There's a lot of love and care given to this classic by Empire, and it shows.
This version of Double Dragon is indeed the arcade version. This is important for several reasons. One, it's shorter. Two, it's geared to be a quarter-muncher. Three, the fighting mechanics are a little spongy. Most people remember the NES version, with a significant number of levels more than this version, and a rather memorable move-learning system. Nope, no move learning here. You end with what you start with.
The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic New York after a bomb drop, though you probably couldn't tell. You and your brother seem to have angered a local gang by the name of the Black Warriors, and they come to steal your girlfriend. So you do what any man does: Grab your brother, punch the ever-loving crap out of the waves of thugs trying to stop you, and walk right. If it sounds tedious, it can be if you were expecting more, but it's over quickly enough that, if you had a boredom issue, it would be over soon enough.
As for the Xbox Live trappings associated with the games, you get local and online two-player co-op, a few nifty extras like strategies for the game and promo posters for the arcade distributors, and a lush graphical overhaul. It looks unbelievably gorgeous, and is even easy to appreciate on an SDTV. The upgrade, amazingly enough, captures the look and feel almost perfectly, save the extremely creepy bug-eyed Bolo and Abobos from the original machine, but if that's your preference, you can switch them back, and they don't look too shabby themselves.
The achievements are the thing that will keep you coming back, though. Requisite goals like achieving a certain score or completing the game without continuing are present, but there are some more quirky achievements that exhibit the love that Empire Interactive has for the game. Ones like "Third Base" require you to end mission 3 while holding a baseball bat, though, as most Double Dragon veterans are aware, you are supposed to lose anything you carry when you beat a boss, and mission 3 is split into 2 parts, the latter of which does not contain a baseball bat. The trick is finding a place where you can pick the bat up after the transition. Or how about "No Swimming", which tasks you with passing the bridge in mission 3 without falling in the water. If you claim you've never fallen in the water, you sir are a bonafide liar. The graphics and achievements, not to mention the Namco Arcade-styled extras go the extra mile to make the package worth buying.
So here's the bottom line:
-If you're expecting the NES version, just walk away now.
-If you're new, and you have no idea who or what Abobo is, give the demo a whirl, and if you want more, give it a try, but I doubt it will make a lasting impression.
-If you're a Double Dragon vet, and you yearn to play the arcade version again, this release will give you enough reasons to make it worth the while.