Bad Street Brawler
A beat 'em up originally released as Bop'n Rumble and Street Hassle.
Bad Street Brawler is a beat 'em up released by Mattel for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. Before that, it appeared on home computers under different names: Bop'n Rumble in North America and Street Hassle in Europe. Those computer versions came out in 1987, with Melbourne House handling the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 releases in Europe, and Mindscape putting out the C64 and MS-DOS versions in North America. Mattel's NES port followed in September 1989. The game is notable as one of only two titles built specifically for Mattel's Power Glove accessory.
The player controls Duke Davis—though the box calls him Duke Dunnegan—a former punk rocker described as the "world's coolest" martial artist, wearing a yellow tank top, sunglasses, and yellow pants. He moves through stages beating up gangsters, with a quote appearing before each level (for example, "Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you"). Enemies include gorillas and circus dwarves who throw hammers (in the computer versions, old ladies throw purses instead). There are 15 stages total, and the player can use moves like the "bull ram" attack and the "trip."
Mindscape had planned to show the Nintendo version at Winter CES 1988, but it was not present at Summer CES 1988; contrary to some claims, there is no established connection to Paperboy replacing it at the show, as Paperboy had already been released for the NES in 1988.
Electronic Gaming Monthly's Seanbaby ranked it number 16 in his "20 worst games of all time" feature. Zzap!64, however, called it "an extremely strange but enjoyable beat 'em up" and gave it an overall score of 80%.
- Publisher
- Mattel (NES); Melbourne House (Europe); Mindscape (North America)
- Original release
- 1987 (home computers); September 1989 (NES)
- Platforms
- ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System
- Genre
- Beat 'em up
- Protagonist
- Duke Davis (also called Duke Dunnegan)
- Notable feature
- One of two games designed for the Power Glove
Lore & Background
The player assumes the role of Duke Davis (the back of the box calls him Duke Dunnegan), who goes from stage to stage beating up gangsters that get in his way. He is dressed in a yellow tank top, sunglasses, and yellow pants, and is described as a former punk rocker and the 'world's coolest' martial artist. Before each stage, a quote is presented (e.g., 'Never trouble trouble until trouble troubles you'). The player fights a variety of enemies, such as gorillas and circus dwarves that can throw hammers (old ladies in the computer versions throw purses). There are a total of 15 stages. Moves include the 'bull ram' attack and 'trip' move.
Mindscape had planned to show the Nintendo version at Winter CES 1988, but it was not present at Summer CES 1988; contrary to some claims, there is no established connection to Paperboy replacing it at the show, as Paperboy had already been released for the NES in 1988. Electronic Gaming Monthly's Seanbaby placed it as number 16 in his '20 worst games of all time' feature. Zzap!64 called it 'A extremely strange but enjoyable beat 'em up', giving it an overall score of 80%.
Reader's Guide
Bad Street Brawler holds a niche place in video game history primarily as one of only two games specifically designed for use with Mattel's Power Glove, a peripheral that attempted to bring motion control to the NES. Its significance is also tied to its multiple identities: originally released as Bop'n Rumble and Street Hassle on home computers, it was later rebranded for the NES. The game's reception was sharply divided—Zzap!64 praised it as an enjoyable beat 'em up with an 80% score, while Electronic Gaming Monthly's Seanbaby ranked it among the worst games of all time. The development history includes a notable cancellation: Mindscape pulled its planned coverage of the NES version at the Summer CES 1988, replacing it with a conversion of the arcade game Paperboy. Despite its mixed legacy, Bad Street Brawler remains a curiosity for collectors and historians interested in the Power Glove era and the cross-platform publishing practices of the late 1980s.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally released for home computers as Bop'n Rumble in North America and as Street Hassle in Europe.
- Enemies include gorillas and circus dwarves that throw hammers; in computer versions, old ladies throw purses.
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