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DD II Shrine

The official BradyGAMES strategy guide for Double Dragon V.  It contains strategies, moves for every character, codes and Game Genie codes for all three systems.  The guide also features info on the cartoon, plus an early behind-the-scenes preview of the movie before it came out.  The most interesting part about this guide is the following interview on pages 4 and 5:

Double Dragon V Interview

Mike Abbot, VP, Director of Software and Music Development, Producer of Double Dragon.

Dave Schwartz, Programmer of Double Dragon V: the Shadow Falls.

How did you get started creating video games?

Mike: I've been in the industry since the very beginning -15 years - back in the old Apple II days.  Started when I was in high school putting them in plastic bags.  I started my own company, and suddenly we made half a million dollars one year.

How long have you been involved with the Double Dragon game?

Mike: Since the very beginning.  Double Dragon started as a coin-op game in 1987.  Our company thought it over and made it a Nintendo game.

Dave: Since last September.  Before that, I was working on Troy Aikman Football.

How does the game relate to the cartoon and the movie?

Mike: The DIC cartoon came along after original game.  And now the movie's coming out in October.  They're all closely related, and the characters are similar.  DDV's Shadow Warriors are taken directly from the cartoon.

What's new in DDV: the Shadow Falls?

Mike: It's not a side-scrolling game anymore.  It's a one-on-one fighting game.  It has a tournament option where you can fight the bad guys.  Secret codes.  Power-ups you can manipulate by using the player attributes.  Versus battles where you can play each other.  And, it's full of great sound effects.

What's the most unique sound effect?

Mike: That's hard to say since the game has 177.  I like Jawbreaker's roars and the sound of the Shadow Master's sword slicing through the air.

Who created the concepts for the current characters?

Mike: All the characters for the new game were basically derived from the cartoon.  We took them and made them fun.  Came up with really outrageous moves and then whittled them down to what we could fit into the game.

Are the home versions different from the arcade version?

Mike: DDV is the new generation - it's not a side-scrolling game anymore.  There's no Double Dragon V for the arcade - yet. 

Are there any hidden feature that gamers should look for?

Dave: A bunch.  There are different codes for disabling throws and dizzies.  You can disable the whole throwing system.  And, you can configure your character attributes beyond the basic choices.

Do you have any strategy tips for winning the game?

Dave: Constantly jump around and don't stay still.  If you don't keep moving, the computer will figure out where you are.  If you keep one step ahead of it, the computer will have more trouble keeping up with you.

Dave: Don't use the same attack over and over again.  Using a variety of attacks is the key to winning.  Moving from a high to a low area of attack is a good way to beat the computer.

Dave: Rely on each character's secret moves.  Launch your projectiles from a variety of distances.  The computer will do the same thing.  There are patterns to the computer's moves, but the DDV computer is very random - there's more variety than the typical fighting game.

Which character's should gamers learn first?

Dave: The easiest to learn are the Lee brothers.  Their moves are similar, so if you learn one, you'll pick up the other one fairly quickly.  Unlike the other characters, Billy and Jimmy's moves follow moves from traditional fighting games more.

Dave: After that, which player you want to learn comes down to your personal preference.

Who's your favorite character to play?

Dave: Bones is my favorite - he's a crack up.  He's the hippest.  He's got the most attitude.  And, he can throw his head across the room at you.

Mike: The Shadow Master.  He's the boss - he's the bad guy and he's got cool disappearing moves.

Who's the easiest character to win with?

Dave: The consensus is that Trigger Happy is the easiest to win with.  He's got two long-range projectiles, a shock field, and a strong slide move.  He's pretty well-rounded.  He can be anywhere on the screen and still be able to attack you.

What's it like working at William's Entertainment?

Dave: At Williams, it's a lot of fun.  I walk around barefoot all day and program games.  As long as you get your projects done on time, you can play games as much as you want.

What else would you like people to know about the game?

Mike: It's got one of the best soundtracks out there.

Dave: Yes.  I agree.  We have a cool rock-n-roll soundtrack that goes all through the game.  Turn up your stereo.