Boy in Gray
permalinkWhen I compared the NES and the Gameboy versions of Double Dragon, it turned out they were approximately the same game -- sometimes the Gameboy version did things more like the Arcade version than the NES version, but it was definitely recognizable. Even the in-game story was identical (such as it is):
(NES Double Dragon story)
(Gameboy Double Dragon story)
But when it comes to the NES and Gameboy games called Double Dragon II, this is not the case.
(one of these things is not like the other one of these things)
For starters, they each have several screens-worth of story, but the only thing they have in common is "Billy and Jimmy, the Double Dragons":
(The Beater's Digest version of the NES story)
Whereas, here's the entire Gameboy story:
This story is only ten sentences and two dialogs long, and its still full of plot holes;
At very least, who is the Wright fellow that Anderson shot?
(probably not this)
But leaving all that aside, the levels, enemies, and most importantly, the beat-em-up mechanics are radically different. It's not nearly-the-same with a few key tweaks, like Double Dragon. Instead I'll go through five elements of beating-em-up, to show how when the NES game zigs, the Gameboy game zags.
Then for my next trick, I'll talk about which Technos beat-em-up has a much greater fighting-mechanic overlap with the Gameboy Double Dragon II.
1. Punches and Kicks ...it's all in the mind
NES: The A and B buttons change function based on the direction your character is facing: press the button in the direction he's facing, and you get the standard punch.
Pressing the other button gives you the wacky backwards mule kick.
Gameboy: "A" punches, "B" kicks.
2. Jumping Attacks
NES: Jumpkick, plus some extra specialized attacks if you can get the timing right (cyclone kick, leaping knee).
Gameboy: Jumping Uppercut.
3. Grabs
NES: like in the first Double Dragon, you have the Hair-Pull Knee and Over-Shoulder Toss.
Gameboy: collar grab + face-punch; optionally you may shove them over.
4. Enemy's Weapons
NES: There's lots,
NES: ...and you can steal and use most of them.
Gameboy: Lots of weapons, but they're "built in" to the enemies (they don't drop 'em, you can't use 'em).
5. Attacking Downed Enemies
NES: Nothin'!
Gameboy: Leaping Gut Stomp
So; what Technos Beat-em-Up has the most in common with Gameboy Double Dragon II?
Why, an underappreciated SNES seven-foot-tall cyborg fist-punch-a-palooza called
Combatribes
Ok, is the plot similar?
Well...no.
But let's look at the game mechanics:
1. Punches and Kicks
2. Jumping Attacks
(Ok, so the Combatribes cyborgs are too big to jump. But if you RUN then ATTACK each guy has their own drill-through-em leaping/dashing thing, and the main guy does a jumping punch and/or elbow)
3. Grabs
Your cyborgs grab them by the collar, and while they don't follow that up with punches,
...they can fling people with the best of them!
4. Enemy's Weapons
Plenty of enemies that have built-in weapons (which you can't take),
Especially the bosses.
5. Attacking Downed Enemies
What a give-away!
Of course, this is a SNES game so you have a bunch of other powers,
(Clown Baseball, for example)
but I think my point still stands: when it comes to the core beating mechanics, the Gameboy's Double Dragon II has more in common with the SNES's Combatribes than the NES's Double Dragon II.
— carlmarksguy, 2015-04-17
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Schluppy Mi Puppy
I would have loved the Double Dragon movie to be based off the Game Boy intro. That’s not just oscar buzz. That’s a motherf***** beehive! Instead we got Party of Five and T1000 fighting over some medallion.