As an old-school twitch gamer, one of my better memories was consistently beating the original Double Dragon in arcades on a single quarter. It was one of the first arcade beat-em-ups and arguably one of the best of its time. Now WayForward has finally brought their reimagining of the franchise to PC after a console release in late 2012.

Pros:
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- Neon introduces a few new concepts to the genre such as Gleam, which doubles your attack power for a short time after successfully dodging an attack and an upgrade system for magic attacks and passive bonuses in the form of mixtapes. The more of a mixtape you have, the more powerful that attack or bonus is. Enemies drop them, but you can also buy them from shops. Tapesmiths allow you to pick up more tapes in exchange for mythril, which you get from defeating bosses.
- (Note: I played with an XBox 360 controller) While there are more button commands to get used to than the original, the controls feel very solid. Nothing seems janky or off. I suggest a quick glance at the Help screen to see all your available standard moves.
- There is a good variety of enemies, some requiring a specific way to finish them off quicker than just mashing your punch button. Abobos are freakin' huge now!
- Effects and voice acting are passable, but what really stands out is the soundtrack. Virt has done an amazing job making original songs for the game that have that definite 80's vibe and the remixing of the original game's tracks are very well done.
- ONLINE CO-OP. It took the PC port of this game to get what console owners were promised over a year ago and never received, online co-op. Beat-em-ups are always 10x more fun with a friend, and with team powerups like sharing health that you can activate almost anytime by high-fiving your partner, it makes traversing the game easier as well.
- Unlike the dark, gritty visuals of the original, this game goes for a brighter, cartoony aesthetic. This game knows its audience and opted for a campy, offbeat feel, almost making fun of the era it wants to copy, and it mostly works.

Cons:
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- All these attacks at my command and NO BACK ELBOW? Anyone who played the original Double Dragon knows that move is your bread and butter for making progress in the game.
- Graphics are alright and the game has a cartoony vibe, but nothing really stands out. Also, apart from resolutions and windowed/full screen mode, there's no graphical tweaking. I'm not saying a game like this really needs those options, but when you see them in nearly every PC game, it's noticeable when they're missing.

I feel this is one of WayForwards best games to date. Much like with DuckTales Remastered, they have honoured the source material while adding a modern flair. Join up with a friend and go save Marion!

I've read and heard many criticisms about this game and do not quite understand them. I will try and address them and give my opinion as to why this is probably one of the top three Double Dragon games.

**Graphics:
Solid art design, although some of the enemies are a bit more cartoony than previous DD designs, the colors, backgrounds, animations and effects are pretty solid. The game mixes 3D models with the occasional 2D background object, The alley level is particularly nice. Varied environments and enemies with vibrant colors.

**Sound:
Great remixes of classic double dragon tunes and some new additions. Music and sounds are near flawless in this game. Some may loathe the voice acting, but for the tone they're going for, it's appropriate.

**Controls:
The game controls solidly for me. A lot of "Double Dragon veteran" players have criticized how slow and heavy the Lee brothers move, but I think they haven't played DD for a while. DD was always a slower, more methodical game than other beat 'em ups. Neon is actually a little bit faster (go check youtube, watch Super Double Dragon, or DD II). The dodge button is responsive, although you're vulnerable if you execute some moves. The dash is not instant unlike DD Advance and DD3, and that can be a cause for some headaches.

**Gameplay:
The game has a lot of moves, and some combos . Clever players can find ways to juggle opponents multiple times and incorporate grabs and special moves while doing so. The Lee brothers have mixtapes that grant abilities and special moves like fireballs, hurricane kicks, etc. You can't steamroll through waves of enemies thoughtlessly though, as enemies have some moves with "armor", not many, but it does require some recognition on the player. Players who dodge attacks correctly get a temporary buff. It's a nice addition, though not as satisfying as Super Double Dragon's parry and grab mechanics from blocking.

**Verdict:
For Insider: 8/10
I've played every iteration of Double Dragon, even the three fighting games (if you count Rage). I knew exactly what to expect from this game. I give it an 8/10. I've beaten it in normal and Dragon difficulty, working on replaying it again to do so in Double Dragon difficulty (which is quite hard). Highly recommend it.

For Casual: 6/10
Don't even listen or Read IGN's super ignorant review of this game. It's a solid game if you like slower methodical beat' em ups. My wife is an RPG, Strategy game gamer and was able to beat this game a few times with me. She enjoyed the humor and although she doesn't always play beat 'em ups, she really enjoyed this one. 6/10

For newer fans to the genre: 3/10 to 5/10
These fans will probably hate this game the most. If you're used to the speed of Castle Crashers and want to blow through enemies with fast attacks and screen clearing moves this game is not like that. Watch some of the youtube videos for this game, but approach with caution.

** Extras Info
Game's tone is different from prior DD games, at first I was frustrated by this as I wanted a serious DD game, but the game did get more than a few laughs out of me. There are plenty of easter eggs and references to 80s-90s games and culture.

