Bad Dudes vs. Dragonninja, published by Data East in 1988, pits two street vigilantes against a ninja clan that kidnapped the president, in a side-scrolling route full of kicks, jumps, and quick dodges. Its opening screen, asking if you're "bad enough" to rescue him, became one of the most quoted lines of 80s arcades. The real second part is that it remains hugely playable: the controls respond with precision, enemy pacing is well calibrated, and that mix of B-movie humor with hard action explains why it still shows up in compilations and lists of beat 'em up classics.
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