Buy Double Dragon: Neon

The game that does absolutely everything right.

The soundtrack, moves, style, and simplistic, but yet awesome gameplay, all combine into a Tour de Force of pure and sinfully addictive pleasure. As a monumental testament to why you fell in love with computer games in the first place, it epitomizes gaming as a whole.

And like that unattainable and often-dreamed-about Time Machine which we all want so badly, it irrevocably and fondly reminds you of the best part of your life (before you had to handle unreasonable bills, incomprehensible taxes, dishonest politicians, heavy mortgages, sour spouses, moronic bosses, and r£tard neighbors, all doing their best to dull your senses, beat you into submission, rip your heart out with a wooden spoon, spit on your dreams, and generally make you suffer as much as possible), as a kid playing games in the arcade - without a sorrow or a care in the world.

I'm here to say to you: It's gonna be okay, everything will be alright. Because Double Dragon Neon is here to save you from it all. You might not believe me now, but you have to trust me, you just have to take that leap of faith, for this gem is everything - it's the best Time Machine, the greatest Pillow Fort and the sturdiest Tree House of gaming, all rolled into one. Not buying it is a crime, not to the developers and not to Steam - but to yourself.

This game deserves all your money tossed at it, and I do mean all of it. Forget rent this month, and remember that ramen can still be a great meal. Because, let's face it; you want another title from these people more than you need food or a roof over your head.

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.

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.

Double Dragon: Neon is an odd case. This isn't really like the arcade games, it's more of an action-rpg with beatemup elements. Yeah I know, it's confusing isn't it? Just hear(read) me out. Technos Japan, the original developer of Double Dragon, also created the Kunio-Kun franchise. Remember NES classics like Super Dodgeball and River City Ransom? That's Kunio-Kun. Neon is a combination of RCR and DD. You collect or purchase and upgrade mix-tapes to improve your stats as well as use special abilities. This game is made up of 10 missions, all of them linear, with a structure that mostly adheres to the arcade games.

Now if you just want a straight-up Double Dragon beatemup without all of that RPG nonsense, I'd suggest Double Dragon Advance (GBA). It is in my opinion the best entry in the classic series. In any case, we're strictly talking about Neon for the rest of this review.

Some days it just doesn't pay to hang out in front of your boyfriend's garage, as Marian gets kidnapped AGAIN. This time around the villain is a lovely chap by the name of Skullmageddon. A silly name deserves a silly character, and he's all that and more. This is the goofiest and most 80s entry in the series. Along with a ton of familiar names (with not so familiar faces), there are a handful of new enemies and bosses to contend with. Aesthetically this game is very well-done, with a truly excellent soundtrack that elevates it to another level.

Since these days it apparently isn't enough to make a game about beating hundreds of people up, Neon features RPG elements. Trying to ignore them in search of a "legitimate" challenge will just frustrate and anger you. There are 20 mix-tapes, 10 are special moves, 10 function as stat-boosting equipment. You can switch mix-tapes at any moment in the game. It's strategic in a sense. You can switch to a magic-boosting tape and fling a few fireballs, then switch to your absorb tape to replenish some health. You can even micro-manage like you're playing a JRPG with an ATB (active-time-beatemup) system.

The actual fighting is comparable to the previous games, although slightly stiffer. Some moves have been changed around or removed, but classics such as the flying knee and spin-kick are always handy. The most important move is the duck. When you duck an enemy's attack at the right moment, you get the glow and do 4x damage for a few seconds. Also while ducking you can do an evasive roll. This is an extremely useful move to master. Overall the fighting is standard, but it's enjoyable. It could be more satisfying I suppose, but juggling an enemy never gets old.

As you'd expect from a Double Dragon game, Billy and Jimmy can team up some brotastic bro-op fun. Just don't expect much if you attempt to play online. I've tried hosting a few times and the results were pitiful. Players would jump on, play for a minute or two, and then just leave. I'm not sure what the deal is here. I've read that the online doesn't function properly, or it has issues with certain machines, or it only works when it's raining in Georgia. Whatever the case, it's a darn shame that more people can't enjoy this game online, it's way more fun with a friend. There's always local-play at least.

