Game Name: Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! (Later Punch Out!! featuring Mr. Dream)
Developer: Nintendo R&D3
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: NES (Nintendo Entertainment System)
Release Date: (North America): October 1987
I truly believe that this is one of the best games ever, spanning all consoles. I like it because of the simplicity of the game with a nice level of difficulty. When I first played this game, I remember it being pretty tough. Getting through King Hippo when you do not know what his weak spot is. Also to this day Mike Tyson or Mr. Dream is pretty difficult.
Plot
As mentioned in part 1, you are playing the character of Little Mac. You have a trainer called Doc Louis which is also your mentor. He is in your corner match after match, trying to give you pointers between rounds. I personally find his remarks extremely funny.
Controls
Since this is the NES, the controls are very basic. You move left to right using the D-Pad. Up and down will determine if you give a body blow or a face punch. The B button is for punching with your left hand and the A button is to used to punch with your right hand. That is it, simple enough.
Sound
The game has one of the most catchy tunes ever to be put in a cartridge. I think after Ninja Gaiden, Zelda and Mario Brothers, this is the game that has ben covered the most.
Punch Out!! Cover
Other than the music the sounds are clear and crisp. It does not have the same soundtrack as the arcade probably due to limitations of the system at the time.
Gameplay
The gameplay is just a matter of timing. Every player has his own weaknesses. You will need to battle through Minor, Major and World Circuits, before you get to meet the end boss, Mike Tyson. Below are the list of fighters that you will face.
Minor Circuit
Glass Joe
Von Kaiser
Piston Honda
Major Circuit
Don Flamenco
King Hippo
Great Tiger
Bald Bull
World Circuit
Piston Honda (2nd Fight)
Soda Popinski
Bald Bull (2nd Fight)
Don Flamenco (2nd Fight)
Mr. Sandman
Super Macho Man
Dream Fight
Mike Tyson or Mr. Dream
Bottomline
What makes me come back, even to this day, to play this game? The game itself is addictive. You always want to improve your times and beat every fighter in the first round. The characters are funny even to this day and the best part, you can beat the game in less than an hour. So this is easily a game you can just pick up and play. Unlike Super Mario Brothers, where the game can last a while, this one is quick. Considering there is no save like today's games, there was no save feature. They did get by this by utilizing the use of passwords. You can go to various parts of the game just by entering a password. I never used it much other than to go straight to Mike Tyson. Whoever was at Nintendo was smart, the passwords are not some alphanumeric jumbo of letters and numbers like some other games: 10 numbers was all that was needed. If you play long enough you will remember the code. For example for Mike Tyson it is 007 373 5963.
I have shown this game to my younger cousins and they can't believe that old consoles can have fun games. One thing is for sure, is that this game has survived the test of time. It actually aged very well. The virtual console on Wii has these games and you can download them again for your pleasure. Just not sure how it plays compared to the older controllers, but it does not matter as long as people are having fun playing it.
Rating: 9.5 uppercuts out of 10
Part 3 will demonstrate how to beat every character in Mike Tyson's Punch Out!!
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