Double Dragon

[Sean]

Not sure how many Double Dragon fans we might have on this board, but, HAMSTER is releasing an Arcade Archives version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge today. Not sure if it's US only or not, but, $7.99 is a steal for such a classic game. Wonder how it holds up by today's standards!

http://www.hamster.co.jp/american_hamst ... s/ddII.htm

[ratsoalbion]

One of my earliest 1 credit completions at the arcade (DD1).

I believe I'm also quite high up on the Live leaderboards for the (sadly no longer available) XBLA version.

I think the EU Arcade Archives releases are generally out of step with the US, but I have a feeling I saw that this is out here today.

It's no Streets of Rage II though, but then again, what is?

[Sean]

Damn, didn't know there was an XBLA version. That's what I get for not paying much attention to that platform in it's heyday.

[Alex79]

Did anyone play the new(ish) version from a few years ago? It was free on PS+ at one point. I only played a bit, it seemed ok, not brilliant, but I never gave it much time at all really.

[zen_anarchy]

My first experience of double dragon was the spectrum 48k conversion with the balloon headed characters and terrible controls. Then played the megadrive conversion which was not great.

But I still have a lot of love for the nes conversions of double dragon one and two, they where really fun games.

Double Dragon is a game in which I must have played so many different versions of as a child and have owned multiple versions of the game even if I don't have that many fond memories of the arcade game unlike Final Fight or Dragon Ninja which where my go to games In the arcade back in the day.

[Alex79]

Anyone remember Double Dragon wannabe, Renegade? I had it on the Amstrad and I bloody loved it. Look at those graphics! They still look brilliant!

[ratsoalbion]

Renegade wasn't a Double Dragon wannabe, it was its direct predecessor:

Renegade is a video game released in American and European arcades in 1986 by Taito. It is a westernized conversion (including changes to all of the sprites and backgrounds) of the Japanese arcade game Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun which roughly translates to "Hot-Blooded Tough Guy Kunio"), released earlier the same year by Technos. It is an immediate technological predecessor to Double Dragon, and Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun is the inaugural game in the Kunio-kun series (which includes Super Dodge Ball and River City Ransom).

The Amstrad CPC464 version was indeed a cracking port. Did you used to input the cheat code to make the blue/grey blood go red?

[Flabyo]

Was Target Renegade a home computer pseudo sequel to Renegade, or did that come from arcade roots as well? I'm a little hazy on the really early side scrolling brawlers. (There was a renegade 3 where you fought dinosaurs. I wish I was making that up)

With Double Dragon I think I probably played the Master System version the most. Pretty faithful version. I also had it on gameboy, but that's a very liberal conversion indeed.

My favourite side scroller is probably still the Capcom Aliens vs Predator one, I just really love the feel of it.

No one has ever really done the genre justice in the polygon era, dynamite deka was ok I guess. Most of the fun modern ones have been 2d, Scott pilgrim, castle crashes etc...

[ratsoalbion]

Off the top of my head Target: Renegade and Renegade III were home only spin-offs by Imagine/Ocean.

[Alex79]

Ah interesting, thanks Leon - I'd always assumed Renegade was a Double Dragon ripoff, despite having played Renegade ages before I ever played DD.

And yeah, I did used to put the red blood cheat in, I'd forgotten all about doing that till I watched that video earlier!

[Michiel K]

One of my earliest 1 credit completions at the arcade (DD1).?

NICE! Elbow?

Despite what a lot of people say about these games in retrospect, DD1 and (to a lesser extent) DD2 in the arcades were mindblowing when they came out. And the way attacks connected, coupled with the sound effects, felt a lot more impactful and raw than a lot of beat 'em ups that came after it.

I owned a NES and I loved it, but I was disgusted with the home port of the first game. DDII was much better and managed to satisfy me and my brother as a home console beat 'em up.

[ratsoalbion]

Reverse elbow smash FTW! CRUNCH!

[Alex79]

The only Double Dragon I ever played much of was the Sega Master System port of the first game. Whether or not it was good in reality I'm not sure, but my friend and I used to love playing it in co-op.

[Crowcifer]

Ah! I had Target:Renegade on the Spectrum Sinclair. That was a fun game. I was a bit too young at the time to master it, but I happily watched my next-door neighbor beating it time and again.

The Double Dragon games were really fun, too. I miss sideways scrolling brawlers.