There are other issues with the PC port, such as memory leakage, crashes, and so on. I didn't really experience anything firsthand, so I guess I lucked out. While there was a patch early last year, it apparently didn't go far enough in fixing the game. Abstraction Games, the team responsible for the Neon port, had ONE TESTER working on it.

What the Butt?
ONE TESTER!

I couldn't believe it. Let's figure this out.
While the PC can be considered an easy platform to develop for, you have to account for a multitude of variables. How do you expect to make a game that's compatible with every PC, when it was only tested with one?

Another problem with having ONE TESTER is that Double Dragon is an online co-operative game. You can't possibly expect ONE person to test a TWO player game...can you?

At the very least a beta-test should have been done. It's not like volunteers are that hard to come by. Hell, it seems like these days we're all beta-testers (especially whenever a new Assassin's Creed is released). It'd be nice to beta-test a game for free instead of paying for it. Wow...ONE TESTER...I just can't get over that.

All in all Double Dragon Neon is a good game. Its quasi-beatemup/RPG elements give it it a rather unique spin, and I can't recommend the soundtrack enough. Just do some research, hold your breath, and hope for the best if you plan on getting this port. It just might crash and burn on you.





One tester...SMH

This game is too much fun when you have a buddy playing with you. I wish they would bring back more games like this. Games like TMNT, CONTRA, BATTLE TOADS, SUNSET RIDERS, THE SIMPSONS ARCADE, XMEN, ALIEN VS PREDITOR THE ARCADE and so on.... Def recomend if you grew up loving these games and didn't mind spending your entire allowence dying.

Knife to meet you.
Sacrelicious!
Hole in one!
Stabular!

11/10.

Would stab again.

A great game to pick up and play with a bro. not some fake bro online but a bro, a bro's bro that bro you would bro for. you feel me bro?

Double Dragon: Neon is the latest installment in the long-running Double Dragon series. DD: Neon feels like a total reboot of the entire Double Dragon series, starting things over from scratch + then also taking it completely into its own direction. Paying homage to 1980's & 1990's culture in video games, movies, music, and so forth - DD:N succeeds in being an outlandish, ridiculous, funny, fun & often challenging brawler in the DD universe that especially fans of that era of brawlers should take on.

To begin with the basic DD premise, here's the story: Marion gets kidnapped by someone, so the Lee Brothers, Billy & Jimmy, head off & adventure out to find who took her, kick butt & go rescue her. That is just the start of things, as the game that feels grounded as it begins and then eventually adventures into outlandish + ridiculous over-the-top territory, not feeling like many of the older Double Dragon games. Neon is constantly tossing out 80's + 90's references and paying homage to the classic games, movies, music & things from that culture + era. This game is definitely not to be taken seriously - and thankfully, it fits b/c the game's just often really fun to actually play.

But, oh - can it also be challenging + frustrating, too. Multiple run-throughs of a level b/c of no auto-save placed in an entire level can be annoying + frustrating, feeling like a trip back to the 80's + 90's of difficult games from the Nintendo era. The game will save itself once you finish a level, though. So, you won't have to always restart from Level 1, if you need to leave the game + shut it off for a bit. And this all here was on its Normal difficulty (which is what you start with; you have to finish the game to unlock the others)!

Gameplay feels like your typical side-scrolling 2D-style brawler, for the most part. Of course, the game isn't without its own twists - by basically combining many classics brawlers + throwing some RPG upgrading-elements on top. If you've played classic fighters such as Streets of Rage series, Final Fight (some moves are just plain unrealistic + combat is faster than old Double Dragon) and especially Double Dragon (since it's still a bit methodical with its combat) - you basically know what you're getting into. Combat here just feels great with the X360 gamepad. While Neon is mostly a linear affair, like River City Ransom (NES), you may run into shops in-game where you can purchase upgrades for your skills + abilities. Constantly, you are defeating enemies + picking up power-ups for your skills (which are mixtapes + even have their own songs in the Inventory menu!).

