"For once, 7800 owners get a taste of NES-style beat-'em-up goodness..."

As has been said countless times, the late-1980's were a true renaissance where video games are concerned. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), introduced to the U.S. in 1985, not only single-handedly revived home gaming, but completely revolutionized the medium as well. The sheer amount of innovative, creative, and just plain FUN games on that system is jaw-dropping, and many have aged like fine wine; Just as playable today as they were when first released. Sega followed soon after when they introduced the Sega Master System (SMS) to the U.S. in 1986, and while it only gained a fraction of Nintendo's foothold, there were also plenty of fantastic games on the system. Also released in 1986 was the Atari 7800, with a library of…not much.

All three consoles were developed in the early-80's, the NES and SMS being released in Japan 2-3 years prior to their U.S. debuts, and the 7800 actually was test marketed in 1984, but due to the infamous video game crash, was put on hold. The sale of Atari to Jack Tramiel, formerly of Commodore and focused solely on the computer division, also did the 7800 no favors. When video game consoles became big business again, the 7800 was wide-released to a less than enthusiastic reaction.

(The Atari 2600 and Intellivison also found second lives in the second half of the 80's as budget consoles, living on until the early-1990's, with a steady string of newly created games that pushed the capabilities of the consoles to their absolute limit.)

The problem was, while Nintendo and Sega constantly sought to produce games that pushed the envelope as far as gameplay and graphics were concerned, Atari simply threw the launch games from 1984 on the shelves, and then proceeded to release more old-hat arcade and PC ports (many of which had already appeared Atari's previous 2600 and 5200 systems), while the likes of Metroid, Punch-Out, Phantasy Star, and Alex Kidd appeared on the rival consoles.

Looking back on the Atari 7800, the entire system seems like one big missed opportunity. Here's a system that was not only designed to play arcade perfect (circa 1984) ports, but had complete backwards-compatibility with the Atari 2600 (theoretically, at least - some third party carts don't fit) , and yet, thanks to the ineptness of Jack Tramiel, nobody wanted it. Looking back at the library, it's just not very eye opening. Oh sure, there's some great arcade ports, and purists will swear Food Fight is worth the price of the system alone (in my eyes, that honor goes to Midnight Mutants), but when all is said and done, it's hard to get excited for a library that's only 60+ games big, filled mostly with rehashes of games found on Atari's previous two systems as well as many other early-80's consoles. Compared to the NES and SMS, the poor 7800 just doesn't have much of a leg to stand on when it comes to newer titles, be they originals or modern arcade ports.

Which brings us to Activision's 1989 port of the 1987 classic beat-'em-up, Double Dragon. Double Dragon, of course, is the granddaddy of all street brawlers as we know and love them. While two years had passed since the arcade's debut, Double Dragon was still very much a hot property. Both the NES and SMS received their own ports of the first game in 1988, which is the year the sequel hit arcades. Come 1989, the NES received a massively awesome port of the sequel, and the 7800 played catch-up with this port of the first game. If there's one game the 7800 could have used more than any other, Double Dragon is it. The game's popularity cannot be underestimated, this was one of the biggies of the late-80's. The fact that there was actually an Atari 2600 port is a testament to that (it's not an especially great port, but impressive considering the system).

The storyline of the game isn't especially original, but then, no one should expect realism from a video game, especially one from the 1980's. For what it is, though, the plot fuels the game perfectly: The Black Warriors, led by Big Boss Willy, has captured martial arts master Billy Lee's girlfriend, Marian. Obviously, that's a bad thing, and so, Billy Lee sets out with his twin brother Jimmy Lee (also not too shabby at martial arts) to rescue her, taking down any Black Warrior in their path. A captured girlfriend as a plotline in video games definitely wasn't original, even then (Donkey Kong did it all the way back in 1981), but it serves it's purpose well: Getting you amped to kick butt. The Japanese plotline (as far as the arcade version goes, at least) is actually far more involved: A nuclear war in 19XX has left New York City devastated, with roving gang's wandering the streets. Billy & Jimmy are the sole resistance, obviously the catalyst for kidnapping Marian. None of that is ever related in-game though, and frankly, I may be in the minority, but I prefer the simpler, straight-forward U.S. plot.

