Double Dragon is Getting Rebooted Again

The idea of noted classic game revivalists WayForward rebooting the Double Dragon franchise for a new XBLA/PSN game seems so utterly perfect, that it's actually sort of weird that it hasn't happened yet. Well, now it is.

Revealing the game to IGN, WayForward and publishing partner Majesco are planning on releasing Double Dragon Neon for the aforementioned platforms this summer.

The Neon of the title refers to the game's aesthetic, which is steeped in '80s visual elements in a way IGN describes as what it would look like "if GTA Vice City threw up on Big Trouble in Little China." That doesn't sound half-bad, actually.

The gameplay evidently doesn't stray too far from the original design, mixing straight-up beat-'em-up combat with weapons-based maneuvers. The plot will once again seeing the perpetually kidnapped Marion kidnapped by yet another thug, whose name is actually Skullmageddon. That's great and everything, but what of Abobo? I expect heavy doses of Abobo early and often in my Double Dragon games, dammit.

This isn't the first time someone's tried to reboot the Double Dragon franchise. Back in 2003, 10 whole years after the previous new game in the series, Atlus put out Double Dragon Advance for the GBA. That game was actually pretty great, but it didn't exactly spark off a franchise revival. Given WayForward's chops with games based on old school concepts, maybe they'll be the team to bring Double Dragon back to mass acclaim. Considering how much time I spent playing the original Double Dragon port for the NES, I certainly wouldn't mind.

I like Neon. I like WayForward. This'll be cool. Right?

I was thinking this was going to be another kickstarter story :p

Awesome!

Ugh! I don´t need another one of those.

Didn't care until I saw that WayForward is doing it.

That HD-ified version of Turtles in Time didn't exactly hold up, so I'm not too sure a new Double Dragon will fare all too well either. I like the fact that DD hasn't been forgotten, but I'm not exactly excited for this either.

I love beat'em ups! But this looks like shit! I'd rather have a new Streets Of Rage! Thanks!

Wait, this isn't a Kickstarter thingy? Amazing.

WayForward's expertise is in well-animated sprites. Looking at that image, I can already see that their style isn't translating well to 3D.

I've been playing a good chunck of WayForward's recent influx of games, and they're kind of hit and miss in a lot of places. That BloodRayne game was reeeaaaaaaaally uninteresting after a while of playing it. It's like the art direction just stopped all of a sudden in the middle of the game, and the mashy combat just got dull so damn fast. Might Switch Force is neat, but it's really damn short, and all the levels look exactly the same.

Their games have style for miles, but that can only carry a game so far. I hope they actually do something interesting with this mechanically, especially when their style isn't exactly showing through this tremendously bland and still image.

I love beat'em ups! But this looks like shit! I'd rather have a new Streets Of Rage! Thanks!

There is a bar with the original near my office and MAN is the frame rate terrible. Anytime there is more than 3 characters on the screen is slows to a halt. I love that weapons do not break tho. You can finish a whole stage with one baseball bat if you go on a good run. Also falling off ledges is a total quarter suck. Good shit. However, I still feel that the world is probably ending because there are no new ideas.

I was excited, until I saw that screenshot.

Looks neat so far. We'll have to see if it's a good game or not.

Agreed with the aboves, that screenshot does not make me enthusiastic for this.

Needs more Battletoads.

What does that sign say? Matin? Is this game set in Canada?

There's a terrible looking Double Dragon II HD remake in the works, too. Wish we could just get the arcade port of "Revenge." Nothing fancy. Just some slow downed spin kicks, a strange combat control scheme, and Abobo, and we're good to go.

"Double Dragon: Hug Button"

Boo! It needs to either feature fully digitized characters like Pit Fighter, or be based on the Neo Geo fighting game.

"Bring your mama. I'll beat her too!"

A new DD would have me all excited 4 years ago, but I have to admit, nostalgia aside, that 2D brawlers should stay where they belong; in te 90s'

I hope that it turns out much, much better than that screenshot indicates. I'll give it a chance, but I'm not super excited (even as someone who friggin' loves the genre).

Oh Alex. When will you realize beat-em-ups don't work in this day and age? I feel like we've been through this before.

Need to do a reboot of Streets of Rage 2!

@TheHT said:

Needs more Battletoads.

Agreed

@Ketchupp said:

@TheHT said:

Needs more Battletoads.

Agreed

Specific correction: needs more Battletoads vs. Doubledragon, and separate to that, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs.

That neo geo fighting game rage of the dragon was unofficialy a double dragon game right?

Interesting....

Awesome!

Wait, this isn't Streets of Rage *complains*

I thought Wayforward could do no wrong. Then they made Bloodrayne: Betrayal. Now I don't know how to feel about this Double Dragon reboot.

Oh emm gee! What did they do to Linda??? Why did they put a little Poison in my Linda????

*raises eyebrow*

That is not a good looking screenshot.

I have fond memories of DD.

I want a Streets of Rage/Battletoads/Double Dragon/River City Ransom crossover game.

Have the campaign play like River City Ransom where theres hub worlds and tons of "fighting" areas where enemies respawn when you return.

Also include a versus mode that plays like Little Fighters 2; just a shit ton of players at once all beating the shit out of eachother with special moves and whatnot.

Skullmageddon is a pretty fantastic name.

Gotta love WayForward.

yikes :(

I hope they throw in this great knock-off of Easy Lover in there somewhere.

That screenshot looks like SHIT.

It reminds me of the god-awful Elevator Action remake by Square Enix.

Those characters almost look like FMV. That freaked me out a little bit.

Given some of the more questionable decisions in WayForward's recent output, (extremely) cautious optimism is the best I can offer this game.

I misread the headline as Dragon Age Is Getting Rebooted Again and had a good laugh.

That screenshot does look like something threw up..

I hope they manage to make a good game out of this. Love me some beat-em ups!

Double Dragon should stay buried.

Oh yea Majesco still actually exist. Well this game is in good hands with WayForward.

wayforward + Double Dragon..... can't really say anything bad about that. If you look at all the games WF did recently and tell me this is a bad idea... I just won't believe you

Hmm. This will either be good or downright terrible.