At the start of May, Secret Base Games and Modus Games announced Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, the latest game in the long-running Double Dragon series. The publisher promised the game would arrive by the end of summer. We now know that to be true since Double Dragon Gaiden's official release date has been revealed! The game will hit consoles and PC on July 27.
in 1987, the arcade version of Double Dragon became the first co-op beat 'em up. After the original developer, Technos, closed down, the property started getting licensed to different developers with their own unique visions. WayForward released Double Dragon Neon, a Korean developer unleashed the awkward Double Dragon II: Wander of the Dragons (the game that brought me to Co-Optimus), and Arc System Works, the current IP holder, created the retro-style Double Dragon IV. Now, Secret Base Games and Modus Games are throwing their hats into the ring with Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons, coming to consoles and PC this summer.
Digital games are more convenient than physical games, and usually cheaper too. Still, there's something about collecting physical games that appeals to many gamers. Preordering limited physical editions directly from boutique labels is always an option, but sometimes retailers offer the same editions for a better price. That's certainly the case with Best Buy, which currently has 14 Nintendo Switch titles from Limited Run up for preorder, including TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, Double Dragon Neon, and several more co-op hits.
It's not often that a game receives online multiplayer years after release, but it does happen. Case in point: Double Dragon IV from Arc System Works. The retro-style beat 'em up came to all major platforms, one system at a time, but initially without an online mode. A few years later, though, the game was updated to add 2-player online co-op! That's quite an addition for a small-scale $7 game, so we had to try it out and share our impressions.
It’s hard to imagine nowadays, but long ago, two of the 8-bit era’s most popular beat ‘em up franchises once teamed up in a single game called Battletoads/Double Dragon. Developed by the wizards at Rare, the crossover game deftly mixed the two properties to produce a game that remains well-liked by those who played it. Sadly, Batt...
During this January's CES, iiRcade announced a line of upgraded home arcade cabinets. These new cabinets would run the game games but feature a height and form factor closer to classic arcade cabinets, genuine Sanwa parts, updated speaker grills and sound, and JBL audio. At last, iiRcade is ready to announce the specific name and models of the new home arcade cabinets. They will be called iiRcade Gold Edition cabinets, and four different designs are now available to preorder.
The appeal of the iiRcade home arcade console is that it mixes the experience and form factor of an arcade cabinet with the console-like ability to buy and download games. The iiRcade platform will soon resemble modern consoles even more closely in features when online multiplayer (including co-op!) comes to all retro games on iiRcade early next year.
With the recent Black Friday sale (which actually lasts the rest of the year), I finally grabbed an iiRcade home arcade cabinet. As with any arcade cabinet intended for home use, some assembly is required. To provide an idea of what the assembly process and final product are like, we've got impressions and photos.
The home arcade cabinet business consists of several manufacturers with differing approaches, such as Arcade1Up's 3/4-scale replicas of classic cabinets like X-Men and Terminator 2. iiRcade, on the other hand, sells a home arcade cabinet that features a larger 19-inch screen and a digital storefront with both classic arcade and modern indie games. During the Black Friday Sale that starts today, iiRcade home arcade consoles are on sale for $200 off.
