Theme - Double Dragon (NES)

Cyril: This Double Dragon theme is catchy, I'll give it that. It starts out strong, letting you know that it's building to something special. It even repeats three times, just to build the tension. Unfortunately, what comes next isn't worth the hype. The melody may be sweet, but it doesn't convey the machismo I expect from Double Dragon. After all, this is a game in which two knuckleheads battle thugs through countless stages before remembering that somebody is going home empty handed. This is the type of song I enjoy in the moment, only to immediately forget the melody mere minutes later. Either I've taken a few too many hits to the head or this Double Dragon theme isn't as memorable as it should be.

Kevin: Double Dragon's theme is exactly what I'd expect for a theme song from the 80s. Not just for a video game, but in general. Hard rock and metal were in, and that's exactly what this song aims to be. Like many bands playing that style of music, this theme features two very active lead guitar sounds over a simple repeating eighth note bass pattern and similarly basic drums. The most interesting thing about this to me is how many notes the bass hits, suggesting that there are many more chords featured than in your standard song. The two busy guitar parts are of course what will really grab your attention, and despite the bass movement these parts are deceptively simple. Lots of arpeggios and pentatonic progressions. It's a fairly standard metal lead guitar that's catchy and exciting to draw you into the game.