Double Dragon Neon

Double Dragon Neon
Promotional artwork featuring logo and characters
Developer(s)	WayForward Technologies Abstraction Games (PC)
Publisher(s)	Majesco Entertainment Midnight City (PC) JP Arc System Works
Director(s)	Sean Velasco
Producer(s)	J.J. Pomegranate[1]
Artist(s)	Genzoman
Composer(s)	Jake Kaufman
Series	Double Dragon
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 (PSN) Xbox 360 (XBLA) Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3 (PSN) NA September 11, 2012 EU September 20, 2012 JP December 12, 2013 Xbox 360 (XBLA) WW September 12, 2012 Microsoft Windows WW February 6, 2014
Genre(s)	Beat 'em up
Mode(s)	Single-player, Co-Op

Double Dragon Neon (ダブルドラゴンネオン, Daburu doragon neon) is a video game in the Double Dragon series of beat 'em up games. It was developed by WayForward Technologies and published by Majesco Entertainment, and is intended as a reboot of the Double Dragon series. It was the first game in the series where Million, the current owner of the Double Dragon series after Technōs Japan became defunct, had no involvement in its development.

Gameplay

As with previous installments of the series, the player takes control of martial artists Billy Lee (Player 1) and Jimmy Lee (Player 2) in their fight to rescue Marian from the Shadow Warriors gang, this time led by the super-lich Skullmageddon. The journey starts on the city streets and progresses through an outer-space fighting dojo, an Oriental-themed countryside, a genetics lab, and a graveyard before concluding at Skullmageddon's palace.

In addition to the standard punch, kick, and jump buttons and a designated run button, the player now has an evade button for dodging attacks. If the player times their evasion right so as to perfectly dodge an enemy attack, they will "Gleam" by briefly glowing red, during which time their attacks will be more powerful. The player can collect life-replenishing sodas, money to buy items from shops, and special mixtapes that can be equipped from a pause menu. Two different tapes can be equipped at once: one to grant the brothers a powerful attack that consumes a separate energy meter, and one to alter their statistics and grant special effects (such as making it easier to stun enemies or healing HP with every connecting blow). By collecting multiple copies of a tape, its effect gradually increases until it reaches a maximum capacity. Each tape's maximum capacity can be increased further by visiting a "Tapesmith" and paying him Mythril, which is obtained from defeated bosses.

In a two-player game, both Billy and Jimmy can utilize a special "high-five" technique to split and share their life meters to an equal amount, "psych" the other one out to harm them or make them fall over, or to instantly trigger a Gleam effect. If one player is defeated in battle, the other player has a limited time to revive him before a life is deducted (unless both players are defeated together). When one player is completely out of lives, he can steal one from the other player if he has at least two left.

Development

Double Dragon Neon was released in North America on September 11, 2012,^[2] in Europe on September 20, 2012 and in Japan on December 12, 2013 on PlayStation 3 via the PlayStation Network, and worldwide on September 12 on Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade,^[3] to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the series. The game's dialogue and graphical style is heavily 80s-inspired, and features a soundtrack composed by Jake Kaufman, inspired by the original Double Dragon as well as 80's pop music and arcade game soundtracks. This is also the first commercially released Double Dragon game to use 3D graphics rendered with polygon-based models.^[4][5] The game is currently in development for Microsoft Windows, to be released in Q1 of 2014, and will include online cooperative multiplayer.^[6]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings (X360) 71.74%[7] (PS3) 70.58%[8] Metacritic (PS3) 71/100[9] (X360) 66/100[10] Review scores Publication Score Edge 7/10[11] Electronic Gaming Monthly 90/100[12] G4 4/5[13] Game Informer 8.25/10[4] Game Revolution [14] GameSpot 7/10[15] IGN 3/10[16] Official Xbox Magazine 6.5/10[17] Cheat Code Central 3.6/5[18] Joystiq [5]

Double Dragon Neon received mixed to positive reviews. Electronic Gaming Monthly rated the game a 90/100, commenting "if you grew up with the genre or the franchise, then this’ll hit every sweet spot in your gaming core. If you’re not as familiar with the ’80s, lack a sense of humor, and have difficulty appreciating classic gameplay, then Double Dragon: Neon may give you some trouble."^[12] GameSpot rated it a 7/10 and praises the game for its humor and rewarding combat system, saying "By shifting the tone from serious to crazy and making the combat system rewarding for the most dedicated players, this is a beat-'em-up that fits alongside modern games."^[15] Cheat Code Central rated the game a 3.6/5, praising the game for its mixture of modern and retro feel, declaring "The controls are not refined, but it's nostalgic, engaging, and worth the ten-dollar asking price."^[18]

References

External links

• Official website
• (Japanese) Official Japanese website