Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (video game) explained

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
Developer:Virgin Interactive Entertainment
Director:Colin Gordon
Producer:Daniel Marchant
Designer:Daniel Marchant
Ian Mathias
John Palmer
Programmer:Dave Chapman
Ronald Pieket-Weeserik
Artist:Jon Green
Mark Anthony
Mark Smith
Composer:Allister Brimble
Platforms:Atari Jaguar, Game Gear, Master System, Sega Genesis, Super NES
Genre:Fighting
Modes:Single-player, co-op, multiplayer (up to three players)

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting video game developed and originally published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in Europe for the Sega Genesis in June 1994.[1] It is based on the 1993 film of the same name, which is a semi-fictionalized account of the life of Hong Kong-American actor and martial artist Bruce Lee. Following the events of the movie, players take control of Bruce Lee across several stages that takes places in different time periods of his life and fight against some of his adversaries.

Initially released for Sega platforms, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was later ported to the Atari Jaguar and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, each one featuring several changes and additions compared with the original version while both the Game Gear and Master System versions, which were also released in 1994, feature an entirely different gameplay format.

Since its release, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story garnered mostly negative reviews, with criticism directed at the slow-paced and shallow gameplay.

Gameplay

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story is a fighting game where players assume control of the titular "Dragon" and must defeat the sailor from the dance in Hong Kong, the chefs from the Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco, the martial arts master who challenges Lee, amongst others adversaries through his life to progress further in the title, recalling major action scenes from the film.[2] [3] [4] However, the video game adaptation leaves out valuable plot information from the film and most of the romantic content between Bruce and his future wife Linda. Players can use a variety of martial arts moves to defeat their enemies and build up a chi meter, which can help unleash special moves on their opponents. The players have three continues, and if lost, they must fight The Phantom (the personification of Bruce's fear who takes the form of an armored Japanese Samurai) to continue, though he is near invincible. They face The Phantom Samurai again at the end as a final boss.

The game features supports for up to three players simultaneously, playing through the game co-operatively, or against each other in a battle mode. The CPU-controlled enemy characters are non-playable, and so the additional players only control clones of the same different colored such as:

Development and release

The producer for the video game adaptation of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Daniel Marchant, stated in a 1993 interview with Mean Machines Sega that the team was against the idea of creating a beat 'em up project similar to Sega's Streets of Rage 2 (1992) and they instead opted in developing an arcade-style fighting title that was more in the lines of the Street Fighter II series which is also the arcade blockbuster that the developers of Streets of Rage 2 had also used as their inspiration, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story on the other hand has beat 'em up mechanics that are rather similar to the Japanese version of (1990), because of the cooperative modes up to three players who fight as re-skinned clones of the same character, the abilitily for characters to wield and attack with nunchucks, and both games having the "Dragon Stomp" move when the opponent is on the ground.[5] The sprite work for each characters consists of 100 frames of animation and the music was done by composer Allister Brimble.[5] [6]

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was first released for Sega platforms in 1994 on Europe including the Genesis, Game Gear and Master System, while each version of the game were developed internally at Virgin Interactive Entertainment.[1] The Genesis version was also released on Australia during the same year, then in North America the next year where both it and the Game Gear version were published by Acclaim Entertainment instead, and later in Brazil as well by Tectoy. The first console port to be released outside of Europe was the Atari Jaguar conversion on 28 November 1994, which was published by Atari Corporation instead of Virgin and/or Acclaim, and this version was also released in Japan by Messe Sansao in July 1995.[7] [8] [9] The second console port to be released was for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on 23 February 1995 in Europe and later in North America on July of the same year, becoming both the last version of the game to be officially released and the final version developed by the original team.[10] A version for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was planned but never released.[11]

