which system the game was on. Some versions, such as the Sega Master System version, received positive reception, while others, such as the ZX Spectrum version, received mixed reception.

The game was very successful, spawning multiple sequels, and was the inspiration of several other beat em' up franchises.

Trivia

• The name for Billy was inspired by Bruce Lee's second name with the first name being based on his character Billy Lo from the movie "Game of Death".
  • Same goes for Jimmy who name is taken from famous musician Jimmy Page.

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