In most cases, entire cutscenes were removed from the old western NES versions due to either ROM size restrictions or a simple case of publisher deeming them unfit for the young, impressionable Western audience. Whichever one you pick, a treat is assured the localisation differences are substantial and far more varied than simple dialogue changes and correct naming conventions. Let's begin with the present “repeated offenders”: Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun, Nekketsu High School Dodgeball Club, Downtown Nekketsu Story and Surprise! Nekketsu New Records! The Distant Gold Medal are all the original Famicom versions of games mentioned in the previous paragraph, all presented for the first time with English localisation. The main course is the eleven brand-new English-localised Famicom Kunio entries. See how hard it was to keep up with Kunio in the West? In these three games alone, he went under three different names – hardly the best way to establish a franchise. Following up the Lee brothers is Kunio’s localised NES efforts, with a serviceable home adaptation of Renegade (we must admit that despite the extra exclusive features, the Sega Master System version remains the superior game) sitting alongside Super Dodge Ball, the open-world genre-precursor brawler River City Ransom, and the extreme sports antics of Crash 'n the Boys Street Challenge. This offering eases players in with seven familiar NES titles: The complete Double Dragon trilogy is present and accounted for, with their unique and quirky home adaptations still resonating well with gamers who grew up with them (except for Double Dragon III, which is quite possibly the one true misfire in this whole bundle). If you grew up with the NES Double Dragon trilogy you will surely find some nostalgic fun here, but the true reason (and price justification) for this bundle is without a shadow of a doubt the eleven all-new English localised Famicom exclusive games, giving them a chance at the Western success for the first time in nearly three decades. Make no mistake: Putting Double Dragon front and centre on the title does not change the fact that the Lee siblings remain an amuse-bouche in this eighteen-strong compilation.
Marketing ploys aside, this Western rebranding is a somewhat surprising localisation. This is now being released in the west as Double Dragon & Kunio-kun Retro Brawler Bundle. They have since released more or less successful entries into the franchise, along with one particular generous retro compilation back in 2018: Kunio-kun: The World Classics Collection.
In 2015, Arc System Works became the curator for the whole franchise in a deal that also included the Lee brothers made famous worldwide by the Double Dragon series. But underestimating this hot-blooded delinquent – who was first introduced in the West via Renegade – often proves a fatal mistake.
DOUBLE DRAGON CARTOON HOP IN FULL
In fact, even nowadays, few Western gamers might realise the full extent of Kunio’s successful multi-genre proliferation across 8 and 16-bit formats. We've had to endure butchered localizations and dozens of titles being missed because they were simply deemed “too Japanese for Western consumption”. Being a Kunio fan in the West is tougher than the mean streets Kunio and his friends come from.
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