Double Dragon – NES

Double Dragon is the legendary beat-em-up released in the arcades in 1987, and was the inspiration for many many games to come after it.  I previously reviewed the Sega Master System version of the game, and I liked it  even though it wasn’t quite like the arcade.  The NES version released by Tradewest in 1988 is an even weaker version of the game.  It’s not a bad game by any means, but I just don’t find it that great either.

In Double Dragon you control Billy or Jimmy on a quest to rescue your girlfriend Marian who has been kidnapped by the Black Warriors gang.  It’s a side scrolling beat-em-up, and you’ll have to dispense of many cronies before you get to the final battle.  In a new twist on the game, in the NES version you start off with only the ability to punch and kick.  After defeating enemies you gain experience, and when you earn more moves when you gain experience levels.  The moves include drop kicks, uppercuts, a throw, an extremely useless roundhouse kick, the ability to sit on an enemy’s chest and punch them in the face, and my favourite which is the ability to grab an enemy by the head and knee them in the face.  I found punches were useless due to their short range, so I mostly just kicked everyone, grabbed them by the head and kneed them in the face before tossing them over my shoulder.  There are weapons you can pick up, but they only last a limited time.  Some other changes to the game aren’t so great.  First change is that there is no two player co-op option.  That is criminal.  The reason is was called “Double” Dragon was because of the two player co-op game play.  Another limitation is that there can only be two enemies on screen at once.  This reduces the action, and makes the game a bit dull.  The stages are also different than the arcade version, and any other version of Double Dragon.  While there is nothing wrong with the stage design, it was a bit of a disappointment to anyone who wanted the arcade stages.  Another new addition is the one-on-one mode.  It’s an amusing mode for a bit, and two players can actually fight against each other.

The graphics aren’t nearly as good as the arcade version, but the NES hardware was several years older, and the graphics look quite nice on the NES.  The music is okay, but nothing too memorable.  Overall the game is merely okay.  I find it a bit repetitive, and I never could complete the game.  In fact I have never even gotten to the last stage, even after many times playing it.  It’s not exactly a tough game to play as most enemies are pretty easy to dispense of, but you do not get any continues at all, so you will have to absolutely master this game in order to complete it.  There are no cheats for it, but if I ever come across a Game Genie, I’ll have to come back to this game to complete it.  I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to get this game, but it’s not bad, and it does keep score.  This is mostly recommended for those who played it when they were younger.

Rating – 6 / 10