I was about 10 when I got Double Dragon for my C64. I absolutely loved the arcade version. Honestly, I couldn't get enough of it at the local bowling alley. At one point, one of my professed goals of life was to beat Double Dragon in the arcade. I eventually did, but I digress.
As good as the arcade version was, the C64 version wasn't. Load time seemed to take forever, which I suppose was a common occurrence on the C64 at the time.
But you were subjected to it at the end of each level. To some degree, I suppose it built the anticipation, but mostly, no, it was just annoying.
The graphics were horrible. The colours seemed to be off. Yes, I realize that there were limitations to the C64 hardware, and clearly it wasn't going to match the arcade, but other games of that era seemed to do a better job. Hardball certainly did. Hell, even Frantic Freddie seemed to do more with less.
The worst part was probably what I called "The Cheat." No, it's not a precursor to our little yellow friend from Homestar Runner. If you positioned yourself properly, you could get behind an enemy, stand still, and beat
them senseless while they stood and took it. If you wanted to do the job faster, you could employ the whip, or better yet, the bat. Do this for what feels like half an eternity and you'll make it through each level.
Aside from that, the enemies (the ones they felt like including, anyway) were pushovers, even without The Cheat. Abobo fought like every other enemy, and just took a few more hit points. No over-the-back throws. Willy had a gun, but apparently forgot to load the thing before coming out, because he never fires it. Maybe he figured he'd just point it at Billy and Jimmy and they'd leave. No such luck.
Billy and Jimmy, meanwhile, can punch and kick. That's essentially it. No elbows, no real jump kicks. No real point, no real fun.
I don't know if I can even get into the issues with the sound, or lack thereof. You get a little whip sound for the whip, a tapping for the bat, and if you happen to beat someone, you get something like an "aah" sound. There is the tune in the opening credits, as well as at the end of each level, but no music throughout. The music is partially what makes Double Dragon such an engrossing game... it adds to the atmosphere. The lack of music in this version makes it feel more detached and empty.
I'm not going to suggest you not play this version of Double Dragon. Just if you do, set your expectations about as low as they can go. That way, you'll only be moderately disappointed when the game fails to meet them.