Both the Sega Genesis and the later Super Nintendo port are similar but have a number of key differences between each other besides visuals and audio such as the latter having a new introductory sequence upon starting the game, a missing intermission sequence before a bonus stage after completing two levels, among other changes. The Atari Jaguar version plays like the previous 16-bit version and contains the same game modes but has considerably more frames of animation than the Super NES and Genesis versions without running any slower that results in smoother animation, redrawn visuals, higher color palette for both stages and sprites, as well as a higher quality soundtrack. However, the Jaguar version lacks the introduction and intermission cutscenes between stages and since its release predates the launch of the Team Tap adapter, it only supports up to two players. Although the Genesis, Jaguar and SNES versions are a one-on-one fighting title, both 8-bit versions are a hybrid beat 'em up/platform game instead and the only difference between the Game Gear and Master System versions is mainly screen resolution.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScores
Game GearMaster SystemJaguarSNES
AllGame[12] [13]
Atari Gaming Headquarters4 / 10[14]
Computer and Video Games75 / 100[15] 60 / 10084 / 100
Electronic Gaming Monthly24 / 40[16] 22 / 50[17]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[18]
Excalibur65%[19]
GamesMaster90%[20] 91%[21]
Game Players55%[22]
Gamers4+[23]
Games World78 / 100[24]
Jeuxvideo.com12 / 20[25]
Joypad84%[26]
MAN!AC67%[27] 70%[28] 70%[29]
Mean Machines Sega77 / 100[30] 80 / 100[31] 80 / 100
Mega89%[32]
Mega Force85%[33]
Mega Fun73%[34] 66%[35] 73%[36]
Mega Power78%[37]
Next Generation[38] [39] [40]
Nintendo Player[41]
Nintendo Power12.8 / 20[42]
Player One82%[43] 80%[44]
Play Time73%[45] 66%[46] 80%[47]
Sega Power91%[48] 42%[49] 42%
Sega Pro70 / 100[50] 52 / 100[51] 47 / 100[52]
ST-Computer70%[53]
Super Game Power3.8 / 5.0[54]
Super Power84 / 100[55]
Total!2+[56]
Ultimate Future Games80%[57]
Video Games71%[58] 69%[59]
VideoGames7 / 10[60] 5 / 10[61] 7 / 10

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story received mostly negative reviews.

Reviewing the Jaguar version, Electronic Gaming Monthly called it "more or less your run-of-the-mill action fighter game". They commented that the game was released too long after the movie (which came out well over a year before) to benefit from the license.[17] GamePro similarly commented that the game "lacks fire", elaborating that the graphics are moderately impressive, but the gameplay is crude and requires little skill due to the limited set of moves.[62] French magazine Joypad regarded the controls better than those of the 16-bit versions.[26] Next Generation called it "nothing truly amazing, but still good fun".[39]

Reviewing the later Genesis port, GamePro criticized the unimaginative graphics and weak music, and summarized that "there's nothing special about this fighter".[63] Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, writing that "Virgin was right on the money when it decided not to release Dragon. If only Acclaim had a conscience then we wouldn't have had to waste our time reviewing this retread of a game."[38] Entertainment Weekly wrote that the characters are very stiff, and more resemble Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots than graceful martial artists.[18]

GamePro was no more pleased with the Super NES version, saying that the game has weak graphics and sound effects, and is so simplistic that it is more of a beat 'em up than a true fighting game.[64] A critic for Next Generation said the Super NES version plays much better than the Jaguar version, but that the game is still poor. He elaborated that "this is the only fighting game we've ever come across that not only has no special moves to speak of, but also enables you play as only one (count it, one) character, namely Bruce Lee, even in VS mode." He also criticized the fighting system.[40]

