Bad Dudes
Encyclopedia
Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, often referred to simply as Bad Dudes, and known in Japan
simply as , is a 1988
beat 'em up
arcade game
developed and published by Data East
. It is based on the U.S. pop culture of the late 1980s, featuring references to Michael Jackson
's Bad
and to ninja
s, which were popular in the 1980s due to films such as Octagon
and Enter the Ninja
.
After Data East became defunct due to their bankruptcy in , G-Mode
bought the intellectual rights to the arcade game as well as most other Data East games and licenses them globally.
, where President Ronnie (based on U.S. President Ronald Reagan
) has been kidnapped
by the nefarious DragonNinja. The game's intro begins with the following introduction: "Rampant ninja related crimes these days... Whitehouse
is not the exception...". As soon as that occurs, a Secret Service
agent (who resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger
as he appears in The Terminator
) asks two street-smart brawlers, named Blade and Striker: "President Ronnie has been kidnapped by the ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?". After hearing that, the Bad Dudes pursue the DragonNinja through the city streets, highway, sewers, transport train, forest, cave and into the secret ninja base in order to save President Ronnie.
The Japanese
and English language
versions' endings of the game differ. In the English version, after the Bad Dudes defeat DragonNinja, they celebrate by eating burgers
with President Ronnie. At the very end, President Ronnie is seen holding a burger while standing between the Bad Dudes. Behind them are many security guards with the White House
behind them. In the Japanese version, President Ronnie gave the Bad Dudes a statue of them as a tribute to them. The Bad Dudes are seen leaning against a fence on a sidewalk next to their statue. Unlike the ending of the international version, the Japanese version's ending shows a list of every enemy in the game with their names (except the green ninja boss that multiplies himself), while some faces appear next to the names of the game's staff. The background music played in both versions' endings are also completely different.
Bad Dudes VS. DragonNinja was considered by many outside of Japan at the time of its release as Data East's answer to the 1987 beat 'em up
hit Double Dragon
by Technos
; however Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja was heavily inspired by the 1987 Sega
arcade game, Shinobi
.
Player One controlling Blade (in white pants) and Player Two controlling Striker (in green pants) will start with nothing but the ability to do punches, kicks and jumps (however most enemies can be beaten with only a single hit of any kind). Some moves are special like spinning kicks and the ability to charge themselves up to throw a powerful, but short-ranged punch toward opponents. Players will also come across several power-up
s: some are weapons and some recharge a player's health, yet others add a few seconds to the remaining time. Using the picked-up knives and nunchaku
s both had their advantages and disadvantages.
The various types of enemies encountered in the game have their own means of attack. The basic blue-colored ninja directly charge the player, while some leap with their swords, or throw shuriken
and makibishi
; there are also acrobatic female ninja
, attack dog
s, and even people who are on fire. The enemies may be beaten down or avoided. At the end of each level, a boss
will appear which needs to be defeated to progress to the next level. The first of them is Karnov
, who cameos
from the Data East game of the same name; the background music during the fight with him is similar to the main theme in Karnov as well. Each boss has their own special attacks: Karnov, for example, can breathe fire at the player. At the successful completion of each level, the dude(s) strike a "bad" pose and proclaim, "I'm bad!", possibly a reference to Michael Jackson
's then-recently released song, "Bad".
The game was ported
to several home systems, including the Apple II
, Atari ST
, Amiga
, Amstrad CPC
, Commodore 64
, ZX Spectrum
, MSX
and MS-DOS
in 1988
with the help of Imagine Software
. On July 14, 1989, a NES/Famicom
port was developed by Sakata SAS and published in Japan
by Namco
as DragonNinja. In North America
, the same version was released the same year by Data East USA simply as Bad Dudes. In Europe
, it version was released in 1990 by Ocean Software
as Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja. The arcade version is also featured (along with several other Data East arcade games) on the Wii
title, Data East Arcade Classics
, by Majesco Entertainment
with permission from G-Mode.
The 8-bit versions (including the PC version, which was technically 16-bit) lacked the two-player cooperative mode, instead having an alternating two-player mode. The title screen of the Japanese version became different, while the English version's was unchanged. The Secret Service agent's quote at the intro screen to the NES version was phrased slightly differently ("The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?"), while the Famicom counterpart's quote was slightly similar to the international arcade and NES quotes. The reference to President Ronnie was removed because Nintendo of America did not allow political content in games. In that version, the President bears a resemblance to George H. W. Bush
, who was president when the NES version was released. The endings of the Japanese and English language versions of the NES port are based on the international arcade version; however, the Japanese version, does not show the credits but only shows "The End" at the White House scene and lasts a shorter time than the English version. The 8-bit home computer
versions lacked the intro from either the arcade or the NES versions. The "I'm bad!" speech was only present in the NES version; however, it does not sound identical to its arcade counterpart.
