Reviews

• gamedeal user

  Sep 27, 2014

  I've read and heard many criticisms about this game and do not quite understand them. I will try and address them and give my opinion as to why this is probably one of the top three Double Dragon games. **Graphics: Solid art design, although some of the enemies are a bit more cartoony than previous DD designs, the colors, backgrounds, animations and effects are pretty solid. The game mixes 3D models with the occasional 2D background object, The alley level is particularly nice. Varied environments and enemies with vibrant colors. **Sound: Great remixes of classic double dragon tunes and some new additions. Music and sounds are near flawless in this game. Some may loathe the voice acting, but for the tone they're going for, it's appropriate. **Controls: The game controls solidly for me. A lot of "Double Dragon veteran" players have criticized how slow and heavy the Lee brothers move, but I think they haven't played DD for a while. DD was always a slower, more methodical game than other beat 'em ups. Neon is actually a little bit faster (go check youtube, watch Super Double Dragon, or DD II). The dodge button is responsive, although you're vulnerable if you execute some moves. The dash is not instant unlike DD Advance and DD3, and that can be a cause for some headaches. **Gameplay: The game has a lot of moves, and some combos . Clever players can find ways to juggle opponents multiple times and incorporate grabs and special moves while doing so. The Lee brothers have mixtapes that grant abilities and special moves like fireballs, hurricane kicks, etc. You can't steamroll through waves of enemies thoughtlessly though, as enemies have some moves with "armor", not many, but it does require some recognition on the player. Players who dodge attacks correctly get a temporary buff. It's a nice addition, though not as satisfying as Super Double Dragon's parry and grab mechanics from blocking. **Verdict: For Insider: 8/10 I've played every iteration of Double Dragon, even the three fighting games (if you count Rage). I knew exactly what to expect from this game. I give it an 8/10. I've beaten it in normal and Dragon difficulty, working on replaying it again to do so in Double Dragon difficulty (which is quite hard). Highly recommend it. For Casual: 6/10 Don't even listen or Read IGN's super ignorant review of this game. It's a solid game if you like slower methodical beat' em ups. My wife is an RPG, Strategy game gamer and was able to beat this game a few times with me. She enjoyed the humor and although she doesn't always play beat 'em ups, she really enjoyed this one. 6/10 For newer fans to the genre: 3/10 to 5/10 These fans will probably hate this game the most. If you're used to the speed of Castle Crashers and want to blow through enemies with fast attacks and screen clearing moves this game is not like that. Watch some of the youtube videos for this game, but approach with caution. ** Extras Info Game's tone is different from prior DD games, at first I was frustrated by this as I wanted a serious DD game, but the game did get more than a few laughs out of me. There are plenty of easter eggs and references to 80s-90s games and culture.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 11, 2014

  You will not believe the quality of this game for just $10. Support the developers and publishers, because this is likely the best arcade reboot I have ever played.
• gamedeal user

  Nov 24, 2014

  This game is too much fun when you have a buddy playing with you. I wish they would bring back more games like this. Games like TMNT, CONTRA, BATTLE TOADS, SUNSET RIDERS, THE SIMPSONS ARCADE, XMEN, ALIEN VS PREDITOR THE ARCADE and so on.... Def recomend if you grew up loving these games and didn't mind spending your entire allowence dying.
• gamedeal user

  Dec 29, 2014

  Having grown up with the NES and SNES / Sega Genesis Double Dragon series, I was coming into this game with high expectations. At first I was disappointed as the core game play mechanics have changed, however after giving it a second chance I can see the merit of the changes. Overall the game doesn't live up to the originals, that might be because I'm older now or for any number of reasons. But none the less its still a great game, and I would recommend it to any one who is a fan of the genre. One thing that threw me off and is one of my favorite aspects of the game is the amazing sound track. The music is top notch, and I would love to know where to get the sound track.
• gamedeal user

