Double Dragon Neon

Mr E · 06-04-2012 9:57am #1

Have WayForward gone backwards?

They've done some brilliant games over the years, like the Shantae games, Alien Infestation, A Boy and his Blob and Mighty Switch Force. They're working on a new Double Dragon game for XBLA/PSN.

Remember back in the late 90s when 3D cards first came out on the PC and developers started doing everything in polygons and overdid the coloured lighting effects? This looks like it belongs to that era. With jiggly boobs.

Is this on anyones radar?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myYb8XA5hHk

super_furry · 06-04-2012 10:37am

When was Double Dragon even last relevant? Sure some people will look back with fondness on it as a game of their childhood but even then there were much better examples (Final Fight, Streets of Rage, Golden Axe) to play. It looks like the only things improved here are the visuals and audio, which will still leave the same dull gameplay.

Retr0gamer · 06-04-2012 11:06am

I'm betting none of you guys played Double Dragon EX on the GBA which was a remake of the original but with most of the old development team on board. They added so much to it that it was a much dfferent and better game, in fact it was a fantastic one. If Wayforward take that blueprint from it it could be equally as good. I'm pretty sure WayForward aren't doing a straight up remake as you can see from the gameplay a lot of the extra moves from EX have made their way into it. I trust WayForward to make a good game out of this, just look at how right they got the amazing Contra 4.

However I think the graphics are awful. Why didn't WayForward go with a 2D style when they've got probably the best pixel artists in the industry. The polygon characters look horrible especially next to the 2D backgrounds which are way too garish.

I just hope it's better than the horribly overrated Castle Crashers.

pdbhp · 06-04-2012 11:34am

Bimmy & Jimmy are back......
I used to be a big fan oof DD back in the day when I had Doubble Dragon II on C64.
This new version looks shít but Wayforward have been producing some fine games as of late so I'll hold off on the abuse until I play it..

krudler · 06-04-2012 11:53am

that looks horrendous, the xbla version from a few years ago (is that still available?) was grand.

deathrider · 06-04-2012 11:55am

Well, this certainly ain't getting me excited. Pity though, I'd love to see a new good Double Dragon game.

06-04-2012 12:04pm

Played Double Dragon 3 to death on the NES with my brother.

Good Great times!

Retr0gamer · 13-09-2012 11:09am

Well here's a surprise, apparently this is really good. It's getting some good reviews from some reliable sources like Metro central, a few mediocre reviews from nobody sites and a review by IGN that completely misses the point (Castle Crashers was good? Fans of the genre would say otherwise). The word from double dragon fans is that it's no Double Dragon EX on the GBA but it's superb none the less.

Zero-Cool · 13-09-2012 11:53am

pdbhp wrote: »

Bimmy & Jimmy are back........

HAHAHA I love the Video Game Nerd freaking out over that mistake :pac::pac::pac:

Go to 2:40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMg6_IXCjo4

gizmo · 13-09-2012 12:21pm

I'm not sure which offends me more, the garish graphics and mediocre animation in Double Dragon Neon, or Retr0gamer's continued insistence that Castle Crashers is horribly overrated.

Retr0gamer · 13-09-2012 12:24pm

gizmo wrote: »

Retr0gamer's continued insistence that Castle Crashers is horribly overrated.

It was a poor man's River City Ransom or Streets of Rage just like Alien Hominid was a poor mans Contra or Metal Slug. Scott Pilgrim showed how it should be done and even that wasn't as good as the games mentioned.

AceCard Jones · 13-09-2012 12:27pm

I love streets of rage, spent hours on double dragon 3 on the NES, loved the Scott Pilgrim game. But I loved Castle Crashers, so I don't get how fans of the genre wouldn't? It was great for what it was, when I played it I wasn't comparing it to streets of rage or even got the impression it was trying to be streets of rage.

It was a comedy side scrolling hack n slash.

Retr0gamer · 13-09-2012 12:41pm

I just found it dull, it lacked depth. There was a lack of moves and tactics and the leveling up system was simplistic and too easy to break. It felt like one of the Konami arcade brawlers, great for a 20 minute play but after that it got very boring.

gizmo · 13-09-2012 12:41pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It was a poor man's River City Ransom or Streets of Rage just like Alien Hominid was a poor mans Contra or Metal Slug. Scott Pilgrim showed how it should be done and even that wasn't as good as the games mentioned.

