Difference between revisions of "Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja"

From TheAlmightyGuru
Jump to: navigation, search
(Links)
(33 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
[[Image:Bad Dudes - ARC - Ad.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet ad.]]
 
[[Image:Bad Dudes - ARC - Ad.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet ad.]]
  
'''''Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja''''' is a platform beat-em-up developed and published by [[Data East]] and original released in the [[arcade]] in April of 1988. It was later ported to about ten other platforms. In the game, US President Ronald Reagan has been kidnapped by ninjas, and only a bad dude like yourself is up to the challenge of rescuing him.
+
'''''Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja''''' is a platform [[beat 'em up]] developed and published by [[Data East]] and originally released in the [[arcade]] in April 1988. It was later ported to about ten other platforms. In the game, US President [[Ronald Reagan]] has been kidnapped by ninjas, and only a bad dude like yourself is up to the challenge of rescuing him.
  
I first saw Bad Dudes in the arcade room at Lakeland Arena around 1989. Although I never had any quarters to play it, I loved watching other people play the game and thought it was really cool. Later, after my brother and I bought our [[NES]], Bad Dudes was one of the very first games I got for the system.
+
I first saw Bad Dudes in the arcade room at Lakeland Arena around 1989. Although I never had any quarters to play it, I loved watching other people play the game and thought it was really cool. Later, after my brother and I bought our [[NES]], ''Bad Dudes'' was the very first game I got for the system as a Christmas present in, I think, 1989. My brother got ''[[Double Dragon (NES)|Double Dragon]]'', and I found the dichotomy between the publishers — Data East for ''Bad Dudes'' and [[Tradewest]] for ''Double Dragon'' — to be interesting.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
 +
{{Video Game Review|6|4|7|6|4|Windows}}
 +
 +
{{Spoilers}}
 +
 
===Good===
 
===Good===
 
* The graphics are great for the time. The arcade's art is particularly well-drawn and the [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], and [[NES]] ports are decent as well.
 
* The graphics are great for the time. The arcade's art is particularly well-drawn and the [[Amiga]], [[Atari ST]], and [[NES]] ports are decent as well.
 
* The concept is utterly ridiculous, but in a good way.
 
* The concept is utterly ridiculous, but in a good way.
* Allowing two-play simultaneous play really makes the game more interesting.
+
* Allowing two-player simultaneous play really makes the game more interesting.
* The soundtrack is a bit short, but the songs are great sounding.
+
* The soundtrack is a bit short, but the songs by [[Azusa Hara]] and [[Hiroaki Yoshida]] are good.
 
* The various stages give the game a lot of nice scenery and riding on the semi truck and train were especially cool.
 
* The various stages give the game a lot of nice scenery and riding on the semi truck and train were especially cool.
* The enemies are very inventive and interesting. Flaming ninjas, dwarfs with claws, hopping sword men, giants out of [[Mad Max: The Road Warrior]], a fire-spitting Russian, etc.
+
* The enemies are very inventive and interesting. Flaming ninjas, dwarfs with claws, hopping sword men, giants out of ''[[Mad Max: The Road Warrior]]'', a fire-spitting Russian, etc.
 
* Having several digital speech recordings like "Got it!" and "I'm Bad!" made the game seem more cool.
 
* Having several digital speech recordings like "Got it!" and "I'm Bad!" made the game seem more cool.
 
* The flaming charged attack is a nice addition.
 
* The flaming charged attack is a nice addition.
 +
* The [[boss rush]] is kind of cool with some of the bosses being zombies of their former selves.
 
* The Famicom port added some introduction cut scenes to the bosses.
 
* The Famicom port added some introduction cut scenes to the bosses.
  
 
===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 
* The controls aren't very good on any of the platforms. You can only move, attack, and jump, so your options are pretty limited, and none of them feel very smooth.
 
