I was very excited to finally get my hands on Double Dragon Neon, a game that I thought would bring back great memories of the old days. However, after playing Neon for only a few minutes, I realized that those memories may not have been as great as I thought. Double Dragon Neon isn't a bad brawler game; it's the brawler genre as a whole that needs some serious reimagining.
A couple months ago a friend and I sat down to play Streets of Rage 2 on the Sega Genesis Collection. I remembered really enjoying the game as a kid, but this time I wasn't having any fun while playing it. Streets of Rage simply didn't withstand the test of time.
Brawler videogames come out of an era when you would do much of your gaming in arcades, feeding quarters into a machine with some friends. The ability to play on the same screen with a buddy, working together to conquer mutual enemies, was what lead to much of the appeal of the brawler genre in the first place.
Fast forward to present day, and none of that is really all that appealing now—we're too used to it. So, what else does the brawler genre offer? Well, not much. You roam around a small game area, punching enemies in the face, and occasionally there will be a terrain hazard or new foe to change up the action.
Sadly, this type of game just isn't fun anymore, and it's all we get from Double Dragon Neon, a title which fails to change up the classic play in a significant way. Granted, there are certain gimmicks that attempt to add some depth to the face kicking, but none of them are particularly interesting.
Article comments
1 - Matt Paprocki
There's a tremendous amount of timing skill required to play Neon. The duck/dodge is absolutely critical to play the game. It's poorly explained in the the limited tutorial, but once the timing is down, it's a superior defensive move. It charges up attack strength, and combined with a bolstered cassette, the attack set comes alive. It's a radical departure for the genre which traditionally values reflexes.
The genre itself has plenty of life left. Depreciation of the genre's attributes is no reason to discredit Neon, and certainly not the voice work which is meant to be as cheeky as possible. All of its elements combine as a love letter to the genre and the '80s in general. Neon takes some bold steps to revitalize the beat-em-up by focusing on technique, style, and tight combat. Skullmageddon's power ballad during the closing credits is one of 2012's finest gaming moments. This is a game with space dojos and "anti-tank" martial arts. I don't know how the tongue-in-cheek aspects go without notice.
But really, if Streets of Rage 2 doesn't click with you, this just isn't your genre. Games haven't passed them by so much as they've become overloaded in complexity.
2 - Matt Paprocki
Oh, and the reason those enemies seem impervious is because you're supposed to be rolling. That's a sign they're in an attack. Some moves need a duck, some need a full roll. The whip is ridiculously easy to counter with a roll, turn, then execute double damage with basic attacks or cassette strikes.