Bad Dudes

"One of the more underrated games I've ever seen"

Don't let those negative reviews fool you, this is a wonderful game. Through the magic of Nintendo and Data east this gem was made. A competent fighter, with enough cheese and simplicity to make it a classic throughout the ages. Of course, finding this game is extremely difficult (unless you use...''other'' methods to play it), but it's worth it if you're a collector or just in the mood for a short but sweet fighter. Now, it may not seem at much, but the game is better than the sum of it's parts, as you will see below:

Graphics 7/10

Utterly and completely basic, Bad Dudes is not the game for the graphics fan. The levels are dull, and have no real detail at all. Of course, you can tell that it's a sewer, or a train, or whatever, but there's nothing really interesting to see. The enemies come in about 3 color palettes, and your two guys are distinguishable barely because of different hair colors. The animations are cheesy, and you can sometimes make a orange ball appear if you hold A for a bit of time. However, there was nothing really bad, per se. It's just simply unremarkable. But anybody that plays Bad Dudes for graphical appeal is suffering from too much nostalgia or needs a eye exam.

Sound 5/10
There are two themes for the game. The theme you get when you are in the level, and the boss theme. That's it. You get a little weird sound when you hit a enemy, and you get weird charging sound when you press A for a Flaming attack. Getting hit makes the same noise whether you got hit by a flaming ninja, a punch, or a ninja star. Ultimately disappointing. You could think they could at least remix the level theme once or twice. Oh well, a fighting game isn't known for having beautifully orchestrated music, does it?

Gameplay 9/10
And here's where the game takes off. You start off by having a strange man with sunglasses and a bomber jacket by telling you that the President has been kidnapped by Ninjas(I wonder where this is going?). ''Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?'' He asks? Well, that's up the player in question. Basically, you use one button to punch and/or kick, one to crouch or jump, and a combination to pick up items or do other feats. Your enemy, the Ninja's, aren't very smart, but are fast, and appear in droves. To assist you on your quest, you get items, like a dagger or numchucks, to increase your strength and help take out more and more ninjas. At the end of each level is a boss. Defeat him, and move on. This is where things get bad. The game is far too short. Any gamer could polish this game off in a rainy afternoon. That's not a testament to a easy difficult, however. The game is tough and you will be hard pressed to make it through to save the President. There's just so few levels, and they're so short that you can really breeze through the game with little effort, if you remember the patterns of the enemies and take the necessary precautions. 2 Player mode adds some interest, but that's only for a little while, because the game is even easier with 2 Bad Dudes duking it out with ninja's on the bad streets of wherever they are. However, the cheese factor, the brawling fun, the difficulty, and the brevity(no tediousness!) makes it a great fighting game, and a definite addition to your library.

In conclusion, I was shocked that this game isn't as popular as others are. If you like a easy to learn but hard to play brawler, go ahead and pick up Bad Dudes if you are so blessed to find a copy lurking around a Funcoland or Flea market. Trust me, it's not going to be a decision you'll regret. So, are you a bad enough dude to get this game and rescue the President?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/26/03, Updated 04/26/03