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Rage of the Dragons
Rotd
DeveloperBrezzaSoft / Noise Factory
PublisherPlaymore
DesignerEvoga
ReleaseSeptember 20, 2002
Genre2D Tag Team Versus Fighting
ModesUp to 2 players simultaneously
CabinetUpright
Arcade systemNeo-Geo 564 MB Cartridge
DisplayHorizontally oriented, 304 × 224, 4096 palette colors
Input8-way joystick, 4 buttons
PlatformsArcade, Neo Geo

Rage of the Dragons (レイジ・オブ・ザ・ドラゴンズ) is a 2002 tag team head-to-head fighting game released for the Neo Geo hardware by Playmore (currently SNK). The game was co-developed by the Mexican team Evoga and the Japanese company Noise Factory. Evoga worked on the initial planning and designing, while Noise Factory worked on the final graphics, sounds and programming.

Evoga originally envisioned Rage of the Dragons as a sequel to the Neo Geo 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 Million, the developers of Double Dragon Advance), and thus it 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 protagonists 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, Linda (Abubo's female assistant) and Mariah (Jimmy's deceased girlfriend), are also based on their respective Double Dragon characters.

In an interview for the youtube channel AtomixVG Ángel Torres (Angel Sword), Mario Vargas (Mr. Vo) and José Luis Belmont revealed that SNK holds the rights for the name of Rage of the Dragons and all the characteristics from the game, while Evoga just hold the rights for the characters (With the possible exception of Jones who was designed by Noise Factory), For that reason they can't work in a sequel, neither SNK can use the characters. Aditionally they mentioned that for them was a surprise to see Jimmy, Lynn and Kang In Goketsuji Ichizoku Toukon Matrimelee, because Noise Factory didn't asked for their permission to use said characters, this could be the reason why the evoga characters were not included in Goketsuji Ichizoku Bonnou no Kaihou.

As of May 2020, Piko Interactive has acquired the game's IP and has expressed interest in using it in some way.[1] Ports for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and Xbox One and Xbox Series is scheduled for a future release, ported by QUByte Interactive.[2][3]

Gameplay Features[]

Rage of the Dragons uses a four button layout being Button A for weak Punch, Button B for weak Kick, Button C for Strong Punch and Button D for Strong Kick. Features a tag team system, in which the player takes control of two characters and can switch between one or the other during gameplay by pressing B + C buttons at the same time. 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 this mechanic is known as the Team Duplex Attack and it is performed with the command ↓↘→ + BC, to use this attack the player has tu be using a predeterminated team, both characters must have energy, the change bar should be full and having at least two levels of the power bar; After the first character finish his combo sending the opponent to the other side, the command must be repeated to finish the Duplex Attack. Much like the Power Instinct games, the stages also featured breakable barriers that would extend the playing field once shattered. By pressing the four attacks buttons the active character will surrender leaving him/her out of combat, this adds units to the power bar for the remaining character. The First Impact mechanic allows the player to perform a special combo by pressing C+D buttons at the same time, the character will perform a strong attack that will send the opponent spinning throug the air during this moment the player must press a button's secuence that is exclusive for each character, following the First Impact the player has the options of switch characters or perform the Team Duplex Attack.

Additionally the game counts with the following basic mechanics:

Jump: There are 4 kinds. They vary in speed and longitude.

Avoid: Avoid attacks and powers on the same position. Will be executed: Press at the same time A+B and the control on a neutral position.

Rolling: Avoid attacks and powers changing position. Will be executed: Press A+B and move the control forward or backwards.

Run: The character will displace quickly forward the screen. Will be executed: Move quickly the joystick forward two times and during the second maintain the control on a forward position to maintain your character running.

Block: Block blows and powers. Just maintain the control (joystick) on the opposite enemy direction, to use the guard you need to maintain the control on the opposite enemy direction and down, the guard could be used on the air too.

Setback: Moving backwards on a quick form. Moving the control quickly backward two times, plus to this characteristic if it's apply on a correct time can turn aside powers and blows.

An auxiliary meter is 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).

After defeating the seven teams, the player will confront Abubo Rao sub-boss of the game and after defeating Abubo the player will face Johann the last opponent.

Story[]

Sunshine city is ruined, decadent and corrupted, the city is no man's land ruled by the law of the strongest, the police and national army are not capable to stop the violence wave along with the corruption in the government and others authorities that makes the situation worse.

Among this chaotic situation exist a strong group that practice the religious worship to THE BLACK DRAGON. This group is quite recent but has gain a lot of young followers with faith lost in life and in a world in econonic recesion and severe climate crisis. The leader of this is a young and powerful richman that has is mansion set in one island close to Sunshine bay and from there controls totally all the city and the fates of many people.

This man has been possesed by the evil spirit of the BLACK DRAGON, an ancient spirit confined in a sacred stone and that has been awaken by this powerful man. Long ago he was a martial art student, tenacious and strong but also too ambicious, because of this we was expulsed from the dojo where he was learning the ways of the dragons along with the SHO SETZU KEN art , because of this he promises that his old master will be sorry for reject him, so he steal one of the old seals that kept the black dragon spirit, his anger and hate feed the black dragon spirit and took possession of him and became a powerful leader and with his power his cult grow quickly and overpowered the Sunshine City authorities and now is expanding through the country, this has happen in humanity history several times and in many countries and now it will happen again.

This sect will touch in a way or another the life of many people in Sunshine City, the sect has grow more and more ruthless so, this time, when two brothers feel the need of confrontation that flows from the black dragon energy the fight is set. The dragons have the destiny to fight each other and they can't escape to this, the confrontation is set, the dragons are summoned.

Characters[]

Crossover Information[]

Four of the characters from this game make a guest appearance in Power Instinct Matrimelee as hidden characters, and Abubo Rao (or at least, a djinn that looks very similar to Abubo) appears as one of Princess Sissy's special attacks. Kang Jae-Mo also makes a cameo in the game, appearing in one of Johnny Jones' super attacks, and screenshots of the game appear on the monitor in Shintaro and Buntaro's stage.

Other than this, Rage of the Dragons has no true connection to the Power Instinct series, and the characters' appearances and relations with the certain characters they were affiliated with in Matrimelee are possibly non-canon. It is the second time a Power Instinct game ever featured characters from different game (the first being Groove On Fight, in which the game's boss, Bristol-D, had special attacks that featured demons from the Shin Megami Tensei series.)

Soundtrack[]

Rage of the Dragons Soundtrack

Staff[]

Rage of the Dragons Staff

Screenshots[]

External Links[]

References[]

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