Play Bad Dudes on nes Online

Bad Dudes on the NES came out in 1988 from Data East, a time when side-scrolling beat 'em ups were starting to fill up rental shelves. It was a direct port of the arcade game, and it had that particular late-80s vibe: simple, loud, and completely focused on action. You weren't getting a deep story, just a clear, ridiculous premise to kick things off.

You control one of two martial artists, Blade or Striker, working your way from left to right across each stage. The main goal is to punch and kick your way through endless ninjas and thugs to rescue President Ronnie from the villainous DragonNinja. The gameplay is straightforward screen-by-screen combat; you clear all the enemies in one area before moving to the next. You can pick up weapons like knives occasionally, and the controls are a little stiff, especially the jumping, which never feels quite right. It's not a long game, but the enemy placement can get cheap, leading to a lot of quick deaths. Playing it feels like a scrappy, slightly messy brawl from start to finish.