Double Dragon

(arcade game)

Double Dragon
Japanese promotional flyer for the arcade release.
Developer(s)	Technos Japan Corporation
Publisher(s)	Taito Corporation
Designer(s)	Yoshihisa Kishimoto
Release date(s)	1987, 1988, 1991, 2005
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, simultaneous
Platform(s)	Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx, Cellular Phones, Commodore 64, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, Game Gear, NES, PC, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum, Xbox Live Arcade
Input	8-way Joystick; 3 buttons
Arcade cabinet	Upright
Arcade display	Raster, standard resolution (Horizontal)

Double Dragon (双截龍, Double Dragon ^?) is a 1987 beat-em-up developed by Technos Japan Corporation and distributed in North America and Europe by Taito. The game is considered a spiritual successor to Technos' earlier beat-em-up, Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun (localized as Renegade in the U.S.), but introduced several additions such as two-player cooperative gameplay (hence the title) and the ability to arm oneself with an enemy's weapon after disarming them. Double Dragon is considered to be one of the first successful examples of the genre, resulting in the creation of two arcade sequels and several spinoffs.

Home versions of the game were released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Master System, Game Boy and Mega Drive among other platforms during the series' height of popularity. An enhanced remake titled Double Dragon Advance was released for the Game Boy Advance in 2004.

The kanji in the game's title literally read "Sou-Setsu-Ryu". However the game is called "Double Dragon" (in English) even in Japan.

Storyline

The story of Double Dragon is set in a post-apocalyptic version of New York City, five years after a nuclear war, where gangs and criminal organizations have taken control of the city. The protagonists are Billy and Jimmy Lee, the titular duo and the successors of a fictional martial arts style known as Sou-Setsu-Ken (loosely based on Jeet Kune Do). One day, Billy's girlfriend, a student named Marian, is kidnapped off the street and the Lee brothers receive a message from her captors, the Black Warriors, demanding to known the secrets of Sou-Setsu-Ken in exchange for her release. The Black Warriors are the largest criminal organization in the city, led by machine gun-toting crime boss Willy Mackey. In the NES version of the plot, Willy is apparently only a figurehead, while Jimmy is the true boss (the "Shadow Boss" in the English version).

This is the basic premise of the first game as originally established by Technos Japan, although certain details of the plot change between versions of the game and publishers. The actual game has no in-game plot and the opening merely depicts Marian being knocked unconscious and carried off by the Black Warriors, with Billy and Jimmy emerging from the garage in the background shortly afterwards.

Gameplay

Billy and Jimmy face off against Abobo at the end of the first stage.

The player is equipped with two attack buttons (punch and kick) and a jump button to fight against enemies or overcome obstacles. The player has access to a repertoire of techniques by pushing these buttons individually or in combination. The most notable of these techniques is the Elbow Punch, which the player can use to knock down enemies coming from behind. Because of its effectiveness (the move leaves the player temporarily invulnerable to attack during its animation), the Elbow Punch was easily abused by players to complete the game and its effectiveness was reduced in later games in the series. Pressing jump and kick makes the player perform a jumping backward kick, which wasn't as effective as the elbow. After the player has punched or kicked an enemy two or three times, the enemy is left in a stunned position, allowing him vulnerable for an uppercut, roundhouse kick or a hair grab. While in a hair grab, the player can knee the enemy repeatedly in the face or perform an over-the-shoulder throw. Linda, Abobo and Bolo cannot be grabbed; Linda falls without a "stun" period, while Abobo and Bolo are far too large for the player to manhandle in such a fashion.

Certain enemies carry melee weapons such as knives, baseball bats and whips. They can be disarmed and the player can then pick up the weapon and use it against them. Large objects such as oil drums and boxes can be used in combat, either by physically hurling them at enemies, or kicking them into oncoming "traffic."

There are a total of four stages or "Missions". The first three stages are actually set in one large area. When a mission is clear, the players walk right directly the following stage. The third stage ends with the player entering the hideout of the boss. The final battle features the player confronting various clones of the game's bosses before confronting the Shadow Boss himself, the machine gun-toting Willy. One unique aspect of the game was its ending: if two players defeat Willy together, then Billy and Jimmy are forced to fight each other until only one remains. The winner gets a kiss from the rescued Marian, thus winning her affection.