The Jaguar version has sold nearly 20,000 copies since its release as of 1 April 1995, though it is unknown how many were sold in total during its lifetime.[65] In 2018, Complex ranked the game 94th on their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".[66]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Up 'N' Coming. Mega. 20. Future Publishing. May 1994. 81. 30 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20181112101303/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AMega_UK_20.pdf&page=79. 12 November 2018. live.
  2. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story instruction manual (Sega Genesis, US)
  3. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story game manual (Atari Jaguar, US)
  4. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story instruction booklet (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, US)
  5. Hickman. Lucy. Work In Progress - Dragon. Mean Machines Sega. 14. EMAP. December 1993. 22–23.
  6. Preview - Mega Drive - Dragon. Computer and Video Games. 147. Future Publishing. February 1994. 114.
  7. Web site: Castle. Justin. Historical Atari Jaguar UK Magazine Advert/Reviews Collection. Issuu. PDF. 21 July 2018. 340. 30 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190104221625/https://issuu.com/amigajay/docs/jaguar_uk_pdf. 4 January 2019. live.
  8. Web site: Atari unleashes an array of Jaguar game titles; the 64-bit Jaguar boasts the release of four new titles. TheFreeLibrary.com. Business Wire. 28 November 1994. 30 June 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190328115710/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Atari+unleashes+an+array+of+Jaguar+game+titles;+the+64-bit+Jaguar...-a015902728. 28 March 2019. live.
  9. Web site: DD. JAGUER販売カタログ. astralunit.blog.fc2.com. 14 October 2012. 30 June 2019. ja. https://web.archive.org/web/20180825180029/http://astralunit.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-236.html. 25 August 2018. live.
  10. Web site: Super NES Games. Nintendo. 31 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20080920223937/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/gameslist/manuals/snes_games.pdf. 20 September 2008. live.
  11. Bonnet. Jérôme. Preview - 3DO - Dragon. Joystick. 62. Anuman Interactive. July–August 1995. 152. fr.
  12. Web site: A. Smith. Lance. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (Genesis) - Review. AllGame. All Media Network. 1998. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115050037/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7536&tab=review. 15 November 2014. dead.
  13. Web site: A. Weiss. Brett. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (SNES) - Review. AllGame. All Media Network. 1998. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20141115050030/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=7397&tab=review. 15 November 2014. dead.
  14. Web site: Iida. Keith. AGH Jaguar Review: DRAGON: THE BRUCE LEE STORY. atarihq.com. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20150802005723/http://www.atarihq.com/reviews/jaguar/dragon_the_bruce_lee_story.html. 2 August 2015. live.
  15. Ahmet. Deniz. Skews. Rik. Patterson. Mark. CVG Review - Dragon. Computer and Video Games. 152. Future Publishing. July 1994. 90–93.
  16. Baran. Andrew. LeFebvre. Mark. Desmond. Mike. Williams. Ken. Review Crew - Game Gear - Dragon. Electronic Gaming Monthly. 77. Sendai Publishing. December 1995. 52.
  17. Review Crew - Major Mike's Game Roundup - Dragon - Atari / Jaguar. Electronic Gaming Monthly. 66. Sendai Publishing. January 1995. 46.
  18. Strauss. Bob. Article - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Entertainment Weekly. 260. Meredith Corporation. 3 February 1995. 1 July 2019.
  19. Valenta. Jan. Recenze - Atari Jaguar - Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story - Je lepší Dragon nebo Mortal?. Excalibur. 42. L.L.G.. 16 March 1995. 23. cs.
  20. Kirrane. Simon. Reviews (Mega Drive) - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. GamesMaster. 18. Future Publishing. June 1994. 40–41.
  21. Ellis. Les. Reviews (SNES) - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. GamesMaster. 18. Future Publishing. June 1994. 38–39.
  22. Salmon. Mike. Genesis - Review - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Game Players. 76. Signal Research. October 1995. 62. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190105012804/https://archive.org/stream/Game_Players_Issue_57_October_1995#page/n65/mode/1up. 5 January 2019. live.