Karnov, the titular character of another Data East arcade game, made a cameo appearance
as the game's first boss. The background music during the fight with him pays homage to the main theme in Karnov as well. The NES instruction manual claims the reason Karnov is working with the "ninjas" is a mystery. The titular character of another Data East arcade game Chelnov
can be seen being transported in a frozen container on a freight train in the arcade version of Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja. The logo for the aforementioned "Bad Dudes" can be seen at the end of Stage 4 in another Data East arcade game Sly Spy
.
noted the IBM port was satisfactory and compared favorably to similar ports of Double Dragon
and Renegade
but the Apple II port suffered greatly.
President Ronnie, as he appears in the arcade version of the game, was ranked second in Electronic Gaming Monthly
’s list of the top ten video game politicians in 2008. In 2010, UGO
wrote: "No ninja game retrospective could possibly be complete without some mention of ... Bad Dudes."
and is often lampooned on the Internet. (In the Japanese versions, however, the words are completely different.)
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
simply as , is a 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
developed and published by Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
. It is based on the U.S. pop culture of the late 1980s, featuring references to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
and to ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
s, which were popular in the 1980s due to films such as Octagon
The Octagon (film)
The Octagon is a 1980 action film with Chuck Norris in the leading role. It was directed by Eric Karson and written by Paul Aaron and Leigh Chapman. It was filmed in Los Angeles, California and released on August 14, 1980. It is notable for its inventive use of 'voice over' effects to portray the...
and Enter the Ninja
Enter the Ninja
Enter the Ninja is a 1981 martial arts film directed by Menahem Golan and starring Franco Nero, Susan George and Shô Kosugi. Production was started in the Philippines with Emmett Alston directing, but when Charles Bronson refused to allow Menahem Golan to direct Death Wish II, Golan, a co-principal...
.
After Data East became defunct due to their bankruptcy in , G-Mode
G-Mode
is a Japanese company that provides mobile network game contents that specialize in Java game software in Japan. It develops and distributes games for Java-compatible mobile phones. The company also licenses contents for mobile telecommunications operators, as well as involves in the original...
bought the intellectual rights to the arcade game as well as most other Data East games and licenses them globally.
Plot
The game starts in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where President Ronnie (based on U.S. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
) has been kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by the nefarious DragonNinja. The game's intro begins with the following introduction: "Rampant ninja related crimes these days... Whitehouse
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
is not the exception...". As soon as that occurs, a Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
agent (who resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
as he appears in The Terminator
The Terminator
The Terminator is a 1984 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron, co-written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr., and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, and Linda Hamilton. The film was produced by Hemdale Film Corporation and distributed by Orion Pictures, and filmed in Los...
) asks two street-smart brawlers, named Blade and Striker: "President Ronnie has been kidnapped by the ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?". After hearing that, the Bad Dudes pursue the DragonNinja through the city streets, highway, sewers, transport train, forest, cave and into the secret ninja base in order to save President Ronnie.
The Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
versions' endings of the game differ. In the English version, after the Bad Dudes defeat DragonNinja, they celebrate by eating burgers
Hamburger
A hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat usually placed inside a sliced bread roll...
with President Ronnie. At the very end, President Ronnie is seen holding a burger while standing between the Bad Dudes. Behind them are many security guards with the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
behind them. In the Japanese version, President Ronnie gave the Bad Dudes a statue of them as a tribute to them. The Bad Dudes are seen leaning against a fence on a sidewalk next to their statue. Unlike the ending of the international version, the Japanese version's ending shows a list of every enemy in the game with their names (except the green ninja boss that multiplies himself), while some faces appear next to the names of the game's staff. The background music played in both versions' endings are also completely different.
Gameplay
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
hit Double Dragon
Double Dragon
is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
by Technos
Technos Japan Corporation
is a defunct Japanese video game developer, best known for the Kunio-kun and Double Dragon franchises...
; however Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja was heavily inspired by the 1987 Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
arcade game, Shinobi
Shinobi (arcade game)
is a side-scrolling action game produced by Sega originally released for the arcades in . In Shinobi, the player controls a modern day ninja named Joe Musashi who goes on a mission to rescue his kidnapped students from a group of terrorists...
