Double Dragon (NES) review "Every so often in a system's life, a game comes that creates a new genre. This is that game. The game that started the beat'em-up genre is here. And it's waiting for you....it's name is Double Dragon. For it's time it was spectacular, even now I still play it every so often. Not to mention it was one of the first games with multiplayer. "

Every so often in a system's life, a game comes that creates a new genre. This is that game. The game that started the beat'em-up genre is here. And it's waiting for you....it's name is Double Dragon. For it's time it was spectacular, even now I still play it every so often. Not to mention it was one of the first games with multiplayer.

Graphics: 9/10
When this game came out, it blew away all other graphics. The characters' sprites in the main game were pretty good, but the multiplayer's were simply amazing. Very large characters and very detailed on such an early system was incredible. The backrounds were very nice and even in single player you could actually see the expressions on their faces!

Story: 8/10
It's pretty average, but it is cool to have your brother be the main villan. He has kidnapped your girlfriend, and you, Billy Lee, have to go track down your brother, Jimmy Lee. It's nothing special, but it's not a downside of the game.

Gameplay: 10/10
What can I say? It was the first game to do it. You walk arround and beat up guys. However, this first Double Dragon has a feature none of the beat-em ups to come after it did...you can learn new moves. You start out with a punch button and a kick button. As you kill more enemies and get a higher score, you get newer moves. It ranges from a knee kick to a jump kick to jump on top of your enemy and punching him! It is just awesome.

Sound/Music: 10+/10
Only 5 games get a 10+ on the NES. Double Dragon, Wizards and Warriors, Legend of Zelda, Adventure of Link, and Simon's Quest. All of the music in this game is really great. The opening theme is excellent. However, what gives this over 10 is the first stage theme. It is so incredibly amazing that I searched for it on a cd or on the internet. It is one of my favorite themes ever in a video game.

Overall: 9/10
This is the one that started the beat-em up genre. It is a shame that its sequels didn't live-up to this one's greatness (well, maybe IV did). Everytime I play this I wonder what happened to Tradewest and how Final Fight overthrew it. I strongly encourage anyone who bothered to read this to buy the game.

Pros:
Great Graphics
Incredible Graphics
Revolutionary Gameplay

Cons:
Story could've used some work
A bit hard

Community review by aganar (Date unavailable) A bio for this contributor is currently unavailable, but check back soon to see if that changes. If you are the author of this review, you can update your bio from the Settings page.