Gameplay Today - Because You're Always Gaming

It seems like Nintendo is on a mission to release all of its classic Game Boy titles onto the Nintendo 3DS through their new eShop. This is great news for those looking for older titles on the cheap, but not every game that’s hit the portable Virtual Console holds up in this day and age.

Almost everyone who calls themselves a gamer or follows gaming has heard of the side-scrolling beat-'em-up Double Dragon. The eShop release is of the Game Boy version, which was a port of the NES game that itself was ported from the arcades. Even if you haven’t had a chance to play it, the name is recognizable enough to garner at least some interest. Double Dragon does provide a nice bit of nostalgia while simultaneously acting as a reference point to show just how far the genre has come since the clunky grey-case, monochrome Nintendo portable.

The controls are very simple with players using the D-Pad to move. Here’s where it gets tricky; you use A to punch, and B to kick. Did you follow that? If so, you’ve mastered the controls. You might want to keep this review open as a reference for the controls if you pick this one up. It won’t take long to realize that the controls aren’t the only aspect of Double Dragon that is simple. At no time will you see more than two enemies appear on screen. There is no leveling up in this portable version like there was in the NES, Wii Virtual Console and arcade releases. Because of this, there’s no semblance of depth what-so-ever. With only four levels in this release and no leveling-up of your character, the game is shallow to say the least.

There are only four levels, and your main rival doesn’t even appear in the main game (more on this later). Also, perhaps most importantly, the level up system from the NES version is gone (you now start off with all the moves, like some kind of martial arts superman), turning any sense of progression present before into a mindless repetition of simply pressing a direction and spamming buttons.

Considering that power of the original Game Boy, no one expected this game to come close to the NES Virtual Console title. Just like consoles and handhelds today, the Game Boy had a very weak processing punch when compared to its bigger console cousin. That’s not to say the game isn’t playable, but anyone who’s played one of the other versions will find this to be a very shallow and watered down experience in comparison. Incentive for replay and multiple run-throughs come in the form of chasing the high score, something familiar to older gamers. Using the same three moves over and over just gets old after a short while.

For some reason, that is beyond any real understanding, this release comes without the two-player action that came with the original Game Boy version. This instantly hurts the title’s “Virtual Console” status as it’s not really a clean or accurate port. The option is there, but for some reason when you try to select it, the game automatically shifts back to the single-player option. It’s a real shame that Double Dragon doesn’t support, well, two dragons in this case.

Double Dragon is a release that the most diehard of Nintendo fans will enjoy for the game’s ability to take you down memory lane. Those born after the release of the Game Boy Color might be surprised that portable gaming once looked so primitive. It is nice to see what side-scrolling beat-'em-ups once were and to have a reference point to see how far they’ve come. The game isn’t bad, but could have been made better with the inclusion of the original two player option. This game was probably a big deal back in 1990 for giving players the ability to take Double Dragon anywhere. This release only lets you take one dragon on the go and the novelty of portable gaming is long gone which makes this release’s short-comings all the more evident.