Rage of the Dragons
Encyclopedia
is a 2002
tag team
head-to-head fighting game
released for the Neo Geo
hardware by Playmore
(currently SNK Playmore). The game was co-developed by the Mexican
team Evoga
and the Japan
ese company Noise Factory
. Evoga worked on the initial planning and designing, while Noise Factory worked on the final graphics, sounds and programming.
system, in which the player takes control of two characters and can switch between one or the other during gameplay. The character who is not being controlled will slowly recovers part of his or her energy while the other is fighting. The player can perform special combos in which both characters attack an opponent at the same time for added damage.
An auxiliary meter located at the bottom of the screen that slowly fills up when an attack connects with an opponent. When the meter is full, special moves can be performed (Ex: Counter Attacks, Super Moves, etc).
There are also two boss characters
in the game, who are fought by the player at the end of the single player tournament. Unlike the regular characters, these bosses only fight by themselves with no partners. Abubo (Abubo Rao) Johann
fighting game
version of Double Dragon
released in 1995
. However, Evoga were unable to use the intellectual rights for the characters (which were purchased by the company founded by former Technos Japan staff Million, the developers of Double Dragon Advance
), and thus Rage of the Dragons was turned into a homage
to the Double Dragon series instead of an official sequel
. The two lead characters in Rage of the Dragons, Billy and Jimmy Lewis, share their names with the protagonist
s of the Double Dragon series, Billy and Jimmy Lee, while the boss character
Abubo is based on Abobo from the original Double Dragon. Two supporting characters in Rage, Linda (Abubo's female assistant) and Mariah (Jimmy's deceased girlfriend), are also based on Double Dragon characters.
Jimmy, Lynn, Elias and Mr. Jones would later appear as hidden guest characters in Power Instinct Matrimelee
, a fighting game also produced by Noise Factory
. Coincidentally, Atlus
, the company that originally produced the Power Instinct
series, published Double Dragon Advance for Million.
2002 in video gaming
The year 2002 in video gaming saw the release of many games to sixth-generation video game consoles, predominately, the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.-Events:...
tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
head-to-head fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
released for the Neo Geo
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
hardware by Playmore
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
(currently SNK Playmore). The game was co-developed by the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
team Evoga
Evoga
Evoga Entertainment is a former Mexican video game company. It was the first Latin American company solely dedicated to producing video games, beginning operations in 2000...
and the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company Noise Factory
Noise Factory
' is a Japanese company that specialises in developing video games. It is one of the developer companies of SNK Playmore. Its more known games are Rage of the Dragons and the new Power Instinct games .- Games :* Gaia Crusaders* Metal Slug 3 * Sengoku 2001 / Sengoku 3* Metal Slug 4...
. Evoga worked on the initial planning and designing, while Noise Factory worked on the final graphics, sounds and programming.
Gameplay
Rage of the Dragons features a tag teamTag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
system, in which the player takes control of two characters and can switch between one or the other during gameplay. The character who is not being controlled will slowly recovers part of his or her energy while the other is fighting. The player can perform special combos in which both characters attack an opponent at the same time for added damage.
An auxiliary meter located at the bottom of the screen that slowly fills up when an attack connects with an opponent. When the meter is full, special moves can be performed (Ex: Counter Attacks, Super Moves, etc).
Plot and characters
There are a total of fourteen playable characters in Rage of the Dragons. The player can select from one of the seven default pairings, or create a custom pairing with nearly 80 possible combinations. The player will see a hidden ending if they complete the single player tournament with a Billy and Jimmy pairing. Jimmy (James Lewis) Billy (William Lewis) Lynn (Lynn Baker) Sonia (Sonia Romanenko) Annie (Annie Murakami) Radel Pepe (Jose Rodriguez) Pupa (Pupa Salgueiro) Jae-mo Kang Mr. Jones (Jones Damon) Oni (Oni Inomura) Cassandra (Cassandra Murata) Elias (Elias Patrick) Alice (Alice Carroll)There are also two boss characters
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
in the game, who are fought by the player at the end of the single player tournament. Unlike the regular characters, these bosses only fight by themselves with no partners. Abubo (Abubo Rao) Johann
Production
Evoga originally envisioned Rage of the Dragons as a sequel to the Neo GeoNeo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
version of Double Dragon
Double Dragon (Neo Geo)
is a 1995 fighting game spinoff of the Double Dragon series developed and published by Technos Japan. It is based on the 1994 Double Dragon movie, which in turn was based on the original arcade game. It was originally released for the Neo Geo and later released for the Neo Geo CD and PlayStation...
released in 1995
1995 in video gaming
-Events:*May 11 – Introduction of trade magazine GameWeek *May 11-16 — The 1st annual Electronic Entertainment Expo is held in Los Angeles, California...
. However, Evoga were unable to use the intellectual rights for the characters (which were purchased by the company founded by former Technos Japan staff Million, the developers of Double Dragon Advance
Double Dragon Advance
is a 2003 side-scrolling beat-em-up released for the Game Boy Advance. It was published by Atlus and developed by Million Inc. It is a remake of the 1987 arcade game Double Dragon and incorporates elements from its sequels and home versions.-Gameplay:...
), and thus Rage of the Dragons was turned into a homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the Double Dragon series instead of an official sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
. The two lead characters in Rage of the Dragons, Billy and Jimmy Lewis, share their names with the protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
s of the Double Dragon series, Billy and Jimmy Lee, while the boss character
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
Abubo is based on Abobo from the original Double Dragon. Two supporting characters in Rage, Linda (Abubo's female assistant) and Mariah (Jimmy's deceased girlfriend), are also based on Double Dragon characters.
Jimmy, Lynn, Elias and Mr. Jones would later appear as hidden guest characters in Power Instinct Matrimelee
Power Instinct
is a fighting game series created by Atlus started in 1993. The Power Instinct or Gouketsuji Ichizoku series is renowned for its more humorous take on fighting games, its music and its often-weird characters.One of the innovations unique to the series was the introduction of the transformation...
, a fighting game also produced by Noise Factory
Noise Factory
' is a Japanese company that specialises in developing video games. It is one of the developer companies of SNK Playmore. Its more known games are Rage of the Dragons and the new Power Instinct games .- Games :* Gaia Crusaders* Metal Slug 3 * Sengoku 2001 / Sengoku 3* Metal Slug 4...
. Coincidentally, Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
, the company that originally produced the Power Instinct
Power Instinct
is a fighting game series created by Atlus started in 1993. The Power Instinct or Gouketsuji Ichizoku series is renowned for its more humorous take on fighting games, its music and its often-weird characters.One of the innovations unique to the series was the introduction of the transformation...
series, published Double Dragon Advance for Million.
External links
- Rage of the Dragons at SNK PlaymoreSNK PlaymoreSNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
- Rage of the Dragons at Noise FactoryNoise Factory' is a Japanese company that specialises in developing video games. It is one of the developer companies of SNK Playmore. Its more known games are Rage of the Dragons and the new Power Instinct games .- Games :* Gaia Crusaders* Metal Slug 3 * Sengoku 2001 / Sengoku 3* Metal Slug 4...
- Review of Rage of the Dragons at Neo-Geo.com