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Double Dragon[lower-alpha 2] is a 1995 fighting video game spin-off of the Double Dragon series developed and published by Technōs Japan. It is based on the 1994 film, which in turn was based on the original arcade game. It was originally released for the Neo Geo (in AES and MVS formats) and later released for the Neo Geo CD and PlayStation (the latter ported by Urban Plant). It was Technōs Japan's last Double Dragon game before the company went out of business, and the fourth and final Double Dragon game released in arcades.

Double Dragon
Developer(s)	Technōs Japan[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)	SNK Technōs Japan (Neo Geo CD/PlayStation) PlayStation Network JP: HAMSTER Corporation NA: MonkeyPaw Games
Producer(s)	Kazuyuki Kurata
Designer(s)	Minoru Yamaguchi Muneki Ebinuma
Programmer(s)	Naoki Kashiwabara Shinji Hirao Tadamichi Obinata
Artist(s)	Akiko Maruyama Chihiro Kushibe Fujimi Ōnishi
Composer(s)	Chiaki Iizuka Fumio Suzuki Kiyomi Kataoka
Series	Double Dragon
Platform(s)	Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD, PlayStation, PlayStation Network
Release	1995 Arcade WW: 3 March 1995 Neo Geo AES JP: 31 March 1995 NA: 31 March 1995 EU: 31 March 1995 Neo Geo CD JP: 2 June 1995 NA: October 1996 PlayStation JP: 26 April 1996 PlayStation Network JP: 10 August 2011 NA: 14 January 2014
Genre(s)	Fighting
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Arcade system	Neo Geo MVS

Gameplay

The game plays like a conventional one-on-one fighting game. One of the unique aspects of Double Dragon is the lack of specific punch and kick buttons like other fighting games. Instead, there are four attack buttons of varying strength and speed, which can perform punches or kicks depending on the character's position. The player's character and his or her opponent have a super move meter called the "charge meter", overlaid over the character's health gauge. The less health the character has, the quicker it will fill up. "Charge moves" are usually performed by executing the command of a regular special move and pressing two attack buttons simultaneously at the end instead of just one. Other techniques available in the game include dashes, air guards, air throws, and down attacks (which allows characters to jump over and attack their opponent while they are momentarily unconscious on the ground).

In single-player mode, the player competes against all 10 of the playable fighters, including a clone of their own character. After all 10 of the default fighters are defeated, the player will face Shuko's bodyguard Duke before challenging Shuko himself. In the console versions of the game, Duke and Shuko are both playable via a cheat code.

Plot and characters

Billy and Jimmy Lee return to their childhood city after receiving a letter from their master. The city has changed drastically in the ten years since the brothers left, becoming a haven for street gangs known as Bloody Town after it has fallen under the control of the crime boss Koga Shuko. Shuko is hosting a martial arts tournament in order to recruit new members into his organization, but also to lure the Lee brothers in bringing him one half of the titular Double Dragon medallion. Shuko is in possession of the other half. Whoever possesses both halves of the Double Dragon medallion will acquire unlimited powers.

The character roster includes ten immediately playable fighters and two boss characters. Billy and Jimmy Lee both fight using the fictional Sou-Setsu-Ken martial arts style, with Billy having the faster techniques, while Jimmy is stronger. The twin brothers also have the ability to transform into an alternate form as a super move, altering their move lists. The other eight fighters are Marian, a female gang leader and childhood friend of the Lee brothers; Abobo, a strongman employed by Shuko; Burnov, a former wrestler with a rivalry against Abobo; Eddie, a kickboxer; Amon, a ninja; Cheng-Fu, a master of the drunken fist; Dulton, a street fighter; and Rebecca, a master of the dual tonfa.

The characters and settings are inspired by the Double Dragon film, which features prominently in the game's intro. This includes the appearances of a submerged Hollywood Sign, the appearance of the Dragon Wagon in Billy's stage, the Lee brothers' transformation technique, Marian's depiction as a gang leader, and the inclusion of Koga Shuko as the game's final opponent. However, the characters are depicted in a more anime-like style and only five of the game's twelve fighters are actually featured in the movie; Burnov and Duke are from previous Double Dragon games and the rest are new characters created specifically for this game.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed Double Dragon for Neo Geo on their April 15, 1995 issue as being the thirteenth most-popular arcade game at the time.[5]

On release, GamePro gave the Neo Geo AES version a negative review. They praised the charge meter and the accuracy of the controls, but criticized the graphics.[6] Next Generation reviewed the Neo-Geo version of the game and called it mediocre.[3] Reviewing the Neo Geo CD version, Maximum found the game lacked originality, had poorly defined sprites, and suffered from subpar gameplay compared to other Neo Geo CD games.[4]

See also

• Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, the other 1-on-1 fighting game in the series
• Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer (Technōs Japan's other Neo Geo fighting game)
• Rage of the Dragons

Notes

References

External links

• Double Dragon at GameFAQs
• Double Dragon at Giant Bomb
• Double Dragon at Killer List of Videogames
• Double Dragon at MobyGames

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