gorfcadet Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I don't want to hate this game, but right now, I hate this game. Can anyone tell me some strategy that makes it more playable? It just feels broken and WAY too hard. I don't feel like I'm playing it as much as I feel like I'm having to fish for exploits to get just a little farther. All of the players attacks feel like they leave you open for even the weakest enemies in the game. Surprisingly Abobo is the easiest foe I've dealt with! Help out guys and gals. What am I missing? I tried elbow smashes and I still get hit constantly. Jump kicks seem worthless as you get knocked out of the air all the time by any enemy attack. Punching is a joke. The enemy AI seems just a little too smart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 up plus punch does elbow bashes, face away from enemies, then elbow bash them as they come in. ALso use weapons if you see them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 Reverse jump kick, that is all. You can beat the game with that one move. Mitch 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Atari Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 I wrote my full thoughts on the game in this long review here, but the gist of playing is this: don't punch. The punches have a wind-up animation that causes a delay. Stick with kicks. I don't think you even need the reverse jump kicks; regular kicks and jump kicks are enough (IMO) to make it through the game. I never much bothered with the elbow smash or head butt either. Maybe an occasional head butt to spice things up, but it's not necessary. Also, the controller used makes a big, big difference. The stock US joystick is a serious pain - literally and figuratively. Get a European joypad, use Edladdin's Sega adapters, get something modded, but the US ProLine joystick just isn't conducive to this sort of game. (Or any game?) You can't approach the 7800 Double Dragon in the same way you can the NES or SMS ports; by comparison, it's a bit slower and more deliberate, but once you learn the enemy AI (they're really pretty dumb), it becomes much more manageable. It's all about the timing and coming in close from either above or underneath an enemy to attack. It's really not that hard; if anything, it might be a little too easy. Two Abobos at once can be irritating, but a combo of kicks, jump kicks and dodging the stupid AI will have you taking out the regular baddies with ease in no time. Also, the bat; get it and hold onto it as long as possible - the game is an absolute breeze with it! (And the whip too, though to a lesser extent.) It's also worth noting that of the three 8-bit ports, level-wise the 7800 version is the closest to the arcade. The NES version was all over the place, and the SMS version was mostly faithful, but the 7800 was pretty much dead-on. The sprites, except for Abobo, are disappointing - chunky and devoid of much detail. The backgrounds of the first two levels are kinda meh, but missions three and four look terrific. Wish they could have fit in the barrels, boxes, boulders and/or dynamite weapons though. Time to beat the dead horse: I really, really wish Activision had used a POKEY with this one - more so than any other 7800 game. Whether they realistically would or could have or not, I do not know, but DD had (and has) one of the great beat-'em-up soundtracks, and while it's at least recognizable on the 7800, it's still pretty chopped up and shrill. I don't mind that on the 2600, but paired with the superior visuals of the 7800, well, Double Dragon deserved better. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 ... Time to beat the dead horse: I really, really wish Activision had used a POKEY with this one - more so than any other 7800 game. Whether they realistically would or could have or not, I do not know, but DD had (and has) one of the great beat-'em-up soundtracks, and while it's at least recognizable on the 7800, it's still pretty chopped up and shrill. I don't mind that on the 2600, but paired with the superior visuals of the 7800, well, Double Dragon deserved better. It should have been more like this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnPHU0Bp6DI ...and this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvckq6Hjp18 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Atari Posted November 11, 2018 Share Posted November 11, 2018 It should have been more like this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnPHU0Bp6DI ...and this... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvckq6Hjp18 No argument here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masschamber Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 No argument here! yeah , the pokey sure makes that better, Shame atari didn't develop a stripped down version of pokey that only had the audio components for the 7800, probably would have been better for the st as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 (edited) Reverse jump kick, that is all. You can beat the game with that one move. Mitch Yep, jump kick was my key to success with this game too. The elbow works well as other have suggested. Weapons are always a nice heavy hit the includes extra fun but they are few and far between in this game. And when you are feeling cheap for doing the back kick over and over, it works almost as well going forward. Never let the enemy come face to face with you, always use up or down to get at them vertically when you can. Horizontal fights, especially in numbers, will leave you on the wrong side of an ass kicking and a fat game over. EDIT: 2 player co-op is another way to get an advantage. 