  Aug 18, 2015

  My only complaint is that i can't buy the soundtrack on steam.
• gamedeal user

  Jun 12, 2016

  [i]"We could all play Double Dragon and switch off every time it crashes!" - my friend, suggesting a game to play.[/i] Getting it out of the way right away, DD: N has a catastrophic bug that users seem to have pinned down to anyone playing on Windows 10 with an Nvidia graphics card. Due to what seems to be a memory leak issue, after a short while the game will crash to desktop. 3rd party programs attempt to fix this problem by increasing the amount of memory available to the program; this increases the time you can play before it crashes but cannot truly fix the problem. The longest I could play this game before crashing with a patch was about 1 hour 15 minutes. Without the patch, maybe 15-20 minutes at a time. Outside of that issue, the gameplay is fairly standard fare for a Beat 'em Up. It might be my overall lukewarm opinion on the genre in general, but I find it incredibly boring because of the same uninteresting combos you use for the entirety of the game. Variety is attempted through constantly introducing new enemies and environments as you play, but you don't really handle them any different, so I don't know if it really matters. Final thoughts on gameplay is that it feels like a chore you go through to see the rest of the game, after the game crashes (always at the end of a level, of course) neither I nor the handful of people I've played it with feel any desire to replay the level. Gameplay out of the way, though, and the game has a really nice feel to it. That "mock 80's retro" feel played up to 11 gives you something to smile about throughout the game and the soundtrack -- by the wonderful Jake Kaufman -- is a treat. I'm also a fan of the antagonist: Skullmageddon, an over the top Skeletor-like villain. I hear that the ending credits are simply amazing, but as I can't get the game working long enough to beat it I haven't actually seen them. [b]Conclusion / tl;dr :[/b] While the aesthetic is charming, the incredibly repetitive gameplay and horrific bug(s) that nobody thinks they need to fix make this game something I can't recommend.
• gamedeal user

  Jul 16, 2016

  It's really difficult to rate this game since a simple thumbs up or down won't do it justice. The devs obviously have a lot of love for the genre and Double Dragon (even though the style they chose funny as it is, has little in common with DD which was never what the latest trend of Kung Fury/80s style parodies are doing now - so some hardcore fans of the original might find the shift questionable), there are some great ideas behind it, some work, some don't (not sure if grinding and rpg elements add depth or just drag it) but unfortunately it all comes down to the game's main problem which is the sluggish controls and combat. Considering this is a Double Dragon game, you can understand how important this is. Everything feels slow, not very responsive - a thing that becomes even more noticeable and irritating in the few platforming segments - , limited movesets and even missing classic moves that have been the staple of the franchise forever (no hair pull/knee on face?!), some cheap difficulty and encounters where opponents and bosses have some iffy invincibilty at times, a bit of repetition with stage traps and worst of all: the weapons! Yes, as strange as it sounds I never felt so dissapointed with weapons picking in a Double Dragon game, one of the most famous mechanics the game introduced. The animations drag, the hit detection is not always perfect and picking and using weapons felt less rewarding and more of a thing to avoid so you won't get easily hit. And why no d-input support? At least for me the gamepads could not work with the game! :( Another problem for some systems including mine was the eventual framedrops and stuttering that happens after a while, I guess due to memory problems? Not everything is bad though, some stages have great art direction, the music is a blast to hear (what a great soundtrack, both new songs and homages and remixes to the classic ones!), and special mention has to be made for one of the funniest and greatest end credits in a game ever! Of course I may sound as if the game is horrible, but it is not! There is enjoyment out of the game and if you sit and remember the past horrible shoddy ports and various awful games that have tarnished the brand in the past, this is definitely one of the better efforts. The game might not exactly feel like a Double Dragon and the controls are not that good, but at least it is playable (!!) and a fun little beat em up that pays homage to the genre. It's just unfortunate that the devs could not repeat the fastness, fluidity and overall greatness of what I call "The definitive Double Dragon" of Double Dragon Advance, a game so many years older but - forgive me for the pun - so much more advanced than Neon. Still an admirable effort! I hope this is not the last we see of Billy Jimmy & Marian!
• gamedeal user

