On the surface, Double Dragon Neon looks like a great fighter. However, after an extended bout, you’ll see some flaws that keep it from being among XBLA’s best.
With Neon, revival-friendly Wayforward Technologies (A Boy and His Blob, Contra 4) once again pays homage to the past with their own unique style. The soundtrack is sublime, including covers of a few classic Double Dragon tunes as well as new stage-specific songs and short themes that pack plenty of retro-inspired charm. Classic characters look familiar, the new NPCs are memorable, and the dialogue surprisingly funny — most of the time. We could’ve done without borderline-racist caricatures like an English-mangling shopkeeper, and the way all the buxom female fighters seem to moan for more punishment when you hit them. Ugh.
Those sore spots aside, the combat stands up strong against XBLA beat-’em-up champs Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim. Your repertoire isn’t very deep, but there’s not a single useless move. The depth comes from collectible mixtapes, which enhance your abilities in two ways: status modifications (stronger/more durable weapons, gaining health when you land attacks, increased power when you’re down to half-health) and special moves (lightning strikes, fireballs, devastating one-inch punches). Using the proper combo is key to gaining the upper hand in oft-difficult battles where you can lose a life in as few as a half-dozen hits.
As you can see, some of the special moves are a tad outlandish...Unfortunately, the game’s difficulty is compounded by a terribly imbalanced single-player experience. When fighting alongside a partner, you can revive each other to half-health, do special high-fives that share your health, and — if all else fails — steal a life from your partner to get back in the game. Playing alone, there are no such buffers, and with no checkpoint system, being beaten by a stage-ending boss sends you back to the stage’s beginning. Unfortunately, the easiest remedy isn’t in the game yet — WayForward is releasing an update “soon” that’ll add online co-op — so keep the difficulty in mind if you don’t have a Jimmy Lee in your immediate vicinity.
While Double Dragon Neon is definitely entertaining (and priced perfectly), it’s unfortunate that a few design quirks weaken it. The promised online play should make it more beatable, but the poorly balanced soloplay does dim Neon’s shine.
If you're unlucky enough to tackle the game without a co-op partner, here's a tip: right before player one’s final life is depleted, press Start on a second-player controller to earn an ersatz continue.PUBLISHER: Majesco Entertainment • DEVELOPER: WayForward Technologies • ESRB: Teen • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in local-only co-op (Xbox Live co-op coming "soon" via update) • ACHIEVEMENTS: Grueling • COST: 800 Microsoft Points ($10) • RELEASE DATE: September 12, 2012
+ Gorgeous visuals, awesomely cheesy tunes, and funny (if occasionally offensive) voice clips.
+ Combat has subtle depth, enhanced by status modifiers and special moves.
– Terrible imbalance between playing alone or with a partner.
? Are the jetpack girls the most annoying non-boss beat-’em-up opponents ever? (Yes.)