2 is always better than 1 right? Edited November 12, 2018 by Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Yeap..the AI is stupid as can be in this game. I always weave up and down to force the enemies where I want them. They follow you on the same plane for about 2 or 3 times and then they just start walking straight. I use that to get up near then and elbow punch them in. The two green Abobos at the end of Mission 3 this strategy is key to defeating them quickly and with virtually no hits being made to you in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Reverse jump kick, that is all. You can beat the game with that one move. Mitch ^^^ This ^^^ Reverse Jump Kick, Elbow Jab and Head Butt. Learn them and avoid straight punching and kicking. That's an exercise in frustration. Also - the UI can be really stupid. It's easy to trap enemies in corners, getting your timing right and knocking them down over and over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Put me in the camp of "Aren't you people tired of complaining that GCC didn't include a POKEY" camp? If you actually listen closely, there are parts of the music that Imagineering did well with a TIA. Check out the ending music. Now listen to the SMS version of the same thing? It's actually not bad, all things considered. Yes, I'd love a POKEY, but I've certainly heard worse music from the TIA than Double Dragon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 Some day I will complete it... I do the reverse elbow but the spike level does not allow to put them in walkthru mode. and the incredible speed up sometimes results in me walking into the spikes. I made it to the last battle but the ninjas and dude shoots me till all my guys are used up. Ikari is easier than this. Should be remade to allow punching guys or kicking like the arcade. It was made for guys to get behind you and screw you up fighting other guys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Atari Posted November 12, 2018 Share Posted November 12, 2018 (edited) Reverse Jump Kick, Elbow Jab and Head Butt. Learn them and avoid straight punching and kicking. That's an exercise in frustration. The punch is borderline worthless, and I can see how some would take advantage of the reverse jump kick and elbow smash moves, but I don't understand how the head butt could be preferable to straight kicking. Both make "instant contact," but you don't have to be in as close with the kick. The head butt can add a little spice to the proceedings, but there's no real advantage to it, and indeed, seems to be tempting fate by putting you in closer proximity to the enemy. Put me in the camp of "Aren't you people tired of complaining that GCC didn't include a POKEY" camp? If you actually listen closely, there are parts of the music that Imagineering did well with a TIA. Check out the ending music. Now listen to the SMS version of the same thing? It's actually not bad, all things considered. Yes, I'd love a POKEY, but I've certainly heard worse music from the TIA than Double Dragon. The title screen/end credits music isn't bad, nor is the boss tune, but the mission one and mission three themes are pretty lacking. Not only that, but they're also repeated in levels where they shouldn't, because the mission two and mission four tracks are MIA completely. Double Dragon in the arcades and on many (but not all) platforms had a soundtrack integral to the overall vibes of the game; each mission featuring a score that matched perfectly and just made you want to provide a beat-down. It's a legitimately classic soundtrack. If you want to call out people complaining that there's no built-in POKEY, hey, I agree with you; by now it's a dead horse. But Double Dragon is an exception; it really required more. If not a POKEY, than at least a more complete TIA effort. The score as it is is recognizable, but it just doesn't do the original justice. Edited November 12, 2018 by King Atari 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DracIsBack Posted November 13, 2018 Share Posted November 13, 2018 (edited) The punch is borderline worthless, and I can see how some would take advantage of the reverse jump kick and elbow smash moves, but I don't understand how the head butt could be preferable to straight kicking. Both make "instant contact," but you don't have to be in as close with the kick. The head butt can add a little spice to the proceedings, but there's no real advantage to it, and indeed, seems to be tempting fate by putting you in closer proximity to the enemy. I find it pretty easy personally. The AI is kind of dumb when you move vertically so I find the headbutt effective when you move up and down quickly and then give the enemy a headbutt and get away. But honestly, my goto move in this game is always the reverse jump kick. You can virtually walk through the game if you master the reverse jump kick towards the right. The title screen/end credits music isn't bad, nor is the boss tune, but the mission one and mission three themes are pretty lacking. Not only that, but they're also repeated in levels where they shouldn't, because the mission two and mission four tracks are MIA completely. Double Dragon in the arcades and on many (but not all) platforms had a soundtrack integral to the overall vibes of the game; each mission featuring a score that matched perfectly and just made you want to provide a beat-down. It's a legitimately classic soundtrack. If you want to call out people complaining that there's no built-in POKEY, hey, I agree with you; by now it's a dead horse. But Double Dragon is an exception; it really required more. If not a POKEY, than at least a more complete TIA effort. The score as it is is recognizable, but it just doesn't do the original justice. I agree with you that DD is a classic soundtrack and I'm a huge fan of the POKEY version showcased above. And I agree that the 7800 version is lacking in spots. Just pointing out that - as TIA soundtracks go - it has its moments. And as Double Dragon goes even, it has its moments. And yeah, the "Bleah - the sound is terrible, GCC needed a POKEY. POKEY is so glorious that it will end world hunger" sentiment is just so old and tired at this point to me. Everyone knows the 7800 didn't have a built in POKEY. Everyone knows that the Tramiels were generally too cheap to include anything extra on the cartridge (POKEY, RAM, battery saves, cartridges above 144K etc). Hopefully someone can enhance the recolored hack above further with POKEY music to placate. Edited November 13, 2018 by DracIsBack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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