Hack and slash games have a certain charm to them that makes them different to fighting games. While fighting games have you in an area were you fight until your opponent is down with various punches and kicks, with the occasional throw and special move, hack and slash games include you fighting your opponent in a side scrolling level until your opponent is down with various punch and kicks....with the occasional throw and special.....Ok, they might sound similar, but hack and slash games allows you to defeat various and multiple enemies, like being your own Neo. They aren't my favorite, but for some reason the challenge of them always makes me want to play one when they come round. I have heard good things from Double Dragon for the NES, and I'll thought I'll try it out.

The story is shown with a short cut scene after you picked your game type. Some real jerk punches a lady in the street, picks her up, and runs away with his goons.....That's it? Are these guys just like that all the time? Where are the police? You need to sort this out yourself....I think she was your girlfriend or something like that, but you're going to rescue her none-the-less. And who are these guys anyway? An evil organization with no name? Either way, that's the story.

So what's the music like? Some techno beat that goes well with the game, but could be a whole lot better? Like some of the music in The Matrix? Or maybe it's like....*the title music plays*....like....like the best damn music for a hack and slash game there is. this is like the last battle in The Matrix, or when Neo fought all those Smiths in The Matrix 2, or the final battle in The Matrix 3. It's almost beautiful. I can't believe that music this good is in a hack and slash game. This completely changes my thoughts on this game. Lets play!

There are two types of game modes. Game A and Game B. For each game type, there is a two player option for it. Game A is your basic story mode. It's the old old story. Jerk hits girl, jerk runs off with girl, boy goes after girl, boy beats jerk up, boy gets girl, boy lives happily ever after. The finer details are you have to defeat every goon of this guy's gang before you can get to the Big Cheese. You can punch, or round-house kick your enemy. By pressing both the A and B button, you can jump. Moving while jumping allows you to kick in the air. I once was able to grab and throw some guy, and twice did a Shroyuken (upper cut punch for those yet to play Street Fighter), but I have no idea what I did to do it. The controls are smooth, although not perfectly fluid. The man you play as walks a little slowly for my liking.

It's fun to kick and punch your enemies until they fall, and kick them in the face with a flying kick, but the game is insanely hard. It's harder than it sounds when you play it. I can get passed the first level just about, then I die and get a game over. The first boss, is just impossible for first timers. I found myself mashing buttons until I just decided to spam the flying kick move, which worked. After that, I got a game over and found out that you start all the way back to the game mode menu. You'll need serious skill to beat this game. I got these hearts under my health bar, which I have no idea what are for. I thought extra lives, but no. Maybe more health? It should mean something....

Game mode B allows you to choose from one of six characters. After that, you appear to be fighting yourself, only with green hair. This is what Urban Champion could have become with a little more thought put into it. So if you die in this game mode, you get the game over music and go back to the game mode menu. If you win, however, you....get the game over music and go back to the game mode menu....huh, must have though it was you and not the green haired clone. So this serves as a practice for the boss fights, which I agree are what is needed in a no-continue-or-mercy-hack-and-slash game. I wish more games had something like this.

The graphics are pretty good for an NES game. Almost as good as Ninja Giaden. The characters are clear and the background is well made and has a lot of attention to detail. I like the fact that the music still plays even when someone is thrown to the ground in this game. In the second level, you can climb up this sire fence to the next floor to proceed. I like this feature, and it gives the idea that the developers clearly thought that this guy improvises to get to his beloved.....er, girl. This also gives me hope that the rest of the game has a promising game play and environment.

Overall, I give this game a 8.4/10     The music is the best I have heard of in a hack and slash game. The graphics clearly were not just made to be in the game, and were thought over. The game play, although hard as steel, is fun to play. This is the sort of game that can only be completed by with two people, unless you are that guy who thinks he is Rock Lee and never gives up until he has defeated the game so he can make Gai Sensei proud. I suppose I will just have to let the defeat of this slip for now. I will try harder to defeat this game, but now is not the time. So if you want a challenge, and want great music playing with good graphics, while you do it, then try out Double Dragon.

I like Double Dragon, its a fun classic to play, this is something I have no problem playing, beating my opponents with mah fists

I remember the cartoon and owning the video game when I was like 10 years old. Another fantastic review, Darkpower!