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

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[[Image:Bad Dudes - ARC - Ad.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet ad.]]
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{{Video Game
 +
| Title            = Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja
 +
| Image           = Bad Dudes - ARC - USA - Flyer.jpg
 +
| ImageDescription = Arcade - USA - Flyer.
 +
| Developer        = {{VideoGameDeveloper|Data East}}
 +
| Publisher        = {{VideoGamePublisher|Data East}}
 +
| PublishedYear    = 1988
 +
| PublishedMonth  = 03
 +
| PublishedDay    = 02
 +
| Platforms        = {{Platform|Amiga}}, {{Platform|Amstrad CPC}}, {{Platform|Apple II}}, {{Platform|Arcade}}, {{Platform|Atari ST}}, {{Platform|Commodore 64}}, {{Platform|DOS}}, {{Platform|MSX}}, {{Platform|NES}}, {{Platform|ZX Spectrum}}
 +
| Genres          = {{VideoGameGenre|Action video game|Action}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Beat 'em up|Beat 'em up}}, {{VideoGameGenre|Platformer|Platformer}}
 +
| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Action}}, {{MediaTheme|Martial Arts}}, {{MediaTheme|Ninjas}}, {{MediaTheme|Terrorism}}
 +
| Multiplayer      = {{GameMultiplayer|Alternating versus}}, {{GameMultiplayer|Simultaneous co-op}}
 +
| Distributions    = {{VideoGameDistribution|Commercial}}
 +
}}
  
'''''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. The game supports simultaneous two-player cooperative game play.
  
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. It was a Christmas present around 1990. My brother got [[Double Dragon (NES)|Double Dragon]]. I found the dichotomy between the publishers, Data East for Bad Dudes, [[Tradewest]] for Double Dragon, to be interesting.
+
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. You must beat up seven stages of a variety of ninjas before facing off with the mastermind, the Dragon Ninja!
 +
 
 +
==Personal==
 +
{{VideoGameStatus
 +
| Own      = Yes, NES port.
 +
| CantOwn  =
 +
| Won      =
 +
| CantWin  =
 +
| Finished =
 +
}}
 +
 
 +
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, 1990. 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|54%|Windows}}
+
{{Video Game Review|6|4|7|6|4|Arcade}}
  
 
{{Spoilers}}
 
{{Spoilers}}
Line 16: Line 41:
 
* The soundtrack is a bit short, but the songs by [[Azusa Hara]] and [[Hiroaki Yoshida]] are good.
 
* 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 [[Karnov|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 and how to safely defeat them, 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 isn't just less enjoyable, 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 41: Line 67:
 
===Documentation===
 
===Documentation===
 
<gallery>
 
<gallery>
Bad Dudes - ARC - Manual.pdf|Arcade manual.
+
Bad Dudes - ARC - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - Arcade - USA.
Bad Dudes - NES - Manual.pdf|NES manual.
+
Bad Dudes - AMI - Europe - Manual.pdf|Manual - Amiga / Atari ST - Europe.
Bad Dudes - ARC - Ad.jpg|Arcade ad.
+
Bad Dudes - NES - USA - Manual.pdf|Manual - NES - USA.
 +
Bad Dudes - ARC - USA - Flyer.jpg|Flyer - Arcade - USA.
 
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).
 +
Data East - Poster - Arcade Hits from Data East - 1988.jpg|Poster - Data East - NES.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
  
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<gallery>
 
<gallery>
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Title.png|Arcade - Title.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Title.png|Arcade - Title.
 +
Bad Dudes - ARC - Screenshot - Clock.png|Arcade - The clock gives a [[time extension]].
 
Bad Dudes - FC - Screenshot - Title.png|Famicom - 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.
Line 76: Line 105:
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Fan Art - Collage.jpg|Collage of arcade sprites.
 
