Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja [ARC/1988]

System Played: Arcade

Year Released: 1988

Year Reviewed: 2017

Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja from Data East, is a 2-player co-op brawler, kind of mix between a traditional street beat em up and Shinobi.

The setting/mission/justification/whatever you want to call it is perfectly encapsulated by the famous intro text:

“President Ronnie (Reagan) has been kidnapped by Ninjas. Are you bad enough to rescue Ronnie?”

This is ‘bad’ in that 1980’s, Michael Jackson, ‘bunch of guys in leather’ incarnation of the word...

The gameplay similarities with Shinobi come from 2 tiers you can jump between, as lots of ninja(s) running around the place. 

Most are only too happy to run straight into your fist.

Punch and Jump buttons can be pressed together for a useful flying kick. Or you can attack from a crouched position.

Holding punch allows you to charge a more powerful attack, but that can be more trouble than it’s worth, since a single regular punch is enough to take out any normal enemy anyway. And it’s a bit too clunky to use against most bosses.

A genre staple; enemies occasionally drop knives, nunchucks, and the like which you can put to use.

The controls aren’t quite as responsive as you’d like, occasionally just deciding not to punch or jump when you need it to.

This can leave you taking damage, as coming into contact with an enemy will take a notch off your lifebar. 

Most of their actual attacks are easy enough to avoid, but it’s not always so easy to avoid them running or jumping into you.

Bad Dudes is one of those arcade games which pauses when you die, offering up a few seconds to decide whether you want to pump more credits in and continue where you left of. 

As such, there’s no real challenge to be had unless you limit yourself.

Most of the game is pretty easy, but the last stage (7) is going to cost you some credits. One of those where you have to fight all the bosses again in a row, before the final guy on his private helicopter. Oooooo fancy!

Rescue Ronnie, and he invites you to go out for a burger together. God Bless America!

Bad Dudes is a very average game overall. The one remarkable thing about it is how utterly forgettable it is. I can’t think of a less memorable game. Ever!

5/10