The summer of 1989 will be for me one of the best memories in my gaming life.
Why? Well I simply beat my all time favorite arcade game: DOUBLE DRAGON !!!!
In 1987 double dragon was release world wild, the game became right away very popular in France.
In 1988 I was in summer vacation with my parents, and one of the local store use to have the game. like always I ask few quarters to my father and went to play. At the first approach, I got my ass kick, but after few minutes I start to became addicted to the game. For me until this days, it the best beat’em up ever release.
I got the chance to play the game few more times but never really went that far. the vacation ended, and I came back with the hope to found the game in my own town.
After vacation, wasn’t easy to play the game because it was place in bars game rooms and to convince my parents to go play my favorite game in such places, no chances at all.
so I got the game on my Amstrad cpc (commodore), my friend use to have the game on master system , but to be honest none of those home console ever reproduce the magic of the original arcade.
The fallowing year during the summer vacation, me and my family went to the same place, but I was very disappoint to see that my favorite game was remove. but my chance will be back very shortly, when the next day we went to a lake with bunch of activity: swimming, fishing, boating .at the lake was a big food quarter with candy store,pizza,small diner and of course a game room. When I went there, I knew I wont enjoy the water like the other kids, and will spend more of my time here, and if I was not lucky enough double dragon was there, I still remember it was next to another popular game: Wonderboy.
For the rest of the 2 weeks vacation and the few times we went to the lake, I spend almost all my time playing the game, and enjoying every moment, but when the last day of the vacation came, my father ask us what we will like to do, and I ask him to go spend a relax day at the lake for the last time.
On the way to the site, I knew this will be for me one of the last chance I will have to beat the game , I knew that arcade game after few years have been remove and replace , that was it, the last chance.
I ask my father few quarters and he was very generous, to give me enough to last maybe the all game .He ask me if I will like to go to swim but I told him I’ve to take care of a personal problem, trying to finish that dam game.
When I arrive at the game room nobody was there only few people having ice cream, it was a very hot day. I took the best stool in the game room look left and right for the last time , insert every quarters and press finally the 1 player button.
I play for more than 45 minutes fighting every inch of grass kicking and punching with no remorse at one point I past the last level before the castle that I was always stock.
The last 10 minutes of the game were so instance, that I cant even remember , I was almost there only few quarter left and finally the big boss came that will be it only me and him, I remember that the battle was very intense but with determination I kick him and he never stand up again.
That was it, I finally beat the game, I scream a big YHEAAAAAAAA!!! The few people in the room turn there head to see what happen, my 2 harm where up in the air.
I stay like that and for 5 minutes, looking at the scrolling of the staff that program the game.
The vacation ended and in the car on the way home, the most beautiful souvenir I will remember, is not all the places I visit during the stay ,or the nice restaurant I went to eat , the only an unique one will be that day when I finish the game.
Few years ago I was able to realize that dream to go back in the past, I bought the original arcade, the only difference is that I’m much better and I’m able to finish the game with only one quarter. But every time I play the game I can’t stop myself to remember that summer of 1989….
fred
THE LAST CHANCE TO FINISH DOUBLE DRAGON
