Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Double Dragon II: The Revenge builds on the success of the first installment and arrived on NES in 1990 as a reworked version of the arcade original from Technos Japan. The story picks up where the first game left off, but this time with a tragic twist - the Black Warriors gang murders Marian, the girlfriend of one of the Lee brothers, and brothers Billy and Jimmy set out on a bloody path of revenge through the streets of a devastated city.

Compared to the first game, this one expands the combat repertoire with new kicks, throws, and combos that allow smoother chaining of actions. The NES version, unlike the arcade original, also offers a two-player co-op mode, letting players progress together through a series of increasingly difficult levels full of enemies armed with knives, chains, and explosives. The visuals were noticeably improved over the first installment, with a darker atmosphere matching the vengeful tone of the story. Weapons such as nunchaku, whips, and daggers also give the fights a more varied rhythm, since each one requires a different approach to attack timing.

The time of its release meant growing competition for NES in the beat 'em up genre, but thanks to the solid foundation of the previous game and its expanded move set, Double Dragon II held onto its position among the most played titles of its kind on the console. Its influence is also visible in later beat 'em ups, which adopted the combo system and cooperative play as a genre standard. One interesting detail is that the two-player co-op forces cooperation despite the fact that only one of the brothers can ultimately win the fight for Marian's revenge.

Why play: it delivers exactly what the first game promised but didn't manage to provide - faster fights, more moves, and full two-player cooperation.