Double Dragon

"The original fighting classic on your Atari 7800"

It seems like the original arcade smash (bad pun, I know) hit ''Double Dragon'' has been on every home video game system of the late 80's and early 90's. Versions of it are on the Nintendo, Game Gear, Game Boy, Sega Genesis, and Atari Lynx. Many people however have never played the 1989 Activision release of Double Dragon on the Atari 7800 version due to the popularity the Nintendo Entertainment System had at the time, while Atari was on its last legs. If you find this title, I recommend you absolutely must buy it.

As we all know, Double Dragon involves Billy Lee, and Jimmy Lee if you're playing a 2-player game to fight through many urban tough guys to win back Billy's girlfriend Marion who's been kidnapped by the gang led by the Shadow Boss, the Black Warriors.

Many basic fighting moves are available and simple to execute, you can punch, elbow punch, kick, jump kick, reverse jump kick or head butt your enemies. Due to Double Dragon's intense difficulty, the Pause button on your Atari 7800 console really comes in handy to give yourself a break from all the fighting intensity. If you're determined and talented enough, you can fight your way through the first 3 missions and defeat the Shadow Boss in the 4th mission to save Marion. Don't count on it however, this game is extremely difficult and it would take intense practice to even complete the second mission.

Double Dragon, probably the original fighting game to spawn all the clones such as Final Fight, Sonic Blastman, and the tournament fighting games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat is a classic no matter which system it's been ported to and you should probably check it out. Invite a friend over to your house, break out the Atari and prepare yourself for one of the best Atari games ever made.

Graphics: 10, incredibly detailed for the Atari 7800. Characters all look different. The backgrounds are illustrated beautifully with bricks looking like bricks and in the beginning of the game fantastic animation on the car inside the Matin. Check out how good Abobo looks on the 7800, as compared to the NES, not bad. The programmers definitely got the best graphics capable on the Atari 7800 here.

Sound: 7, the same music repeats over and over again, while it is definitely a good tune compared to other Atari games, a little variety in the background music or at least a longer sound to be repeated in the background over and over would have been nice. When you hit your opponent or when your opponent hits you the same sound occurs of a pretty decent version of a fist hitting you. Also when your opponent falls or when you fall the same thud is heard. The sound is certainly good enough, but nothing spectacular here.

Control: 7, it's pretty easy to control Billy or Jimmy in this game, but executing the moves can be a little tricky. Sometimes you won't get what you expected and it can lead to harm when your jump kick becomes just a jump. It is easy to manuever out of the enemy's way though because your character is much quicker than the enemies.

Challenge: Advanced, only extreme gamers should add to this their list of games to beat. It might never be able to be accomplished. A second player certainly helps gang up on the bad dudes but still, this game is out of this world in its difficulty. Some codes please? There has to be for a game this difficult, take pity on us poor gamers.

Par: 11,400 points and reaching the boss of the 1st Level should be easily accomplished by gamers who've been accustomed to this game but have not practiced heavily in improving your skill in this game.

Fun: 8, whether you play this game alone or with a friend, Double Dragon is a game that is definitely worth your time. It's classic fighting action, and if that's your thing you should definitely check out this game. Find the strategy that works best for you and take care of the Black Warriors. It's simply an entertaining game.

Replay Value: 9, you can play this game over and over without getting tired of it. Trying to top your score and get further into the game to see what is ahead are sure to be tasks you try to achieve once you start playing this game. With a friend, the replay value is even higher. Your Atari is going to be plenty warm once you put Double Dragon in....watch the hours fly by with this amazing cartridge.

Goodies: 10, whips, bats, and knives are at your disposal by simply knocking down an opponent and pressing the button while standing over the weapon to pick it up. Watch your enemies ignorantly try and attack you when they feel the burn of the whip or a knife between the eyeballs, or make Barry Bonds envious with your powerful swings of the baseball bat. Having a second player cranks the difficulty of killing an enemy up, but yet with good teamwork the game is easier and more fun. However, the player playing as Billy has to watch out, because Jimmy looks like many of the enemies with his red costume. The only way to tell the difference besides shouting ''them, not me, idiot'' is by noticing Jimmy has black hair and that enemy that is similar to Jimmy has brown hair. Of course, if you just want to have a good old fight amongst friends, Billy and Jimmy could just throwdown and fight and forget about the enemies, or bring them into the fight and have everyone fighting in the streets in total chaos. All these extras really help Double Dragon be a must buy.

Overall: 9, this game has it all. The fighting fan, Atari fan, and general video gamers should all pick this game up and get ready for a challenge.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/02, Updated 03/08/02