A Great Arcade Experience
Double Dragon allows one or two players to fight through a few environments in a quest to rescue the girl from a gang of toughs. Using punches, kicks and a few special manuevers pulled off through simultaneous button presses, along with environmental and enemy-dropped weapons, it's your mission to finally free the girl and win the game. Co-op is available locally or over Xbox Live.
This is an emulated version of that original arcade game. Despite what others may say, this is the classic, and all comparisons to the irritating NES version should be dropped. As with any arcade game, it is hard, too hard, so as to get you to pump in more quarters to keep playing. In its Xbox Live Arcade incarnation you can adjust the difficulty, use updated graphics and have unlimited continues at your disposal. Because of this last feature you can burn through the game fairly quickly. But that's not the point.
The point of this gam, like other great XBLA reto selections, is recreating the feel of the arcade. Here, just as in the past, you and a friend can work through the game while chatting, screaming about that one missed punch or getting caught in a headlock. You can chat, strategize, and basically have fun both in the gameplay and the experience. The only thing missing is allowing other people to watch and chat while you play as in the old days when a dozen people would surround a cabinet to cheer or jeer your playing.
Double Dragon is a hard game as per its design. Its emulation i perfect, recreating the same slowdown and unresponsiveness of the original. Like playing it in the arcade you get used to the glicthes and work around them. Unless, of course, you suck like I do and just play for the sheer fun. The updated graphics are nice, nothing spectacular but on huge screens they are a must.
Unfortunately yet again I can't rate this game properly using GameSpot's attribute system. It would get a 7.0-7.5 otherwise.
In the end, if you're looking for a fun few minutes of play alone, with a friend or better yet with a stranger who may become a new friend, Double Dragon recreates the arcade experience both in its emulation and atmosphere.