#BGE2020 - Round 2 - Pool 32

[Kong Wen]

Yeah, but I usually don't have a problem enjoying rough progenitor games that came out before I was born. I've liked plenty! DD is just a rare exception. I bought the arcade version of 1 & 2 on PSN awhile ago to hopefully play with a friend one day and see if in its fully realized form I dig it. If not, at least I can say I tried!

I didn't hate the new Double Dragon IV, but it was totally forgettable. One of those 8-bit nostalgia sequels that didn't quite nail it.

Yeah DD4 wasn't good.

Neither was DD3 IMO. Double Dragon is pretty fun. It throws a neat curve ball at co-op players late in the game (SMS, Genesis and Arcade versions only - NES completely redid the fourth level to make it bad.) If memory serves me the NES port doesn’t support co-op either? Anyway, I loved the good ports of the game and still play it occasionally.

Edit: There’s a ton of ports so I don’t know which ones beyond the three I noted are good ports. Full disclosure.

Those old DD games were limited by tech in a lot of ways. The number of enemies and weapons that could appear on the screen at any given time was a give & take. The arcade version is the definitive one IMO but some of the differences in the NES version are interesting, if not exactly good/bad.

Out of interest, I checked the sheet and the only versions of the original that were nominated are the NES, Arcade, and Atari ST/PC port (the latter of which is fucking awful). The NES version has no simultaneous co-op—it features alternating turn order instead (and a weird alternate 1v1 mode). The SMS version does have simultaneous co-op, so it's closer to the arcade version but with scaled-down on-screen assets and I think it's missing some bosses (just making you fight Abobo several times instead). I wonder if the SMS version deserves a nomination....