Battletoads & Double Dragon

STORY / GAMEPLAY
A city-sized spaceship called Colossus smashes out the moon. It is the Dark Queen (previously found on BattleToads title) who's trying her latest galaxy-dominating plan. The Battletoads will not have to fight the Queen but also Shadow Boss's minions! But this time, those terrific twins Billy and Jimmy, the Dragons will now team-up with the Battletoads, to defeat the evil Queen and the furious Shadow Boss (previously found on Double Dragon title) in order to save the Earth from certain destruction. It's not going to be easy, the Colossus is a big ship and there's bound to be a whole ton of trouble in there waiting. Battletoads and the Dragons leap out onto the tail of the Colossus and your mission just begins. Nasties vary from Shadow Marines (the Shadow Boss's personal army who patrol Colossus) to giant long-legged robots and Retro Blasters (robotics which have twin blasters glowing). Of course an end-level boss is awaiting you at the end of each stage. Enemies come thick and fast, and usually at a time when it's most inconvenient.Most of the action takes place on foot, but certain areas demand expert driving skills (with the Toads favorite flying Speeder Bike or the high-speed, heavily armored Space Pod). In the driving sections you race through the heart of the ship riding on flying bikes, which will call for lightning fast reflexes as you must jump a series of fences, weave in and out of metal pillars and try and kick a barrage of thugs off their own bikes. When you finally battle your way down to earth, the real challenge begins! You must venture into the dingy darkness of a basement, where the Shadow Boss lurks. Then it is into the Dark Queen's spaceship, where a do-or-die struggle begins to determine the future of the Earth. Along your way, there are various Bonus pods to pick up. These will give you points, extra weapons, energy refills or even an extra life. Battletoads & Double Dragon is surely one of the best beat 'em up games for the NES!

GRAPHICS / SOUND
Double Dragon and Battletoads games have always been visually striking, and this is no exception. The graphics are splendid, and there are areas that look almost three-dimensional, which is something incredibly impressive. There is also a mix of both Double Dragon and Battletoads game visuals but the main artistic style is largely Battletoads-inspired in a futuristic setting. The color palette used is extremely bold and everything is nicely detailed, such as the buildings and facilities. The sprites offer some marvelous little touches in the animation and the characters react to events on screen -in a funny way! For example, when a boss appears your chosen character (ether a toad or Billy/Jimmy) bounces backwards in shock with his jaw literally hitting the floor and his eyes bugging out! The sound follows great standards too, offering plenty of nicely composed riffs along with classic sounds when punching, kicking, destroying stuff etc.