Bad Dudes (1989). Play online

Summary

I still love booting up Bad Dudes on the NES – the American port of Data East’s frantic side‑scrolling brawler that went by DragonNinja overseas. Two players can throw down side‑by‑side, one in white pants, the other in green, swapping punches, kicks and a charge‑up "inner‑energy" smash that clears everything in front of them.

Power‑ups rain down mid‑run: knives, nunchaku, health boosts, even a few extra seconds on the timer. The enemy roster is a parade of blue‑clad ninjas, sword‑leaping attackers, shuriken‑tossers, kunoichi, snarling attack dogs and even flame‑wielding goons – most die with a single hit, but a well‑timed strike can take a cluster at once.

Every stage ends with a quirky super‑warrior boss – think Karnov’s brick‑smashing strength or a flying helicopter showdown with the gang’s leader. The opening line “The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?” replaces the original Ronald‑Reagan nod, swapping in a Bush‑lookalike president to appease Nintendo’s policies.

Bad Dudes has resurfaced on retro collections like the Retro‑Bit Data East All Star, Evercade bundles and the My Arcade mini‑cabinet, keeping the ’80s bruising fun alive for new hands.

Storyline

Bad Dudes (often just called Bad Dudes) opens in Washington, D.C., where President Ronnie – a thinly veiled nod to Ronald Reagan – has been snatched by the evil Dragon Ninja. A Secret Service agent challenges the street‑smart brawlers Blade and Striker, asking, “Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?”

The duo chases the ninjas from downtown New York City onto a moving big‑rig truck, through a storm sewer, a forest, a Southern Pacific freight train, a dark cave and finally an underground factory. After defeating the Dragon Ninja they celebrate with the president over hamburgers; the ending shows Ronnie holding a burger between the Bad Dudes with guards and the White House behind them.

In the Japanese version the reward is a statue of the heroes, shown as they lean against a fence beside it.