Welcome to another edition of Playing With Power. The review article that looks at all things Nintendo Entertainment System. I’m not that big a sports fan. I think that’s been painfully evident with my severe lack of sports reviews. Mainly I stick with action platformers with barely any interest in sports titles. Though there are some exceptions, and some that I will occasionally play. This one is definitely one of them. This week Playing With Power hits the boxing ring with Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!!/Punch Out!! does this game still have the knockout touch? Or is it just another pitiful contender? Let’s get ready to rumble.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1987
PUBLISHER: Nintendo
GENRE: Boxing
Punch-Out!! made its grand debut in the arcades around 1983-1984 The game and its sequel Super Punch Out!! proved to be successful in the arcades, even spawning a spinoff game known as Arm Wrestling. By 1987, Nintendo was proving to be a dominant force in the video game market, and a port of Punch Out was planned for the console. It would have to be massively retooled from the original arcade versions due to the NES limitations.
During development, and release of the Famicom version (AKA the Gold version), Minoru Arikawa, the former president of Nintendo of America would attend a boxing match featuring Mike Tyson. Impressed by Tyson’s abilities in the ring, and paid Tyson to have his likeness used for the game. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! was released in October of 1987 and was another smash hit for Nintendo, and has continued to earn acclaim from critics over the years for the game’s quality and great gameplay.
In 1990, Tyson’s contract with Nintendo would eventually come to an end, however Nintendo were still intent on selling more copies of the hit game. So, they would re-release the game simply under the name Punch-Out!! and replace Mike Tyson with a white generic version known as Mr. Dream. It is still the version of the game Nintendo has used since. There is even an unofficial sequel to the game known as Power Punch II. So, it’s safe to say that the game has earned its fair share of success and a legacy. But has that held up?
COVER STORY
The original cover is nothing short of a classic. You have Tyson himself knocking out a killer right hook in a nice live action cover, something that is rather rare for Nintendo. It’s definitely a great eye catcher for anyone who is a fan of Tyson or boxing in general. It’s definitely one of the best boxes in the NES library. But of course, I’d be foolish not to mention the re-release version.
While a bit more basic, and really just a remake of the Tyson cover only not live action and hand drawn instead, it’s still a quality cover nonetheless. I like the art decision, and Mr. Dream, while still looking very generic is still well designed. And I agree with the general consensus that the ref does look like8-Bit Mickey. But of course, the original cover is still the best. Still, this is a definite eye catcher.
I often wonder however just how many people foolishly bought this version of the game while still owning the original Mike Tyson version? While twice is nice, somehow flushing away almost 100 bucks for the same game doesn’t exactly sound like the most logical decision, even in the early 90’s.
STORY
It’s the ultimate challenge for Boxing supremacy. The W.V.B.A is looking for the next big challenger to take on its champ, Mike Tyson. One underdog looks to try and make a name for himself. A scrawny kid from the Bronx named Little Mac. With the help of his trainer Doc Louis, Mac sets out to take on the roughest and toughest boxers the world has to offer, as he prepares himself for the fight of his life against Kid Dynamite himself. Can Little Mac do it, or will he spend the rest of his days saying “I could have been a contender”?
GAMEPLAY
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is a one player boxing game. You control Little Mac as he has to go through three world boxing circuits to take on the ultimate champ himself Mike Tyson. You control Mac as follows. The D-pad left and right will make Mac dodge. Pressing down will have Mac block punches, and holding up will allow Mac to hit an uppercut. The B button will execute left punches, and the A will do right punches.
The object of the game is to defeat each rival boxer to move up higher in contendership to the title you’re competing for. You defeat a boxer in three ways. First is a knockout, where the opponent doesn’t answer the count of 10. A TKO occurs if you knock down the opponent 3 times in a round. And third is decision, if you beat the needed score by the end of the game’s three rounds.
Above on the fight screen are a number of things. First to mention is the health bars for you and your opponent. When one is low, it will lead to a knock down. The hearts represent your stamina. When it reaches zero, you are unable to punch until your health is restored. There’s the round timer. Each round is three minutes, which move rather quick in this game. And finally there are stars.
Each boxer will usually have a set up spor that will earn you a star when you hit them. When start is pressed, Mac will hit a powerful uppercut that will do massive damage, and sometimes act as an instant knockout. You can store three at a time. However, should you get hit, you will lose all of your stars instantly.
The game has 10 boxers standing in your way from facing off with Tyson. And they run the gamut of classic stereotypes.
The French weakling? Check.
The Russian drunk? Check.
The magic Indian? Checkeroo.
These characters, while very stereotypical are all classic. Each have their own abilities and different methods in terms of how Mac has to defeat them. For example, King Hippo is seemingly unstoppable. But when you get a chance to hit his gut, he may be down for the count faster than expected. Bald Bull has a powerful running charge that seems unbeatable. But if you can land a shot to his gut right before he lays in his hellish haymaker, you can take him down.
And that’s the major charm of this game itself. It’s more than just a boxing game. It’s a strategy game. You’ll constantly be learning the best tricks in the game, and how to take the boxers down faster and more efficiently. It’s always fun to see if you can beat how well you did prior.
But all of that training will definitely still not prepare you for the unstoppable force known as Mike Tyson. Tyson can take you down with his lightning fast blows. And even if you manage to survive those, you’ll still have a hell of a time getting past his other tricks. Pray for a decision win, that’s all I can say.
The game increases in difficulty with each fight. Controls work great with no hit detection issues at all. You get passwords after completing a circuit. If you lose a fight, sometimes you can continue, though knocked lower into the contender ladder. Though if you get to Tyson, it’s an instant game over. An interesting note about Tyson’s move style is that it may have been intentionally based on Mike’s in-ring style, as shown on this episode of the Youtube show “Game Theory”
Good luck.
POWER TIPS
So you made it to Tyson, and got your butt whooped, huh? And you really don’t feel like using the password to deal with the World Circuit again? Well, here’s a password to go right into battling Iron Mike. At the password section of the title screen, type in 007 373 5963
In between rounds, if you’re getting your butt whooped, you can tap select to restore some health. But you can only execute it once per match.
Wanna try a whole different world circuit with changed contenders? Type the password 135 792 468. Don’t forget to press press A+B+Select on the last number.
GRAPHICS
The game has great graphics. All of the characters are extremely unique, and give off a really cartoony feel for each. They’re all extremely memorable. And of course, how can I forget the brilliant addition of Mario as the referee. Now that’s just plain awesome. The presentation is extremely well done for a game of this time period, and is still very solid looking for 8-bit standards.
MUSIC
While the game doesn’t use too much music, the songs are definitely memorable. From the epic fight music, to the energetic training music as you jog to the next circuit. Also, the intro music for each fighter is a nice touch. Also in a case of great recycling choices, the evil laughter sound effect was also used in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link as the Return of Gannon sound effect.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is one of the greatest NES games ever, bar none. Hell, it’s one of the greatest boxing games of all time as well. Even in an age of games like Fight Night, so intent on realism, more people prefer the cartoony style of this classic title. It’s definitely an example of a game on the console that has aged perfectly. No doubt about this one, if you can find either copy of the game, pick it up. This is a knockout choice.
RATING: Thumbs Up
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