.
Player One controlling Blade (in white pants) and Player Two controlling Striker (in green pants) will start with nothing but the ability to do punches, kicks and jumps (however most enemies can be beaten with only a single hit of any kind). Some moves are special like spinning kicks and the ability to charge themselves up to throw a powerful, but short-ranged punch toward opponents. Players will also come across several power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s: some are weapons and some recharge a player's health, yet others add a few seconds to the remaining time. Using the picked-up knives and nunchaku
Nunchaku
is a traditional Okinawan weapon consisting of two sticks connected at their ends with a short chain or rope.-Etymology:The Japanese word nunchaku is the Kun'yomi reading of the Kanji term for a traditional Chinese two section staff....
s both had their advantages and disadvantages.
The various types of enemies encountered in the game have their own means of attack. The basic blue-colored ninja directly charge the player, while some leap with their swords, or throw shuriken
Shuriken
A shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
and makibishi
Makibishi
The term makibishi refers to the Japanese version of the caltrop.-Description:Makibishi , sharp spiked objects that were used in feudal Japan to slow down pursuers and also were used in the defense of samurai fortifications.Makibashi were one of the items supposedly used by ninja...
; there are also acrobatic female ninja
Kunoichi
is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...
, attack dog
Attack dog
An attack dog is any dog bred, trained or used for the purpose of attacking a target either on command or on sight. Attack dogs have been used often throughout history and are now employed in dog fighting, as well as police and military roles.- History :...
s, and even people who are on fire. The enemies may be beaten down or avoided. At the end of each level, a boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
will appear which needs to be defeated to progress to the next level. The first of them is Karnov
Karnov
is a 1987 platform arcade game developed and published by Data East. It is the debut of Data East's mascot of the same name. After Data East became defunct due to bankruptcy in 2003, Paon, a company comprised with former Data East staff, acquired the rights to Karnov, along with multiple other Data...
, who cameos
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
from the Data East game of the same name; the background music during the fight with him is similar to the main theme in Karnov as well. Each boss has their own special attacks: Karnov, for example, can breathe fire at the player. At the successful completion of each level, the dude(s) strike a "bad" pose and proclaim, "I'm bad!", possibly a reference to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's then-recently released song, "Bad".
Ports and related releases
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
to several home systems, including the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
, Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
and MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
in 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
with the help of Imagine Software
Imagine Software
Imagine Software was a British video games developer based in Liverpool which existed briefly in the early 1980s, initially producing software for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20...
. On July 14, 1989, a NES/Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
port was developed by Sakata SAS and published in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
as DragonNinja. In North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, the same version was released the same year by Data East USA simply as Bad Dudes. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, it version was released in 1990 by Ocean Software
Ocean Software
The British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
as Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja. The arcade version is also featured (along with several other Data East arcade games) on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
title, Data East Arcade Classics
Data East Arcade Classics
Data East Arcade Classics is a compilation of video games created by the now-defunct Japanese video game company Data East. The collection disc is developed by G1M2 and published, and released by Majesco Entertainment for the Wii on February 19, 2010...
, by Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment
Majesco Entertainment is a video game publisher founded in 1986.-History:Majesco first made a name as a reissuer of old titles that had been abandoned by their original publisher. By cutting the prices dramatically and, eventually, arranging the rights to self-manufacture games for both Nintendo...
with permission from G-Mode.
The 8-bit versions (including the PC version, which was technically 16-bit) lacked the two-player cooperative mode, instead having an alternating two-player mode. The title screen of the Japanese version became different, while the English version's was unchanged. The Secret Service agent's quote at the intro screen to the NES version was phrased slightly differently ("The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?"), while the Famicom counterpart's quote was slightly similar to the international arcade and NES quotes. The reference to President Ronnie was removed because Nintendo of America did not allow political content in games. In that version, the President bears a resemblance to George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, who was president when the NES version was released. The endings of the Japanese and English language versions of the NES port are based on the international arcade version; however, the Japanese version, does not show the credits but only shows "The End" at the White House scene and lasts a shorter time than the English version. The 8-bit home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
versions lacked the intro from either the arcade or the NES versions. The "I'm bad!" speech was only present in the NES version; however, it does not sound identical to its arcade counterpart.