You say poor man's whereas most folk would say simplified. For instance, as much as I enjoyed both CC and AH, I wouldn't dare compare them to the other games you mentioned.

Anyway, that's horrifically off topic, back to DD! Whatever about this game looking awful, it could have been a lot worse...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPoD0VcVfK8

*shudder*

Retr0gamer · 13-09-2012 12:46pm

gizmo wrote: »

You say poor man's whereas most folk would say simplified.

You say simplified, I say boring and lacking depth. I guess I've just more experience with both types of games and expect more.

Going to wait for more views and reviews of Neon before I take the plunge, it's sounding good but those garish graphics are putting me off.

super_furry · 13-09-2012 1:12pm

It's free on Playstation Plus so I'll definitely pick it up but I don't really have high hopes for it. Funnily enough, Scott Pilgrim is on PS+ this month too, which I thought was a really fun scrolling beat-em-up, if basic.

deathrider · 13-09-2012 2:24pm

Just spotted on Xbox.com that the demo is available. Anyone gave that a spin yet? Unfortunately, I'll be doing well to get on Live long enough toa actually download it.

Retr0gamer · 28-09-2012 1:25pm

I bought this on PSN last night and gave it a quick spin.

First the bad stuff. The gaudy backgrounds do look a lot better than in the videos and are nicely detailed. The lack of animation I think it what holds it back and makes it a little bland.

Now the good stuff.

I would have much preferred the usual 2D artwork Wayforward do so well but I have to say the character models are nicely animated and look great with lots of personality.

The gameplay is great. You have a kick and punch button and a grab button you can use to end combo strings when the opponent is dizzy. There's lots of combo opportunities, many combos being better for dealing with crowds or doing direct damage. The throw is a good addition as well giving you the option to throw behind you to clear some space or juggle the opponent in the air and throw them afterwards for more damage. There's the usual sprinting but there's also a duck move that lets you roll of out the way or duck attacks that if successful gives you a damage boost.

Enemies are quite varied as well. They all have a large moveset and their behaviour changes when they pick up weapons, for example goons with a baseball bat can't be knocked out of the swinging animation so it's best to duck this. Bosses have quite difficult patterns to memorise as well. The game seems difficult as well, you take a lot of damage from enemies but there is an upgrade system. There's a huge amount of depth to the combat system that puts it way ahead of simplistic stuff like castle crashers.

One other thing to mention is the music. There's some really great music in the game, it's really evocative of the 80's. The vocal tracks are fantastic and sound like something Madonna would have done back then. All the upgrades also have their own music theme some of which are vocal tracks, something that's a bit excessive but a nice touch all the same.

So at the moment is it seems like a really good brawler but I don't see it bettering Double Dragon EX.

Retr0gamer · 28-09-2012 1:37pm

A sample of said awesome soundtrack:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YySGy_4Wag

Josey Wales · 05-10-2012 8:55am

I didn't realise this was free for PS+ users so I downloaded it last night. Thanks to the terrible PSN download speeds it still wasn't finished after 7 hours so I didn't get a chance to play it last night.

I know it won't be as good as Streets of Rage 2 but it is a long time since I've played and enjoyed a good brawler. Hopefully this will be it.

tupac_healy · 19-01-2013 3:32pm

Being a huge fan of the arcade origional, i had to give neon a whirl! Or at least download the free trial!!!!

Once I got the hang of the controls I quite enjoyed this! Suppose the question is, should I buy the full version? Is it worth it?

Retr0gamer · 19-01-2013 5:49pm

tupac_healy wrote: »

Being a huge fan of the arcade origional, i had to give neon a whirl! Or at least download the free trial!!!!

Once I got the hang of the controls I quite enjoyed this! Suppose the question is, should I buy the full version? Is it worth it?

If you enjoyed the trial definitely give it a go, it's great fun. Also you haven't even gotten to the best bit, skullmageddon

tupac_healy · 19-01-2013 8:54pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If you enjoyed the trial definitely give it a go, it's great fun. Also you haven't even gotten to the best bit, skullmageddon

He just made his first appearance when the trial ended, yeah might give it a shot so, thanks!!

krudler · 19-01-2013 8:58pm

Retr0gamer wrote: »

If you enjoyed the trial definitely give it a go, it's great fun. Also you haven't even gotten to the best bit, skullmageddon

I stuck a GBA emulator on my Nexus 7 and took your advice and stuck Double Dragon Ex on there, it's excellent, like how its a mashup of the original and its sequels.

Double Dragon Neon

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