Renegade

Renegade is an action beat em up video game developed by Technos Japan. The game was originally available in the arcades in 1986 in Japan under the name Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (Japanese: 熱血硬派くにおくん), which was the first game in the Kunio-kun franchise, but was later heavily re-skinned for western audiences under the title Renegade with a gritty New York street gang theme inspired by the movie The Warriors, similar to what happened to the US version of Super Mario Bros. 2.

While Renegade never got a true sequel in the arcades, the home computer versions were popular enough to receive two sequels, known as Target: Renegade and Renegade III: The Final Chapter.

Plot
Your girlfriend has been kidnapped by a street gang, and you have to go through the mean streets of Brooklyn to save her.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The gameplay set the groundwork for future Technos titles like Double Dragon and River City Ransom.
 * 2) Good variety of moves, like the back kick and the shoulder throw.
 * 3) The game is challenging, but fair.
 * 4) Good soundtrack.
 * 5) In the first two levels, you can throw the bosses into the pit and beat the level instantly without having to completely drain their health.
 * 6) The home computer versions are excellent, especially the ZX Spectrum version, as it improved the controls from the arcade original and faithfully ported the game despite the hardware limitations.
 * 7) While it didn't have as many ports as Double Dragon, Renegade saw a release on 17 different platforms, including the NES, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, and so on, meaning that it isn't hard to find the game if you know where to look.
 * 8) The first game in the Kunio-kun series!

Bad Qualities

 * 1) There are no health pick-ups.
 * 2) The original arcade version's controls were pretty stiff.
 * 3) The game is somewhat short, as it can be beaten in under 30 minutes.