Double Dragon IV

Double Dragon IV is a pure nostalgia trip, but it comes with enough interesting combat tweaks and bonus modes to be worth a few playthroughs for anyone with an appreciation of the NES originals.

A few thoughts went through my head, when I first heard there was a game coming out called “Double Dragon IV”. Thought 1: There already is a Double Dragon IV! It’s called Super Double Dragon IV and it was for the Super Nintendo and it was awesome! Thought 2: I hope it’s made by the same people as Double Dragon Neon, because that was one of my favorite PS3 games. Well this Double Dragon IV is made ...

Arc System Work’s staunch dedication to the retro aesthetic for Double Dragon IV is admirable, but still falls short of the mark even when juxtaposed to several of the series’ own entries. Punch and kicking dudes as Billy and Jimmy still works, but many elements of IV just feel a little too off-brand for my liking.

The Double Dragon franchise was instrumental in turning brawlers into a bustling genre during the arcade era. Jimmy and Billy Lee now return decades later (once again tasked with rescuing Marian), and their journey takes them down memory lane for franchise fans with tons of foes from previous entries and a juiced-up soundtrack that brings the old tunes out with a fresh twist. If you’re looking for...

Beat 'em ups don't get much more classic than Double Dragon. Seeing as its now 2017, is the genre still as fun as it was back in the '80s? Let's take it to the streets and see if this retro series was worth resurrecting yet again.

I do hope Arc System Works continues to develop this IP though, because if the same creative minds that worked on this game came together to try to advance the series as a whole like Double Dragon Neon did, I believe they could make something really special. Sadly, I would only recommend Double Dragon IV to you if you are a Double Dragon fanatic or very die hard beat 'em up fan, and if that's the ...

Double Dragon IV doesn't quite live up to its potential. Those looking to scratch that beat-em-up itch are better off playing WayForward's Double Dragon Neon or waiting for the upcoming River City Ransom: Underground.

I am certainly not immune to the charms of 80s and 90s game design, but the NES version of Double Dragon wasn’t a great example for Double Dragon 4 to follow. It’s not just that this simplistic beat-em-up formula didn’t age well graphically or mechanically, it’s that it simply isn’t very fun or engaging to play in 2017.

With an improved GBA version on the market already, maybe arcade-perfect was never something to aspire to after all.

The ‘80s nostalgia is laid on so thick you could almost choke from it, in this joyless proof that too much nostalgia can be a bad thing.