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 In early 1990 the United States was treated to Technos’ sequel to their mega-hit Double Dragon. Unlike its predecessor, Double Dragon II: The Revenge was
not based off of an arcade game but was in fact a separate game
entirely. Certain aspects of Double Dragon remain present the
second time around. You still star
as Billy Lee and once again you must save your girlfriend Marian. You will again make your way through
unfriendly city streets, kicking, punching and pulling the hair of
hundreds of bad guys. There are
also no extra guys or health boosters to find on your journey. And finally (most importantly) the game
is still a ton of fun.
There are a few major differences
this time around as well. The
biggest difference is that you can finally play with a friend at the same
time. This is what made the original
so popular in the arcades but was shockingly not offered on the original
NES release. Your partner plays as
your brother Jimmy Lee. Double
Dragon fans will remember that
in Double Dragon Jimmy was the
final boss who had kidnapped Billy’s girlfriend. Apparently, feelings have healed in the
meantime because now they are best buds.
Another major difference is that you don’t gain experience in this
game. You can perform every move
in the game right off the bat, including some new moves like the cyclone kick
and the hyper knee. Gone is the
famed elbow chop that was the key move of Double Dragon.
Positives:
 Double
Dragon II has a lot of
great things going on. First off,
the game lasts nine missions instead of the measly four from its
predecessor. Of course, you can
also play together with a friend, which is a huge positive; that makes
the game a lot easier and a lot more fun.
The fighting is once again very smooth and easy to learn. You have lots of fun moves at your
disposal and while some are hard to pull off consistently, you can
normally get by without them. This
game also has lots of great and varied music; you’ll never get sick of a
certain theme.
Glaring
Negatives:
 One major negative is that you have to
press A&B simultaneously to jump.
This was also the case in Double
Dragon but this time around there are lots of tricky jumps and two
whole missions based around jumping.
This is a little cheap and annoying since Double Dragon games
should be about street fighting but luckily with a little practice none
of the jumps are super-tough. It’s
not like there are birds flying around to hit you when you jump (I’m
talking about you Ninja Gaiden II!!)
There are also lots of fun weapons you can pick up that enemies
drop but they disappear as soon as you move on to the next batch of bad
guys so you never really get to have fun with them. The new important moves like the
cyclone kick and hyper knee also involve being able to press A&B
simultaneously at exactly the right moment, which is difficult to master
and can be painful when you mess up.
One very annoying aspect of the
game is that there are three skill levels. Unfortunately you can only make it to
the ninth mission if you choose the hardest setting. I’m sure many people have found this
out the hard way and then been extremely annoyed.
Graphics
and Sound: Great
Technos has once again provided a game full of
great graphics and exciting music.
Most of the key characters first appeared in Double Dragon and they all have been improved upon for the
sequel. The sprites are more
detailed and interesting to look at.
This time around, there are no ladders that are hard to find,
everything is clear and easy on the eyes.
The music is catchy and propulsive while the sound effects are
classic action sounds (including the unrealistic but satisfying sound of
a punch).
Gameplay
and Controls: Great
The gameplay and controls are
almost perfect this time around. The
only problem is that A&B have to be pressed simultaneously often in
this game, which is the top way that you will die. I also wish that the experience system
had been revived but other than that you will enjoy every aspect of the
game.
 Features: None
There aren’t any special features
on this one. The one-on-one
fighting tournament is gone and there are no passwords or battery
present.
Fun?:
Definitely
In my opinion this is the best Double Dragon game ever. While not as original as the first game
in the series it is longer and allows for two-player butt whoopin’ action.
You will not want to stop playing until you’ve beaten it –unless
missions six and seven turn you off (that is where the crazy jumping
stuff is at).
Challenge:
A little
This game stays very true to Double Dragon. It is not easy but it isn’t super hard
either. It just takes
practice. You will make it through
the first five missions pretty quickly but the jumps on missions six and
seven will give you headaches until you master them.
Replay: More
than Double Dragon
What gives this game more replay
value is that you can play it with your friends. It is very easy for a beginner to play,
if they have an expert as their partner.
Everyone I’ve played this one with has had an enjoyable time.
2
Player: Yes
The best thing about this game is
how fun the two-player mode is.
That is what solidifies this game as being a notch above Double Dragon.
Online
Manual?: Yes
Check out Nintendo
Age for all NES manuals.
Bottom
Line: The best Double Dragon game
Double
Dragon II takes the prize
as the top Double Dragon game on the NES.
That means that it is also one of the very best two-player action
games. If you enjoy two-player
simultaneous fighting games then this is a must-own. This game easily fits into the top 100
games on the NES.
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