* The controls aren't very good on any of the platforms. You can only move, attack, and jump, so your options are pretty limited, and none of them feel very smooth.
* The game a really hard. Like most games originally designed for the arcade, it's meant to be beaten only after several dollars in quarters have been spent.
+
* The game a really hard. Like most games originally designed for the arcade, it's meant to be beaten only after several dollars in quarters have been spent. Even after dozens of play-throughs and memorizing when most enemy ninjas appeared, I still wasn't able to beat this game on the stock lives.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* The ports to the weaker machines ([[Amstrad CPC]], [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]], [[MS-DOS]], [[MSX]], and [[ZX Spectrum]]) are really terrible.
 
* The ports to the weaker machines ([[Amstrad CPC]], [[Apple II]], [[Commodore 64]], [[MS-DOS]], [[MSX]], and [[ZX Spectrum]]) are really terrible.
* Most of the home ports removed the ability to play two-players at the same time.
+
* Most of the home ports removed the ability to play two-players at the same time which is less fun, but also increases the difficulty of the game.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==
 
===Box Art===
 
===Box Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Bad Dudes - ARC - Marquee - USA.jpg|Arcade marquee.
+
Bad Dudes - ARC - USA - Marquee.jpg|Arcade marquee.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Bezel - USA.jpg|Arcade bezel.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Bezel - USA.jpg|Arcade bezel.
 
Bad Dudes - FC - Japan.jpg|This box was used only on the Japanese Famicom release. The art is wonderful, showing off a couple of the bosses, and the player's character. My only gripe is the ugly white border.
 
Bad Dudes - FC - Japan.jpg|This box was used only on the Japanese Famicom release. The art is wonderful, showing off a couple of the bosses, and the player's character. My only gripe is the ugly white border.
Line 40: Line 45:
 
Bad Dudes - NES - Manual.pdf|NES manual.
 
Bad Dudes - NES - Manual.pdf|NES manual.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Ad.jpg|Arcade ad.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Ad.jpg|Arcade ad.
Bad Dudes - USA - Ad.jpg|Ad comparing Bad Dudes to [[Double Dragon]].
+
Bad Dudes - USA - Ad.jpg|Ad comparing ''Bad Dudes'' to ''[[Double Dragon]]''.
 
Bad Dudes - Imagine - Ad - English.jpg|Imagine ad (English).
 
Bad Dudes - Imagine - Ad - English.jpg|Imagine ad (English).
 
Bad Dudes - Imagine - Ad - French.jpg|Imagine ad (French).
 
Bad Dudes - Imagine - Ad - French.jpg|Imagine ad (French).
Line 59: Line 64:
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Title.png|Arcade - Title.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Title.png|Arcade - Title.
 +
Bad Dudes - FC - Screenshot - Title.png|Famicom - Title.
 
Bad Dudes - NES - Screenshot - Title.png|NES - Title.
 
Bad Dudes - NES - Screenshot - Title.png|NES - Title.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Are You a Bad Enough Dude.png|Arcade - Are You a Bad Enough Dude?
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Are You a Bad Enough Dude.png|Arcade - Are You a Bad Enough Dude?
 
Bad Dudes - NES - Screenshot - Are You a Bad Enough Dude.png|NES - Are You a Bad Enough Dude?
 
Bad Dudes - NES - Screenshot - Are You a Bad Enough Dude.png|NES - Are You a Bad Enough Dude?
 +
Bad Dudes - FC - Screenshot - Boss Intro.png|Famicom - Boss introduction.
 +
Bad Dudes - DOS - Screenshot - Intro.png|The far less interesting DOS intro.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
 
===Fan Art===
 
===Fan Art===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 +
Zac Gorman - Bad Dudes.gif|Zac Gorman's fan art.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Fan Art - Collage.jpg|Collage of arcade sprites.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Fan Art - Collage.jpg|Collage of arcade sprites.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
Line 83: Line 92:
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [https://www.mobygames.com/game/bad-dudes mobygames.com/game/bad-dudes] - MobyGames.
+
{{Link|MobyGames|https://www.mobygames.com/game/bad-dudes}}
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Dudes_Vs._DragonNinja en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Dudes_Vs._DragonNinja] - Wikipedia.
+
{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Dudes_Vs._DragonNinja}}
 +
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Bad_Dudes}}
 +
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Bad_Dudes}}
 +
{{Link|NESHacker|2=http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Games/Hacking/Wiki/index.php?title=Bad_Dudes}}
 +
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes_vs_Dragonninja}}
 +
 
 +
* [https://tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes] - The Cutting Room Floor (NES).
  
