Page 13 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #7

classic
classic

By Michael Thomasson
T
his issue’s arcade game of
choice is none-other than the
immensely popular side-
scrolling beat-em up Double
Dragon. The initial game was
released in 1987 by Technos in Japan, and Double Dragon II: The Revenge Stone, returning them to Egypt to battle
with the “world’s strongest enemy.” The
The first Double Dragon game was
licensed to Taito for manufacture and distri- such a big success that Technos and li- third chapter allows for three-player simul-
bution in the United States and Europe. censing partner Romstar released the first taneous cooperative play. The new sup-
The original game concept, in addition to sequel in the growing franchise in the fol- porting character is none other than Sonny
the character names, were loosely inspired lowing year. Part two seems to completely from Technos’ first coin-op release, Tag
by the Bruce Lee film, “Enter the Dragon.” ignore the surprise ending from the original, Team Wrestling. The control set-up from
Interestingly, when Taito released the and both brothers are again a team seeking part two was abandoned, and The Rosetta
game internationally, they altered the origi- to offer street justice to the Shadow Warri- Stone returns to the button scenario of the
nal Technos Japanese storyline. Since ors and their leader, the Shadow Boss. original Double Dragon.
most reading this column reside outside of This time their mission isn’t a rescue opera- Interestingly, weapons cannot be taken
Japan, we’ll focus on Taito’s international tion, as Billy’s girlfriend Marian has been from defeated enemies during game play
Double Dragon releases. murdered and they are seeking, as the title like in the two preceding installments. Part
implies, revenge. three contains a shop in which weapons,
Double Dragon While the first game had individual special moves and even back-up support
Martial arts masters and brothers Billy punch and kick buttons for executing at- characters can be recruited for a price.
and Jimmy Lee attempt to rescue Billy’s tacks, The Revenge alters the control The shopping does not require fictional
girlfriend Marian from abductors, the scheme and implements a “right attack” money obtained during the game, but ac-
Shadow Warriors. The game was playable and “left attack” button scenario. The Lee tual currency. That is correct, you must
by two players simultaneously, and in addi- brothers have expanded their martial arts insert another coin to upgrade your status,
tion to using martial arts moves, the heroes moves and can now perform a devastating making The Rosetta Stone much more ex-
could use items found in their environment spin kick maneuver. pensive to play.
such as knives, whips, baseball bats, sticks An interesting fact is that the yelling
of dynamite, boulders and oil drums. Dou- sound heard when a coin is inserted into Double Dragon
ble Dragon contained a shock ending that the cabinet is a sound sample captured In March of 1995, the Neo-Geo system
reveals that the leader of the Shadow War- from the coin-op game Kung-Fu Master. was graced with a new Double Dragon
riors, known as Big Boss Willy, was none game with the same name as the original.
other than Billy’s own brother, Jimmy Lee. Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone Again titled simply as Double Dragon, the
The final battle, if played cooperatively, pits Technos released the third game of the game is loosely based on the 1994 movie,
both players against each other! The game series in 1990, with a fundamentally differ which was, in turn, based on the game s e-
was such a HUGE hit that when it was re- ent design approach both in game play and ries. It is no longer a side-scrolling beat-em
leased on home consoles, the game box graphic style. Billy and Jimmy Lee meet up but is a one-on-one fighting game. It
proudly stated, “You’ll never have to stand Hiroku, an old and mysterious fortune teller, draws elements from the previous three
in line to play Double Dragon again!” who challenges the brothers to travel Double Dragon arcade games and even

across the globe in search of the Rosetta references the fourth console-only Super

Classic Gamer Magazine July 2004 13