Double Dragon II Longplay (ZX Spectrum 128K) [QHD]

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AL82 Retrogaming Longplays

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Published on December 18, 2024 11:34:34 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyCcp5iEWvM

Game:

Double Dragon II (1988)

Duration: 0:00

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81

Game Info
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Developer: Virgin Games
Publisher: Virgin Games
Year of Release: 1989

Game Review & Impressions
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The Commodore 64 versions of Double Dragon II were pretty average at best, so I was curious to find out what the ZX Spectrum version was like.

It's an improvement in some respects. It features, as far as I can tell, all of the moves from the arcade version, although some of these have absolutely no effect, while others don't function in the way you'd expect. There's little point using anything other than the standard punches and kicks, thanks to the decision to implement an auto-fire system in the game; simply holding the fire-button down while pushing in one of the eight directions on the stick will continually execute the selected mode ad infinitum.

In terms of graphics, the developers opted for simple monochromatic sprites and backgrounds to side-step issues inherent with colour clash, relying on contrast to distinguish between the two. The player sprites look nothing like their arcade counterparts, but they're pretty detailed and look decent enough. Enemy sprites are more reminiscent of the arcade versions, particularly the boss characters, so this does lend the game a little more authenticity than the C64 version.

Unfortunately, the gameplay is still nothing like the arcade version. Anyone familiar with the original coin-op couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed after playing this, and it's possible to beat the entire game in under 10 minutes once you know how to exploit the game's rudimentary AI.

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