Luigi Mario

Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones

Developer/Publisher: Technos/Acclaim

System: NES

Genre: Brawl

Introduction:

Ok, so the first two Double Dragon games for NES were absolute classics. With the release of Double Dragon for the NES, it helped completely redefine one of the golden ages of old-school gaming, and Double Dragon II: The Revenge, helped it jump even more. So, you would think that Double Dragon III would be absolutely epic.....Right?

.......

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Instead, what we got was a bombshell full of dissapointment, and many a gamer, like myself, were just that.....grossly dissapointed. Anyways.....Technos shipped this game out to the states in the year 1990. And when I say that this was a gross dissapointment, I mean it with every single possible living and breathing fiber of my being. In fact, this game was so dissapointing, that some of my friends back then said that this game almost completely destroyed their beliefs in Double Dragon. And I really can't said I blame them, either.

Anyway, at the very least, the storyline is on par with following the story from the last game. After a bit of time, Billy and Jimmy(Oh, By The Way, if you play 2-player mode, instead of Billy and Jimmy, it'll say BIMMY and Jimmy......is that even a word.......?) return from their training trip, they discover that Marion vanishes outta the blue. But a mysterious fortune teller named Hiruko tells them that they must find three sacred stones in order to find her. The quest begins as they're attacked in their dojo, and Bimmy....er....I mean....BILLY and Jimmy's friend, Brett, is attacked and killed.

Ok, so I gotta admit, I don't totally hate this game. I mean, after all, at least it isn't the arcade version. But, like I said, it's a grave dissapointment from what I was expecting. Well, I guess we can get started with the review now...

Reviewed by: MattDDR

Graphics: A  

At the very least, Technos hasn't forgotten it's roots when it comes to graphics. The Dragons look as good as they always do, amid a few miniscule weeks points. When they stand still, it looks like they're ready to fight, but at the same time, they were looking straight at me. Are they trying to tell me something here? Anyway, they still look good when they're doing their moves and everything. So, not much to fuss over in this catagory. It gave me some of the original Double Dragon feel. SOME. So, I'd say it's good enough for an A.

Sound B

Saying this makes me laugh, but I actually like the music in THIS port, BETTER than the arcade version. Hell, even the sound is better in this one than in the arcade. So, yeah. I'll, at least give it a B. The punches and kicks still sound synonymous to each other though, but the music, while mostly just the same as the arcade, actually sounds better to me than in the arcade, and I don't know why......Eh well. Not too bad a job, considering it IS technos, after all.

Control: C  

Ok, here the game begins to show it's dissapointment. The A button is your punch and B kicks, and, of course, A and B jumps. There's other things you can do as well, like the standard jumpkick, the ever-so-popular spin kick, and another move where if you jump forward and push A, you can grab the enemy, flip over them, and throw them to the other side of the block. Sound easy? Well, the reason I gave it a C is for one simple fact....

THEY BARELY RESPOND!!!!!!!

Most of the time, I couldn't get the spin kick to work, a move that I could do over and over again in Double Dragon 2. Not to mention in THAT one, there were a lot more moves. But in THIS one, it seems they totally unlearned everything and learned a whole new, suckier style much like Jin Kazama in Tekken. Plus, the flip-throw thing doesn't even work for everyone. Try it against the ninjas on the Japan stage, that is, IF you don't like to win in this game.

Gameplay: C-  

I have but one major, gigantic, factual beef with this game, and that would be this......this game......is IMPOSSIBLE TO WIN!!!!!! I will now attempt to break that major beef into sections so everyone knows what I mean.

With everything they give you in this one, I don't see how anyone could've beaten this game without the use of a Game Genie, or something to the equivelent of it. Anyway, the gameplay, while not nearly as bad as the arcade version, will still make sure that you'll need a full bottle of Tylenol by your side from all of the headaches you'll be getting. So, beef #1. You only get one life in this version.....that's right.......one. Not to mention, the energy you get will barely seem like you have any at all. Oh, and guess what else? There's NO recovering your energy, unless you have enough of the luck of the irish on your side to actually make it passed the stage you're on. And the opportunity to continue is almost completely erased. Basically, you'll either have to be a Double Dragon Prodigy, or be very.....extremely.....cheap.

Beef #2: The enemies. With no option of game difficulty, you pretty much have to deal with whatever the computer thows at you, and trust me, they'll throw EVERYTHING at you....including the friggin' kitchen sink! Also, some of the enemies will carry weapons. And of course, if you knock them down, you can steal that weapon. But the thing that absolutely grinds me up about this? When the enemy you take down finally dies, THE WEAPON DISSAPPERS!!!!! Can someone tell me the last time you saw a street fight when the weapon disappered into thin air right after the good guy finished beating the living crap outta the thug? I sure as crap don't!!!

Beef #3: In the arcade version, you could buy stuff whenever you walked into stores in various parts of the game....Guess what? THEY DON'T EXIST HERE!!!! Now, you can earn extra characters, but the thing is this....you have to beat them first, and they're pretty much usless. Chin, who just joins you in the first game when you purchase him, starts to complain about how the Lee Brothers killed his brother when they fought against the Shadow Warriors. Now, unless his brother had the same name that HE did(Double Dragon 1 reffrence), then I'm saying it's a pretty good bet that he was adopted or something. Still, when you get the characters, like I said, they're almost useless. But you can find snags in the system. Like Chin's 4 hit punch combo. Any normal enemy you hit with it will instantly fall down and die. But due to the crappy responding controls, and the computer AI's miraculous ability to punch you at almost any given second, while doing a lot of damage, I'd say....uh.....NOT A GOOD IDEA! This game made Double Dragon look like a bunch of clowns were behind the full production....Yes....THOSE kinds of clowns with the painted faces and the gigantic shoes.

Well, I can't totally rag on the gameplay. It DOES have it's strong points....somewhat. In 2-Player mode....assuming you don't make the mistake of chosing the one where you can hurt each other, you can do some cool looking team attacks. If one player jumps towards another while jump kicking, the other player will catch it and launch you towards an enemy....assuming you can actually succed in getting an enemy in your path. Another cool looking thing is when both players jump and do the spin kick at the same time. It will be extended, making more of a widespread possibility for damage. But like I said....It only LOOKS cool. As for if it actually works.....well.....you figure it out.

Simply Put: C  

In my own head, my older brothers are still choking the life outta me for thinking that this game would be cool to rent back in the day. I guess this is why you should always listen to your elders, huh? I have to admit, it isn't a totally bad game. I mean, at the very least, the graphics and sound are ok, but as everyone knows, good graphics don't automatically equal good gameplay. This would be an excellent example of that very same fact. It was defenitely missing most of the elements that I was expexting. I don't really see why they couldn't have, at least, gave the Lees more moves. I mean, they were almost unstoppable on Double Dragon 2. That, and they had a hell of a lot more energy. In THIS one, a foe could breath on you and you'll fall over dead. I really can't say whether or not you should get this game, or absolutely avoid it. It all depends on how much of a brave fool you are. Still, If you do decide to give this game a try, and you feel dissapointed with it, DON'T say I didn't warn you. So, as the final verdict stands, yeah, a potential peice of crap, but a surprisingly welcome release from the Arcade version. That's all I can say...