Steam has more than its fair share of games, but its severely lacking in the "beat 'em up reboot games based on other games that were popular in the 80's injected with over the top zaniness" genre, which is in itself pretty niche to begin with. But if that happens to be your cup of Shasta, then today's your day. Almost a month ago to the day, Majesco let slip that Double Dragon: Neon was coming to Steam, and as of today, the game is up for grabs on the streaming service.
Like its double D predecessors, Neon is a side scrolling beat-em-up where brothers Jimmy and Billy Lee must rescue girlfriend Marian from a gang of thugs, aptly titled Skullmageddon (you'll see why when you check out the gang's leader) in this latest Dragon incarnation. Combat begins fairly basic, but abilities can be added as you progress via the mix tape system. You begin the game with a blank tape, and can add different songs / abilities to it by purchasing them from a character called the "tapesmith." Each ability changes up your combat options, and makes for a different experience than the beat 'em up that graced the arcades and NES console oh so many years ago. But the most familiar aspects are still present. Case in point...
Bashing goons with a buddy - Two player gameplay is strongly emphasized with different high-five options, which can result in sharing health, "psych" up your buddy, or reviving a downed dragon. Those who get the game from Steam won't be disappointed, as cooperative online play is included to ensure an old school experience.
WayForward was responsible for the console port after earning high praisefor A Boy and his Blob re-make, as well as Contra 4 on the DS. Released digitally for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in September 2012, Neon's Assistant Product Manager Pete Rosky said the game is actually a re-imagination of the whole franchise, so you'll see elements of all three of the original games (with all the proper elements of that Rosetta Stone garbage removed): "We're actually re-imagining the whole franchise, so it's not 1, it's not 2, it's not 3, its not any one of those. Lots of elements of all of them are thrown in for nostalgia; it's an all new game on its own. The bottom line, it's a re-imagining in the sense that we wanted to give you a new experience, but make it feel like Double Dragon. And that's kind of where our hearts were, and that's what I think the game is."
If all that sounds like a good time, you can get the game here for $9.99, or if you need a bit more information, be sure to check out our exclusive Double Dragon: Neon review from when the game first hit the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. And if that's not enough for you, the soundtrack is available for free from composer Jake Kauffman's website.
