dragon-buster posts

There are some gaming conventions that are so ingrained into our collective psyches that they frequently go without notice -- and I'm not talking about BlizzCon. I'm talking about game mechanic conceits that, once dissected and examined in the calm, rational light of the modern day, appear at the very least old-fashioned, and at the worst, nothing more than crutches for poor game design.

Let's start with the venerable double-jump. Appearing for the first time in the 1984 arcade release Dragon Buster, the double-jump is a completely ridiculous and arbitrary defiance of basic physics (not that games need to adhere to real-world physics, mind you, but let's move on). For those of you somehow unfamiliar with this by-now accepted staple of platforming games, the double-jump allows a character to jump once, and at the apex of the jump (most often) jump again, springing off some invisible surface to gain more altitude. Is there a reasonable defense for the inclusion of this mechanic?