Double Dragon

This PlayStation release is the Japanese conversion of Double Dragon, the 1995 one-on-one fighting-game spin-off often called Double Dragon '95. It is not a port of the original 1987 scrolling brawler: Technōs Japan built the game around the characters and setting of the 1994 live-action Double Dragon film, while retaining the Lee brothers at its center.

The game first appeared on Neo Geo arcade hardware and home formats in 1995. Urban Plant brought that same game to the original PlayStation in Japan on April 26, 1996, making this version a conversion rather than a separate Double Dragon adventure. The PlayStation edition was released under the simple Double Dragon title and was not a standard worldwide PlayStation launch.

Matches are fought one against one over best-of-three rounds. Rather than assigning permanent punch and kick buttons, its four attack buttons represent different strengths and speeds; the move performed also depends on how the fighter is positioned relative to the opponent. That arrangement gives close-range exchanges a different feel from the series' earlier beat-'em-ups.

Each combatant has a charge meter laid over the health display. Taking damage fills the meter more quickly, so a fighter under pressure can gain access to stronger charge versions of special techniques. These powered moves use the command for a normal special attack but finish with two attack buttons instead of one.

Billy and Jimmy Lee headline a cast drawn from the movie-influenced interpretation of the series, including familiar names such as Abobo and Marian alongside characters created for this setting. The game therefore trades the street-by-street cooperative progression associated with earlier Double Dragon titles for character matchups and special-move execution.

Technōs Japan developed the original Neo Geo game, while Urban Plant handled the PlayStation port and its Japanese publication. This distinction matters for the PlayStation entry: it is a licensed conversion of Technōs' late-period fighting game, released shortly before the studio ceased operations, rather than a Tecmo-developed Double Dragon title.