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7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 The game that started it allNov 24, 2003
By N. Durham
"Big Evil"
I remember when I was a kid getting to waste all my Mom's change on the original Double Dragon arcade game. When the game hit home systems, it was a massive hit and helped inspire countless other 2-D side scrolling beat 'em ups like Streets of Rage and Final Fight. Double Dragon Advance mixes the addicting gameplay of the original with many upgrades and elements from the various sequels released after the original. Plaing as twin brothers Billy and Jimmy Lee, you go up against the Shadow Warriors in hopes of locating Billy's kidnapped girlfriend. You get to punch, kick, and use many a weapon, in your mission as you go against a host of baddies from petty thugs to well manicured suits (who look like the Agents from The Matrix) to the infamous buff, bald headed, and bearded Abobo to even Machine Gun Willy. The controls are tight, the graphics bring back plenty of nostalgic memories, and the music is ever catchy. The only drawback of Double Dragon Advance is the game is ultimately too short, and by the time you beat it you'll be wishing for more. All in all, fans of the original game who own a GBA will find plenty of great memories with this game, and those new to the genre should give this a look.
19 of 24 found the following review helpful:
 Oh great...another insanely cheap side-scrolling fighter.Dec 06, 2003
By D. Mok
The first Double Dragon really took on in the arcades because of unique moves, great character designs, the weapons, and the ability of the two players to beat on each other if they so desire. I was an absolute fanatic, playing for hours on end on my PC. However, subsequent excursions including an SNES version never grabbed me. It's as if the game programmers felt that the Lee brothers were too powerful and just kept chipping away at their moves until they are almost entirely impotent, far less powerful than each member of the legions of enemies they face.Double Dragon Advance, unfortunately, continues the trend. It's not that you can't perform their moves. I find it surprisingly easy to perform classic Double Dragon moves such as the headbutt, back jumpkick, and the famous elbow. And a large commendation goes out to the new weapons system; so many side-scrolling fighting games get it wrong, but this game allows you to accurately pick up and retain weapons you like, with complete control. Very good system. The larger array of weapons is also great, with the kali sticks, nunchaku, and ball and chain being especially fun to use. But the game remains insanely difficult. I started playing on the Easy mode, and though I was able to finish, there were times when I just wanted to flush the game down a toilet. Your elbow is now shorter than the average punch; this used to be the life-saving weapon to use when you're being swarmed, but now it's less than useless. The game pits you against three times as many enemies as in Double Dragon classic (and this is in Easy mode, mind you), with eight or nine enemies onscreen at any given time. Given this number of enemies, the lack of temporary invincibility after knockdown (a staple of 2nd-generation side-scrollers like Final Fight) is a killer. I've found my character entirely unable to move, fight back, or even escape when swarmed by eight or nine enemies, all doing punches that are impossible to stop after the first hit, or jump-kicking with the range of half a screen, continuing to knock me down until my entire life bar is gone. Two or three of the enemies can toss dynamite sticks that explode on impact (!), nearly impossible to dodge, and take out 2/3 of your life. One samurai enemy has a long sword move which is instant death on contact and reaches twice the distance of your kick. The classic character Abobo can now overlap your character after you've been knocked down and perform an unblockable throw move over and over...and it goes on and on. Seems like the programmers forgot fairness and gameplay. The Survival mode is an insult -- pit you against four enemies at the same time, who can keep hitting you without the possibility of recovery. Against odds like this, who can survive? I managed to beat 11 enemies before going down, and I get a "Class E" grade. Insulting. Maybe you're thinking, "This guy's just a 4th-rate gamer complaining about the game when he should just brush up on his skills". That might be true. But isn't that the point of having an "Easy" mode, to allow the player to build up to harder gameplay? I think this game is just poorly balanced. Which is too bad, because the controls are responsive, the weapons are great, and the look of the game retains the classic Double Dragon feel for a sense of nostalgia. I just wish they'd considered the player more. Frustration is one thing; player abuse is another.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Great gameNov 22, 2003
By Nathan Kreps
"Nathan K."
Double Dragon Advance is a good translation of the arcade game of 15 years ago. While there have been characters and stages added, it still has the same look and feel of the original. Some of the additions may be from the best parts of the Double Dragon sequels and other Double Dragon-type games, like Bad Dudes. The stages certainly all felt familiar. Most of the original moves are still there, and it's fun to experiment with the new moves and weapons -- like the running punch and the sticks. Of course, you'll eventually go back to the old reliable flying elbow. If you were a fan of the original, you'll like this game.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 Excellent port from NES to GBANov 22, 2003
By Shklumfmeister
"mr70s@pacbell.net"
This was always my favorite fighter on the good old NES and even more so on the SNES (Super Double Dragon), so I was happy to find that Atlus combined the best elements from both games (plus a few new levels and better graphics) to come up with an excellent new fighter for the Game Boy Advance. I love this game and haven't put it down since I bought it three weeks ago. It's a bit harder than the original cuz more enemies gang up on you and they are more agressive but the more you play it, the better you get (plus you get 5 lives and 5 continues and you're gonna need 'em). The gameplay is excellent and it's a blast to use all the moves and weapons against all the baddies. Buy this game!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
50C to Start 25C to Continue (Secret Code)Dec 02, 2003
This is a great game. Everybody knows the theme music to Double Dragon and everybody does the elbow punch. It is amazing to have Double Dragon The Arcade Game in the palm of your hands, Graphics are true to the arcade and the game includes four more added missions. The Game difficulty level is a lot more challenging. The Game looks better on the Gameboy Player for Gamecube. If you enjoy the great background music Double Dragon Has to offer and want to listen to it enter the following code while in the options screen.
HOLD SELECT THEN PUSH R L R L to unlock the Background Music Mode.
This game is extremely fun. However like another rewiewer said before me, the game leaves you hungry for more excitement once you have seen the ending.
This game is a keeper, and ATLUS is planning to release other installments of this game in the future. I hope they have the rights to RENEGADE also. Imagine RENEGADE Advance? :-) Thanks.
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based on 25 reviews
