What happend to Double Dragon and Battletoads?

[jajaja]

Im not thinking of the SNES game hehe, but at work today i was starting to think about what happend to the Double Dragon and Battletoads series? These series were so great and popular back in the days, why did they stop to make them? People lost interest or what?

[GillianSeed]

Im not thinking of the SNES game hehe, but at work today i was starting to think about what happend to the Double Dragon and Battletoads series? These series were so great and popular back in the days, why did they stop to make them? People lost interest or what?

I don't think it's anything in particular with these two series, it's just that brawlers in general seem to have fallen out of favor.

[exit]

Double Dragon had that horrible fighter released, which was the last nail in that coffin.

[jajaja]

Double Dragon had that horrible fighter released, which was the last nail in that coffin.

The one for SNES and Neo Geo? I actually got the SNES game 2 weeks ago or so. Still havnt tested it tho hehe, but i think i have before, indeed not the greatest game :( I loved Super Double Dragon and Double Dragon & Battletoads tho :)

EDIT: I totaly forgot about Double Dragon Advance for GBA, damn hehe. This game is also ok, but its the same as DD1, i was thinking of newer games :)

[pragmatic insanester]

people probably stopped buying Battletoads games because most of them seemed to have an unwinnable hiverbike section at like the 2nd/3rd level. its one thing to make a cheap section in a game toward the end where most gamers without skills would probably die reguardless, but when you stick that at the beginning... its just going to piss people off and they'll regret their purchasing decision.

[ryborg]

people probably stopped buying Battletoads games because most of them seemed to have an unwinnable hiverbike section at like the 2nd/3rd level.

Agreed. I've beaten damn near every old platformer on the NES-generation systems, but I've STILL never completed the original NES Battletoads (well, without the help of Game Genie, etc). Great concept, but it really didn't need to be that frustrating.

I also never thought the actual characters were good for non-game merchandising, like the Ninja Turtles or Sonic.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

EDIT: I totaly forgot about Double Dragon Advance for GBA, damn hehe. This game is also ok, but its the same as DD1, i was thinking of newer games :)
Double Dragon Advance is not at all the same as the original Double Dragon. It has tons of new moves (actually mostly moves from other Double Dragon games) and different enemies. It's really like a sort of Double Dragon Supermix or...well...Double Dragon Advance. It's definitely the best game in the series and the best beat'em up released in years.

If you haven't played it, give it a try.


...word is bondage...

[exit]

I also never thought the actual characters were good for non-game merchandising, like the Ninja Turtles or Sonic.

Remember the syndicated Double Dragon cartoon? Talk about boring. I believe Battletoads had one as well, only very briefly.

I remember getting towards the end of the Battletoads on SNES and having plenty of lives left, then the motorbike level came up and I lost them within seconds. The game was fun up until that point.

[DragonMaster Sam]

The Turbo Tunnels in Battletoads aren't that hard once you get the hang of it. Took me awhile, but I was able to get past that and beat Battlemaniacs.

[Push Upstairs]

Wasn't there an arcade Battletoads game? Did that have a speedbike level?

[ryborg]

Remember the syndicated Double Dragon cartoon? Talk about boring.

Don't forget the Double Dragon movie, with Alyssa Milano and the bad guy from T2. What a hunk of garbage that was. I don't even want to think how it stacks up against other terrible video game movies released around the same time, like Street Fighter, SMB: The Movie, etc...

[jajaja]

Double Dragon Advance is not at all the same as the original Double Dragon. It has tons of new moves (actually mostly moves from other Double Dragon games) and different enemies. It's really like a sort of Double Dragon Supermix or...well...Double Dragon Advance. It's definitely the best game in the series and the best beat'em up released in years.

If you haven't played it, give it a try.


...word is bondage...

Oh, i've played it :) I have a copy of my own. I never gotten around to play the arcade version of DD, but the game levels etc. seems to be the exact same as in DD for NES. Never payed attention to new moves or enemies, but cool to know =)

[bangtango]

I never gotten around to play the arcade version of DD

Just play the Sega Genesis version. It is a near-perfect port of the original arcade game. Since it was an unlicensed game by Ballistic, though, the quality control is a little shoddy. The controls are subpar and the sound effects are horrible. However, the graphics and music are excellent when compared to the arcade version. Still a very good experience, I just put it in to play earlier tonight. Only trouble is that game goes for a good price complete. I had to stick with buying a loose cart for under $10.


Don't forget the Double Dragon movie, with Alyssa Milano and the bad guy from T2. What a hunk of garbage that was. I don't even want to think how it stacks up against other terrible video game movies released around the same time, like Street Fighter, SMB: The Movie, etc...

If it wasn't for Raul Julia, who was doing a movie well beneath his ability, Street Fighter would have been unwatchable. I think Double Dragon would have been better if it just ran on tv as a pilot or a made-for-cable movie, it certainly didn't belong in the theater.

