Plot. In 19XX, violence ruled the streets of New York City after the Nuclear War. Even with the crime syndicates growing bigger every year, two men were brave enough to challenge them. Their names were Billy and Jimmy Lee, they were known as the Double Dragons. The Dragons had one terrible enemy, to fight and defeat him was their destiny. Taking place where "Double Dragon" left off, one day, the Shadow Warriors attacked the city. Big Boss Willy returns and kills Billy's girlfriend, Marian. The Double Dragons then swore to avenge her death.
Concept. You start guiding the Lee brothers on nine different missions, fighting bad guys and stronger bosses than ever before. There are three difficulties: Practice, where you only play in three stages, Master, where you play in eight stages, and Supreme Master, where you finally confront the Shadow Master himself. Talk about a very difficult final boss in this game. I mean, this game is one of many that defined my childhood.
Music. Some songs have changed their style resembling it to some Bruce Lee movies although it was quite enjoyable to listen. Most of the songs especially the themes of stages 2, 4, 5, and 9 were very catchy and well made.
History. As I described the history in my Double Dragon review, here is where I would tell what games Double Dragon inspired. Since Double Dragon is one of the best beat-em-up game series ever made, this game has spawned various inspirations for different games. Battletoads is a beat-em-up game developed by Tradewest, which is another successful one. The Battletoads would have a crossover with Double Dragon in the game "Battletoads & Double Dragon". Double Dragon would also inspire beat-em-up games like: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and it's many great games, Final Fight, Streets of Rage, and so on.
Censorships. The difference between the Arcade and the NES, is because they tried to make it as clean as possible on the NES. In the Arcade version, Marian is gunned down and murdered by Big Boss Willy, while in the NES she looks like she gets raped or killed.
Rantings. Ok, as cool as Mission 6 looks, I have to say that I hated this stage because of the disappearing platforms, and the jump mechanisms were kind of bothersome in some way. Mission 7 was also another bother because of the spikes, wheel gears, and the rotating platforms. In terms of the enemies, the Chin Taimei guys were not so bad, but the Ninjas, UGH! I really can't stand them after all these years, DAMN. Talk about a fight that would make me reach my breaking point. The Bolo boss was a pain in the ass, he would just beat you and throw you around.
Good Aspects. The gameplay has progressed very well since the first game, I really liked the changes and the bosses were very well made. The boss I found fun to fight with was Abore, the Arnold Schwarzenegger look alike boss. I think the Japanese really enjoy Hollywood action movies, the kind ones with Arnold, Stallone, Lundgren, Van Damme, and so on. The stages were very well designed, and the game has a lot of replay value, a lot more than the first game.
Overall. The game is a success in the 1980's and remains a cult classic to old time gamers like myself. This game gets a 9 out of 10