With the 1980s gaming boom came the birth and eventual popularity of platformers – a game genre allowing players to take a character from one side of the screen to another in hopes of completing a goal usually hampered by various enemies both large & small. As platformers evolved so did the developers in their presentation. These side-scrolling presentations could do more than just have a plumber jump up & down; adding combat to the fray similar to fighting games. One of the most revolutionary games in the then-budding genre known as “Beat ‘Em Up” games was none other than “Double Dragon”.
Essentially the vanguard for the success of a side-scrolling sub-genre, “Double Dragon” embraced the idea of co-op gameplay at the arcades before it was the norm. Taking control of brothers Jimmy & Billy Lee, gamers were tested like never before while battling through the streets to save Billy’s girlfriend. What came of a simple take on a genre still in its infancy, “Double Dragon” turned into a successful, heralded franchise ported from the arcades to home consoles before getting sequels and spin-offs in various forms of media including a terrible cartoon. After the series lay dormant for half a decade, it was time for a new version of what occurred in 199x. Prepare to perform some crowd control, pick up those fallen hamburgers, and enjoy these “Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons” first impressions.