Classic Gamer

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.