Finds #2081: Double Dragon Advance and a Ghost Rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon
The latest additions to the Retro Gaming Life collection bring together two very different kinds of retro collectibles, but both are guaranteed to get the attention of collectors: a boxed copy of Double Dragon Advance for the Game Boy Advance and a Ghost Rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game.
One takes us back to the days of portable 2D beat-'em-ups, while the other brings some serious trading-card nostalgia to the collection. Let's take a closer look at both!
Double Dragon Advance
First up is Double Dragon Advance for the Game Boy Advance.
Originally released in North America in November 2003, Double Dragon Advance was developed by Million and published by Atlus. Rather than being a simple port of the 1987 arcade classic, the game is essentially a remake that combines elements from the original arcade game with ideas, moves, enemies, weapons, and stages from other entries in the Double Dragon series.
That makes this a particularly interesting game for a collection.
The original Double Dragon helped establish the side-scrolling beat-'em-up as one of the defining arcade genres of the late 1980s. Double Dragon Advance takes that formula and squeezes it onto Nintendo's Game Boy Advance while adding plenty of new material.
Players can take control of Billy or Jimmy Lee and battle their way through the game, with multiplayer support available through the Game Link Cable. The game also includes a Survival Mode, giving players another way to put their fighting skills to the test.
A Love Letter to the Original
One of the coolest things about Double Dragon Advance is how much attention was given to the history of the series.
The game includes four new stages that were inserted between stages from the original arcade game. It also introduces additional enemies and moves inspired by other Double Dragon games and Technōs beat-'em-ups.
Even the box artwork has a fun connection to classic martial-arts cinema. The pose of Billy and Jimmy on the cover was designed as an homage to Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris in The Way of the Dragon.
So while it may look like another Game Boy Advance release at first glance, Double Dragon Advance is actually a pretty substantial celebration of the franchise.
And finding a boxed copy like this makes it an even nicer addition to the collection.
Red-Eyes Black Dragon — Ghost Rare!
The other addition might be even more eye-catching: a Ghost Rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon!
Red-Eyes Black Dragon is one of the most recognizable monsters in the entire Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. Along with Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician, Red-Eyes has been one of the iconic monsters associated with the series since the early days of the trading card game.
This particular card is the Red-Eyes Black Dragon Ghost Rare from Ghosts From the Past: The 2nd Haunting, card GFP2-EN176. The set was released in 2022, and Red-Eyes was one of the classic monsters to receive the Ghost Rare treatment in the set.
And Ghost Rare is an especially cool rarity for collectors.
What Makes Ghost Rare Special?
Ghost Rare cards have a distinctive appearance that makes them stand out from virtually everything else in a Yu-Gi-Oh! collection.
The artwork has a silvery, almost ghost-like appearance and can look dramatically different depending on the angle and lighting. The card's name also has a pearlescent appearance. TCGplayer describes Ghost Rare as one of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s most prestigious collector rarities.
The rarity originally debuted in the 2007 Tactical Evolution set, and Ghost Rares quickly became some of the most desirable chase cards for collectors.
The Ghosts From the Past: The 2nd Haunting version of Red-Eyes is particularly fun because it takes such a classic monster and gives it an appearance that is completely different from the traditional Red-Eyes cards many fans remember from the early 2000s.
A Great Combination of Collectibles
I really like how these two additions represent different sides of retro gaming and collecting.
On one side, we have Double Dragon Advance, a physical Game Boy Advance game that connects directly to the arcade and 8-bit era of gaming. It takes a classic franchise and gives it a new life on a handheld system.
On the other side, we have Red-Eyes Black Dragon, representing the collectible-card side of the retro gaming and pop-culture world. For anyone who grew up with Yu-Gi-Oh!, seeing a Ghost Rare version of such an iconic monster is pretty special.
And there's something particularly satisfying about adding both a boxed Game Boy Advance game and a high-rarity Yu-Gi-Oh! card to the collection at the same time.
Another Fantastic Find!
Double Dragon Advance is already a great game to have in the collection, but finding a boxed copy makes this particular addition even better. Add in a Ghost Rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and this becomes one of those Finds that has a little bit of everything.
The Game Boy Advance represents an important part of Nintendo's handheld history, while Red-Eyes Black Dragon represents one of the most recognizable collectible card games of its generation.
Two different collectibles, two different forms of nostalgia, and two more great additions to Retro Gaming Life!
Which one would you choose for your collection: the boxed Double Dragon Advance or the Ghost Rare Red-Eyes Black Dragon? Let me know in the comments!
And as always, stay tuned for the next Finds post, because there are always more games, collectibles, and retro treasures waiting to join the collection!
Keep gaming and keep collecting!
— Retro Gaming Life
0 comments:
Post a Comment