[cyberfluxor]

Don't forget the Double Dragon movie, with Alyssa Milano and the bad guy from T2. What a hunk of garbage that was. I don't even want to think how it stacks up against other terrible video game movies released around the same time, like Street Fighter, SMB: The Movie, etc...

Yeah, I personally prefer the animated Street Fighter Alpha movies. I think there are more successful animated video game movies than live action, but that's another topic.


It would be nice to see some good new brawlers come out, like Dynamite Cop 2 or Die Hard. I miss some of these older games that should be brought back to life, even if for one game this generation.

[bangtango]

I think that if a legitimate effort to bring out a new Double Dragon or Battletoads game was ever considered, it'd never get off the ground. The game would be in development hell forever from a team of people who are worried about:

1. Keeping up with games of today and not releasing a product that looks dated. In short, something that would appeal to today's gamers.

2. Producing a game that actually lives up to the standards set by the "better" games in those two series, something that would make fans of the earlier games happy.

There are two distinct groups of people to please and two big hurdles that any development team would have to leap. Meeting both of these requirements is a pretty daunting task and that is why you'll probably never see a serious effort to reestablish second-tier series (really, neither of them had more than one or two all-time "classic" games), such as those two, which have been in hibernation that long.

It is also the same reason that something like Duke Nukem Forever hasn't been released. Whoever is working on the game at any given point will be forever chasing their tail(s).

[Push Upstairs]

If it wasn't for Raul Julia, who was doing a movie well beneath his ability, Street Fighter would have been unwatchable.


Even with Raul Julia the movie is still unwatchable.

1. The movie is terrible. I was still big into games at the time of it's release and even then I knew the movie was lame.

2. It also sucks because that was Raul Julia's final role. He deserved to go out with a much better movie than this. He was a fine Gomez Addams.

I have a suspicion that this movie looks like the friggin "Ten Commandments" compared to the shit Uwe Boll makes.

[bangtango]

Even with Raul Julia the movie is still unwatchable.

1. The movie is terrible. I was still big into games at the time of it's release and even then I knew the movie was lame.

2. It also sucks because that was Raul Julia's final role. He deserved to go out with a much better movie than this. He was a fine Gomez Addams.

I have a suspicion that this movie looks like the friggin "Ten Commandments" compared to the shit Uwe Boll makes.

I was surprised the movie worked most of the characters into it. That was part of the problem, though. They seemed more concerned with making sure every familiar character had a cameo, to please the hardcore fans, than they were with making a quality movie. At least the first Mortal Kombat movie worked in the important characters in a way that made sense, regardless of what people think of the final outcome.

Personally, I thought the biggest problem was Jean Claude himself. What a rotten choice for a lead. Making Guile the star was also a misstep, no matter who had played him. Aside from the fact that a lot of people liked using him when the game first hit the arcades, due to the unbalanced characters in the early versions, he was one of the least interesting characters in the SFII games.

[Push Upstairs]

I have (or had) an article where the director of the movie was interviewed years after the movie was released (probably 2000-ish), and he said the studio wanted all the characters in the movie and then when "Super" came out they wanted those extra four in the movie as well. He also said having 8 characters was bad and that forcing all 12 in there made things worse.

I wish I could find that article again because it was a complete 180 from his earlier, more optimistic (pre-movie release) interview he did for Gamepro.

[bangtango]

I have (or had) an article where the director of the movie was interviewed years after the movie was released (probably 2000-ish), and he said the studio wanted all the characters in the movie and then when "Super" came out they wanted those extra four in the movie as well. He also said having 8 characters was bad and that forcing all 12 in there made things worse.

I wish I could find that article again because it was a complete 180 from his earlier, more optimistic (pre-movie release) interview he did for Gamepro.

Out of the 12 characters, wasn't Fei Long the only one who didn't make it in? I'm sure one of them was left out but everyone else made the cut. I'm surprised because the studio could have just hired Don "The Dragon" Wilson or Philip Rhee both of whom actually look like him.

[j_factor]

What happened to Double Dragon is that Technos went out of business right after they released the one for Neo Geo. Double Dragon Advance was released by Atlus shortly after having acquired the rights to all Technos properties somehow.

As for Battletoads, I'd say only the first one and Battletoads Double Dragon were very popular. I don't remember Battlemaniacs being very popular (and it kinda sucked), and the arcade game is downright rare. The series' death may have had something to do with Nintendo taking over Rare.

[Tron 2.0]

Double Dragon Advance was released by Atlus shortly after having acquired the rights to all Technos properties somehow.
.
DDA and RCR ex were made by Millon Corp and atlus publish both games.

Pretty much millon is made up of people that used to be in Technos.

Btw the DD fighter wasn't Technos only title for the NeoGeo you forgot Super Dodge Ball&Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer.

Pretty much SDB is a spin off RCR but the characters are playing dodge ball.

I have, SDB for my NeoGeo MVS one of my all time favorites too.

Still i never played, DD or Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer for the Neo but i've found fans who liked them.

[Tron 2.0]

Remember the syndicated Double Dragon cartoon? Talk about boring. I believe Battletoads had one as well, only very briefly.

