Double Dragon (Technos/Taito, 1987)

“In the year 19XX, half of the world was ravaged by a nuclear war and violence ruled the streets in America…”

Marian is kidnapped by a violent street gang known as ‘The Black Warriors’. The brothers, Jimmy and Billy Lee AKA ‘Double Dragon’ must now fight their way through the gang and defeat ‘Big Boss Willy’ to save her.

What set this beat ‘em up game apart was that you could use your enemy’s weapons against them. Foes attacked with daggers, whips, baseball bats and dynamite, which they dropped when they were hit. I remember constant arguments about who got what weapon; the baseball bat being the most popular, while no one wanted the whip. Also new were combination attacks that allowed you to throw your enemies, knee in them in the head and even hold them down while your team mate taught them some manners. The foes included punks, dominatrixes with blonde afros, ‘Mr T’ clones (brown and green varieties) and a machine gun toting final boss.

The finale was one of the most exciting parts of the game. Once the foes were defeated the brothers had to fight each other for Marian, (despite the game’s back story that claimed she was Billy’s lover!). My theory is that the Street Fighter franchise expanded upon this aspect of the game, as it is much more difficult and exciting to challenge a fellow gamer.

The excellent theme song (thanks Yamaha), state of the art graphics and boyhood wish fulfillment elements all combined to make a unique and enjoyable gaming experience. It was so successful it spawned numerous sequels, comics, cartoons and a Hollywood film. Also check out the brilliant version of Double Dragon II (my favourite in the series) on the original Nintendo platform, which is far superior to the arcade sequel.