Bad Dudes - ARC - Fan Art - Collage.jpg|Collage of arcade sprites.
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 +
 +
===Videos===
 +
{{YouTube|_O6v5VNFCXc|Longplay - Amiga.}}
 +
{{YouTube|jLE2hj-TjMk|Longplay - Amstrad CPC.}}
 +
{{YouTube|tIg-tXBKEAo|Longplay - Apple II.}}
 +
{{YouTube|u2ddQfLZ0PM|Longplay - Arcade.}}
 +
{{YouTube|YzwcAPDoJBQ|Longplay - Atari ST.}}
 +
{{YouTube|a6ovv6abgdU|Longplay - Commodore 64.}}
 +
{{YouTube|7cehaqXFCGE|Longplay - MS-DOS.}}
 +
{{YouTube|SXXLibeyh8A|Longplay - MSX.}}
 +
{{YouTube|GcrVMS83-3U|Longplay - NES.}}
 +
{{YouTube|PBdcQ6yq_YM|Longplay - ZX Spectrum.}}
 +
 +
==Play Online==
 +
{{PlayOnline|https://classicreload.com/cpc-dragon-ninja.html|Amstrad CPC}}, {{PlayOnline|https://classicreload.com/apple2-bad-dudes.html|Apple II}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/arcade-games/bad-dudes-vs-dragonninja-us.html|Arcade}}, {{PlayOnline|https://classicreload.com/c64-bad-dudes.html|Commodore 64}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/nes-games/dragon-ninja-japan.html|Famicom}}, {{PlayOnline|https://classicreload.com/bad-dudes.html|MS-DOS}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/nes-games/bad-dudes-vs-dragon-ninja-europe.html|NES (Europe)}}, {{PlayOnline|https://www.retrogames.cc/nes-games/bad-dudes-usa.html|NES (USA)}}, {{PlayOnline|https://classicreload.com/zx-spectrum-dragon-ninja.html|ZX Spectrum}}
 +
 +
==Representation==
 +
{{Representation
 +
| Media                      = Video games
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterStatus = Fail
 +
| StrongFemaleCharacterNotes  = Although they look badass, women only exist to be beaten up in the game.
 +
| BechdelTestStatus          = Fail
 +
| BechdelTestNotes            = The women never talk.
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterStatus    = Fail
 +
| StrongPOCCharacterNotes    = The bulk of the enemies are Asian, but none show any growth.
 +
| QueerCharacterStatus        = Fail
 +
| QueerCharacterNotes        = There are no queer characters.
 +
}}
  
 
==Titles==
 
==Titles==
Line 95: Line 152:
 
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Bad_Dudes}}
 
{{Link|StrategyWiki|https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Bad_Dudes}}
 
{{Link|VGMPF|2=http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=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}}
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{{Link|ROMDetectives|2=http://www.romdetectives.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Bad_Dudes_(NES)}}
 
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes_vs_Dragonninja}}
 
{{Link|TCRF|https://tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes_vs_Dragonninja}}
  
 
* [https://tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes] - The Cutting Room Floor (NES).
 
* [https://tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes tcrf.net/Bad_Dudes] - The Cutting Room Floor (NES).
 +
* [https://www.retrogames.cc/arcade-games/bad-dudes-vs-dragonninja-us.html retrogames.cc/arcade-games/bad-dudes-vs-dragonninja-us.html] - Play Online.
  
  
[[Category: Games]]
+
[[Category: Video Game Prime Order - Action, Adventure, Strategy]]
[[Category: Video Games]]
+
[[Category: Game Mechanic - Boss Rush]]
[[Category: Amiga Games]]
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[[Category: Game Mechanic - Ratchet Scrolling]]
[[Category: Amstrad CPC Games]]
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[[Category: 4-bit Color Graphics]]
[[Category: Apple II Games]]
 
[[Category: Arcade Games]]
 
[[Category: Atari ST Games]]
 
[[Category: Commodore 64 Games]]
 
[[Category: DOS Games]]
 
[[Category: MSX Games]]
 
[[Category: NES Games]]
 
[[Category: ZX Spectrum Games]]
 
[[Category: Action]]
 
[[Category: Beat-Em-Up]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player]]
 
[[Category: Multi-Player Co-op]]
 
[[Category: Ninjas]]
 

Latest revision as of 14:07, 14 March 2024

Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja

Bad Dudes - ARC - USA - Flyer.jpg

Arcade - USA - Flyer.

Developer Data East
Publisher Data East
Published 1988-03-02
Platforms Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Arcade, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, NES, ZX Spectrum
Genres Action, Beat 'em up, Platformer
Themes Action, Martial Arts, Ninjas, Terrorism
Multiplayer Alternating versus, Simultaneous co-op
Distribution Commercial

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. The game supports simultaneous two-player cooperative game play.

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. You must beat up seven stages of a variety of ninjas before facing off with the mastermind, the Dragon Ninja!

Personal

Own?Yes, NES port.
Won?No.

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, 1990. 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: Arcade

— 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 and how to safely defeat them, 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 isn't just less enjoyable, but also increases the difficulty of the game.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Screenshots

Fan Art

Videos

Longplay - Amiga.
Longplay - Amstrad CPC.
Longplay - Apple II.
Longplay - Arcade.
Longplay - Atari ST.
Longplay - Commodore 64.
Longplay - MS-DOS.
Longplay - MSX.
Longplay - NES.
Longplay - ZX Spectrum.

Play Online

Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Arcade, Commodore 64, Famicom, MS-DOS, NES (Europe), NES (USA), ZX Spectrum

Representation

Strong female character?FailAlthough they look badass, women only exist to be beaten up in the game.
Bechdel test?FailThe women never talk.
Strong person of color character?FailThe bulk of the enemies are Asian, but none show any growth.
Queer character?FailThere are no queer characters.

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  Link-ROMDetectives.png  Link-TCRF.png