Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls

This is a well-crafted take-a-break-from-the-SF II-action fighting game. If you dig the cartoon show, go for this game. If you already have a stack of hey-we-got-fireballs-SF II clones, Double Dragon V has the licks to muscle it's way into that gang. Still, veteran Game Pro's will miss Marion.

It's the Double Dragon game I've been waiting for. The characters look good and they've got a lot of moves. Wait 'till you see the hidden characters. It's really a fun fighting game.

This is a nice little brawler that's better suited for younger players who haven't been "desensitized" by the blood in Mortal Kombat II. It's adapted from the TV cartoon instead of the earlier Double Dragon games, but that's a bonus after the last couple!

When I found out that Double Dragon V was a fighting game instead of a side-scrolling knuckle-buster, I was bumming. What could Tradewest do to make this game break out from the pack? The answer: Not that much, but just barely enough. I'd rather play Double Dragon V than most of the fighting games on the market and considering how many games that is, that's quite a compliment. It'll be very interesting to see where Tradewest takes the DD series next.

If you've bought every other fighting game and just want to complete your collection, by all means give it a look. Otherwise, steer clear.

The only thing that saves Double Dragon V from complete failure is the poor quality of it's closest competitor, Kasumi Ninja (the only other one-on-one fighting game for the Jaguar). But with interesting beat-em-ups like the Ultra Vortex and Fight for Life on the way soon, the odds of DD V making a favorable impression are getting slimmer every day.

Fighting games are a dime a dozen these days, and a cartoonish, simplistic game like Double Dragon V won't challenge fighting fanatics. But novice Street Fighters and Double Dragon cartoon crazies might find this cart to be a decent set of training wheels for the big leagues.

Playing this game and every other fighting game for the Jaguar, Double Dragon V is a much better game. Hey, at least you can play it. But that's not saying much. This game was nothing spectacular on the Super NES and Genesis, plus it's still nothing exciting on the Jaguar. The characters are goofy in appearance, but were probably a hit with the younger crowd. Jaguar games are coming along after all this time and DD5 will be a game for the younger Jaguar player.

Here's another fighting game trying to break out of the cookie-cutter mold. Although it doesn't have a dark look to it, the game is still enjoyable for the younger player, for whom this game is aimed. The moves are quite easy to do and it's nice to see that throws don't inflict much damage. The characters are difficult to get into unless you've seen the cartoon because these guys are bizarre. This is an average fighting game.

You have to be a tremendous fan of the Double Dragon brothers to want this cart. Even casual fighting fans will draw the curtains on this shadowy game. Jaguar owners looking for a serious fighting game are still left in the dark.

In summation, I have to say that this game is a terrible waste of time and a sucking chest wound on the Double Dragon legacy. If for any reason you have the urge to play this game, do yourself a favor: pop in Street Fighter 2: Championship Edition or Double Dragon 2. Then slap yourself in the mouth.

This is the type of port that simply makes you shake your head in awe. Double Dragon V wasn't that great of a game to begin with, and on the Jaguar, it becomes one of the worst fighting games ever made. It's astonishingly bad, and a prime example of what went wrong for the console.

There simply isn't anything more to say about this game. It's better than White Men Can't Jump, but only because of a technicality -- WMCJ is actually playable (when you read that review you'll understand what I mean). This is an absolute stinker, and you should avoid this game.