Just when you think there couldn’t possibly room for one more gratuitous guitar solo, Kaufman finds a way. Jake Kaufman, composer of the game’s soundtrack, has an awful lot of love-and intimate knowledge-for the music of 80s and he pours every genre conceivable into every orifice the game has. It’s the new tracks that are the most surprising, pulling some dead ringers for musical style from the likes of Depeche Mode to Devo and all guitar-laden points in between. The music is the main event, with “retro updates” of the original soundtrack (think how Double Dragon would have sounded if it had had the budget to hire a new wave synth band in 1987) and a lot faux-80s tracks. The audio complements the look, but in some ways, might just be the real star of the show for Double Dragon Neon. The simple, 80s era pixel characters are now bright, simple polygonal figures almost reminiscent of characters from the cover of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with flashy color, clean details and hyper-stylized body proportions. It’s also unapologetically sexist, but it’s a game about the 80s when men were men and women were the reason men went out and beat up other people. This is not one of those games that will ever be accused of living in a monochrome world of greys and/or browns, and for a smaller development effort, the look of the characters is surprisingly detailed and robust. It’s now a mix of 2D backgrounds with 3D characters that are seamlessly integrated to make a splashy, bold, colorful look in keeping with the retro-styling of the game. The biggest change to the game is definitely in the graphics department. If a group of 15 year olds fed on a strict diet of Fruist Gushers, Tab Cola and “Don’t Stop Believin’” as their personal anthem were given 21st century coding abilities, Double Dragon Neon would be the result. Space, ninjas, haunted forests and Nordic “tape smiths” are just a few of the ridiculous elements scattered with obvious love and irreverence throughout the entire game. From there, Double Dragon Neon goes on an 80s obsessed, neon drenched fisticuffs crusade with its tongue so firmly in cheek it breaks the skin and starts licking its own face. That’s the plot of the entire game, remaining utterly faithful to the 1987 arcade original, right down to the opening scene of Marion getting punched and carried away as a garage containing our two heroes opens up just 10 seconds too late to stop the madness. The best Dragon Ball villains are as unforgettable as the series' heroes and are a big part of what makes Akira Toriyama's creation so popular with fans.Billy and Jimmy Lee are brothers with a simple problem the girlfriend, Marion, has been kidnapped by some bad dudes, and they need to get her back. When the series does get it right though, which is far more often than not, the results really do speak for themselves. Not all of the villains have hit the mark, nor have they all been utilized quite as well as they could have been. Over the decades there have been some fantastic antagonists and, with a new Dragon Ball movie having recently been released and a follow-up to Dragon Ball Super expected imminently, that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. Updated July 11, 2022, by Tom Bowen: When it comes to creating memorable villains, few series have been as consistent as Dragon Ball. Whether because of their excellent writing or their unique motivations, these antagonists are as memorable as they are deadly and have played a pivotal role in the franchise's continued success over the years. Others, however, bring a lot more to the table than just brute strength and obnoxious threats. Some of the villains to have featured throughout the series serve as little more than plot devices with which to push the heroes to new and exciting heights. RELATED: The Best Dragon Ball Game On Every Nintendo Console Its varied cast of heroes is one of the many things that have contributed towards this prolonged success, although many will argue that the antagonists are every bit as important if not more so. It first appeared as a manga back in 1984 and has since gone on to spawn a hugely popular anime, multiple movies, and plenty of great video game adaptations. Few series have had quite as big an impact on the world as Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball.
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