Future Publishing


Double Dragon II

Author: Gary Whitta
Publisher: Technos Japan
Machine: Game Boy

 
Published in Ace #054: March 1992

Double Dragon II

Haiii-yaaa! It's time, once again, for those battling brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee to take to the mean streets and dole out their own brand of justice to those who deserve it. The scenario is comically bleak, and familiar to anyone who has played previous Double Dragon adventures - after a nuclear war destroys the city and his girlfriend is gunned down by punks, Billy Lee joins a new fighting dojo, along with his brother.

But just when things are looking up for the twins, Billy is framed for a murder he didn't commit and his own master and colleagues go looking for him for revenge. With the optional help of his brother Jimmy (via a link-up lead), Billy sets out to clear his name by knocking the stuffing out of everyone who crosses his path.

It's basically just Double Dragon all over again, and there's little in the way of new features or enhancements over the original. As Billy and Jimmy, the players have a couple of kicks and punches at their disposal, the correct combinations of which deal with all the bad guys - the only problem is that the fighting is so simplistic and slow-paced that it quickly becomes repetitive, boring and rather frustrating. The size of the characters means that there's hardly any feeling of real action - when two or three characters get close together, things just become a monochrome mess.

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

There's no doubt that there's plenty to do in Double Dragon II. It's just that none of it is particularly interesting. It's sold as part of "The Greatest Martial Arts Series Ever", and no doubt loyal Dragon fans will fall over themselves to get at it. The more casual GameBoyer, however, has got better things to do.

Uppers

  1. Nice intro sequence.
  2. At least there's always something happening.

Downers

  1. No real skill involved in the fighting.
  2. Quickly becomes infuriating.

Verdict

Initially it all looks very nice but as soon as you get into the 'action', the interest soon drops off. The whole thing's just far too difficult and unfair for it to be any real fun.

Barely average graphics and music don't do much to enhance the experience.

Gary Whitta