Page 17 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #7

NES Era
NES Era

Punch-Out!! while others were lifted shoulders to keep you on your little toes. featured battery backup to save top
from 1985’s arcade sequel) has his own The clash in sizes adds to the whimsy -- knockout times and records, speech,
quirky style and pattern, making Mike Little Mac literally jumps in the air to and a transparent protagonist in the
Tyson’s Punch-Out!! less a boxing connect with jabs -- but once you get same spirit as the arcade original. Yet
game in the traditional sense and more going you’re only focused on your oppo- there’s something about the NES game
a series of boss fights, where you have nent. In this game at least, size doesn’t that remains as fun today as it was in
to quickly identify visual cues and react matter. The gameplay is so well done, the late 1980s. Perhaps it’s the bouncy
by dodging to the left or right, blocking, the graphics so vibrant and cartoon-like, sound effects, the humorous animation,
or countering by punching low or high at and the control so responsive, that the the opportunity to go mano-a-mano with
the precise moment. only thing that matters is tuning up the Tyson himself, or the excitement one
Don Flamenco, for example, mugs of would-be champions. gets from rooting for the underdog.
unleashes a huge windup punch, raising The action inside the ring consists There’s nothing quite like seeing the lit-
his right arm straight into the air and of three rounds, with each round lasting tle man get his due, especially when
then looping it around to knock you three minutes, as players advance you’re the one controlling it.
senseless. While each fight begins with through -- surprise, surprise -- three cir-
a little preview animation of what to ex- cuits. What makes Mike Tyson’s To commemorate Nintendo
pect, and the trainer offers tips in be- Punch-Out!! so engaging is the solid Power’s 100 th issue, the editors ranked
tween rounds, players are basically on feeling of punches, with visual feedback the top 100 games of all time from Nin-
their own. The object is to defeat a se- in the form of sweat flying, eyes bulging, tendo systems. Punch-Out!! ranked 31
ries of 13 opponents (ten original fight- and mouths agape. Little animations out of 100. The only other NES sports
ers and three rematches) until you reach such as flexing muscles, Tyson’s telltale game to rank higher was the original
the “dream match” against Tyson him- wink, or ridiculous taunts give this game Tecmo Bowl at number 30.
self. Unlike previous boxing titles, play- a sense of personality that’s rare in
ers will spend as much time blocking or sports titles. It certainly doesn’t hurt that,
avoiding punches as they will swinging. for those in need of venting pent-up ag-
A heart meter counts down with each gressions, knocking out an opponent
missed punch or successful block, with a well-timed super punch is oh-so-
gradually tiring Little Mac out until he satisfying, with an over-the-top anima-
flashes red and momentarily loses his tion that has the boxer reeling all the
punching ability. way to the back of the ring before stum-
The oddball cast of characters in- bling to the canvas.
cludes such memorable palookas as After the Mike Tyson license ex-
Bald Bull, King Hippo, Von Keiser, and pired, Nintendo re-released Punch-
Soda Popinski, a family-friendly variant Out!! in August 1990 with “Mr. Dream”
on the 1985 arcade game’s Vodka as a replacement, who has an identical
Drunkenski. All of the fighters display move set as Tyson. A sequel was re-
fancy footwork, toothy grins, and shifty leased on the Super NES in 1994, which

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Classic Gamer Magazine July 2004 17