7 NES classics headlined by Double Dragon hit Xbox One

Harking back to the glory days? No not of 2019 but years before that. Well, you’re in luck if you are as today we see a smattering of old, new, titles arrive on Xbox One with ARC SYSTEM WORKS porting over some NES classics for the modern day gamer to enjoy. And yep, it’s Double Dragon that steals the show.

Available to purchase and download from the Xbox Store for Xbox One are some of the most iconic, most classic games of yesteryear with ARC SYSTEM WORKS working their porting magic to deliver Xbox One gamers the opportunity to take in some much loved gaming experiences.

Things kick off with the headlining act, Double Dragon A game that took the scene by storm when it dropped on NES back in the day, Double Dragon on Xbox One lets you make the most of either the original visuals or some quality upgrades as you go about rescuing your girlfriend from a bnch of old street thugs. With the legendary fighting style in place, this is the game that kicked off a whole genre and it really should be taken in as a matter of urgency. 

Following that and we see Double Dragon II: The Revenge and this covers the second episode of Billy and Jimmy’s fighting saga. With new techniques and features, once again you’ll be left trawling your way through the dirty streets, fighting back against all who stand in your way. 

Then we have Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones, taking us around the world to, yep you guessed it, beat the living hell out of anyone who dares cross your path. 

That’s where the Double Dragon name comes to an end, but it doesn’t mean the new releases are stopping with it. Instead we also have access to the original River City Ransom, playing as Alex and Ryan in order to, once more, save a girlfriend in distress. With multiple pick-ups to gather, bonuses to enjoy and items to utilise, this is River City Ransom like the good old days. There’s none of the fanciness found in the likes of 2019’s River City Girls. 

And then we also see Crash ‘n the Boys Street Challenge pushing an Olympic angle, Renegade promising to be the side scrolling gem we’ve all been looking for, and the excellent Super Dodge Ball providing something slightly different to the rest. 

Full descriptions of each as follows:

• Double Dragon – The explosive NES original game that sparked the worldwide fame of Beat them all games: Double Dragon!! In order to rescue your girlfriend “Marian,” use your legendary fighting style “Sosetsuken” to make your way through the street thugs! Make good use of the new techniques you will unlock as you level up, and rescue Marian.
• Double Dragon II: The Revenge – The second episode of Billy and Jimmy’s saga: Double Dragon II: The Revenge! The Lee brothers are back to avenge the death of Marian at the hands of the Shadow Warriors! Fight your way through street gangs, ninjas, giant mutant fighters as well as spiked ceilings and mechas with sharp claws, by using the newly acquired “Hyper uppercut” or the “Flying knee kick”!
• DOUBLE DRAGON Ⅲ: The Sacred Stones – Another episode of the Lee brothers’ saga. The third episode and the most famous of the series. Travel round the world searching for the Marian and the Rosetta Stone, as both went missing! This time not only Billy and Jimmy are playable, as the strong opponents you defeat can rally your cause and become playable! A content-rich adventure for this third Double Dragon game.
• River City Ransom – The original River City Ransom for NES and its featured quality-up version are now available! Play as Alex and Ryan and cross River City to fight street gangs and save your girlfriend from the hands of a bad guy named “Slick.” Improve your fighting experience by powering-up your characters in River City’s shops, picking-up items for bonuses and using the trash bins and pipes you will find in its streets. Come and enjoy the original River City Ransom gameplay, that is still being praised nowadays!
• Crash ’n the Boys Street Challenge – Crash ’n the Boys Street Challenge for NES, the unconventional Olympics game gets its revival!! Coming from the city of Springhill, Crash and his friends have chosen to take on Todd’s sports challenge, but for the 5 entering teams, the trials aren’t your usual athletic disciplines. Pole vault is used to jump between buildings rooftops, golf is played with a throwing hammer, the 400m hurdle allows your opponents anything to further hinder your performance!! Come on and show Todd the spirit of Springhill’s sportsmen!
• Renegade – Renegade for NES, the gem of side-scrolling beat them all gets its revival!! Be the one to make all these lawless street gangs bite the dust! To preserve peace in the city, Mr. K. takes a stand against the street gangs! The amazing action game is back to life and you wouldn’t believe this is 8-bit action.
• Super Dodge Ball – Let the Super Dodge Ball begin! The untouched, original Super Dodge Ball for NES and its featured quality-up version are now available! This isn’t your regular dodge ball, you can’t just eliminate the whole team by hitting them with the ball; you’ll need to reduce the opposing team’s HP to zero to win the game! Play as the newly formed American team and take on the world challenge! Make good use of every character’s own unique super moves, and seize the victory!

Each of the games comes in with a £4.19 price tag attached and whilst initially probably sold on the back of memories of years gone by, may well be able to tempt in some younger gamers to the glories of what gaming used to be like You know, before it all went high budget and fancy.

Many of the games also comes with the option for you to choose from the original visuals or some slightly enhanced versions, the chance to save and load as you see fit, mess around with screen and sound options or to take in the control manual. Standard stuff really.

Just head on over to the Xbox Store using the links above. Let us know if you decide to pick any of them up. If you’re not quite sold on whether these classics have a place in 2020 then keep an eye out for our reviews of each. They’ll be coming your way fairly soon.