Bad Street Brawler

"Move over Bad Dudes and Michael Jackson,Duke Davis is the baddest stud around!"

When I saw this game on Seanbaby's 20 worst NES games ever I knew I had to play it. Playing other CRAPTACULAR masterpieces like Action 52 and AD&D: Heroes of the Lance,I knew I had to play another.
-But I was surprised by this one.-
I started playing. I was immediately amazed by the graphics,music,challenge,length,story,humor,wisdom,story,and play control. I proceeded to cast aside games like Link to the Past,Chrono Trigger,and Final Fantasy VI-
For this was,and is, the greatest game I'd ever played. And HotL is the AWESOMEST.

Story: 10/10
Geez,I heard good stories on the 3 SNES games listed above,but this one just kicks ass. The streets of Bad Street,Atlanta are filled with midgets,junkies,escaped tigers and apes,gangsters,ballas,bikers,skaters,and worst of all:Breakdancing emo kids! So the people only knew one man could stop such madness: DUKE DAVIS,former punk rocker turned vigilante! Duke has a very interesting history. As I said he was a punk rocker,but he was also a Jedi Knight as we quickly find out in the first level. When he became a vigilante he donned a new outfit of yellow boots,WICKED COOL sunglasses,a yellow vest,and a yellow DIAPER. Yup,a diaper,to show he's not afraid to have his own style. He also throws weapons he finds in the trash to stop the spread of violence. I love Duke,and you will too. Every 3 levels is a cutscene showing Duke. I will not spoil them but they are very,very,HEROIC.

Graphics: 10/10
This game was released near the end of the NES' life,and boy,do the great graphics show it! I could tell what the enemies were: vile criminals out to do no good,whether they're midgets,mutts,or monkeys. The level design is great too. I could see what was going on in the 15 streets: chaos. And Duke's attacks look extraordinary. Particularly his devastating EAR TWIST attack. But the best parts are the cutscenes. I saw good graphics on Mega Man 4 or Super Mario Brothers 3,but nothing like this.

Gameplay: 10/10
The most fun you will EVER have. This game is better than the best game ever. This game is 100 times better than many human emotions like joy. This game is better than SAIX!
You go through the levels and brawl with enemies. BUT FIRST,you hear the level's name and some wise words of wisdom from Duke himself. Some examples are ''Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you'' or ''If every man would sweep before his door the city would be clean.'' Both have changed my life significantly,as have the 13 other nuggets of insight in Bad Street Brawler. After reading those pearls you can practice out Duke's 3 attacks: a kick,a punch,and a special attack(A+B to use it). Of course,sometimes punches and kicks are moves like the Stooge Hit,the Bull Ram,the Body Fling,or the Trip (which looks more like ''grope'',but Duke can trip people with his hands. What a stud!).When you go into the actual brawlin' enemies will come at you. Since the time is tickin' you best head for the mini-bosses and ignore the regular enemies. There are two mini-bosses and one boss,and sometimes a big boss. Some enemies are vulnerable to only one attack,so it's important to experiment on those fiends! Since Duke loses health by being hit,shot,kicked,or trampled,a friendly flasher will give him power-ups. Unfortunately he also can drop bombs. The big bosses are a great challenge,since they have some most HEINOUS attacks,but Duke has MOST EXCELLENT AND TRIUMPHANT ones! It's easy to learn but hard to master. I love it!

Music/Sound: 10/10
Some of the greatest songs ever are contained in this game. Magus' theme,Crash Man's stage,and One Winged Angel are nothin' compared to this game's tunes. The boss music is bone-chilling and dramatic,the cutscene music is upbeat and relaxing,and the stage musics are rapid and rockin'. The sound is great as well. The punches,kicks,slams,whooshes,and engines are all top-notch.

Buy or Emulate: BUY BUY BUY! If you see this game GET IT. If you can't,get Heroes of the Lance and a power glove. Still,in the emulated version Duke can use his Jedi powers for some reason. But the cart is still better.

Final Score: 10/10
Baddest game ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/11/03, Updated 07/11/03