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 In
1984 in the wake of Nintendo’s success with the Donkey Kong arcade games
Nintendo found another arcade smash hit with Punch-Out!! The game featured six boxers with the
champion being Mr. Sandman. If you
beat all six then the game would wrap back around and you would have to
keep defending your title until you eventually lost it. In 1987 Nintendo finally brought their
arcade classic to the home video game market. They decided not to go for a direct
port of the game and upgraded it immensely by doubling the number of
boxers and including Mike Tyson as your final match. This was a genius move on Nintendo’s
part as Tyson was one of the most popular athletes in the United States
at the time. In fact, most people
felt that he was as unbeatable in the video game as he was in real
life. Let’s take a look at the
game:
You fight as Little Mac, a teenager from New York and you fight boxers from all
around the globe (all the boxers are fictional and amazingly
stereotypical). There are three circuits and after you become the champ
in a circuit you get a password. Once you are the champ in all three
circuits you get to fight the "Dream Bout" against Mike Tyson
himself. But beware: If Little Mac loses three times in his career he
will decide to retire. After Tyson went to prison, Nintendo re-released
this game as "Punch-Out!!", so if you have that version the
Dream Bout is against Mr. Dream not Mike Tyson.
You win a fight if your opponent does not get up by the count of 10 by
the referee (Mario). If you knock the boxer down three times in one round
you automatically win by TKO. If after three rounds both boxers are still
up then Mario decides who the winner is by decision.
 Positives:
I love that every fighter is unique and you have to figure out the
correct strategy to beat them. The
game has excellent graphics and stellar controls. The main positive for this game is the
inclusion of my favorite boxer ever: Mike Tyson. There are few feelings on the NES as
great as that first time you defeat Iron Mike.
Glaring
Negatives:
There really isn’t much negative to say about this game. I wish there was a two-player option
but I understand that it wouldn’t really work very well. I also wish that you could pause in the
middle of a round.
Graphics
and Sound: Top Notch
For an early NES game, they are great. The song that plays during the
bouts is catchy and tense and the sound effects are very much like the
effects you hear in movies. The graphics are nothing special but
definitely not bad. You are never confused as to what's happening and you
will enjoy some of the expressions and mannerisms of Little Mac's
opponents.
Gameplay
and Controls: Almost Perfect
Little Mac will do exactly what you control him to do. If you hit the
"b" button he throws a left punch, "a" for a right
punch. You can throw uppercuts, dodge, duck and block punches also. If
you ever make your opponent see stars then you have one Super Punch that
can be used by pressing start. The one negative is that you can't pause
in the middle of a round.
Features:
Password
After you win each title you
receive a password that lets you continue at the beginning of your new
circuit. There are also secret
passwords that allow you to start with crazy records at opponents and one
that allows you to play in “Another World Circuit”. This circuit is no harder than the
regular game but starts with King Hippo and moves forward just like
normal except that you only see Bald Bull and Don Flamenco in their more
difficult incarnations. If you
lose once you are forced to retire.
Fun?: No
Doubt
Whether you love or hate Tyson you will have a great time with this
game. I know plenty of  people
who hate boxing who love this game. There aren't many things that will
impress a video game fan like knocking out Tyson himself.
Challenge:
Yes
This game is going to challenge
you. You either will have to
create a map or resign yourself to checking the maps on the Internet
every once in awhile.
Replay:
Yes
This is one of the few games I've mastered that I will still play on
occasion. It is always fun to whip on the early boxers and then struggle
against the last couple guys. Plus once in awhile I get the urge to use
the code that brings me right to Tyson.
2
Player: None
There is no head-to-head boxing in this game, which is unfortunate,
but with the way the game is setup it would have been hard to do.
Online
Manual?: Yes at Nintendo Age
http://www.nintendoage.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Element.View&egID=1519&lgID=658
Bottom
Line: Get the Mike version
This is one of the games that is a must-have for any collection. Most
people that like the NES will ask me if I have this game, and then will
ask if they can play it. The Tyson version is supposedly slightly more
common than the other version but the game just doesn't have the same
magic without him as the final guy.
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