Double Action: Boogaloo 1.2.2.2

Games don't have to be high art. While there will always be some who use game development to tell stories or push the boundaries of human experiences, the truth is that some games are just better served by being fun. Some games just need to allow for great experiences and for players to mess around.

There's not a real need for an excellent story or a great hidden truth - just a few explosions and some neat effects. One game that really nails this sense of fun is Double Action: Boogaloo, a game that has no pretense of being anything other than what it is.

Double Action is very upfront about what it is meant to do. It gives players a chance to engage in action-movie style shenanigans that quite purposefully have zero substance behind them. This is the kind of game that exists simply to provoke reactions. It's the kind of game that doesn't seem to get made very often these days but nonetheless requires up-to-date technology to run. It's a relic of a time gone by in the best way, giving players a chance to backflip off a building while explosions rain around them. There's something incredibly pure about this game.

The best way to describe Double Action on the technical front is the word 'competent'. There's not a lot here that's going to blow your mind. You've seen everything this game has to offer in other games, albeit with something more closely resembling a story hiding the good stuff. This game is all about getting into fights and looking awesome. There's nothing keeping you from being cool other than your imagination, so you can engage in the power fantasy right away. Everything special comes from the fact that it absolutely knows what its player base wants from a game.

Are there problems here? Definitely. If you want to be hyper-critical, this is probably not the game for you. The graphics are dated, the controls aren't perfect and almost everything can use a polish. There's no story to speak of, no unique set of mechanics to show off, and nothing about the game will make you stop and think. These are all very valid criticisms that this game doesn't need to take to heart. This game is, simply put, not made for the kind of people who read video game reviews. This game is made for people who play video games.

Do you like the idea of jumping off a building after doing a backflip off of your opponent? Do you think that golden guns are objectively better than regular guns? Do you miss playing video games that didn't have a real point? If so, this game is for you. Do you care about playing good games? Do you need a story? Do you expect your games to be art? If so, you might not love this game. It's definitely one that everyone should try if only to experience the absurdity of what it brings to the table.