It’s 30-years since one of the original beat ‘em ups Double Dragon first arrived in arcades and, this month, a brand new edition will arrive on PlayStation 4 and PC.
Double Dragon IV, made by many of the original development team will be released on January 30 and will reprise the trademark 8-bit graphics of the series.
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The original’s Director Yoshihisa Kishimoto, designer Koji Ogata, composer Kazunaka Yamane and programmer Kei Oyama are all on board for the reprisal, which also features the original theme and side-scrolling, button-smashing gameplay.
The release will mark the first entry into the series since 1990’s Double Dragon 3: The Rosetta Stone and will further test our longing for retro gameplay experiences.
The resurrection is the work of Arc System Works which purchased the rights to the franchise from Technos Japan, which went out of business in 1996.
It followed the equally dire Super Mario Brothers and immediately proceeded the diabolically poor Street Fighter.
Things would get slightly better the following year with the release of Mortal Kombat, but only slightly.
It could be said those four titles have set the tone for video game adaptations all the way up to the just-released Assassin’s Creed, which currently has a rating of 20% on RottenTomatoes.com
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Does your passion for retro gaming mean this announcement is a late Christmas present? Share your thoughts below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.