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Cloudmann Introduction: Read my review of the first title for the ST for a little Atari ST/Amiga back history. Just like before, Double Dragon II made it pretty big. Just like before, licensing arrangements were made to port the titles home. Just like before, the Amiga and Atari ST were premier systems to try and showcase these titles. Just like before, the ST port happened first, then was translated to the Amiga. Just like before, the results are mixed. Read on for details.
Graphics: A This is what I’m talking about. This is a proper port that uses the system’s power. Scrolling is smooth, animation is fluid (or as fluid as it was in the arcades, anyhow), colors are used well, and the sprites seem like a per-pixel rip of the arcade original. This kind of effort should be put into every title. It’s actually a bit better than the Amiga since that system didn’t upgrade the ST originals and wasted the Amiga’s superior graphics processing capabilities. This pushes the ST very well. Nicely done.
Sound: C- This is better than the last title… but not by much. There is one in-game tune that (mercifully) can be shut off. The music isn’t bad (neither is the title music), but it doesn’t sound as nice as the tunes from the Amiga. That’s to be expected though. The FM synthesis sounds good, but the music is kind of sloppily inserted. Just a mediocre effort. The sound is pretty bad… identical to the few sounds available in the Amiga version. Still, it’s better than the first game’s ST and Amiga ports. Strictly mediocre, and another waste of hardware potential.
Enemies: C- All the enemies are here and all have their signature attacks. However, just as much as the ST port of DD 1 was insanely easy, these enemies are tough. Not insanely tough, but definitely unfairly so. More balancing needs to be done. That said, like the previous title, you can find their common weakness. Knock them down and keep punching over them as they try to get up. Works great, unless you have more than one enemy on screen. Weapons: B+ Well, they’re all here and they all work well. But here’s the problem: the enemy AI takes a nosedive when you have one. They’ll walk right into you. Not a bad effort though.
Controls and Moves: B+ All of the moves are here, but the one button controls take away from gameplay, just like in the previous title. It’s done better than the last game though. The elbow smash isn’t all powerful anymore (for better or worse), and some moves are a bit difficult to execute, but all in all, this is a fine bit of coding.
Modes: A- One player, two player, and nothing else. It’s nice and simple and works just fine.
Conclusion/Overall: B Well, I was pleasantly surprised here. This port is just as pretty as the Amiga port, even if it sounds a bit worse for wear. It plays just fine and is a pretty faithful port of a great arcade game. Definitely seek this one out if you have an ST laying about.
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