Unproduced Double Dragon TV pilot

[Jonny2x4]

Found this on the January 1991 issue of Nintendo Power.


So apparently there was going to be a live-action Double Dragon TV pilot written by one of the scriptwriters of Total Recall. I doubt this has anything to do with the later cartoon series and live-action movie, considering Dan O'Brown wasn't involve in either of them. I wonder if the script still exists.

[DojoMaster]

Wow. I wonder if it could have possibly been worse than the movie.

Nah....

[Jonny2x4]

The February 1994 issue of Nintendo Power (Bugs Bunny cover) also mentions the development of a Double Dragon game titled "Code of the Dragon" (very likely just an early name for Double Dragon V, considering the timing of its release).

[Steve Halfpenny]

The February 1994 issue of Nintendo Power (Bugs Bunny cover) also mentions the development of a Double Dragon game titled "Code of the Dragon" (very likely just an early name for Double Dragon V, considering the timing of its release).

...And also a corny line from the cartoon's theme tune.

I can't believe how milked Double Dragon was or was going to be. How popular were the games exactly? Sure, I'm a fan an' all but I can honestly say that it wasn't that big after the first coin-op in Europe (though the NES didn't do that well in the UK, came out late, etc, etc, so I only have my home territory to base that comment on...).

Sure, video game fans liked it but did its popularity in the West justify a cartoon series, comic, movie, potential live action TV show, etc?

[DojoMaster]

Surprisingly I've run into a lot of people who remember (and weird enough, fondly remember!) the cartoon series. I think it had a big impact here in America because UPN was the only channel with a Sunday morning cartoon lineup. So they had a monopoly on the time slot.

It seems to me Castlevania was just as popular. So I have no clue why Double Dragon was singled out.

Oh yeah, Double Impact was on last night. It's amazing how much that movie borrows from the game.

[Jonny2x4]

I can't believe how milked Double Dragon was or was going to be. How popular were the games exactly? Sure, I'm a fan an' all but I can honestly say that it wasn't that big after the first coin-op in Europe (though the NES didn't do that well in the UK, came out late, etc, etc, so I only have my home territory to base that comment on...).

I believe that only the first three games for the arcade and NES were successful when they came out, and even that's stretching it a bit since I don't even think DD2 and DD3 were really as popular as the original. In terms of cult following, I've seen more River City Ransom fans online than Double Dragon fans to be honest.

Sure, video game fans liked it but did its popularity in the West justify a cartoon series, comic, movie, potential live action TV show, etc?

Well Bayou Billy did get his own comic book, why not Double Dragon? :p But yeah, I agree. I'm not sure the purpose what all of those media tie-ins if they were going to stray as far from the source material as possible ("hey let's make Billy and Jimmy into magical superheroes").

Oh yeah, Double Impact was on last night. It's amazing how much that movie borrows from the game.

I wouldn't be surprised if Double Impact was made from a rejected version of the Double Dragon script.

[BloodyChamp]

I grew up with the NES and the Genesis, as well as all of the cartoons, commercials, T-Shirts, etc of the time. My friend's and I were rabid about Double Dragon! Double Dragon had a splash in every one of those fields of entertainment, and more. I have never seen a single number or statistic on this stuff but I just assumed that Double Dragon made money through the entire 80s movement and died as a result of the 80s suddenly being wiped off of the earth in 1992ish. Like many things from the 80s, quality of the product had nothing to do with it's shelving (though DDV and that movie were bad). Things just didn't pass in 1992 and onward if thy weren't wearing a flannel shirt around their waist while their pants still managed to sag.

Fans of the 80s have obviously popped back up. Alot of the stuff has gotten a new, and while not insanely popular, consistent lease on life. Some of the stuff from other forms of entertainment (bands like Kiss, Iron Maiden...movies like Rambo, Indiana Jones) have actually gotten back into the mainstream. I can't think of a video game that has gone that far but I can't believe that Double Dragon hasn't seen anything more than a GBA shot and a moment on the 360.

[Steve Halfpenny]

Popular games from the 80s that are still in the mainstream never really went away (Mario, etc). I too cannot think of a real return that did really well (I'm sure there is some argument for SF4 but it has always had its fans desperately awaiting the next installment and the lengthy period without a new SF game actually helped Capcom, almost like a clever marketing strategy and made it all fresh again). Most remakes are generally poor and I'm sure this has something to do with it (there is hope for Sonic 4 mind as they've wisely gone 2D perspective and scrapped the additional players. Problem is, the Sonic franchise never went away either and has had way too many duff games). I guess that leaves Pac-Man Championship Edition which is a great game and, believe it or not, the first true sequel to Pac-Man by the original creator but as a download game and probably being far too clever yet visually unappealing for most kids of today and a lack of advertising means that that game isn't going to get the publicity it deserves. Still, the T-shirts and whatnot still sell like hot cakes given the coolness of retro.

It is incredible to think that nobody has managed to make a competent remake of a Double Dragon style game and get it back in the mainstream. Final Fight Steetwise and that Golden Axe spin off thing were massive failures and Sega kept scrapping the idea of reinventing Streets of Rage. Someone should hire us lot as creative I say.

[BloodyChamp]

I bought an awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt yesterday. It has the boys in their poses while the shirt read "Get High On Life Not On Drugs." I may never get completely up to date on gaming, but I'll always have a T-shirt or 5 of this stuff.

I never considered Mario or Sonic lone entities. Mario is obviously Mario, but he is the face of the Nintendo. He's not just a game character. Same went for Sonic with Sega. They have an unfair advantage. However, they are proof that with marketing and promotion, any good video game can pay for itself a million times over. Ironically, every Sonic and Mario game that I have played since the glorious 80/early 90s has stunk (I think Sonic had a final gasp on some obscure Sega sytem of the mid 90s but you get my point).

[Jonny2x4]

Popular games from the 80s that are still in the mainstream never really went away (Mario, etc). I too cannot think of a real return that did really well (I'm sure there is some argument for SF4 but it has always had its fans desperately awaiting the next installment and the lengthy period without a new SF game actually helped Capcom, almost like a clever marketing strategy and made it all fresh again). Most remakes are generally poor and I'm sure this has something to do with it (there is hope for Sonic 4 mind as they've wisely gone 2D perspective and scrapped the additional players. Problem is, the Sonic franchise never went away either and has had way too many duff games). I guess that leaves Pac-Man Championship Edition which is a great game and, believe it or not, the first true sequel to Pac-Man by the original creator but as a download game and probably being far too clever yet visually unappealing for most kids of today and a lack of advertising means that that game isn't going to get the publicity it deserves. Still, the T-shirts and whatnot still sell like hot cakes given the coolness of retro.

It is incredible to think that nobody has managed to make a competent remake of a Double Dragon style game and get it back in the mainstream. Final Fight Steetwise and that Golden Axe spin off thing were massive failures and Sega kept scrapping the idea of reinventing Streets of Rage. Someone should hire us lot as creative I say.

The Xbox revival of the Ninja Gaiden series could count, considering the first Xbox title came out ten years after the third NES game. Then again, Ryu Hayabusa had plenty of exposure in the Dead or Alive fighting games between those two games.