Graphically, the 7800 version, well, it ain't pretty. For a 1989 game, these graphics are extremely underwhelming, in some areas even terrible. The sprites are just awful. Small, chunky, and with almost no detail whatsoever. Granted, this is only an 8-bit system we're talking about here, but even the NES and SMS versions were pretty respectable looking for their time. 7800 fans will always point out that the system could stand-up graphically to those two systems, but was never pushed to it's fullest extent. There's no better evidence of that than this game's sprites. The backgrounds do fare a little better, however. The first two stages are pretty drab, with a color scheme that ends up alternately washed out or gaudy. On the plus side, the stages themselves are arcade perfect as far as the layout goes (the only one of the three 8-bit consoles to boast this), they just don't look all that good. Stages three and four do mark a noticeable improvement. Stage three features a nicely detailed forest and the enemy's fortress in stage four looks great. What's more, the hulking man-beast Abobo (everyone's favorite Double Dragon enemy) is here in all his glory, and this is the only 8-bit port that has him looking somewhat human while keeping his towering, monstrous appearance intact (he's also the game's single decent sprite) Still, in the end, the Atari 7800 Double Dragon is a pretty weak game graphically.

Sound-wise, things aren't much better. The 7800 had sound identical to the 2600, and was actually a step-back from the 5200. Naturally, this Double Dragon's music is identical to the 2600 port. It was passable on that system, but not here. The music is shrill and annoying, a far cry from the arcade original. Any gamer around in the late-80's will tell you Double Dragon featured one of the best, most memorable, heart-pumping soundtracks of all-time. For many of us, these tunes are embedded in our minds. So, to hear them here in such a butchered form is unacceptable. Not even every tune from the arcade is here, rather the same two repeat off-and-on throughout the game (the music for stages one and three), with the title tune thrown in for good measure. Needless to say, the sound effects are worthless. Still, there is SOME kind of soundtrack, and it IS recognizable as Double Dragon, but this is one game where the Pokey sound chip should have been used. If Commando could have a kickin' soundtrack via Pokey, why not Double Dragon?

As far as gameplay is concerned, a lot depends on your controller, believe it or not . If you're using a stock U.S. Proline Joystick, well, you're in for a rough (but not necessarily impossible) ride. That is one of the most uncomfortable controllers you'll find, it's best feature being that it isn't the 5200's travesty of a joystick. However, European 7800's came equipped the Proline Joypad, a controller not unlike the NES and SMS controllers, and the difference in quality is remarkable. Why these weren't released in the U.S. I don't know, but it's a real testament to either Jack Tramiel's ineptness, or cheapness. Probably both. Still, the Joypad is easily found online, either from U.S. sellers or imported from Europe, and it‘s certainly worth acquiring; Atari didn‘t have the best track-record as far as controllers go, but the Joypad just may be the best one they ever produced (sorry, 2600 fans). I've also heard of people rewiring their NES or Sega Genesis controllers to work on the 7800, but I don't know, that seems kind of wrong (of course, I always used a Genesis control pad on the 2600 prior to acquiring 7800 Joypads, so I've got no room to talk - frankly, anything‘s better than that Proline Joystick!).

All that said, things aren't always perfect in the gameplay department. Movement in general can be on the sluggish side, and I often had a hard time getting Billy Lee to do what I wanted him to exactly when I wanted him to do it, particularly in the area of jump kicks (I'd often pull off a reverse jump kick when I didn't really want to). Jump kicks you deliver to the left seem to be countered more easily than those on the right, and punching seems to be slightly delayed and far less reliable than kicking. Sometimes it's hard to line-up and make contact with an enemy, though this is balanced out by the fact that the enemy AI is often rock stupid. You do have the simultaneous two-player action that was one of the arcade‘s biggest draws (something that was inexplicably left out of the NES version!), although the characters all look so much alike it's often hard to tell who you should and shouldn't hit (i.e., Billy and Jimmy are nearly identical - throw them in a crowd of baddies and things get confusing fast).

