Double Dragon II: The Revenge
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2008) |
Double Dragon II: The Revenge | |
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Release | |
Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Double Dragon II: The Revenge[a] is a side-scrolling beat 'em up produced by Technōs Japan originally released as a coin-operated arcade game in 1988. It is the first sequel to Double Dragon, released during the previous year. The sequel involves Billy and Jimmy Lee in a mission to avenge Billy's girlfriend Marian after she is shot to death by the Black Warriors leader Willy, who is retaliating against the Lee brothers after his defeat at the end of the previous game. Double Dragon II was initially developed as an upgrade kit for the original Double Dragon, but evolved into a stand-alone game due to an increase in memory size, resulting in the developers reusing assets for both games.[5]
Gameplay
The arcade version of Double Dragon II: The Revenge begins with Marian, the damsel in distress from the original Double Dragon, being shot to death by the leader of the Black Warriors. Once again, the players assume the role of brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, who are now tasked with the duty of avenging Marian's death. The arcade version of the game is essentially an improved version of the original title. The biggest change in the game's controls are in the replacement of the original's punch and kick buttons with two directional-based attack buttons (Left Attack and Right Attack) similar to Renegade. Pressing the attack button of the player's current direction will do a standard series of punches, while pressing the opposite attack button will perform a back kick. A few new moves are added as well, including a Hurricane Kick.
Similar to Double Dragon, the game is divided into four areas or "missions": a heliport, a lumber storehouse, a farm, and the gang's new hideout. The player must defeat a boss at the end of each mission, as well as one or more sub-bosses along the way. Many of the enemy characters from the first game return for this one, but with altered appearances and new attacks, and the variety of weapons they use has been altered. Weapons carried by enemies include shovels, knives, chain whips, and grenades; in addition, crates, logs, and steel balls can be picked up and thrown. The enemies are as follows:
- Williams: Low-ranking member of the gang, who uses knives and shovels.
- Roper: Another low-ranking member, who can also use knives and shovels and throw crates/logs/balls.
- Linda: The only female member, who uses whips, knives, and grenades. She is the only enemy who will pick up or carry a whip.
- Oharra: A head-swap of Abobo from the first game; tall, bare-chested, with a crew cut.
- Burnov: A large man in a steel mask who is the boss of the first mission. His body vanishes when he is defeated, leaving his clothes behind. Later in the game, he gains the ability to rematerialize himself and continue fighting.
- Bolo: A head-swap of Oharra, with longer hair.
- Abore: The boss of Mission 2; a large blond man in a white shirt, red pants, and sunglasses.
- Jeff: A palette-swap of Billy and Jimmy, who can perform all of their moves.
- Chin Taimei: The boss of Mission 3; an agile martial artist who fights with kali sticks, which he never drops when knocked down.
- Willy: The leader of the Black Warriors, who uses a machine gun and never drops it when knocked down.
- Doppelganger: A shadowy clone of Billy/Jimmy that the player must fight after defeating Willy in Mission 4, as the final battle of the game. He can perform all of the player's attacks, and can also drain the player's energy if he gets close enough. If two players reach the end together, they must each face their own clone.
The player has a life meter that depletes upon being hit, and a timer runs during each mission. One life is lost if either of these reaches zero, or if the player falls off the bottom of the screen or into a pit or bed of spikes.
Ports
The
An unrelated Game Boy game was released under the Double Dragon II name in North America and Europe in 1991. It was originally released in Japan in 1990 as part of the Kunio-kun series but the graphics, music, and storyline were changed for the English version of the game.
Double Dragon II was re-released in 2013 alongside the other two arcade games in a compilation titled Double Dragon Trilogy produced by
platforms.The NES version of Double Dragon II was re-released in North America as a downloadable title on all three systems available for the service:
The NES version of Double Dragon II was re-released worldwide as a free downloadable title for the Nintendo Switch on June 12, 2019, provided the user has subscribed to the Nintendo Switch Online service.
Reception
Publication | Score | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Amiga | Arcade | Atari ST | ZX | |
ACE | 720[16] | Positive[17] | 725[16] | |
Crash | 85%[18] | |||
Sinclair User | 87%[19] | |||
The Games Machine (UK) | 83%[20] | 83%[20] | 82%[20] | |
Your Sinclair | 8/10[21] | 77%[22] | ||
Commodore User | 7/10[4] | |||
MicroHobby (ES) | 78%[23] |
In Japan, Game Machine listed Double Dragon II: The Revenge on their April 1, 1989 issue as being the seventh most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[24]
In the United Kingdom, the game was number three on the Atari ST sales chart in early 1990.[25] In 2013, Arcade Sushi placed the game 9th on their "10 Best Retro Beat 'Em Ups".[26]
Legacy
Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons
It has been suggested that this article should be Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons. (discuss) (July 2023) |
is a beat 'em up loosely based on the arcade game Double Dragon II: The Revenge, developed by Korean game studio GRAVITY and published by Barunson Creative Co. Ltd.[27] The title was first announced in 2011, but was shelved for release for two years. It was eventually released on April 5, 2013 as a digital download for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade service.[28] The game was met with an overwhelmingly negative reception, being considered as one of the worst games of all time
Notes
References
- ^ "Double Dragon II - The Revenge (Japan)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ a b "Overseas Readers Column: Parallel Case Influenced Manufacturers' Marketing At AMOA Expo '88" (PDF). Game Machine. No. 353. Amusement Press, Inc. December 15, 1988. p. 26.
- ^ "Double Dragon II - The Revenge (USA)". The Arcade Flyer Archive. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ EMAP. January 26, 1989. pp. 96–7.
- ^ "Kishimoto on Double Dragon II: The Revenge" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 13, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2015.
- ^ "Double Dragon 2" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. March 1990. p. 10. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Double Dragon II: The Revenge at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
- ^ DragonII on archive.org
- ^ "Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site". Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ "Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site".
- ^ "Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site". Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ "VC ダブルドラゴンII the Revenge".
- ^ "ダブルドラゴンII the Revenge | ニンテンドー3DS | 任天堂".
- ^ "ダブルドラゴンII the Revenge | Wii U | 任天堂".
- ^ "Double Dragon II: The Revenge".
- ^ a b "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Arcade Ace". ACE. No. 20 (May 1989). April 6, 1989. pp. 22–3.
- ^ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ Brennan, Ciarán (April 17, 1989). "Slots of Fun". Your Sinclair. No. 41 (May 1989). pp. 76–7.
- ^ "Double Dragon II". Ysrnry.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 353. Amusement Press, Inc. April 1, 1989. p. 25.
- ^ "ST Chart". Zero. No. 5. Dennis Publishing. March 1990. p. 16.
- ^ Ledford, Jon (May 30, 2013). "10 Best Retro Beat 'Em Ups". Arcade Sushi. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ "Double Dragon II - Xbox.com". Marketplace.xbox.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
- ^ Hilliard, Kyle (March 26, 2013). "News: Double Dragon 2 Remake Heading To Xbox Live Arcade Next Week". Game Informer. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
External links
- Double Dragon II: The Revenge at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
- Double Dragon II: The Revenge at MobyGames
- Double Dragon II: The Revenge at the Killer List of Videogames