Punch-Out!! (Arcade)
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| Punch-Out | ||
| Developer | R&D 3 | |
| Publisher | Nintendo | |
| System | Arcade, Nintendo Switch | |
| Release Date | Arcade 1983 US February 1984 EU July 1984 Switch March 30, 2018 | |
Punch-Out!! is a boxing game released in for arcades in 1984, and it acted as the first game of the Punch-Out!! series. It was known for its boxing gameplay and use of digitized of voices. Another of its unique features (compared to other arcade games at the time) was that it had monitors stacked on top of each other.
History[edit]
Because of Donkey Kong's success, Nintendo ordered television monitors at a steady pace based on estimated sales. After a few years, they were overstocked with extra inventory, so they decided to attempt making a game that utilized two monitors. A new substrate at the time allowed the ability for the monitor to zoom in and out on a single object. After a failed attempt at making a side-by-side racing game, designer Genyo Takeda suggested focusing the monitor on a single person. Unsure of how to make a boxing game with two screens, another suggestion was made to stack the screens on top of each other and use one of them for showcasing the type of banners one would see at a boxing match.
Gameplay[edit]
The player controls a transparent wireframe fighter (possibly Little Mac, the star of the NES game) in a series of boxing matches against six opponents.
As in most arcade games, after the final opponent is defeated, the game loops through the previous opponents until the player loses.
Legacy[edit]
This game launched the Punch-Out!! series, which would later come to home consoles with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! for the NES. That game was later renamed as just Punch-Out!!, but it was distinct from the arcade game. Additionally, a Game & Watch game called Boxing was later rebranded as Punch-Out!! to tie into the popularity of the arcade games.
Ports/Remakes[edit]
- In 2018, it was ported to the Nintendo Switch as a game that could be purchased for download. It was released as part of the Arcade Archives series.
Sequels[edit]
Super Punch-Out!! was released for the arcades several years later. Punch-Out!! also inspired a spin-off called Arm Wrestling.