|
|
|
|
Main
Video Games Interactive
Forums Hosted Sites
|
By Cloudmann Introduction: Everyone likes Double Dragon, right? Everyone like
versus fighters, right? Well SNK released a conglomeration of the two game
types in the original Neo-Geo Double Dragon and actually pulled off a decent
fighter. Unfortunately, it was lost in the plethora of fighters already out,
and SNK decided not to follow up. Fast forward to 2002: Evoga, an independent
game manufacturer, decides to go out on a ledge and release a "sequel" that
technically is a game not of the DD world (licensing rights, you
know). The effort was great, these guys took their time, and the end product
shows just how much work was put into it. Awesome game!
Graphics: A+ This is standard Neo-Geo fare, but that's not a bad thing.
The Neo-Geo has a powerful graphics processor, even by today's standards.
This machine was designed to do one thing: play 2D games, and play
them well. Lighting is used well in this game, everything is colorful, and all
the artwork is nicely done. This looks like something you'd see in anime
versus the Saturday morning cartoony art that was in the first Neo Geo game.
Top quality stuff!
Sound: A The Neo Geo was no slacker in the audio
department, either. The music is great, the tunes are clean and have a good
tempo, the sound effects are great, and nothing is really overused. My only
complaint is that the announcer sounds a bit tinny, but that's not a major
thing.
Enemies: A- I'm kind of mixed on this. This is definitely a Neo-Geo fighter. All the characters are pretty-well inspired, and every fighter is unique and really no more powerful than anyone else. But the only returning characters are Jimmy, Billy, Abubo (Abobo), and Kang (Burnov in some sort of wrestling mask). In the same way that the first game disappointed me a bit, this one doesn't use characters like Willy, Chin, Linda, Roper, Williams, Abore, Oharra, and the like.
Weapons: N/A Only a handful of characters in the game
have weapons, and they're integral parts of their arsenal. No one can pick any
weapons up or lose them, so this doesn't apply to this game.
Controls and Moves: A+ What can I say? The Neo Geo was
designed for this kind of game and SNK has shown us that even a decade after
its release, the Neo Geo can churn out VS fighter with the best of 'em. Controls
are smooth and fluid. Nothing is really too funky to be able to be pulled off,
and it seems to flow a bit easier than the first Neo Geo game. Pure Neo Geo
goodness!
Modes: A- The only ways the AES and Arcade versions
differ is that you have unlimited credits in the arcade port (with unlimited
quarters), and the AES had five credits per player. The AES version has a
versus mode
that works the same as popping a quarter into the second-player side in the arcade cabinet
and hitting start. It also has a practice mode and the standard fare of
useless extras. Really very, very little difference in the two games.
That said, this is a standard versus fighter along the lines of Marvel vs. Capcom. There's one round, and each person has two characters. Once both energy bars
are depleted, that's it. That part works really well, but the versus mode
is the same. I'd really like to have seen a one on one mode. Also,
when hit, a bit of the energy you lost can be regained if you switch out.
When doing this, the energy recharges too quickly. Why is this a problem? If you choose a character with
high ground superiority and one with high air superiority, this quick recharge
lets you switch off between them like mad if you want, leaving the
possibility of cheapness. Really no other gripes here.
Conclusion/Overall: A I like me some Double Dragon. I like me some versus fighters. This seems to be a perfect mix. That said, this game just flat out rocks and was designed on the right system. I only wish that the Double Dragon copyright holders would get off of their collective tuckus and re-release DD in its original incarnation: a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up. A lot of new-gen gamers snub their nose at the DD series because of its age and may snub their nose at this as just another versus fighter. If someone took advantage of the power of new hardware and made a hand-drawn art based game running at 640 x 480 resolution or better (like Guilty Gear X) and made sure to keep the original game play intact with a few modifications, the game would rock.
|
|||||||||||||