Yeah there was a short lived battletoads cartoon.

The horror is that D.I.C made it :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUFKqfg1ai8

[Push Upstairs]

Out of the 12 characters, wasn't Fei Long the only one who didn't make it in? I'm sure one of them was left out but everyone else made the cut. I'm surprised because the studio could have just hired Don "The Dragon" Wilson or Philip Rhee both of whom actually look like him.

Yeah, but I think they made up another character that wasn't in the original game but ended up in the game based on the movie. They still ended up with far more characters than they needed for the story they were trying to tell.

A game based on a movie based on a game....the mind boggles.



I wish I could remember the magazine the interview was in. I wanna say it was in the short lived Incite magazine, but I have lost the two other issues I had floating around.

[DaBargainHunta]

2. It also sucks because that was Raul Julia's final role. He deserved to go out with a much better movie than this. He was a fine Gomez Addams.
It actually wasn't Raul Julia's final role. That's a common misconception. His last film was Down Came a Blackbird (1995). I believe it was a Showtime Original Movie (or something along those lines), but I could be wrong about that part.

[exit]

Yeah there was a short lived battletoads cartoon.

The horror is that D.I.C made it :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUFKqfg1ai8

I can see why it never made it past the pilot, I lost interest within 3 minutes.

[rbudrick]

Double Dragon Advance is the best in the series. They went all out with this one, being sure to put lots of stuff in there just for fans, some of it very subtle. Basically, they combine some of the very best from all of the side scrolling DD games. They put levels, music, and enemies in there from the arcade, and NES, and other versions versions of DD1 and 2. If anyone is a DD fan, they MUST play this game. It's awesome and a true nod to DD fans everywhere.

They really did a great job of combining things from so many different versions of the games. The music is all redone very well, making many tracks much better than their orignals. Sometimes remixes don't pull this off, but this game did.

-Rob

[Push Upstairs]

It actually wasn't Raul Julia's final role. That's a common misconception. His last film was Down Came a Blackbird (1995). I believe it was a Showtime Original Movie (or something along those lines), but I could be wrong about that part.

So it was.

The SF movie was still below him anyway.

[bangtango]

So it was.

The SF movie was still below him anyway.

One redeeming moment was when everything was falling apart and he commented to Dee Jay that it was just the two of them. Meanwhile, Dee Jay is leaving the room and Bison doesn't notice.


TRANSCRIPT:

Bison: Then defeat is a possibility. Very well. We shall face it together, Dee Jay, with the stoicism of the true warrior.

[Dee Jay quietly leaves as Bison continues to stare at the screen]

[jajaja]

Yeah there was a short lived battletoads cartoon.

The horror is that D.I.C made it :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUFKqfg1ai8

Woah, psykotronic! Haha LOL So typical oldskool cartoon, i watched the whole episode :)

[bangtango]

Double Dragon Advance is the best in the series. They went all out with this one, being sure to put lots of stuff in there just for fans, some of it very subtle. Basically, they combine some of the very best from all of the side scrolling DD games. They put levels, music, and enemies in there from the arcade, and NES, and other versions versions of DD1 and 2. If anyone is a DD fan, they MUST play this game. It's awesome and a true nod to DD fans everywhere.

They really did a great job of combining things from so many different versions of the games. The music is all redone very well, making many tracks much better than their orignals. Sometimes remixes don't pull this off, but this game did.

-Rob

Although I like the first Double Dragon (preferably the arcade or Genesis version) the most, for nostalgia reasons, I also agree that the GBA version is "the best." Definitely a must-own for any DD fan.

[ShenmueFan]

I love Battletoads. They reminded me of Ninja Turtles but were different enough to be cool. I think an updated 2D side-scrolling Battletoads would be awesome....just PLEASE don't make it 3D!

3D doesn't automatically make something better!!!

[bangtango]

I love Battletoads. They reminded me of Ninja Turtles but were different enough to be cool!!!

That is probably what the creators of Battletoads thought. "Hmm, Ninja Turtles are popular. How can we jump into that market?"

Gotta give them credit, though. They easily bumped the original Ninja Turtles game, which wasn't a cakewalk, down a few spots on the "Hardest NES Games" list.

[50s Brawler]

All I'm going to say is that if SEGA still hasn't put out a high res 2-D "Bare Knuckle / Streets of Rage 4" game, HELL will freeze over before another Double Dragon game sees the light of day. I don't really count DD Advance personally as an entry in it's own right simply because it truely was a mishmash of pretty much every Double Dragon game (multiple versions included) ever made. I'd honestly rather see a true direct sequel to Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari [River City Ransom] made and pimped all to heck, but that isn't likely to happen either. Along with a few others here or there, only us die hard BEU fans really care about the furthered proliferation of the genre. It hurts to say that, but it's true.
:(

[Cryomancer]

There was a decent-sounding RCR sequel being developed for the GBA, but then the remake was announced, so the guy making it stopped. I probably summed that up poorly but here:

http://www.lostlevels.org/200402/200402-rcr.shtml