Mega Drive Longplay [076] Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Sat, 27 Dec 2025 10:54:12 +0000

Played By: BimmyLee83

It's almost universally accepted that Double Dragon II was the best Double Dragon game on NES and one of the best fighting games of the 8-bit era, period. While I wholeheartedly agree with both those statements, I can't say the same for the Mega Drive version. In fact, the Mega Drive version of DD II is one of the worst Double Dragon entries yet.

The controls are slightly improved from DD I as far as being responsive, but they're still cumbersome to work with, especially when trying to do your special moves. Your cyclone kick requires precise timing (there was a little more room for error in the NES version) and your jump kick only works if you press the correct attack button depending on which way you're facing (same with DD I). Also, if more than 2 characters occupy the screen at any time, be ready for some abysmal slowdown. Seriously, think severe Brawl lag...it's almost game-breaking at times since it has a direct effect on the timing of your attacks. You'll eventually learn to anticipate these moments and plan your attacks ahead of time, but should you really have to?

Like its predecessor, DD II offers a sparse, but adequate soundtrack. There are also voice samples in the game this time around, but they sound awful, and fighting sound effects remind me of the Commodore 64. Every blow sound the same, whether you're punching, kicking, or using a weapon. I know the Mega Drive wasn't exactly known for it's sound capabilities, but just listening to those recycled, guttural enemy groans and horrid impact samples, I refuse to believe they couldn't have done a better job.

The graphics are very basic, but somewhat reminiscent of the arcade port. Nothing special here. I think the NES version looked better, personally.

You can also go co-op with another player, but the far superior NES version also has that feature. In my opinion, if you own either the NES or PC Engine version of Double Dragon II, you already have the best versions so no need to look further. -