PixlBit

The Double Dragons get revenge and star in a great game at the same time

Beat 'em ups were huge in the arcades in the late '80s. In 1987, a little game came along called Double Dragon; it was possibly the best of the genre at the time. Its popularity spawned a sequel, and this game is known as the best in the five game series. It was released in the arcades in 1988, and the NES version came out the following year. Developed by Technos Japan and published by Acclaim, Double Dragon II: The Revenge is considered one of the best beat 'em ups on the NES. But does it hold up today? That's what we're going to find out.

In the first game, Billy's girlfriend Marion is kidnapped; but in this game, she is killed (which seems a little dark for a "kids" game). So the Double Dragons set out to avenge her death, thus the subtitle. The options of play include the number of players and the difficulty; you can choose 1P Play, 2P Play A, or 2P Play B (in which you can hurt each other, why anyone would choose this one I don't know). The three difficulties are Practice, Warrior, and Supreme Master.

I enjoy seeing the squat characters in the game (I say squat, but they're not nearly as squat as the characters of River City Ransom). Right away you'll notice that the controls are a problem. The B button does a back kick and the A button is punch, but they switch when you turn the other direction! This means that you constantly have to think about which way you're facing so you can always punch in that direction, but several times I ended up kicking and then a bad guy hit me! This is a weird control scheme, and you have to wonder if there was a valid reason for it (there doesn't seem to be one). A and B together will make your guy jump. You can also jump and do a spin kick, which hurts enemies all around you.

Besides punching and kicking, you can also use weapons which enemies drop, such as whips, knives, and pipes. However, these weapons will disappear from your hands completely the moment you move on to the next section, which really stinks because using a pipe is awesome! Many times enemies will drop explosives, which you want to stay away from as they'll blow up in just a couple seconds. The levels are very short, and between each level is a cut scene of what's happening; mind you, this is a cut scene for an NES game, so it simply means there's a picture or two and some text. Some of the level titles are cheesy and quite humorous, such as "Forest of Death" and "Mansion of Terror."

Watch your step! In some levels, you can actually jump off a building and die if you move too close to the edge. This game is oldschool! Stepping off a cliff or landing on spikes will not just hurt you, but will take one of your lives. Three lives and it's Game Over; you get no continues. I also noticed that there are only two enemies onscreen at a time, which is probably because of the limitations of the NES; usually enemies walk onto the screen in pairs. Bosses are re-used as bad guys later in the game (such as Abobo), and some levels do not have bosses at all.

Level three is extremely short, but one which I thought was neat. You're inside a helicopter, and enemies come out of a door to fight you; every few seconds, the chopper door will open and suck out anyone who's too close. You have to try and stay away from the door, but it can be hard because Abobo likes to pick you up and throw you. I think this part is the most creative part in the game.

There were also some frustrating parts in the game, like in level 5, trying to get to the top of the big machine while its moving is frustrating. Conveyer belts are constantly switching directions and puffs of deadly gas will knock you back down. Once you get to the top, the machine will stop and you'll fight a few bad guys. In level 6 your character tends to go right through platforms, landing on spikes which will kill you instantly. This happened to me three times at a particular jump; he went through the platform every time! These frustrations were expected since this is an NES game, but nonetheless are annoying.

I enjoyed the setting of some of the levels, such as the underwater base and the creepy "Mansion of Terror." Beating up bad guys is simple and satisfying. The music is enjoyable, classic 8-bits tunes which give the game some personality. And of course, the game is always more fun when you're playing with a friend. Getting revenge is fun, but getting revenge together is even better!

Final Verdict--4 Stars: Recommended

Despite its flaws, DD2 is a great beat 'em up game. I don't understand why they did what they did with the A and B buttons switching every time you turn around, but you do get used to it after awhile (which doesn't excuse the fact that it's a terrible control choice). The levels are short and fun, and believe it or not, the game is not too difficult. However, I feel that perhaps this game is overrated; I've heard a lot of hype for it, and after playing it, I feel that River City Ransom is a better beat 'em up for the NES, but that's just my opinion. For classic oldschool beat 'em ups, you can't go wrong with DD2.

Join me every Saturday as we take a look back at all kinds of retro games, good and bad.