  Jan 16, 2017

  Being a fan of beat 'em up games like Final Fight, Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage and Captain Commando, Double Dragon Neon apparently has all the elements necessary to get me hooked quickly - fast-paced action, interesting game design, and a nice soundtrack to boot - and, actually, this game delivers. Billy and Jimmy's new adventure is a reimagining of the first entry in the series, a game which (maybe) we all know and love, having new stages, new moves and power-ups, good voice acting and a great sountrack by Jake Kaufman, heavily inspired by 80's rock and pop music. Double Dragon Neon is a good-looking game; the characters have a colourful hybrid manga/cartoon style which looks a bit reminiscent of Marvel Mangaverse comic books, and are superbly animated, with impressive moves like roundhouse kicks and fast combo sequences. Backgrounds are also nice and have a good variety, ranging from urban landscapes to forests and even a spaceship, though sometimes they may feel a bit bland. Gameplay is excellent - the controls respond quickly, there is no slowdown whatsoever, and the range of fighting moves and special abilities are enough to keep things interesting. However, it is not a flawless game. Although difficulty is fairly balanced for most of the time, boss battles and certain moments when the screen is too crowded can be a real pain, especially to newcomers to the genre; the first battle against Skullmageddon ("I'm your worst night-maaaaah!") can be especially cheap, and some minions like the teleporting ninja girls, though not unbeatable, may become a serious nuisance. Repeating a stage after many game overs and moments of serious button-mashing can be really boring, but is ultimately satisfying once the player learns the ropes of each mission. I feel this could have been a better game, although it is not bad - far from it, actually. It plays and feels kind of "westernized" (even though not to an extent that could ruin the experience), but WayForward Technologies (the same people behind the Shantae series, which is one of the best series of all time if you ask me) did a great job in preserving the superb gameplay that made the earlier Double Dragon games so great, and added new elements that are enough to keep things fresh. Players who yearn for solid, old-school-style beat 'em up should definitely try this one. - 8.5/10
• gamedeal user

  Jul 3, 2017

  If you're like me, you remember a time when colors were bright, hair was big, cassette tapes were the format of the masses, and stores still carried Crystal Pepsi. And if so, you're probably in for a real treat. Double Dragon: Neon is a worthy successor to its legacy, an improvement in many ways and a love letter in others. This is kind of like the byproduct of distilling down all the side-on brawlers in arcade history, removing the impurities and foul aftertaste, and setting it to a high energy 80's movie soundtrack. On a mechanical level, Double Dragon: Neon is well designed and planned; the challenge structure and difficulty curve are both clearly designed with the history of the side-on arcade brawler taken well into consideration, sidestepping common pitfalls such as annoying AI and unreasonable level design. The character advancement system is a little unorthodox, but functions well. The soundtrack and visual design all blend together with the fast, skillful gameplay into a fun and energetic experience. Maybe most importantly, the game has an incredible sense of humor about it. Puns and 80's slang are used liberally, and the whole of the story has a kind of intentional ironic camp perfect for the modern tribute to a game so iconic of a bygone era. As close to perfect as it comes, there's still a few annoyances. Overcoming some of the challenges in the second half of the game require having improved versions of the passive-strength increasing "stance" mixtapes, which are either dropped at random or acquired from stores in specific parts of specific levels. With the levels themselves being linear, this means it can potentially be a real pain to upgrade. I also find myself needing to cycle mixtapes very frequently during some of the areas, even several times during a single fight; I imagine this is probably worse with two simultaneous players needing to frequently open the menu and switch tapes. Oh, and for whatever reason, I couldn't figure out how to play as solo Jimmy Lee. I have no idea why. These are very small flaws in an otherwise awesome experience. This is what more remakes of classic games should be, equal parts self-aware humor and amazing gameplay.
• gamedeal user

  Feb 7, 2014

  Classic Beat Em Up fun. Extremely hard if you're alone, Bro-Op makes it a lot easier obviously. This is a great game that rewards skill and creativity with a somewhat lenient engine. If you're a Double Dragon fan, give it a try, it should be worth your time.