Double Dragon 2: the Revenge is a follow-up to the original Double Dragon game. After defeating Willy in the first game he returns and kills Marian. This spurns Billy and Jimmy on to get revenge for her death and defeat Willy one more time!

Graphics 9/10 – the graphics in this game are much improved over the original Double Dragon game. The level design is pretty similar to the first game. Not much improvement there overall. Maybe a bit more detailed but there isn’t much more that could be done in that area. The original games level detail was pretty spot on.

The real place that Double Dragon 2 outdoes the first is in the sprite animations. The movements and reactions in the first game were very simplistic. Double Dragon 2 builds on those and makes them so much better. The characters are all more expressive and the moves look better. There is also a new spinning kick move that looks great. There wasn’t a ton of room for improvement from the last game in this area but improvements were made.

Sound 7/10 – the sound isn’t bad for this game in any way but I feel like it took a small step back from the original. The tracks fit the overall feel of the game but lose some of the intensity that the first game had. It almost feels like the music was trying to sound cool rather than fit the game or story. It also doesn’t really sound or feel like Double Dragon music. It’s hard to explain any more than this but it doesn’t feel like it fits. The first and third games both had music that felt like they fit the Double Dragon feel better than this game managed. That’s why I dropped the rating on the music. The music isn’t bad but it doesn’t feel like it followed the feel of the other games.

Addictiveness 7/10 – like most games in this genre this game is fun to play. The action is pretty constant and the enemies just keep coming. Who knew a gang this large could be fought by just 1 or 2 guys? The 2 player mode definitely keeps the game fun too. Being able to play a game with a friend will make it more enjoyable and make you come back to it more often.

Story 7/10 – the story behind this game is again simple but no less impactful then the last one. This time around instead of being kidnapped Marian has been shot and killed by Willy, the guy who kidnapped her last time around. If you didn’t quite have the incentive to take these guys out last time then this time around you should have more than enough. I know I would be out for blood if this happened to me.

What I really like about this story though is how the ending plays out. I won’t reveal it because you don’t find out unless you beat the game. It is a great ending though. Willy reveals something about a prophecy that isn’t mentioned until the end of the game but helps tie everything together. He thinks he has tricked Billy and Jimmy to their deaths by what he has done but something else happens instead. It’s pretty good.

Depth 5/10 – like the other games in this series it is a pretty straightforward game. It has 8 levels and those levels are pretty linear and short. Still, this kind of game doesn’t allow for much else than this. It is limited in what sort of options it can have when the story involves getting to the final boss and defeating him. Still, this game has more levels than the original so I’m giving it a slightly higher rating because of that.

Difficulty 6/10 – This game is not an overly difficult game. There aren’t many moments where death happens because you fell into a pit. You also have multiple lives to use as your progress through the game as well as a life bar which seems to last longer than in any of the other games. You also have a new move called the Hurricane Kick which is extremely useful. It really helps deal with multiple enemies. Still, I think this was the easiest game of the 3 on the NES. I had less trouble with it than the other 2.

Overall 6.8/10 – this, in my opinion, is the weakest of the 3 NES Double Dragon games. It is in no way a bad game to play but comparing it to the other games it doesn’t measure up. The first one gets a lot of credit for pioneering the genre in a lot of ways and I feel like Double Dragon 2 didn’t do enough to build on that. It did in small ways but in other ways it took steps back. Definitely worth playing if you are a Double Dragon or beat em up fan but don’t expect to be blown away by this entry in the series.

Wow, I should definitely learn from you. You have masterfully written an excellent review in only 849 words! You make abundant comparisons with the previous game, showing what changed, and gave ample detail without spoiling anything.

janus : to be fair I did review it third after reviewing the first and third games for the NES. It gave me a lot more to be able to compare to which helped a lot.

Still, 849 words didn't feel great to me. I said what I needed to say but I always feel like there is more I could have done or said to improve the review. Most of the reviews I write I try to break 1,000 words so I feel like I've really done the game justice whether or not I liked the game.