Double Dragon is a disappointing PC version of Technos' classic beat'em up series that were very successful in the arcades and on console systems.
The plot, if you haven't heard of this blockbuster before, goes as follows: Billy and Jimmy Lee must rescue Billy's girlfriend after she is captured by Mr. Big and his gang. One or two players can play as Billy, Jimmy, or both rowdy lads as they fight hordes of gangsters who get in their way. Okay, let’s just ignore the graphics: nobody should expect a 1988 EGA game to rival the arcade original anyway in that department. But what’s really disappointing about this PC conversion is that the smooth, addictive gameplay of the original is left far behind. Sure, you can still do a wide range of moves that made the game an arcade sensation, including elbow attack, face-in-your-knee slams, jumping kicks, various weapon throws, and the standard punch and kick. The range of weapons is similarly impressive: you can use baseball bats, whips, crates, and trashcans to name a few. But the actual gameplay elements such as enemy intelligence and user controls leave a lot to be desired. Although the game has all these cool attacks, you’ll be frustrated if you try to pull them all off. It’s just not intuitive at all.
Worse, supposedly powerful attacks like the jumping kicks don’t seem to do much damage to the enemies, and they are hardly needed in the game because all you need to do is keep the punch key (or joystick button) pressed – enemies will fall like leaves right in front of your auto-fire punches. Character animations are also very choppy, and this can’t be excused by citing “hardware limitation” because many 1988 and older games - most notably Quicksilver’s excellent PC versions of Data East’s classics like Karnov and Guerrilla War - boast smooth animations and near-flawless gameplay.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the original classic, you’ll be disappointed at this spiritless PC version. I suggest you play the original arcade or the NES version on emulators instead and leave this version alone. Better yet, just forget about this whole series and instead play the NES version of River City Ransom, a severely underrated gem that is superior to Double Dragon in every aspect.
Review By HOTUD
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Comments and reviews
What are the keyboard controls for the MSDOS versions? I move with Q, A, O, P, and I punch with SPACE, but how do I kick???
Uhhhh, full nostalgic!!!!!
I recall being disappointed when comparing my C64 version with the arcade version I was use to playing.
how i start this game
anyone please tell me
Not the best port of this legendary game. The controls would be my biggest complaint. Much easier to play than the PC port of the sequel. Nintendo had by far the most fun version even though the graphics were not the best. Double Dragon was one of my favorite games of all time. Side scrolling beat em up games were the best. Street Fighter II came out and the genre vanished forever. RIP!
completed it on the arcade and kicked the shit out of my mate at the end when you fight over the bird hahahahahahah
i really like this game
I bought this game back in the day, it may have been the first game I ever bought with my own money. I remember asking my dad why there were 2 sets of floppy disks (5.25" and 3.5"), and him saying the 3.5" were for if we ever got a computer which had that kind of disk drive. :)
I had it in gameboy!!! awesome!!!
Classic, used to play this in December 1988 in the offices in London on a new £3000 486 pc. The English-Sheep-Shaggers in the office used to join a 2 player game now and again/
No comment nor review for this game at the moment.