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Double Dragon: By Larry
Petit There aren't many games that get ported like Double Dragon did. It was on just about every console and computer of the time, and even appeared in the next generation as well. When you think of Double Dragon's late '80s heyday, there were three viable systems (not including computers) that could handle a competent version of the arcade hit (this excludes the Atari 2600's admirable, but hardly authoritative port): The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the Sega Master System (SMS) and the Atari 7800. The NES and SMS ports of DD came out in 1988, and the 7800 got its version a year later, in 1989. People are inclined to compete with each other, and when you have a game that's as huge of a success as DD was, on three different systems, everyone wants theirs to be best. The NES was absolutely huge in the U.S. at this time, so it went without saying that DD would head to that system. Usually when a game was on the NES, it wouldn't be ported to other systems, due to Nintendo's licensing contract, so it's pretty surprising that the SMS received its own conversion. This is especially a good thing, since the SMS was much more popular than the NES in the UK, and it would be a crime if the most popular system there didn't have its own version of DD. Sega licensed its version directly from Technos, so I guess it bypassed Nintendo's contract altogether. As for the 7800, it's a wonder that it got a version at all. Hardly the most popular system, the 7800 had some choice versions of classic arcade games, but few modern hits or original games. The console was a victim of awful management and little advertising. Add to that the fact that it was comparable to the NES and SMS, but hardly ever taken advantage of graphically, and it's really surprising DD showed up on it. Activision put this version out, and I'm guessing it licensed directly from Technos too (if Activision or even Sega for that matter, found a different way to get DD on their systems, I'm sorry). So, you have three very different consoles, with three different versions of the same game. Which one is the best? DD was infamous for shoddy, rushed ports on home computers, but the console versions are largely pretty good. Indeed, the NES and SMS games are both nice adaptations. The 7800's is somewhat weaker, but passable considering you don't have many beatemup choices on the system. Let's take this point by point, and we'll see if we can come up with a clear, definitive winner in the 8-bit race. Graphics: Accuracy to the arcade is something we'll get to later,
so let's
focus on how good the games look right now. Both the NES and SMS versions
look very nice. Despite the SMS's considerable edge in power, the NES port
looks cleaner and brighter overall. The SMS port however, has some shading
and detail put into the characters, but they could have used a bit more
polish, and they flicker badly when there's a lot on screen. There's
some graphic break-up in the NES version, but not to the extent of the SMS
version. Both are bright and colorful, but the NES just looks a little
better. As for the 7800, graphically, it's a disappointment. Sprites are
small and blockier than they should be. There's little detail put into
them. The backgrounds look okay, but they should be more colorful than they are (though they
do get better the further you progress) This category is pretty simple: The NES stomps all over both
of the other
versions. The NES's music is just plain awesome, featuring a full
translation from the arcade, as well as few new tracks, and it all sounds
great. You'll be humming this stuff all day. The SMS doesn't quite live
up to the NES when it comes to sound, and this is apparent in the competing
DD versions. The music is just okay. It's recognizable, with all tracks from
the arcade, but it just doesn't sound as good. The 7800 had the weakest
sound hardware of the three systems and was actually a step back from the
Atari 5200, which was released back in 1982. The 7800 had sound identical to
the 2600, so it stands to reason that the 2600 and 7800 versions of DD sound
the same, which is to say, not very good. The music is shrill and the sound
effects are weak. I really, really wish Activision had used a POKEY sound
chip with this one. The SMS features everyone from the arcade.
The NES omits Jeff and
replaces him with a fighter named Chin Taimei, but you get to fight Jimmy
Lee at the very end, and the 7800 has everyone except Williams and Roper,
who are
both replaced by a generic thug. None of this is a big
deal; it's the difficulty that sets the rankings here. Neither the NES nor
the SMS allows enemies to become stunned, so while you're attacking
them, they can also be attacking you. It's a bit worse in the SMS version,
but that's because the enemies in general are more difficult there. The
7800's stable of characters are a little too tough, even more so than the SMS version.
