Pros & Cons
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- Fast gameplay.
- Good controller support.
- Local co-op and higher-difficulty modes add longevity to the trilogy.
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- No free-play mode.
- Awkward changes to soundtrack and UI.
- Some story scenes and intros botched or outright removed.
The Double Dragon series has a spotty history. The original games set the standard for side-scrolling beat 'em ups during their 1980s heyday, but sinc then the series has been incredibly hit-or-miss, with acclaimed titles like Double Dragon Neon sharing the spotlight with rubbish like the Wander of the Dragons remake. Double Dragon Trilogy ($5.99), a PC game that arrives courtesy of Steam, gives gamers a taste of the iconic street-brawling arcade action. The games are just as enjoyable as they were back in the day, and publisher DotEmu has enhanced the trilogy to take advantage of the Steam platform. At the same time, however, odd emulation oversights and changes create holes in Double Dragon Trilogy's armor, devaluing what could have been a more-impressive package.
View All A New Coat of Paint
The Double Dragon Trilogy comes with all the bells and whistles one would expect from a Steam release, including leaderboards, achievements, and online multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, the online multiplayer is a dead zone; I had little luck finding others to play online with. On the upside, Double Dragon Trilogy supports local co-op play, making it ideal for thug-slugging desktop shenanigans among friends.
The Double Dragon Trilogy gives players several resolution options to choose from, ranging from 800 by 600 to 1920 by 1080. The game doesn't benefit much from the increased pixel count, however, because the original arcade titles didn't sport high-resolution graphics. It's a nice option, nonetheless. Alongside the resolution selection is the full-screen option, which does little more than stretch the image, as well as video filtering, which smooths the edges in the game. Like Metal Slug 3SEE IT, Double Dragon Trilogy lets you add scan-lines for a more classic arcade look.
After spending some time with Double Dragon Trilogy, it became clear that the games are not a faithful emulation of the arcade originals, but rather subtly enhanced versions. DotEmu tweaked the game engine in such a way that the Double Dragon games run at an increased (and much more consistent) speed than their arcade counterparts. The original Double Dragon games were hardly paragons of performance, as it took just a few energetic enemies to appear on-screen at once to slow the gameplay to a crawl. The enhanced and more consistent speed is a welcome improvement, though the change may turn off those players hoping for a more-faithful emulation of the original games.
