Double Dragon: Neon PlayStation 3
Metascore
71 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
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  1. Push Square
    Sep 21, 2012
    90
    This is a game that is massively enhanced by drop-in/drop-out co-operative play offline, with a future patch promising to bring the same experience to online players as well. Average players will probably complete the first difficulty level in 2-3 hours and disappointingly, the only real replayability here involves beating the game again on a harder difficulty setting. But even with that in mind, Double Dragon Neon is easily one of the most polished PSN titles available to date, and if you don't at least give it a spin (kick), then the joke is on you.
  2. EGM
    Sep 11, 2012
    90
    Some hit detection problems can't hide the fact that Neon's an awesome tribute to a bygone era-and it'll bring a smile to the face of anyone who grew up playing beat-em-ups in the '80s and '90s.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 28 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 1 out of 9
  1. Bhurak
    10
    A surprisingly excellent game. This game should not be seen as some cheap port or a quick cash grab for nostalgia. This is not the failure of the TMNT remake from a few years ago. Instead, it is a lovingly produced game with many references to Double Dragon and many other classic video games, and comedic (and sometimes just silly) use of the 80's setting. It takes many cues from classic beat-em-ups but adds a nice upgrade mechanic and a number of selectable special attacks. This adds enough depth to motivate you to play all the way though as you enjoy the scenes, over-the-top story, and amazing music. Don't be put off by some of the screenshots or gameplay videos, it plays great. Cheap, deep enough, and super fun! Enjoy!… Full Review »
  2. JazGalaxy
    9
    Dd neon is one of the most surprisingly amazing ages I've played all year, and for many years prior. Its the beat me up I've always wanted minus a few small flaws. The overall goal of the game seemed to be that the developers didn't want to make a button masher. In this, they succeeded with flying colors and o the apparent ire of game critics. It's a highly technical game that is a joy to play. There's no spazzing out on the controls and hoping to do something tht looks cool on screen and makes you feel good about yourself. If you don't play with your brain, the game will feel sluggish. The benefit, though, is that you actually CAN play with your brain which is incredibly rare for this genre. Moreover, if you get hit, you know it's because you screwed up, and there's never a doubt in your mind that good players can play through the whole game without taking damage. The games sense of humor is at the same time outlandish and yet wittily restrained. For instance, one second the main villain is calling you "knob sniffer" and the next second billy will have picked up a gun, and instead if using it to shoot, will either beat people with it or throw it at them. The restraint at the joke is what gives Dan it's sence of wit and masterfully aiming at both being clever and vulgar. In the end, people who dislike the game seem to be ad that it doesn't play like a remake of the old games, and then seem to add on "and nobody wants to play those games anyhow". On the contrary, if you love engaging games that force you to pay attention, and even ask you to replay scenes when your skills don't yet meet the challenge, this game is a gift from heaven for you.… Full Review »
  3. TheBadGamer
    4
    Imagine, if you will, an 8 year old little boy sitting on the floor of his brown carpeted room surrounded by GI Joes and Ninja Turtles in front of a 300 pound, 24 inch television. He inserts his neighbor's copy of "Double Dragon" into his NES and presses the "on" switch. The screen blinks green and black repeatedly. So, he takes the game out of the system, blows on it and puts it back in. He hits the power button and it works!

    After getting through the title screen and its kickin rad intro music, he marches his in game sprite to the right, punching and kicking his way through street thugs. Then, he loses a life. Then another. Then another. Then he gets a "game over" screen and has to start over from the beginning.

    4 hours later, this 8 year old has had one of the best times of his short life, even though he barely made it past the 2nd stage.


    I have a lot of fond memories of wasting away hours playing really hard, really bad videogames. The nostalgia is wonderful and it fills me with joy to remember the innocence of my early days as a gamer.

    However, those memories are just that: memories. My gaming palette has evolved. In 2012, I expect a game to have responsive, smooth controls. I expect collision detection to make sense. I expect QA to eliminate game breaking bugs.

    Double Dragon Neon fulfills none of these expectations.

    2D beat em' ups died sometime around the end of the Super Nintendo's life cycle. Games like Final Fight, Streets of Rage, and Turtles in Time had pretty much evolved the genre as far as it would go. Somehow, this game takes the innovations of the 16-bit era and discarded them entirely and decides to be a neon colored, clunky mess.

    Take the controls, for example. While the button layout is pretty natural and fits with the style of the game, the execution of the button presses feel like sludgy trash. This, coupled with the awkward collision detection, make the game a frustrating nightmare. You end up taking a bunch of damage from enemies because of delayed reactions from your character. You miss hitting guys because you are outside of their hit box even when you are right in their faces. You miss hitting guys because they were immune to your swings, even though they didn't give you any kind of visual cue. Even Mike Tyson blinked before he beat you up in "Punchout"! Bad controls are 1988 jank that have no business in a 2012 release.

    Even with the control issues, I was able to finish the game in 2 hours. For a 10 dollar price tag, this is entirely too short. They try to encourage multiple playthroughs by adding in powerups, co-op and unlockable difficulty settings, but none of these things make the game not play like hot garbage.

    I ran into a few game breaking bugs, including one where an enemy would get stuck on the environment and would not allow me to advance in the level.

    To deviate from the original game, they added unlockable power ups and stores to buy things within the levels themselves. I bought a bunch of extra lives. When I continued my save the next day, all of the lives I purchased were gone.

    I get that nostalgia is all the rage, but putting out bad titles and slapping familiar names on them is insulting to our intelligence as gamers, and I hope that people will stop encouraging these lazy cash grabs by putting their wallets back in their pockets.    … Full Review »
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