They're beatable, but you just can't jump into the game and
start winning. Both the NES and SMS have bats, knives and whips, as well as
objects you can pick up and throw, such as dynamite, boxes, barrels and
boulders. Weapons seem a bit weaker (except for the dynamite) in the SMS
version, but they still help keep the enemies at bay. The 7800 only has the
bat, knife and whip. The conclusion here is cut and dry. Controls and Moves: This category is a bit hard to rank, because the NES
screwed up in places the SMS didn't, and the SMS screwed up in places the
NES didn't. The NES features superior, tighter controls, and you have a
variety of moves. The problem is that you have to earn them as you go along. Every time you earn a certain amount of points, you gain a new move.
While by Mission 4 you should have every move (considering you stick to
punching, which earns you the most points), it's still a pain to have to
earn them. You do get an awesome variety though. Yes, there's the
punch-kick-jump-kick, but then there's the head-butt, knee to the face, elbow
smash, flying-kick, throw over the shoulder, and my personal favorite: the
ability to sit on an enemy and punch them in the face until they're
finished! Right outta Renegade! The SMS port features most of
the moves from
the NES version, including head-butt, knee to the face, elbow smash,
flying-kick and throw over the shoulder. No sitting on the enemy, sadly. Best thing is,
they're all there from the get-go. So, shouldn't the SMS
rank higher? Not necessarily. The controls just aren't as tight
as they should
be. They're not bad, but when you have difficult enemies like these, controls
are the last thing you need to wrestle with. The poor 7800 just can't get a
break, controls are even worse than the SMS. Again, not bad, but it's like
the controls and enemies of the SMS times two. And the 7800's pro-line controllers
are just awful, though that's not really the game's fault. Modes: The NES version is hurt the most here. One of the biggest, if not THE
biggest draw of the arcade game was the two-player cooperative action
(though I'd argue that the whole package was awesome). The NES version
doesn't have it. You can play with two players, but you have to take turns. This is stupid, plain and simple. Now, you do have a two-player one-on-one
fighter (sort of a precursor to the tournament fighters that would appear
few years later), but it's no substitute for simultaneous street fighting
action. The SMS and the 7800 (and while we're at it, even the 2600) have
two-players at once, and therefore, win this category. Enough said. Accuracy: The whole point of an arcade port is to be as close as possible to
the real thing. With the fading of the arcade scene (except in Japan,
apparently), the outrageously powerful hardware of modern home systems, and
the fact that people nowadays want more than a few minutes of game play,
arcade accuracy is pretty much a non-factor in this day and age. However,
back in the late '80s it was pretty important. The 7800 port has fallen
behind the other systems, save for modes so far, but this is the game's
standout feature: Not only does it have simultaneous two-player action, but every
detail from the coin-op is here, albeit in 8-bit form. The levels are not
really shortened or changed in any way, save for the graphics of course. The SMS is close, but has certain features cut, such as the conveyor belt in
Mission 2. It mostly follows the arcade, but it does deviate. The NES
version's stages are more inspired by the arcade than ported from it. Many
features are added that were nowhere to be seen in the original game, such
as a construction site in Mission 2, the cave in Mission 3, and numerous
platform elements throughout the game. None of this bad mind you, but if
you were looking for arcade perfection, you'd be disappointed. Very, very
disappointed. Conclusion: Yes, I noticed
that the rankings were somewhat redundant, and
yes, I also noticed that the 7800 often got short shrift in favor of writing
about the other two versions. What can I say? The NES and SMS ports are the
two biggies of the 8-bit conversions. The 7800 version, sadly, falls
behind in almost every aspect, despite being a closer translation.
It's not an awful game (though my opinion has changed on it often in the
past), just a weaker port when all is said and done. The SMS version is very good, and if
the controls would have been tightened and the enemies toned down, then it would
be unbeatable. The NES version, for all its tampering, is still
ridiculously fun, even without a simultaneous two-player mode. In fact,
it's the only
one that comes close to recapturing the spirit of the coin-op. And, the NES
was the only console the series continued on, though no port was arcade
perfect. It's almost like Technos started an alternate series for the
console (sort of like DC Comics and their alternate universes). So, the
final rankings are: |