Super Double Dragon
Platform: Super NES
Region: USA
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Gamepad
Genre: Beat 'em Up
Release Year: 1992
Developer: Technos
Publisher: Tradewest
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As in the previous Double Dragon games for the arcades and NES, the player takes control of Billy and Jimmy Lee, twin martial artists trained in the art of Sosetsuken. The objective of the game, as usual, is to clear all stages from enemies and defeat the stage's boss. Unlike the previous Double Dragon games for home consoles, the player now has a specific button assigned for jumping, instead of having to press the punch and kick buttons at the same time, thanks in part to the inclusion of four face buttons of the SNES control pad. The game also has a button that allows the player's character to block attacks from enemies. If the player block certain enemies' punches, he will be able to grab the enemy's arm and either punch and kick him repeatedly or throw him over the shoulder. The player can also put staggering enemies into a hair grab, much like previous Double Dragon games, and perform similar techniques. Other new techniques include a jumping back kick and a low-to-high kick combo.

The player also has a "Dragon Power" gauge below the life gauge that can be filled out by holding down the L or R buttons, allowing for additional techniques. If the player press the punch or kick button when the gauge is less than half full, then the player will perform a Spinning Back Fist or a Jumping Round Kick. If the player press the punch or kick buttons when the gauge is more than half-full, then the character will perform a flying hurricane kick. The player can also allow the gauge to fill up completely, allowing the use of more powerful punch and kick attacks for a limited time.

This is the first Double Dragon game where Billy and Jimmy are given a different set of basic techniques, though the only real difference is in the animation for their basic punch/combo attack. The explanation given in the Japanese version's manual states that Billy and Jimmy mastered different forms of Sosetsuken, with Billy being a master of Nanha Sosetsuken (the Southern style, which specializes in flexibility), while Jimmy learned Hokuha Sosetsuken (the Northern style, which has stronger techniques). This is also the first game were Billy's and Jimmy's sprites were drawn differently within the game in terms of their haircut, maintaining consistency with Technos Japan's official illustrated depictions of the Lee brothers at the time (where Billy is drawn with brown hair and Jimmy with blond spiky hair, a reversal of the first two arcade games' depiction of the characters).

Weapons featured in this installment include nunchakus, bos, boomerangs, knives and incendiary bombs. The player can also pick a drum can or a large rock and throw it at the enemy. One particular level in Mission 3 allows the player to use punching bags to attack enemies with. One particularly large version of the bag could also be dislodged with enough hits and then picked up and thrown, much like the rock. Unlike the 8-bit NES games, weapons can be carried from one fight to another, even if their original owners are killed, though they can't be carried to a new area.

There are a total of seven stages in the game: a casino in Las Vegas, an airport, a martial arts gym in Chinatown, a fight over a moving truck that's crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, the city slums, a forest/mountain region and the mansion of the Shadow Warriors. The enemy characters consist of: Williams and Roper, returning bad guys from the previous Double Dragon games, who are depicted wearing matching vests and pants; Jeff, a palette swap of Billy; Baker, a thug who wields two Chinese broadswords (Shuangdao); Steve, a martial artist in a business suit; Jackson, a former heavyweight boxer; Cheng Long-Fu and Long-Biao, twin Chinese martial arts masters; McGuire, a clown-like fat man who can block the player's attacks with his gut; Carlem, a tall fighter with a powerful kick; and Duke, the leader of the Shadow Warriors and a former friend of the Lee brothers.

Original Plot:

Unlike previous games in the series, Super Double Dragon does not have an in-game plot. This was not done by design, as cut scenes were prepared for the game, but were not used in the released version due to time constraints.

The proposed storyline does not continue from the events of previous games, but would've been an all new plot. Set in Los Angeles (rather than New York City, the setting of the previous games), Billy and Jimmy Lee set out to investigate the disappearances of several of their students after the arrival of a criminal organization known as the Shadow Warriors. Helping them on their investigation is Marian Kelly, now a policewoman (an occupation she also had in the comics and cartoon series; the latter was under production while the game was made).

Eventually, the leader of the Shadow Warriors is revealed to be a man named Duke, a former childhood friend of the Lee brothers, who is now a corrupted martial artist. At this point, Marian would've been taken captive and the Lee brothers would pursue the gang to Duke's Mansion. In the originally planned final battle, after defeating Duke and saving Marian, Duke's evil self would manifest into his own shadow (similarly to the player fighting his own clone in Double Dragon II: The Revenge). By defeating Duke's Shadow the Lee brothers end his life, but at the same time his soul is now redeemed. The game would end with the main characters visiting Duke's grave.

In the finished game, only part of the plot is mentioned in the manual and Marian the policewoman does not appear in the game at all (although artwork of her was featured in the original Japanese manual). The English version only features a simple scrolling text epilogue, while the Japanese version only has the closing credits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Double_Dragon
