Punch-Out!! (NES)
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| Punch-Out | ||
| Developer | R&D 3 | |
| Publisher | Nintendo | |
| System | NES Virtual Console | |
| Release Date | NES (Mike Tyson version) US October 1987 JP November 21, 1987 EU December 15, 1987 NES (Mr. Dream version) US August 1990 Virtual Console EU March 30, 2007 AU March 30, 2007 JP April 3, 2007 US April 16, 2007 | |
| Rating | E | |
Punch-Out!! (originally released as Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!) is a NES counterpart to the arcade game of the same name.
Story
The player takes the role of Little Mac, a beginning boxer. As the player continues, they work their was through the ranks and fight tougher enemies.
Gameplay
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
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 is 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 Macho Man and Bald Bull's fighting styles were slightly changed.
Legacy
Sequels
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. Punch-Out!! also inspired a spin-off called Arm Wrestling.
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
- Punch-Out!! is available as an NES game in Animal Crossing.
- The Mr. Dream version of Punch-Out!! has been released on the Wii's Virtual Console.