Classic Gamer

The use of walkthroughs can sometimes be a subject of debate. Doesn’t it make you a cheat if you rely on game cheats? Well, yes but I have a defense for my crimes.

Classic RPG games mercilessly punish you if you miss any detail. A perfect example of this is forgetting to talk to characters and neglecting to have them join you. A similar mistake made my saved game in Breath of Fire II a dud. Start over, chump.

I experienced this pain yet again today. I forgot to venture up the stairs and talk to Arthur in Chapter 2 of Shining Force. I managed to get along without him for a battle but it really bothered me since his fighting would undoubtedly come in handy later and might even make the difference between finishing off a stubborn boss and tasting the soil. The saddest part of this is I was using (an awesome) walkthrough by RPGClassics.com for some of the tough battles. Right when I thought I was owning the game I looked through the text and released I neglected to get a new party member and have no way of going back for him.

EPIC FAIL.

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Double Dragon is a classic NES title and that certainly makes it worth revisiting through the VC. It’s an iconic title, the NES version of an arcade experience that made such a name for itself in the ’80s that it went on to give rise to an entire franchise, complete with ports, sequels, spinoffs and crossovers even a decade after its original release. There was even a Double Dragon live-action movie. (and it is really crappy)

Billy fights in basic street punk fashion at the start of the game. Skills are added as you progress through the levels, eventually opening up more powerful attacks suitable for more powerful and skillful enemies. You’ll gain a jump kick, the power to throw enemies over your shoulder, and even the ability to grab them by the hair and knee them repeatedly in the face.

Double Dragon for the NES lacks the polish of the arcade game. The fact you can’t play with 2 players, is its fatal flaw. This is likely due to the programmers being unable to fit more than three sprites on screen at once, and so if two players were playing cooperatively, only one enemy would be able to be rendered. Overall, it still holds up as one of the best fighting games for the console.

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I can’t review this game because I’m biased by nostalgia. I got a Sega Genesis after my days of NES were over and I was ready to usher in the next generation of gaming into my world. NES had tons of great RPG titles so the transition was lacking since I was huge on RPGs. There was a longing for great games like Final Fantasy, Chrysalis and even Dragon Warrior.

The Shining Force was Sega’s greatest RPG line. Only it wasn’t really a pure RPG; It is a role playing game with a strategy battle system. Epic battles were way more detailed and often frustrating than your typical RPG turn based affair. Often I felt like I was playing chess (only way more interesting to my adolescent mind).

Shining Force II: Ancient Sealing did everything the first game did, only better. Without question it is the finest game of the genre to come out on Genesis. Phantasy Star pales in comparison, although I enjoyed the fourth installment.

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