Developed and published by Technos in 1988
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The original Double Dragon remains my favourite classic beat 'em up from the arcades. There's something about the art style, gameplay and thumping sound effects that gels to make one of the most compelling fighting games of all time.
Following the success of the original game, Technos decided it was probably a good idea to capitalise on it's success and give fans a sequel. Sticking to the tried and tested formula of the original, the game introduces an expanded set of fighting moves, new locations (although some look very familiar) and a smattering of new enemies to beat to a pulp.
The story picks up some time after the conclusion of Double Dragon, with Billy and Jimmy Lee having successfully rescued Billy's girlfriend, Marian, from the clutches of Willy, leader of the Black Warriors gang. Unfortunately, Willy is a bit of a sore loser and decides to take revenge against the Lee brothers by killing Marian. Now the Lee brothers are out for revenge and nothing is going to stop them.
Anyone who has played the original game will be on familiar ground as the game plays our pretty much as before. The players move through a series of side-scrolling environments, defeating waves of thugs along the way in order to reach the end of the level. Just as before, each level features an end-of-round boss who must be defeated in order to progress.
One of the first differences the player will experience is the revised control scheme that changes the actions based on the direction the player is facing. Pressing the attack button corresponding to the direction the player is facing will throw a punch, whilst the other attack button will execute a rear kick - change directions and the button functions swap, something that does take a few minutes to get used to.
As to the actual moves, the Lee brothers have been practising their martial arts skills since the last game and have learned a few new tricks, including a flying spin kick, reverse kick, as well as a 360-degree whirlwind kick that's great for dealing with situations where you're surrounded. Also, thanks to a more responsive control setup, it's now possible to throw a combo of punches in quick succession with less risk of getting hit in between strikes. The roster of moves available is quite impressive and is more diverse than many later fighting games - you're certainly never lost for ways to take out your opponents and can mix things up to keep the experience fresh and exciting.
Another area where this sequel improves over the original is the music. The level stages are much more melodic this time around, especially stage 3, which has definite ear-worm qualities that will have you humming along whilst playing.
So the fighting is pretty darn fun, but there are a few things that gnawed away at me whilst playing that I felt a little disappointed with.
I mentioned earlier that many of the game's levels look and feel similar to the original game, which is largely because they are the same levels, albeit with a few design tweaks and background art. The levels do feature new content and environmental traps, but it's difficult to shake off the nagging sense of deja vu that prevails throughout.
Neither am I big fan of the redesigned enemy sprites that attempt to fuse new heads on top of bodies from the original game. Not only do they look somewhat awkward, many of them have new hair-styles that look as if they've been given wigs to disguise the fact they're the same guys. In my opinion, it gives the game an almost comedic tone that just doesn't suit the game, particularly as the original Double Dragon didn't go out of it's way to be tongue-in-cheek.
At the end of the day, these criticisms are largely down to personal taste and I won't deny that Double Dragon II is still a great beat 'em up. Whilst it revels in it's 80's trappings a little too greatly for my taste, it remains a great experience whether you're playing solo, or co-op with a friend and comes highly recommended.
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