Karnov, the titular character of another Data East arcade game, made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as the game's first boss. The background music during the fight with him pays homage to the main theme in Karnov as well. The NES instruction manual claims the reason Karnov is working with the "ninjas" is a mystery. The titular character of another Data East arcade game Chelnov
Chelnov
, also known as Atomic Runner or fully titled as , is a Japanese side-scrolling action-arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1988...
can be seen being transported in a frozen container on a freight train in the arcade version of Bad Dudes Vs. Dragon Ninja. The logo for the aforementioned "Bad Dudes" can be seen at the end of Stage 4 in another Data East arcade game Sly Spy
Sly Spy
Sly Spy, known in Japan as and known in Europe as Sly Spy: Secret Agent, is an arcade game developed and published by Data East in 1989...
.
Reception
Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
noted the IBM port was satisfactory and compared favorably to similar ports of Double Dragon
Double Dragon
is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
and Renegade
Renegade (video game)
Renegade is a video game released in American and European arcades in 1986 by Taito. It is a westernized conversion of the Japanese arcade game , released earlier the same year by Technos...
but the Apple II port suffered greatly.
President Ronnie, as he appears in the arcade version of the game, was ranked second in Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
’s list of the top ten video game politicians in 2008. In 2010, UGO
UGO
UGO Entertainment, Inc. is a website providing coverage of online media in entertainment targeting males age 18–34. The company is currently based in New York, New York, United States. On July 24, 2007 it was announced that Hearst Corporation would acquire UGO Entertainment...
wrote: "No ninja game retrospective could possibly be complete without some mention of ... Bad Dudes."
Popular culture
- The BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
alternative rockAlternative rockAlternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band LostprophetsLostprophetsLostprophets is a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997. Founded by vocalist Ian Watkins, bassist Mike Lewis, drummer Mike Chiplin and guitarist Lee Gaze, they were originally a side-project to hardcore punk band Public Disturbance. To date, Lostprophets have released four studio...
' first release, entitled thefakesoundofprogressThefakesoundofprogressThefakesoundofprogress is the debut studio album by the Welsh rock band Lostprophets, originally released on 27 November 2000 through Visible Noise, the album would be released in 2001 by Columbia Records and meeting stronger sales numbers around the world...
, included a track titled "Shinobi vs. Dragon NinjaShinobi vs. Dragon Ninja-Personnel:* Ian Watkins – lead vocals* Lee Gaze – lead guitar* Mike Lewis – rhythm guitar* Stuart Richardson – bass* Jamie Oliver – synth, turntables, samples* Mike Chiplin – drums, percussion-Chart positions:...
". This is a reference to the video games Shinobi and Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja.
- The arcade game appears in the movie Parenthood. The son of Steve MartinSteve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
's character wonders why the game is so difficult and Martin, groping for an answer, looks at the warning and says: "Because they're... bad dudes!"
- The Sam & Max Season TwoSam & Max Season TwoSam & Max Beyond Time and Space, originally released as Sam & Max: Season Two, is an episodic series of adventure games by Telltale Games based around the characters of the Sam & Max comic series created by Steve Purcell and follows from Sam & Max Save the World.Season Two builds on Season One with...
game based on comic book characters Sam & MaxSam & MaxSam & Max is a media franchise focusing on the fictional characters of Sam and Max, the Freelance Police. The characters, who occupy a universe that parodies American popular culture, were created by Steve Purcell in his youth, and later debuted in a 1987 comic book series...
spoof on the Bad Dudes intro in the episode Chariots of the DogsChariots of the Dogs"Chariots of the Dogs" is the fourth episode of Sam & Max Season Two created by Telltale Games and published by GameTap. It was released on March 14, 2008.-Plot:...
.
- In the 1990 film RoboCop 2RoboCop 2RoboCop 2 is a 1990 science fiction action film directed by Irvin Kershner and starring Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Dan O'Herlihy, Belinda Bayer, Tom Noonan and Gabriel Damon. Set in the near future in a dystopian metropolitan Detroit, Michigan...
, Officer Duffy gets pushed by RoboCop into a Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja arcade cabinet (also by Data East), but with Sly Spy, another Data East arcade game, built into it. Along with a few other Data East arcade games, they appeared in the film due to licensing and advertising agreements between Orion PicturesOrion PicturesOrion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
, Data East and Ocean SoftwareOcean SoftwareThe British company Ocean Software was one of the biggest European video game developers/publishers of the 1980s and 90s...
after the release of two video games based on the RoboCop property.
Agent's quote
The quote from the beginning of the arcade and especially the NES versions became an infamous memeMeme
A meme is "an idea, behaviour or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena...
and is often lampooned on the Internet. (In the Japanese versions, however, the words are completely different.)