If this all sounds good to you with gameplay + combat - well, you're in for a treat. Combat here is a lot of fun + a joy here to take part in, for the most part. Playing with the X360 controller, the controls felt very smooth + the game also ran very well, normally ranging from 55-60 frames per second on my PC (i7 950; 1 GB VRAM of GF GTX 560 Ti; 16 GB RAM; Win 7 64-bit) when set in a 1920x1080 resolution (1080p). The game sports a very nice artistic direction that just oozes cool for its 2D environments, while its 3D character models look also good. Don't expect a technical masterpiece here, this isn't Crysis - this game's all about its sweet art direction.

The music absolutely stands out here + sounds great, having that 80's & 90's vibe. Whether it's an actual song they made + performed with lyrics, or a piece that sounds like it could've been in an 80's movie, or a complete remix of a classic tune from Double Dragon games - the music always fits the bill and sounds great. No doubt about it, the soundtrack here is just always fantastic.

The game is not long, by any means per playthrough. For my first run-through, playing solo, it took around 4-5 hours approximately. There are Leaderboards, so you can compare your run-throughs & compete with other players online & even your Friends. Also, you can go through the Co-Op locally or on the Internet via Steam, so you can play with your Friends. Also, once unlocked - there are multiple difficulties, so if you want more of a Challenge and want to compete on the Leaderboards, it's certainly there. This all certainly could help the replay value, if you actually like the game & want to give it multiple run-throughs.

When it all comes down to it: DD:N is just a lot of fun, for the most part. It plays lots of homage to 80's + 90's culture, runs well, plays well, looks cool artistically, has a fantastic soundtrack & delivers a really solid experience. While auto-saves locations are placed after each level, some might like this challenge & feel that is reminiscant of games from an older era (Nintendo era). DD: Neon is quite good. Neon is often funny, outlandish, ridiculous, over-the-top & a flat-out fun brawler that gamers, especially fans of this genre (of brawlers), just should not miss.

Final Grade = B-.

So 80's it Hurts
and boy it Hurts So Good.

I've been waiting for some beat'em up like this, and it hasn't disappointed me.

Old school but with actually graphics, great bso and nice gameplay too.

You must play this game, it's good.

Beat Em Up with Rpg elements across 3 difficulty levels. Fantastic Soundtrack and simplistic gameplay. Leveling everything to max will take quite a while giving good replay value. Highly reccomended for beat em up fans.

I felt cheated by this game. Granted i got this from the recent brawler humble bundle but the hype this game promised and did not deliever has left me feeling cheated. The graphics and music is awesome i loved them, but the controls are the stiffest controls i have ever had with a fighting game, trying to run and i have to wait half a second before i actually run, the dodge mechanic is flawed as you have to imput a direction immediatly after pressing duck ( which i also found to be stupid you only duck for less than half a second) everything about the controls and movement felt so sluggish which is the opposite of what you want for a brawling game, you want fast responsive controls with a lot of fluidity with them.

The difficulty, like with all games i am playing for the first time i play on the easiest difficulty to get used to the gameplay and controls before increasing the difficulty.... i was killed after being hit 3 times, the amount of damage you take was crazy it made the need for health bar pointless they should of just used a health counter instead it saddens me that even this remake to me feels like its living up to its history of bad games

Neon is one of those games that got ♥♥♥♥ on by game reviewers that had no idea what they were doing. If you like beat-em ups Neon is one of the best in a long time alongside Castle Crashers in a genre that's pretty much dead. The music is great, the writing is funny, and while the gameplay has some problems here and there its still a hell of a lot of fun, especially if you team up with a friend. The only truly notable flaw is that you have to repeat levels in order to go to shops. Get this game.

