It was a faithful recreation of the original, though the short-lived nature of the experience and the aforementioned slow-down are more apparent in the current hardware generation. More recently, the game was reissued via Xbox Live Arcade only to be removed sometime later when IP owner Empire Interactive folded.
As well as inspiring said games, the title was adapted as a short-lived comic series, an animated television show, and a reviled live action movie that we wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Capcom's Final Fight and Sega's Streets Of Rage series drew inspiration from Technos's magnum opus, while Konami's licensed arcade offerings based on The Simpsons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles essentially used it as a template. Not only did the game spawn sequels and tie-ins, it also paved the way for a host of clones. Most were pale imitations of the original, though a 2003 Game Boy Advance revamp by Million Corp came close to capturing its magic, despite being hampered by a limited release. The ensuing years saw a wave of spinoffs, including a crossover series with the Battletoads franchise and the SNES-exclusive Super Double Dragon. The former was generally considered a worthy follow-up, though its backwards kick mechanic deterred some fans, while the latter was poorly received. Double Dragon II: The Revenge and Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone, were released in 19, respectively. It even survived the transition to the 16-bit age, finding its way to the Sega Genesis in 1992.įollowing its roaring success, the inevitable sequels and spinoffs came flooding in. Double Dragon was also ported to various handheld systems, such as the Game Boy and Atari Lynx. Retaining the stellar co-op mode, the Master System version was a laudable attempt to replicate the title on modest hardware, while the NES version offered a different experience with its versus mode and levelling-up system. Technos ported the game to the NES, Sega landed the rights to develop its own version for the Master System, and Melbourne House handled its arrival on 8-bit home computers. It wasn't long before the brothers Lee found their way to home platforms. It was you and your companion against the world, and the level of camaraderie was unprecedented (until the final stage at least).
It was somewhat addled by slow-down, yet no other co-operative gaming experience came close to rivalling this one in its day. Tight controls, impressive graphics and an addictive multiplayer component helped the game establish itself as an instant classic. Objects such as boxes, oil drums and boulders were also at hand to hurl at unsuspecting assailants. Moreover, enemies equipped with whips, bats, knives and other implements could be disarmed and their weapons used against them. Button and joystick combos enabled the players to perform flying kicks, shoulder throws and other moves. However, unlike many of its predecessors, there was a degree of relative complexity to combat. It sported a fairly basic three button interface, with separate commands for punch, kick and jump. After battling their way through city slums, factories, forests and caves, the duo confront the gang's machinegun-packing leader before being overcome by sibling rivalry and fighting each other to the death over the girl.ĭouble Dragon is hardly a lesson in morality, thought it was certainly one of the best games to arrive in the arcades that decade. The game followed martial arts brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee (or Hammer and Spike depending on which version you owned) on a mission to rescue their mutual love interest Marion from a gang called the Black Warriors. Renegade introduced many of the beat 'em up genre's staples the previous year, but Double Dragon took the formula to the next level.
Shortly after this ultra-violent offering mesmerised arcade denizens across Japan, Taito Corporation brought it to the West, where it had an equally strong impact. The Asian studio devised the perfect blueprint for a side-scrolling fighter, and the result would soon become one of the most imitated games of all time. Developed by Technos Japan in 1987, Double Dragon packed a punch so hard that the foundations of the gaming industry are still shaking today. Although the vintage brawler Renegade is considered the grandfather of the genre, it was its spiritual successor that went on to define it. Many of us first got a taste for blood in the late '80s when the beat 'em up movement exploded into arcades. There's something about gratuitous violence that we gamers find irresistible. First Released On: Arcade (1987), NES, Master System, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 2600, Mega Drive, Amiga