Enemies

Williams - The first common thug in the game who wears a tank top. He is sometimes armed with a baseball bat, a knife or a stick of dynamite.

Roper - Another common thug who wears a vest with shoulder spikes. In addition to using the same weapons Williams does, he can also throw large objects.

Linda - A female thug with a dominatrix outfit, who is occasionally armed with a whip.

Bolo - A giant bald-headed thug who first appears by smashing his way out through the brick wall of a building in Mission 1. Has the ability to toss the player around and can also lift heavy objects. A recurring sub-boss throughout the game.

Abobo - A head-swapped version of Bolo, who has the same techniques and abilities, but is presumably stronger. He resembles Mr. T due to his mohawk and beard. He is first fought as the boss of Mission 1.

Jeff - A head-swapped version of the Lee brothers (the player's characters). He can perform nearly all of the same techniques as the players, including the spinning back kick and hair grab, and will shake off a grab attempt by a player if he has not been softened up enough. Jeff serves as the boss of Mission 2.

Willy - The final boss in the game, fought only after a protracted battle with a number of lesser thugs at the conclusion of Mission 4. He is armed with a machine gun, which can deplete the player's life bar in a matter of seconds.

Weapons

Baseball Bat - Can be swung at close range to deliver a knock-down with a single hit.

Whip - Delivers a close-range lashing to an opponent. A pair of hits downs most enemies.

Knife - Can be thrown like a projectile towards the enemy. If it's thrown at the player, it can be intercepted with a kick. The knife is a very powerful weapon, and will kill virtually any non-boss enemy with one hit.

Dynamite - Thrown to the ground in front of you. It flashes white before it explodes; the fuse is reset if an enemy picks it up, but not if a player does. One dynamite blast is sufficient to kill nearly any enemy in the game.

Oil Drum, Box and Stone - Throwable large objects that can knock down multiple enemies. They are picked up and hurled at the enemy with the punch button. While standing over one of these large objects, the player can slide them across the ground with the kick button even if another weapon is held.

Stages

Mission 1: City Slums - The game starts with Marian being carried off the enemy and the player emerging out of the garage. The stage itself is a typical urban setting with nothing spectacular, save for a hidden billboard advertising Nekketsu Koha Kunio-kun (the Japanese version of Renegade). The boss of this stage is Abobo.

Mission 2: Industrial Area - Taking place in an abandoned factory with various construction materials. The end of the stage features conveyor belt, which serves as a death trap for both the player and the enemy, as well as an elevator where various enemies emerge. The boss Jeff enters into battle from an elevetor platform that rises up in the foreground and serves as the access point to Mission 3.

Mission 3: Woods - The longest of all four stages. There are various pitfalls (including a broken bridge), as well as enemies lurking behind trees. When leaving the forest, the player enters a mountain area where the entrance of the hideout is located. The boss is a green-skinned Abobo almost resembling the Incredible Hulk.

Mission 4: Hideout of the Boss - The final stage. The beginning of the stage features blocks that slide in and out of the walls to attack the player, then statues of minotaurs that poke randomly with spears. Many of the enemies from previous stages, including multiple clones of Abobo and Jeff, are fought in the battle with Willy which takes place in the main antechamber of the hideout with Marion tied up and hanging from the ceiling.

Ports

Nintendo Entertainment System

The first fight scene in the NES version of the game.

Double Dragon was ported to the Famicom/NES by Technos Japan in 1988. The game was published in North America by Tradewest (who was given the license to produce other home versions of the game as well) and by Nintendo in Europe.

The port took many liberties compared to the original Arcade game. The most notable was the omission of 2-Player simultaneous gameplay, presumably due to Technos Japan's inexperience with the hardware (the two NES sequels both included co-op gameplay). Instead, the 2-Player Mode in the main game is done by alternating similar to Super Mario Bros.. However, both players take control of Billy. The plot was changed slightly, so that Jimmy is revealed to be the true mastermind behind the Black Warriors (he is seen in the opening intro kidnapping Marian instead of Willy). After the player defeats Willy, Jimmy will appear as the true final boss in the game. This was perhaps the first port that began the tradition of portraying Billy with brown hair and his brother Jimmy as blond, the exact opposite of the first two arcade games.

