Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (ESRB rating: E) is a boxing video game, manufactured by Nintendo and released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. It is widely regarded as one of the best Nintendo games ever, and is an early example of a sports video game with endorsement from a real-life athlete. The game is a semi-port of the arcade Punch-Out!! games, edging more towards Super Punch-Out!!. There is no blood, so this is a suitable family game.
Contents
Story
The player assumes the role of Little Mac, a young boxer from the Bronx working his way up the ranks of the fictional WVBA (World Video Boxing Association). He must fight opponents respectively from the Minor, Major, and World Circuits, culminating in a "Dream Fight" against Mike Tyson.
Gameplay
The game screen shows Little Mac, viewed from behind, for the purpose of seeing the opponent more clearly. Little Mac has a standard repertoire of boxing techniques. Dodging is done by either moving left or right, blocking is done by pressing down, and ducking is done by tapping down twice. A left body blow is thrown by pressing the B button, and a right body blow is thrown by pressing the A button. For jabs to the opponent's face the player presses up while pressing either the A or B buttons. Often, the player earns up to three stars after counter-punching an opponent. These stars allow Mac to unleash a powerful uppercut, done by pressing the start button.
Besides Mac and the opponent having a vitality gauge which, when exhausted, results in a KO, Mac has a "star meter", which exhausts when Mac is hit or blocks an attack. When out of hearts, Mac turns pinkish and cannot attack for a few turns, only able to block and dodge the opponents attacks.
Each fight consists of three rounds, each with a time limit of 3 minutes. A TKO is scored when the opponent is knocked down three times. Occasionally, the player can score a KO.
Opponents
Minor Circuit
- Glass Joe
- Von Kaiser
- Piston Honda
Major Circuit
- Don Flamenco
- King Hippo
- Great Tiger
- Bald Bull
World Circuit
- Piston Honda
- Soda Popinski
- Bald Bull
- Don Flamenco
- Mr. Sandman
- Super Macho Man
The Dream Fight
- Mike Tyson (Mr. Dream in reissue versions)
Other Versions
The game was reissued in 1990, simply titled Punch-Out!!, replacing Mike Tyson with an original boss, "Mr. Dream." Mr. Dream was the same as Tyson, but with a different appearance. The reason why Tyson's endorsement was terminated was because he lost the heavyweight title earlier that year to James "Buster" Douglas, so Nintendo decided to terminate his deal. This particular version was later released on the Wii Virtual Console.
Sequels
The game was followed by Super Punch-Out!! for the Super NES in 1994. This was more faithful to the original Punch-Out!! arcade game. A new Punch-Out!! game, based on the original NES game, is scheduled for release on the Wii in early 2009.