  
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 
[[Category: Video Games]]
 +
[[Category: 1988 Video Games]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Action]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Beat 'Em Up]]
 +
[[Category: Video Game Genre - Platformer]]
 +
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Boss Rush]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Martial Arts]]
 +
[[Category: Media Theme - Ninjas]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
 
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
 
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
Line 95: Line 118:
 
[[Category: Atari ST Games]]
 
[[Category: Atari ST Games]]
 
[[Category: Commodore 64 Games]]
 
[[Category: Commodore 64 Games]]
[[Category: MS-DOS Games]]
+
[[Category: DOS Games]]
 
[[Category: MSX Games]]
 
[[Category: MSX Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Beat-Em-Up]]
 
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player Co-op]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player Co-op]]
 +
[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]

Revision as of 11:55, 5 February 2020

Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja is a platform beat 'em up developed and published by Data East and originally released in the arcade in April 1988. It was later ported to about ten other platforms. In the game, US President Ronald Reagan has been kidnapped by ninjas, and only a bad dude like yourself is up to the challenge of rescuing him.

I first saw Bad Dudes in the arcade room at Lakeland Arena around 1989. Although I never had any quarters to play it, I loved watching other people play the game and thought it was really cool. Later, after my brother and I bought our NES, Bad Dudes was the very first game I got for the system as a Christmas present in, I think, 1989. My brother got Double Dragon, and I found the dichotomy between the publishers — Data East for Bad Dudes and Tradewest for Double Dragon — to be interesting.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
6 4 7 6 4

Best Version: Windows

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The graphics are great for the time. The arcade's art is particularly well-drawn and the Amiga, Atari ST, and NES ports are decent as well.
  • The concept is utterly ridiculous, but in a good way.
  • Allowing two-player simultaneous play really makes the game more interesting.
  • The soundtrack is a bit short, but the songs by Azusa Hara and Hiroaki Yoshida are good.
  • The various stages give the game a lot of nice scenery and riding on the semi truck and train were especially cool.
  • The enemies are very inventive and interesting. Flaming ninjas, dwarfs with claws, hopping sword men, giants out of Mad Max: The Road Warrior, a fire-spitting Russian, etc.
  • Having several digital speech recordings like "Got it!" and "I'm Bad!" made the game seem more cool.
  • The flaming charged attack is a nice addition.
  • The boss rush is kind of cool with some of the bosses being zombies of their former selves.
  • The Famicom port added some introduction cut scenes to the bosses.

Bad

  • The controls aren't very good on any of the platforms. You can only move, attack, and jump, so your options are pretty limited, and none of them feel very smooth.
  • The game a really hard. Like most games originally designed for the arcade, it's meant to be beaten only after several dollars in quarters have been spent. Even after dozens of play-throughs and memorizing when most enemy ninjas appeared, I still wasn't able to beat this game on the stock lives.

Ugly

  • The ports to the weaker machines (Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, and ZX Spectrum) are really terrible.
  • Most of the home ports removed the ability to play two-players at the same time which is less fun, but also increases the difficulty of the game.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Fan Art

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English (Arcade) Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja
English (American Home Releases) Bad Dudes
English (Europe) Bad Dudes vs. Dragonninja
Japanese ドラゴンニンジャ Doragon Ninja Dragon Ninja

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-VGMPF.png  64x64px  Link-TCRF.png