Double Dragon Longplay (Master System) [60 FPS]
25Developed and published by Sega in 1988
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For today's longplay and review, I decided to check out another version of classic beat 'em up, Double Dragon, this time on the Sega Master System. Most of the versions of the game available on 8-bit home computers of the day were terrible, especially the C64 version, so I was curious to see whether the console versions fared any better.
Things start out quite favourably - press the start button and you're greeted by a lovely 8-bit recreation of the arcade version's opening scene where Willy's gang kidnaps Marion and wanders back to it's hideout. Obviously, the graphical capabilities of an 8-bit console weren't going to be able to compete the actual arcade version. To it's credit, the game actually looks quite decent, featuring some nicely drawn sprites and boasting a vibrant and varied colour palette; more colourful than most other 8-bit versions, including the NES.
On the subject of colour, it's worth noting that some of the sprites do have some peculiar complexions and blemishes. Some of the guys look as if they've suffered a serious nosebleed and some of the Abobo sprites have definitely been left out in the sun too long!
As for the audio, most of the tunes from the original arcade version are included in all their chip-tune glory. Sound effects are basic, but the punching and kicking effects are reasonably solid considering the capabilities of the machine and is certainly the best-sounding 8-bit version I've played to date.
Another high point is that most of the fighting moves from the arcade are included in this conversion, which is a major improvement over the C64 version that I owned back in the day. The Master System manages to pack in punches, kicks, headbutts, plus all of the weapons from the arcade version as well. One of my favourite things about the game was picking up oil drums and hurling them at opponents, so I was very pleased to find this was included.
Unfortunately, the player's enjoyment is spoiled somewhat by the the combat. Tackling enemies head-on is suicide since they seem to be able to pummel you into the ground if you stand in front of them and try to trade blows. It took a couple of sessions before I realised that the secret to success seemed to be to punch or kick whilst moving diagonally upwards/downwards; anything else resulted in me being knocked flat on my back. I also found it quite difficult to execute the grapple and throw moves, which I pulled off out of luck more than anything else.
In terms of length, the game does pack in all of the levels from the arcade version, although the developers have given some of these a nip and tuck in places, presumably because of memory constraints. Even so, there's a reasonable amount of content available to keep you and a friend (yes, the game does include multiplayer) busy for a couple of hours.
If the controls were better and the combat not so rough around the edges then this could have excellent. It knocks spots of the C64 version for sure, but it often feels frustrating at times and isn't always as fun as it could be.
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