For those accustomed to the arcade and/or rival 8-bit ports, there's some notable omissions in regards to your moves and weapons. The arcade featured an impressive number of combos that could be done while using only three buttons. The SMS port managed to include most of them (you couldn't hold an enemy from behind, and they couldn't hold you; I don't believe this was replicated in any home version of Double Dragon), and the NES port went above-and beyond by including all-new moves, with one notable caveat: You had to earn them through points. The 7800, on the other hand, port keeps the standard punch & kick, as well as the jump kick, reverse jump kick, elbow smash, and head butt. Unfortunately, the ever-popular knee smash is MIA, as is the ability to throw your opponent. As far as weapons go, the bats, whips, and knives are here, but the dynamite, barrels, and boxes that could all be picked up and thrown are gone. Furthermore, while there are bottomless pits, ledges, etc. that litter the landscape, the ability to knock your enemy into them for an instant kill is G-O-N-E. Oh sure, there's no problem with YOU dying by missing the bridge jump in stage three, but kicking your opponent into the river? Not gonna happen. This aspect of the gameplay is, simply put, pretty ridiculous.

But, you know what? Despite the game's many faults (and I do make it seem like there's an unacceptable number of them), it still manages to be pretty fun. While sometimes sluggish, the controls and movements are never truly bad, and you can easily get into long grooves where an enemy won't lay a finger on you. Furthermore, despite some choppy scrolling when entering a new area, the game often displays an impressive amount of characters, without the slowdown of the arcade or the flicker of the rival 8-bit versions. Don't get me wrong, the games never throws out enemies in proportions similar to Final Fight, but then, the arcade never did, either. All in all, with a little patience, this is a very playable game. It doesn't run as smoothly as the NES or SMS ports of Double Dragon, but really, not bad.

When it comes to replaying the game, you get three lives, no continues, the ability to gain one extra life during the game, and the difficulty is on the high side. The sometimes troublesome controls can be a factor, but all things considered, this can be a pretty fun little game, especially with two players at once. This is a tough one, though, so it will probably take a few plays to conquer. Considering this is one of the few genuinely popular, modern-at-the-time games to come to the 7800, you'll play this one though a few times. Besides, when it comes to Beat-'Em-Ups, there just aren't many choices on the 7800. Kung-Fu Master is there, but it was woefully outdated by 1989 (not that that matters much nowadays). Basketbrawl and Ninja Golf are quirky, but frankly just “okay” on the fun scale. Double Dragon is the best (and really only) choice on the 7800.

When all is said and done, the relatively accurate stages, simultaneous two-player action and decent challenge offset the weak graphics and sound, as well as the sometimes frustrating controls and movement. One of the game's most endearing factors, however, is the fact that this is probably the closest 7800 owners came to getting a taste of genuinely popular, NES-style gaming. Oh sure, towards the end of the 7800's lifespan, there were some original games that captured then-modern gaming styles (Scrapyard Dog, for example), but it was too little, too late. Midnight Mutants, maybe the best game on the system, was the very last title released for the 7800 (in the U.S., at least), and it also came very close to the flavor of an NES game. A quirky, Zelda-style action RPG starring Al “Grandpa Munster” Lewis, it's a fantastic game, easily worth owning the console for, but it probably wouldn't have converted many NES/SMS owners to the 7800 at that point. Atari should have been releasing games like that in 1986-1987, not 1990, when the 16-bit era had already dawned.

Double Dragon, though, Double Dragon was big name. Sure, Commando, Ikari Warriors and Rampage were popular, Xenophobe is neat, but Double Dragon was an instant legend. Think of it: It's 1989, Double Dragon and Double Dragon II are hot at the arcade, most kids have Double Dragon for their NES or SMS, Double Dragon II is coming out for the NES, and ports are flying left-and-right on the home computers of the day. Why, for the kids blessed with only an Atari 7800, this port must have seemed like a Godsend. Had things played out a bit differently, the 7800 could have even produced nice versions of the sequels, but alas, it wasn't to be.

When it comes to the 8-bit video game consoles, the Atari 7800's port of Double Dragon is truly the forgotten port (as opposed to the 2600's, which is more-or-less best viewed as a curio), but it's one worth revisiting now and then. It's on the rare side, and while it isn't better than the NES or SMS versions, it is a worthwhile addition to the 7800's unfortunately small library. Just make sure you get the Proline Joypad!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/30/09, Updated 03/23/12

Game Release: Double Dragon (US, 1989)