Jimmy & Billy Lee obviously have brain damage from years of fighting in the streets. Yelling "TOUCHDOWN" after hitting an enemy with a baseball bat ! 11/10 would sport again.

Double Dragon Neon is what I wanted from a Double Dragon as a Double Dragon fan and some more.

First of all: do not spect this to be a trying-to-be-serious beat 'em up. It's not. The over the top 80s aura is what makes this a nice game. From Genzoman's colorful artwork to the 80s glam-synth-pop music it's a festival to what 80s was. Dude! even the dialogs is like a mid-budget movie: so bad it's laughably good.

I've read some bad reviews about the controls, and I have not had any of such problems. Even found one that was complaining on the half-second dodge move (a duck) and then saying, and I'm paraphrasing, this game is about speed and fluent fighting. I have no problem ducking almost all of the hits and returning a Gleamfull o' fists. Controls are just to be used to in a couple minutes of gameplay.

Also read some whole lot of reviews puitting it on the ground for having no online co-op. I can only tell "you do not have real friends?". I do not remember playing any DD title without a friend shoulder to shoulder with some "I needed that life, bro!" discussions from time to time.

Only complaint is a bug on the game that music and SFX went gone completely and when leaving the game PC gets blocked and have to reset manualy.

For me it's a GREAT game. and with a bro! even more fun.

Bro! Marion has been kidnapped again and its time to go crack some skulls and resuce her!

This game is an oversized goodybag on christmas and I am a child with a serious case of the candy munchies!

What can I say about this game? It's so over the time, so 90's, so brilliant that if you like walking down the street whilst hitting people then this game is for you and you need to own it ASAP.

Double dragon is a game that created a genre, it was that good. Re-inventing a game like this is no easy feat but somehow they managed it and it is one hell of a ride!
The basic double dragon formula is here...Which game? All 3 of them! But only as far as movesets go minus that akward backwards kick thing in double dragon 2.

While the stages are clearly inspired from the original at first that quickly changes and the game becomes its own thing rather than just yanking the nostalgia chain until it snaps. I could go on and on singing this game praises bu-- Singing?

The ending credits are, well I'd best not spoil it more than I have already because it is the perfect icing on the cake when all is said and done with the game.

Honestly the game is brilliant but of course if you look hard enough you can find flaws anywhere and this game is no different. The game has 3 difficulty settings and a leveling up system (powered by cash and mythril) so you will be replaying stages again and again in order to progress to the highest difficulty however you can't skip cutscenes! Why not? You also can't skip the ending credit scroll and since the last boss is a great source of resources to farm, this quickly detracts from the fun value.

There, that is the biggest and infact only gripe I could muster for the game. Its just too damn good and I highly recommend it!

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Buy this game just for the song: Mango Tango.

I am commited to 100% this game on its highest difficulty. I love it so much. The mechanics are solid and the fighting makes everything feel like you're knocking the wind out of people. There's so much personality oozing from this game too. I can't help but laugh at the stupid puns and ridiculous action elements that rise to the MAX degree.

My only problem is the online could be better (I'm looking at you Abstraction Games)
This game is amazing for bro-ops, so I would suggest trying local bro-op for this.

Actually, I dare ya to buy this.
I Double Dragon dare ya.

So close! So close to capturing the true spirit of the original but mixing Final Fight elements into a Double Dragon game would have fanboys brawling in their mothers basements across the globe. I can't give it a thumbs down because of the tremendous effort made,, but there's still something missing from it.

Fantastic game, glorious soundtrack, but don't expect any kind of sequel or remake.
The nostalgia factor plays a role, but mostly in the small references, not really in the overall visuals or the gameplay.
DDN plays more like a fighting game than a beat them up, some good execution will be required and button mashing won't get you very far.
I think most players complaining about "clunky controls" just got wrong expectations, I find the controls very responsive, but the gameplay requires more anticipation, pattern recognition, timing and accuracy than reflexes or thumb speed.