Having grown up with the NES and SNES / Sega Genesis Double Dragon series, I was coming into this game with high expectations.

At first I was disappointed as the core game play mechanics have changed, however after giving it a second chance I can see the merit of the changes.

Overall the game doesn't live up to the originals, that might be because I'm older now or for any number of reasons. But none the less its still a great game, and I would recommend it to any one who is a fan of the genre.

One thing that threw me off and is one of my favorite aspects of the game is the amazing sound track. The music is top notch, and I would love to know where to get the sound track.

Mango Tango

Double Dragon: Neon is a beat 'em up game which was released in 2012. It was released on PS3 and xBox360 before eventually coming to the PC in early 2014.

As with previous games in the Double Dragon series, you take control of a martial artist Billy if you are playing single player, whilst if you play two player, Jimmy Lee is also introduced. You are fighting to rescue a damsel in distress, Marian, from the Shadow Warrior gang. You start the game on the streets, and you progress to different locations which has a pretty wide variety, ranging from out of space, to grave yards.

All of the classic beat'em up controls are here; punch, kick and dodge mechanics all to be found. Sadly there isn't any sort of combos which I thought was a slight let down, but you do get the addition of being able to pick up different music tracks which gives you special bonus' and perks which can add some interesting ideas into the mix. Whilst you progress through the game; you'll also find multiple copies of the same music tracks which will then act as an increase to it instead meaning you will end up swapping to different tracks quite easily depending on the situation at hand. The gameplay is at times slow paced, the characters normal movement speed is slow, and the "run" function feels very clunky to use as it can take a second for your character run because of the animation.

Graphically Double Dragon Neon looks OK. Whilst it is nothing special, it does work well. All of the fighting animations are nicely done, as well as some of the special abilities, and the backgrounds to each zone are very well presented as well.

There is pretty much hardly any story elements to this game; the only real bit of story you get is at the start of the game and the end, everything else in between is sort of filler and has no real relevance to the plot, which I thought was a little bit of a shame.

This is another game which has a heavy focus on the sound track, each of the music tracks you pickup throughout the game will change the music being played, since the game is set in the 1980s era, you should expect that kind of music to be played. I have to say, the credits features probably one of the funniest songs I have heard; finishing the game is worth it just for that track alone.

Double Dragon Neon can be hard, I died a lot in this game until I reached a point where I had found the perfect combination of tracks to use in order to make me be pretty much a walking killing machine, I was able to one shot most enemies and it became a walk in the park, up until that point though, there is a pretty high challenge on offer. I would say until level 7 or 8, you will die quite a bit, and maybe later in the game if you choose different tracks.

A full playthrough of Double Dragon Neon will take you roughly around three hours give or take a little. For what you are paying for here, I am happy with that amount of time, as what it does do, it does it very well. You unlock harder difficulties as you finish the main game once, so that can add some replay ability, as well as the feature of local co-op which is also immensely enjoyable.

I didn't have any technical issues whilst playing; a controller is highly recommended and works very well, fully supported. You'll find the game running at 60fps which is always nice to see on a console port too.

I can recommend Double Dragon: Neon; it's one of the better fighting/beat'em up games out there on PC, and for the price of £6,99, you can't really go wrong. The game has been known to go as low as around £1 on external sites, so keep your eye out for a mega bargain!

Tom's Score Card
1) Stay away
2) Only recommended when on sale
3) Recommended
4) Highly recommended
5) This is a must play

You can find a YouTube play list for my playthrough Double Dragon Neon here: (which videos will be added daily)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPiYxRIDCDgbpGHr5ETG7MMDkJttG6RtX

If you found this review helpful, please consider giving it a thumbs up. You can also find more reviews over at http://www.completingthebackloggroup.com/

http://store.steampowered.com/app/252350/

Double Dragon Neon (PC version) is a very hard game to review. On one hand the gameplay itself is varied, and offers more ways to defeat enemies than have ever been possible in the franchise (Super Double Dragon or Battletoads/Double Dragon Ultimate Team). Wayforward defintely has its heart in the right place. On the other hand, the game is frustrating to play for all the wrong reasons and will probably turn away potential players.

For what it gets right, Double Dragon Neon is a very stylish nod to the 1980's and all the cheesiness bravado that was found in arcade video games during this era. DD Neon employs an experience system and offers shops to spend money/ore you collect in levels, much like the Game Boy Advance version of TMNT via UbiSoft. The PC version offers various resolutions, and offers very smooth 60 fps beautiful cell shaded animation and graphics. The soundtrack here is probably the best original score for its release back in 2012, and offers throwbacks to the 80's with very catchy lyrics accompanied by synthesizers and drum machine beats. The game also is very leniant with how combos work, allowing for mid-air catches and throws while allowing for moves that involve running or crouching. Overall, the combat (and screen clearing attacks) are more reminscent to Streets of Rage than classic Double Dragon (or its many sequels or spinoffs).

