Double Dragon
Double Dragon (ダブルドラゴン, Daburu Doragon) is a 1995 fighting game spinoff of the Double Dragon series developed and published by Technos Japan. It is based on the 1994 Double Dragon movie, which in turn was based on the original arcade game. It was originally released for the Neo Geo (in AES and MVS formats) and later released for the Neo Geo CD and PlayStation (the latter ported by Urban Plant). It was Technos Japan's last Double Dragon game before the company went out of business.
Gameplay
The game plays like a conventional fighting game of its time, that is battles are one-on-one and conducted on best two-out-of-three matches. One of the unique aspects of Double Dragon is the lack of specific punch and kick buttons like most fighting games. Instead, there are four attack buttons of varying strength and speed, which can perform punches or kicks depending on the character's position. The player's character and his opponent have a super move meter called the "charge meter", which is overlaid on the character's remaining health. The less health the character has, the quicker it will fill up. "Charge moves" are usually performed by executing the command of a regular special move and pressing two attack buttons simultaneously at the end instead of just one.
The characters and stages are inspired by the Double Dragon movie featured prominently in the game's intro. This includes the appearances of a submerged Hollywood, the Dragon Mobile vehicle, Billy and Jimmy's ability to transform themselves and the inclusion of Koga Shuko as the game's final boss. However, the game's characters are depicted in a more anime-like style and only five of the game's twelve fighters are actually featured in the movie; Burnov and Duke are from previous Double Dragon games and rest were created specifically for this game.
Story
Characters
There are ten regularly selectable characters in the game and two boss characters, for a total of twelve characters. In the single-player mode, the player competes against all ten of the regular characters (including a clone of their own) before facing against Duke and Shuko in the game's last two matches. The first opponent can be chosen by the player.
In the home versions, both Duke and Shuko, are playable by entering a secret code.
- Billy Lee - Voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa
- The younger Lee brother, Billy is a master of the martial arts style Sousetsuken, a combination of numerous martial arts style learned by Billy and his brother, Jimmy. Billy has blond hair and wears a blue and red casual outfit in his default form. In his transformed form, he wears a blue martial arts gi. Has faster attacks than his brother Jimmy. Billy was the first player's character in the original Double Dragon, although his character design and ability to transform is taken from the movie.
- Jimmy Lee - Voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa
- The elder Lee brother. Jimmy has brown hair and wears an orange and black outfit in his default form. He wears a red martial arts gi in his transformed form and has stronger attacks than his brother Billy. Jimmy was the second player's character from the original Double Dragon. Like Billy, his design and transformation ability is based on his movie counterpart.
- Marian - Voiced by Yuka Koyama
- A childhood friend of the Lee brothers and female gang leader at Bloody Town. Fights using a street fighting style with techniques based on figure skating. Marian was the damsel in distress of the earlier Double Dragon games, although her depiction as a gang leader was based on the movie as well.
- Abobo - Voiced by Daisuke Gouri
- A former pro-wrestler from New York who works for Shuko. Abobo was the first stage boss in the original Double Dragon. In one of his super moves, he briefly turns into a bloated freak similar to the mutation he undergoes in the Double Dragon movie.
- Burnov - Voiced by Daisuke Gouri
- An obese pro-wrestler from Detroit feared as the "human bomb". He has a rivalry with Abobo. Burnov was the first stage boss in Double Dragon II: The Revenge.
- Amon - Voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa
- A master of the fictional ninjutsu form of "Ryuganinpoh". He seeks for the whereabouts of his missing family and believes Shuko might know something.
- Dulton - Voiced by Yusaku Yura
- A street brawler from Italy who is looking to take down Shuko.
- Rebecca - Voiced by Keiko Han
- A tonfa-wielding female martial artist from Holland. She was once romantically involved with a man named Eric, who turned out to be a spy for Shuko, and now seeks to get revenge.
- Eddie - Voiced by Yukimasa Kishino
- A kickboxer from Venezuela who trains Shuko's henchmen.
- Cheng-Fu - Voiced by Hisao Egawa
- A master of the Drunken Fist from Hong Kong.
- Duke - Voiced by Hisao Egawa
- Shuko's bodyguard and the last opponent before fighting Shuko himself. A master of the assassination style "Moukohisouken" from San Francisco. Duke was originally the final boss in the Super NES game Super Double Dragon.
- Koga Shuko - Voiced by Osamu Saka
- The final boss, Shuko is the evil dictator of Bloody Town. A powerful master of kobujutsu and ninpoh. Shuko was the main antagonist in the Double Dragon movie.