Punch-Out!! (NES)
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| Punch-Out | ||
| Developer | R&D 3 | |
| Publisher | Nintendo | |
| System | NES, Virtual Console (Wii, 3DS, Wii U) | |
| Release Date | NES US October 1987 (Mike Tyson) JP November 21, 1987 EU December 15, 1987 US August 1990 (Mr. Dream) Wii Virtual Console EU/AU March 30, 2007 JP April 3, 2007 US April 16, 2007 3DS Virtual Console JP February 1, 2012 EU March 1, 2012 US March 8, 2012 Wii U Virtual Console US/EU March 20, 2013 JP June 5, 2013 | |
| Rating | E | |
Punch-Out!! (originally released as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!) is a boxing game that acts as the NES counterpart to the arcade game of the same name. In Japan, it was initially given out as a prize for winning Famicom Golf tournaments.
Story[edit]
The player takes the role of Little Mac, a beginning boxer under the tutelage of Doc Louis. Little Mac engages in a series of boxing matches against a variety of eccentric foes in hopes of winning the championship.
Gameplay[edit]
The game controls Little Mac and, in boxing matches, alternates between dodging punches and punching them. Little Mac can punch low or uppercut. Each fighter has their own style and weaknesses to exploit. With every blocked or missed punch, Little Mac will lose a heart in his heart counter, and when he runs out of hearts he is temporarily unable to attack until his hearts refill. Each match can consist of up to three rounds, although a fighter is TKOed if knocked out a certain amount of times in a round.
While the arcade game had only six fighters, the NES game has eleven fighters including some that appear twice.
Versions[edit]
Punch-Out!! was originally published as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! with Mike Tyson as the final boss. However, Nintendo chose not to renew their contract with Mike Tyson when he lost the Heavy Weight Championship to Buster Douglas. In 1990, they republished the game under the simpler name Punch-Out!!
The biggest change to the second version is that the final boss is now Mr. Dream instead of Mike Tyson. The cartridge cover is slightly altered, the color of the text on the title screen is slightly different, and Super Macho Man and Bald Bull's fighting styles were slightly changed.
Legacy[edit]
This game is one of the most well-known of the Punch-Out!! games. It is also known for being the first official appearance of Little Mac, the only named player boxer of the series.
Within the WarioWare series, there have been several microgames based o the game. Punch-Out!! would later be one of the games featured in NES Remix 2 and Ultimate NES Remix; the series involves subjecting the players to unique challenges utilizing parts of classic Nintendo games and sometimes mixing elements from the different games. Little Mac would also later be featured in the Super Smash Bros. series.
Sequels[edit]
One year after Punch-Out!! was released, Nintendo released Super Punch-Out!! to arcades. A different Super Punch-Out!! was released to home consoles in 1994, which was more of a follow-up to the NES game, despite its lead boxer looking different. Years later, Punch-Out!! for the Nintendo Wii would act as a more direct successor to the original Punch-Out!!, featuring Little Mac and Doc Louis as well as updated versions of many of the boxers from the original game.
The NES game Power Punch II, developed by Beam Software, was originally intended as a sequel to Punch-Out!! in which the player would control Mike Tyson instead against alien invaders. However, during Mike Tyson's rape convictions in 1991, the game was altered to replace Mike Tyson with a new character named Mark Tyler. Nintendo eventually dropped the contract for the game, which lead to it being published by a different company and dubbed Power Punch instead of Punch-Out!!
Ports and Remakes[edit]
All releases are of the version featuring Mr. Dream.
- Punch-Out!! was one of the NES games that were available in Animal Crossing.
- In 2007, it was released for download through the Wii's Virtual Console. The game was again released in 2012 as part of the 3DS Virtual Console and in 2013 for the Wii U Virtual Console.
- In 2016, it was among the games included in the NES Classic Edition, although it was left out of the Japanese release.
- In April 2019, it was among the NES games that were made available to play through the Nintendo Switch Online service. This version featured cooperative and competitive multiplayer gameplay.