For what the game gets wrong is heartbreaking. Billy and Jimmy Lee are incredibly sluggish when controlling around, and its made more frustrating when you have to dodge telegraphed boss attacks that can (and will) juggle you in the air or in the corner; effectively draining your health and losing a precious life (lose all your lives and restart the entire mission over). There are sections in the end where its uncommon to fall off cliffs because you weren't fast enough to dodge a whirlwind attack and lose precious health (losing lives would have been much worse).

The coop aspect makes more sense when playing local coop, because the coop here is very weak especially in this "definitive edition" PC port. Stealing lives, sharing diet coke health pickups, and allowing the other player to collect 1-ups is essential for this very hard game (even when using the 'training wheels' tape)....so its too bad none of this can be done effectively in the PC port. The PC version supports no text or voice chat whatsoever, so playing with a random person in Steam matchmaking is hit or miss.

When joining as a client, it's no help that the game still has issues with latency (overall performance on the zombie forest stage is horrible even in single player)...online play is functional....but reduces frame rates to about 25ish with all the stuttering and teleporting (online code as of 7/2/14).

Abstration Games have pretty much done little work to get this port to the PC, as evident in the very confusing key assigning in the options (good luck seeing that its Tab key to even get in there with keyboard controls) or the obtuse indicator for reviving your coop buddy via rewinding his tape (good luck seeing that its done with your throw key). Save yourself the frustration and don't bother playing this game with a keyboard, because the devs clearly just pushed this out the door with an Xbox controller in mind.

Overall, this game just barely wins a recommendation from me clearly on the presentation and solid combat while playing single player or local coop. Game offers a lot of little fun things to do with a coop partner (one player beatboxes and the other breakdances), and its clearly meant as a local coop game. The problems from the console release are here for the most part, and I can't really recommend this version of the game if you want to play online (while your online partner is very far away or has a subpar internet connection). If anything, pick this game up when it goes on Steam sale.

It's really difficult to rate this game since a simple thumbs up or down won't do it justice. The devs obviously have a lot of love for the genre and Double Dragon (even though the style they chose funny as it is, has little in common with DD which was never what the latest trend of Kung Fury/80s style parodies are doing now - so some hardcore fans of the original might find the shift questionable), there are some great ideas behind it, some work, some don't (not sure if grinding and rpg elements add depth or just drag it) but unfortunately it all comes down to the game's main problem which is the sluggish controls and combat.

Considering this is a Double Dragon game, you can understand how important this is. Everything feels slow, not very responsive - a thing that becomes even more noticeable and irritating in the few platforming segments - , limited movesets and even missing classic moves that have been the staple of the franchise forever (no hair pull/knee on face?!), some cheap difficulty and encounters where opponents and bosses have some iffy invincibilty at times, a bit of repetition with stage traps and worst of all: the weapons!

Yes, as strange as it sounds I never felt so dissapointed with weapons picking in a Double Dragon game, one of the most famous mechanics the game introduced. The animations drag, the hit detection is not always perfect and picking and using weapons felt less rewarding and more of a thing to avoid so you won't get easily hit.

And why no d-input support? At least for me the gamepads could not work with the game! :(

Another problem for some systems including mine was the eventual framedrops and stuttering that happens after a while, I guess due to memory problems?

Not everything is bad though, some stages have great art direction, the music is a blast to hear (what a great soundtrack, both new songs and homages and remixes to the classic ones!), and special mention has to be made for one of the funniest and greatest end credits in a game ever!

Of course I may sound as if the game is horrible, but it is not! There is enjoyment out of the game and if you sit and remember the past horrible shoddy ports and various awful games that have tarnished the brand in the past, this is definitely one of the better efforts. The game might not exactly feel like a Double Dragon and the controls are not that good, but at least it is playable (!!) and a fun little beat em up that pays homage to the genre.

It's just unfortunate that the devs could not repeat the fastness, fluidity and overall greatness of what I call "The definitive Double Dragon" of Double Dragon Advance, a game so many years older but - forgive me for the pun - so much more advanced than Neon.

Still an admirable effort!

I hope this is not the last we see of Billy Jimmy & Marian!

Genre - Retro Style side scrolling Beat 'em up
If you played games in the late 80s or early 90s you will no doubt have encountered the original Double Dragon. There were at least two sequels I know of, which were also a blast to play. I think this game stays true enough to the game series that it could be seen as a sequel as much as a remake. It is fun to play on your own, online or with local co-op. There are upgrades to buy that allow you customise your play style to a certain extent. One play through will take 3 hours approx. Hpowever, there is enough content and achievements to make you spend more hours on it. This is a game for short bursts of fun and as usual the co-op mode is only as good as they people you play with.

You will not believe the quality of this game for just $10. Support the developers and publishers, because this is likely the best arcade reboot I have ever played.

Classic Beat Em Up fun. Extremely hard if you're alone, Bro-Op makes it a lot easier obviously. This is a great game that rewards skill and creativity with a somewhat lenient engine. If you're a Double Dragon fan, give it a try, it should be worth your time.