  23. Koczy. Michael. Test Mega Drive: Dragon The Bruce Lee Story. Gamers. 20. MLV-Verlag. December 1994. de.
  24. Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Games World. 6. Paragon Publishing. December 1994. 18.
  25. Web site: Silvercolt. Test de Dragon : The Bruce Lee Story sur MD par jeuxvideo.com. Jeuxvideo.com. Webedia. 2 April 2010. 31 January 2020. fr.
  26. Nini. Nourdine. Test - Jaguar - Dragon. Joypad. 37. Yellow Media. December 1994. 96. fr.
  27. Forster. Winnie. Spiele-Tests - MD - Dragon. MAN!AC. 15. Cybermedia. January 1995. 91. de.
  28. Ehrle. Oliver. Spiele-Tests - Jaguar - Dragon. MAN!AC. 15. Cybermedia. January 1995. 86. de. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190104232953/https://archive.org/stream/MANIAC.N015.1995.01/MANIAC.N015.1995.01-DURiAN_Searchable#page/n85/mode/1up. 4 January 2019. live.
  29. Zaborowski. Ingo. Spiele-Tests - SN - Dragon. MAN!AC. 13. Cybermedia. November 1994. 76. de.
  30. Steve. Gus. Megadrive Review - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Mean Machines Sega. 21. EMAP. July 1994. 66–68.
  31. Steve. Gus. Game Gear Review - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Mean Machines Sega. 21. EMAP. July 1994. 70–71.
  32. Bilson. Josse. Game Review - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Mega. 22. Future Publishing. July 1994. 34–36.
  33. Francis. Zapping - Megadrive - Dragon. Mega Force. 33. MegaPress, S.A.R.L.. November 1994. 86–87. fr. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190406153228/https://www.abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=40&num=8906&album=oui. 6 April 2019. live.
  34. Girlich. Stephan. Test Kunterbunt – Dragon - Mega Drive. Mega Fun. 27. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. December 1994. 102. de.
  35. Weidner. Martin. Test Jaguar - Dragon. Mega Fun. 28. CT Computec Verlag GmbH & Co. KG. January 1995. 110. de. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20180817055907/https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AMegaFun_DE_1995-01.pdf&page=110. 17 August 2018. live.
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  38. Finals - Genesis - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Next Generation. 9. Imagine Media. September 1995. 102. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190104234936/https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-009/Next_Generation_Issue_009_September_1995#page/n103/mode/1up. 4 January 2019. live.
  39. Finals - Jaguar - Dragon. Next Generation. 2. Imagine Media. February 1995. 92. 1 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190104232704/https://archive.org/stream/nextgen-issue-002/Next_Generation_Issue_002_February_1995#page/n93/mode/1up. 4 January 2019. live.
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  51. Master System - ProReview: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Sega Pro. 34. Paragon Publishing. July 1994. 58.
  52. Game Gear - ProReview: Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Sega Pro. 34. Paragon Publishing. July 1994. 54–55.
  53. R. F. Jaguar: Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story. ST-Computer. 106. falkemedia. February 1995. 92. de. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20170401233134/http://stcarchiv.de/stc1995/02/jaguar-dragon. 1 April 2017. live.
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  55. Sushi. Super Nintendo Test - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Super Power. 26. SUMO Éditions. November 1994. 108–109. fr. 2 July 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20150502132409/http://www.abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=20&num=3271&album=oui. 2 May 2015. live.
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  63. Johnny Ballgame. ProReview: Genesis - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. GamePro. 86. . November 1995. 78.
  64. Tommy Glide. ProReview: SNES - Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. GamePro. 89. IDG. February 1996. 74.
  65. Web site: Atari Jaguar Lifetime Sales. betaphasegames.com. 18 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20170824014231/http://betaphasegames.com/Feature_Jaguar_Lifetime_Sales.html. 24 August 2017. live.
  66. Web site: Knight. Rich. April 30, 2018. The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time. live. 2022-01-21. Complex. en. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116111038/http://www.complex.com:80/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/ . 16 January 2018 .

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