Hello gentle readers, and welcome to the SwitchArcade Round-Up for January 2nd, 2023. It’s a quiet day for new releases today, as expected. I decided to review a couple of the games I got for Christmas just for fun so that you have something to read. Well, two of the games from a single collection I got for Christmas that are sold separately on the eShop. Close enough. Super Double Dragon and Double Dragon Advance are the games in question, and I’d say they turned out better than I expected. After that, we skim through the bins and then head on over to the lists of new and expiring sales. Let’s get to work!
Reviews & Mini-Views
Super Double Dragon ($6.99)
Super Double Dragon was a game that I really wanted to like back in the day. I was always a big fan of the Double Dragon series, and I wanted it to jump into the 16-bit era with enough style to hang with the many other beat-em-up franchises it spawned. Thirteen-year old Shaun had no way of knowing what was happening behind the scenes at Technos Japan, where things were basically starting to crash and burn en route to its eventual bankruptcy in 1996. The situation at American Double Dragon publisher Tradewest were even more dire. The long and short of it is that Super Double Dragon had to be out by the 1992 holiday season no matter what. And so it was, but not without great sacrifices.
It’s not that the game was buggy or broken, mind you. It just felt thin, and there were a lot of suspicious elements that pointed towards missing things. Riding in a glass elevator with a big crack in the side that… never gets shattered? Hm. Still, it did have some things going for it. The Brothers Lee have an interesting range of attacks to use, including a very cool one where you grab the enemy’s arm mid-punch. There are a lot of weapons to use, too. The difficulty curve was a mess, but what else was new for the series? The worst problem is that the game feels unbearably slow compared to its contemporaries. The Japanese version, Return of Double Dragon, fixes a lot of problems and is a much more playable game as a result, but the slow speed remained.
But we live in the future year of 2024, and we have the technology to right the wrongs of the past. I just got the Japanese Double Dragon Collection for Christmas. It includes this release, which you can buy on the eShop by itself. And in addition to a lot of the usual options for such things, like scan lines and save states, it also includes a speed setting. A speed setting! And it doesn’t mess with the audio! It just makes the game play faster, in increments all the way up to double speed. I wouldn’t go all the way on that, but somewhere around 1.5x makes the game feel like it probably should have. Oh, and you can pick whether you want to play Super Double Dragon or Return of Double Dragon. I recommend the latter.
Super Double Dragon is still an unfinished game in a lot of ways, lacking enemy variety, cut-scenes, or any kind of sense of tying the stages together. But with that speed setting, a middling beat-em-up with a few good ideas becomes something I would lightly recommend to fans of the genre. Of course, you can play the game as it was originally was if you like. It’s really the best of all worlds here as far as options go. I wish there was some documentary-style content here, but at this price point I can let that go. It’s worth a try, but remember to play around with that speed setting.
SwitchArcade Score: 3.5/5
Double Dragon Advance ($6.99)
It’s hard to pick the best game in a messy series like Double Dragon, but Double Dragon Advance is usually one of my top choices. By the time it released in 2003, Technos Japan was well into the rear-view mirror. A new company, Million, had picked up the rights to Technos’ IP, but despite the change in name there were plenty of familiar faces. For example, the designer of Double Dragon Advance was none other than Muneki Ebinuma, who had been the co-director of Super Double Dragon. This time he wasn’t quite so rushed, and the results speak volumes.
The game at first seems like a remake of the original arcade Double Dragon, and that’s not a bad place to start. There’s a certain ferocity to the combat in the original game that appeals greatly to me, and it’s replicated here. As you play more, you’ll start seeing some differences. Weapons that weren’t there before. New moves. And then you find yourself fighting a bunch of Agent Smith-style enemies and move into a level that seems ripped from Double Dragon II. All up, there are four large stages here that weren’t in the original game, all inspired by other games in the series. This release doesn’t have any genuine game-changing options like Super Double Dragon, but it also doesn’t need any. This is a satisfying brawler all on its own.
Double Dragon Advance is Double Dragon doing what it does best. While it certainly isn’t among the best in its genre, it gives you some fun fighting skills and a wide array of enemies to use them on. And hey, it actually feels like a proper Double Dragon game. Neither a parody nor a naked attempt to cash in on nostalgia, Double Dragon Advance is good, pure brawling action. A great way to spend several dollars and a weekend afternoon.
SwitchArcade Score: 4/5
New Releases
The Bin Bunch
Moon Lander ($9.99)
Truck Simulator 2024 – USA Driver Zone ($13.99)
Sales
(North American eShop, US Prices)
It’s another NIS America sale, and you can grab good stuff like Labyrinth of Refrain/Galleria and Yx IX: Monstrum Nox at nice prices. Poison Control isn’t the greatest game around but for four bucks I would recommend it. Lots of other goodies in there to consider, including a rare Celeste sale, so have a good look. Give the outbox a look too, as some ININ games are wrapping up their latest discounts.