Due to the technical limitations of the NES, the game could generate two enemies on-screen to confront the player and both enemies were the same character. Also, weapons could not be carried to another fight if the original owner was killed. In addition, a learning system was implemented so that players could only perform the most basic techniques at the beginning of the game. All of the more powerful techniques (including jump kicks) could only be earned by gaining experience points (or heart points, as they were called in the game) and increasing in level. The highest level is seven. A Renegade-style sit-on punch was added to the player's techniques.

The stages were arranged differently, with some stages featuring new areas (most notably the cavern section in Mission 3) that focused more on platform jumping than actual fighting. All of the enemies from the arcade game also appear, with the exception of Bolo and Jeff, presumably due to the fact that Bolo is too similar to Abobo and Jimmy was made into the final boss, making a Lee brother-like enemy unneccesary. Bolo's bald looks is given to Abobo, while a new enemy character named Chin Taimei serves as Jeff's replacement as the second stage boss.

In order to compensate for the lack of a proper 2-Player Mode, a Versus Mode was added in which player could select between the Lee Brothers or five of the game's enemies. The Versus Mode has larger sprites for all characters than in the main game (except Abobo, who is drawn the same size), but only allows for mirror matches. In single player versus matches, the matches are handicapped in favor of the CPU, while two player versus matches features weapons thrown into the middle of the field for Williams, Roper and Chin.

Sega Master System

The Sega Master System version

Shortly after the released of the NES version, Sega acquired the rights to develop its own port of the game for the SG-1000 Mark III in Japan and the Master System in North America and Europe.

This version featured graphics similar to the NES version, but with brighter colors and the fact that the game could display up to three different enemies on-screen. However, the graphics are not as sharp as the NES game and weapons still disappear when their owners are killed off. The game retained the two-player co-op gameplay and had level designs that were closer to the arcade game than the NES versions were. The second stage boss is Jeff, just like in the arcade version, although in this version he is depicted as a complete palette swap of the Lee brothers (much like in the Sega Genesis version and in Super Double Dragon for the Super NES). Because of this, the Master System version has been compared favorably over the NES version by arcade purists.^{[citation needed]}

Like many early Sega games, the Sega Master System version allows for unlimited continues until the final stage, in which the player would be forced to restart the game if he lost all his lives.

Other versions

In 1989, Activision released versions of Double Dragon for the Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 during Atari's brief comeback to the video game console market. During that same year, the arcade version of Double Dragon was also ported by Binary Design and published by Virgin Games/Mastertronic for the following computer platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Tandy 1000, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and IBM PC. Two different Amstrad CPC versions were produced: one was released in Europe (based on the Amiga version), while the other was released in North America and was ported from the Sinclair version.

In 1990, Technos Japan produced a Game Boy version of Double Dragon. This version features similar gameplay to the NES version, but with completely different level design and the learning system removed. The enemies are the same as the NES version, but some of the characters such as Abobo and Chin have been given new techniques. The main game is still single player, although the player does not fight Jimmy after defeating Willy like they do in the NES version. Also, a 2-Player only Versus Mode is included like in the NES version, but the only characters available to play as are the Lee brothers.

In 1992, Accolade released a Sega Mega Drive version of the game in North America and Europe under the Ballistic Software label. Up until recently, this version had graphics that were closest to the arcade version, but not perfect (some of the game's graphics were redesigned and were of considerably worse quality than the arcade game's). The game is considered a rarity and a collectors item, with some used and unboxed cartridges selling well on auction sites such as Ebay. However, good quality fully boxed versions are hard to come by, as the cartridge was released in a cardboard Amiga style box instead of the traditional plastic cases. This version was ported to the Atari Lynx in 1993 by Telegames.

In 1993, a Game Gear version of Double Dragon was released by Virgin Games. However it was an original game unrelated to the arcade version, featuring a sole Billy Lee who has the task of rescuing his brother Jimmy. This game is also known as Double Dragon: The Revenge of Billy Lee.

In 2004, a remake of the original arcade game titled Double Dragon Advance was released for the Game Boy Advance. The game features all of the stages and almost all of the characters, but with new stages, techniques and cut-scenes added to mix (most of them based on the later installments). It was developed by Million Corp, the company which currently owns Technos Japan's former intellectual properties, and was published by Atlus.

An emulated version of Double Dragon arcade, with enhanced graphics (as an optional mode) and online co-op was released on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 on May 9, 2007.