Double Dragon: Information from Answers.com

Release Date: October 16, 1989
Genre: Action
Style: Side-Scrolling Combat
Similar Games: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nintendo Entertainment System), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade)

Game Description

Assume the role of Billy Lee or Jimmy Lee, twin brothers who must rescue Billy's girlfriend Marion from the Black Warriors street gang. You can take on this challenge alone or enlist the assistance of a friend for two player cooperative play.

The twins must fight their way through four different levels. They start at the city slums and try to make their way to the enemy base. There they must defeat the Shadow Boss in order to rescue Marion. Each level must be completed in a limited amount of time.

The twins begin their quest armed only with their street-honed martial arts skills. Special moves they can perform include head butts, jump kicks and elbow punches. Along the way the players may acquire weapons like knives, bats and whips.

~ Joseph Scoleri III, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Like almost all of the titles that appear on both the Atari 7800 and the NES, Double Dragon is better on the NES. The scrolling is smoother, the graphics are more detailed, the controls are much better, and the music and sound effects are superior. In essence, Double Dragon for the NES is a great game while the 7800 version is merely good. One thing about the 7800 Double Dragon that purists will appreciate is the fact that it has a two-player cooperative mode, just like in the arcade version, while the NES owners must settle for a two-player competitive mode.

Due to a combination of inferior controls and trickier enemies, this rendition of Double Dragon is more difficult than the NES, arcade, and Sega Master System versions. The enemies are fast and overpowering, and many of them have nifty side-stepping moves that are hard to overcome. Double Dragon is basically an easy game on most formats, but it will take you a while to get really good at the 7800 version.

In all its forms, Double Dragon has been a very popular game, spawning several sequels for several different systems. The story of Billy and Jimmy Lee is familiar to most hardcore gamers. The street fighting action is fun and exciting, especially to younger males. You've got an assortment of nifty fighting moves at your fingertips, and you can use bats, whips, knives, and other weapons to clobber your enemies. More importantly, there are no rules, no morals, and no authority figures.