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Double Dragon (1987)

Ah, the one that started it all. Double Dragon was a beat-'em-up arcade game developed by Technos Japan, also known for such other popular games as River City Ransom and Super Dodgeball, in 1987. Following the exploits of martial arts expert Billy Lee (as well as his brother, Jimmy, in the second player's control), gamers had the grand opportunity to venture into the Black Warriors' turf to save Billy's brutally kidnapped girlfriend, Marian. Using a variety of fighting techniques, Billy and Jimmy could punch, kick, and leap their way through hordes of street thugs in order to set things right. Wait... did I just say "leap their way through hordes of street thugs"? That's a fairly atypical way of brawling... well, if you jump-kick, it should be no problem. And there were additional moves at their disposal, including grabbing enemies by the hair and tossing them aside. Ouch. Double Dragon also brought us the wonder that is Abobo, a bald but powerful brawler with a penchant for delivering pain. He's the coolest man alive, and nobody should mess with Abobo.

The arcade version was quite successful, spawning seemingly countless home ports. Most notable was the NES version, which made a few... mmmm, let's say, "alterations". Billy Lee now had to fight solo; his brother, Jimmy, ended up becoming the game's antagonist for whatever reason. This was partially supplemented by a lackluster two-player mode where a few characters from the game can spar one-on-one. The game underwent a visual downgrade (naturally), but also some level design changes. Furthermore, Billy didn't start out with all of his abilities: he had to earn them via an experience point system, not unlike that of more modern RPGs.

At the time, it seemed as though every console out there was lucky enough to get Double Dragon. The Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 each found Billy Lee popping up to brawl. The Master System also saw a Double Dragon release, which provided better visuals over the NES version. The Sega Genesis received one as well, though it was NOT licensed by Technos Japan. Portable editions for Game Boy, Atari Lynx, and (in 2003) the Game Boy Advance were also produced; the GBA port was notable for adding new stages, cinematics, and moves. Throughout the late 1980s, numerous home computer systems were given the Dragon treatment, such as the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. Lastly, more modern releases for the Xbox Live Arcade, iPhone, and Zeebo have also provided updated graphics, sound, and online multiplayer capabilities. The Zeebo version, in particular, is actually a brand new game with few ties to the source material.

Here are a few screenshots for comparison:

Arcade
NES
Sega Genesis

Game Boy
Game Boy Advance
iPhone


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