Welcome to 8-Bit Brawl! I know, this is usually 16-bit Brawl, but I thought it would be fun to think outside the bun, as they say, and look back even further, to the original Nintendo vs Sega console wars. That’s right, we’re pitting Master System against the NES today, and it’s a showdown for the ages, as we’ve got two games that took VASTLY different approaches to porting the same source material. Double Dragon was one of the most popular arcade games of the era, and ports were plentiful. But none more prolific than the NES and Master System. Both have their strengths and weaknesses, but which one is better? Let’s find out! 

First up, we have Double Dragon for the Sega Master System. If you had to try and distill exactly what it was that made the arcade original such a success, it would probably be the multiplayer. There’s nothing quite like a good old fashioned co-op beat 'em up, and this was one of the first major hits in the genre. The Master System does a solid job of recreating that at home. It looks great, sounds faithful, has 2-player simultaneous play, it hits all the notes, and stands as a pretty nice feather in the Master System’s cap.  

On the other hand, we have Double Dragon for NES. Similar to other arcade conversions like Rygar and Trojan, Double Dragon for NES is a pretty different game from its coin-op counterpart. For one, it’s a single player game, mostly. There is a 2-player mode, but it’s a VS. fighting game. The campaign is single player only (2 players alternating). But it’s also now chock full of some light RPG elements, specifically leveling up your character to learn new moves. It may be missing the all-important multiplayer, but it made up for it in a number of interesting ways. But is it enough to put up a fight against arcade accuracy?

Now that we know what we’re dealing with, it’s time to put these games to the test. It's time for a 16-bit, err… 8Bit Brawl! 

Graphics (1 point)

Double Dragon for NES is a pretty decent-looking game. It’s colorful, the character designs are extremely memorable (especially Abobo), it’s pretty nice stuff. Yes, it does have its technical limitations, which also played a big part in the game not being 2-player, and there only ever being 2 of the same enemy on the screen at the same time, but it manages itself reasonably well. There's some slowdown and flicker, but nothing too egregious. Solid stuff. 

However, the Master System game looks that much better. Sure, some of the stages feature some odd-looking textures, and the flicker is certainly worse here, but generally speaking, this is a much nicer looking game. There’s great use of color throughout, but the biggest advantage has to go to the character models. They’re the same exact designs on both platforms, which is to say they look very little like their arcade older brothers and sisters, but they’ve got much more detail on Master System. 

The NES game is no slouch, but side by side, there’s no comparison. The point goes to the Master System. 

NES - 

SMS - I

Sound (1 point)

Meanwhile, this one’s the complete reverse. The Master System game doesn’t sound bad at all. Especially by Master System standards. It’s got solid renditions of the arcade game’s soundtrack, but the NES game just does it all better. It’s even got more songs! Sure, the Master System game has boss music like the arcade game, but even without that, the NES version’s music is some all-time great stuff. Absolutely iconic. 

On top of that, the sound effects on NES provide way more impact. The Master System does an admirable job, but this category is an easy win for the NES.  

NES - I

SMS - I

EverDrive-N8 Pro (Black Core) [NES]

$211.99

This is the Black Core version of the EverDrive-N8 Pro for the NES. It comes assembled in a black shell with a Molten Core style label and held...… read more

Content (1 point)

This is a close category because it really starts to show off just how different these two games are. The Master System game went for more arcade accuracy, and it pulls it off quite well. There are 4 missions, and they are largely laid out just like the arcade game. The ending where you fight your brother for Marion’s affection makes more sense with the 2-player mode intact, and the ending itself is more fleshed out on SMS. However, the NES game does things quite differently. The stages themselves are a bit smaller, but there’s often more to them. The first stage ends in a unique room with a conveyor belt, the second stage ends on top of a building, and then there's the whole wacky cave system in Mission 3. They do include some less than stellar platforming segments, but they’re interesting additions nonetheless. Then there’s the VS. mode. The NES game has this weird fighting game in it where 2 players face off as the same character. These are large, unique sprites that look pretty great. It may not PLAY all that well, but there’s still fun to be had. 

When it comes to judging content, the quality of said content is always an important factor. I’d rather have a shorter game of higher quality than more game that stinks, but in this case, I’d say the NES content is just good enough to push it over the top. The point goes to the NES. 

NES - II

SMS - I

Gameplay (2 points)

It’s absolutely crazy to me that they couldn’t get simultaneous 2-player up and running on NES. Contra landed on NES a few months before Double Dragon! Granted, not everybody could match Konami’s expertise back in those days, but still. 2-player was a huge part of Double Dragon’s identity. It’s even in the name! So it would stand to reason that the Master System should win this category on that point alone, but surprisingly, it still misses the mark. 

The Master System game, even in 2-player mode, simply isn’t as much fun to play as the NES game. Your character’s attacks lack impact, and the basically infinite continues take a lot of the challenge out of the experience. It’s also got a lot of weird character behavior issues. Mainly, they gang up on you to an absurdly cheap degree, and they tend to occupy the same space way too often. It’s like your enemies don’t want to stand in front of you and attack, they want to stand inside of you, and that makes things very frustrating, and not in a fun way. 

Meanwhile, the RPG elements of the NES game turn it into a weird, but very fun time. Learning new moves as you go is a blast, and it works as a great incentive to try and figure out how to earn as many points as possible while you play. And once you get those moves, they’re way easier to pull off than on SMS. Sure, over there all your moves are unlocked right away, but good luck executing them with any sort of consistency. 

Double Dragon on Mater System is certainly the better multiplayer game, but not by as much as you’d think. Where the NES game is unquestionably the better single player experience by a country mile. The points go to the NES. 

NES - IIII

SMS - I

And there you have it. The Master System game is solid, and a great case for the Master System as a whole, especially back in the old days. But when stacked up against its competition directly, the NES game is simply more fun to play, has better sound, and more content. I recommend both of them for fans of beat em ups, as they both offer wildly different takes on the genre, but one is clearly the better overall product, even if it isn’t as true to the source material. 

The winner is Double Dragon for NES

What do you think? Do you prefer the Master System versions’s arcade accuracy, or do you appreciate the NES game doing something different? Let us know, and keep playing games!