Double Dragon II

The sequel to Technos Japan's classic beat-'em-up series, Double Dragon II was ported to the NES in 1989. Billy and Jimmy Lee seek revenge against the Shadow Warriors for the murder of Marian, fighting through nine stages of relentless enemies. The NES version supports two-player simultaneous co-op and introduces new moves including the spinning back kick, resulting in a richer combat system than its predecessor. The ending varies by difficulty level — only the hardest setting unlocks the true finale. Double Dragon II is widely regarded as one of the definitive beat-'em-ups on the NES platform.