Select New Sales
Invisible Inc Console Edition ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/12)
Don’t Starve: Nintendo Switch Edition ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/12)
Don’t Starve Together ($5.09 from $14.99 until 1/12)
Mark of the Ninja Remastered ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/12)
Spiritfarer ($7.49 from $29.99 until 1/15)
Sundered: Eldritch Edition ($4.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
Jotun: Valhalla Edition ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/15)
Yatzi ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
Labyrinth ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
Dog ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
Undead Horde 2: Necropolis ($8.49 from $16.99 until 1/15)
Saviors of Sapphire Wings/SoSC Revisited ($24.99 from $49.99 until 1/15)
The Silver Case 2425 ($19.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
CRYMACHINA: Digital Deluxe ($55.99 from $79.99 until 1/15)
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol.1 ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol.2 ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Prinny Presents NIS Classics Vol.3 ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox ($29.99 from $59.99 until 1/15)
The Princess Guide ($3.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
A Castle Full of Cats ($2.59 from $3.99 until 1/15)
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection ($19.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Poison Control ($3.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk ($19.99 from $49.99 until 1/15)
Labyrinth of Galleria: Moon Society ($29.99 from $49.99 until 1/15)
Sol Cresta ($17.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Sol Cresta Dramatic Edition ($22.49 from $49.99 until 1/15)
The Wonderful 101: Remastered ($17.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Gungrave G.O.R.E. Ultimate Enhanced ($29.99 from $39.99 until 1/15)
Egglia Rebirth ($13.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
Celeste ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
TowerFall ($5.99 from $19.99 until 1/15)
MeteoHeroes Saving Planet Earth! ($8.99 from $14.99 until 1/15)
Helvetii ($8.49 from $16.99 until 1/16)
Nuclear Blaze ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/16)
Sophstar ($6.49 from $12.99 until 1/16)
For The Warp ($2.87 from $17.99 until 1/16)
Twin Mind: Ghost Hunter ($10.49 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Octo Curse ($1.99 from $9.99 until 1/21)
Montgomery Fox & TCotDN ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Montgomery Fox & TRoVD ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Montgomery Fox & TCotMB ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
I Love Finding Birds ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Clutter 12 ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Puzzle Vacations: Ireland ($1.99 from $11.99 until 1/21)
Chronicles of Albian: TMC ($1.99 from $11.99 until 1/21)
First Time in Rome ($1.99 from $11.99 until 1/21)
Big Adventure: Trip to Europe 4 ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/21)
Mahjong Woods ($2.09 from $6.99 until 1/21)
Vampire The Masquerade Swansong ($23.99 from $59.99 until 1/21)
Session: Skate Sim ($19.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
TT Isle of Man ($4.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
My Little Riding Champion ($2.99 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Tennis World Tour ($2.99 from $29.99 until 1/21)
Tennis World Tour 2 ($9.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
Overpass ($5.49 from $54.99 until 1/21)
Monster Truck Championship ($3.99 from $39.99 until 1/21)
V-Rally 4 ($4.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
WRC 10 FIA World Rally Championship ($4.99 from $49.99 until 1/21)
Shadow Gangs ($14.39 from $23.99 until 1/22)
Suicide Guy: The Lost Dreams ($5.19 from $7.99 until 1/22)
Sales Ending Tomorrow, January 3rd
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger ($3.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Creepy Tale 2 ($1.99 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Cursed to Golf ($9.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Fury Unleashed ($2.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Golazo! 2 ($3.74 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Ib ($10.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Jitsu Squad ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
Kickback Slug: Cosmic Courier ($5.99 from $11.99 until 1/3)
Lonely Mountains: Downhill ($7.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Puzzle Bobble Everybubble! ($29.99 from $39.99 until 1/3)
RayStorm X RayCrisis HD Collection ($27.99 from $39.99 until 1/3)
Taito Milestones 2 ($31.99 from $39.99 until 1/3)
The Wardrobe: Even Better Edition ($1.99 from $19.99 until 1/3)
Time Master ($7.49 from $14.99 until 1/3)
Train Station Simulator ($5.49 from $21.99 until 1/3)
Turrican Anthology Vol. I ($10.49 from $34.99 until 1/3)
Turrican Anthology Vol. II ($10.49 from $34.99 until 1/3)
Turrican Flashback ($8.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
Wavetale ($14.99 from $29.99 until 1/3)
That’s all for today, friends. We’ll be back tomorrow with a very quiet Wednesday, which means we might have a Bin Bunch game or two at best. I might review some other slightly older titles, if that’s something you’d like to see. Any news and sales that roll in during the next day will also be there. I hope you all have a terrific Tuesday, and as always, thanks for reading!
