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Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES) Playthrough

Published on Sat, Dec 23rd 2023 Gaming Rectangular HD

A playthrough of Nintendo's 1987 boxing game for the NES, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!

Following up on the massive success of earlier hits like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and Popeye, Nintendo released the first Punch-Out!! in arcades in 1984. It was an upright, dual-monitor machine that pitted the player's wire-frame avatar against six ranked boxers in pursuit of the title. The success of the game - largely attributable to the huge character graphics, synthesized voices, and unique controls - guaranteed a sequel, and Super Punch-Out!! was released later the same year.

But Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! isn't a port of either of those games. It's a fleshed out reimagining of those games' ideas, and it was built from the ground up specifically with the NES hardware in mind.

(If you're looking for the 1990 version with Mr. Dream, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/TcHfrhFXPyI)

You play as Little Mac, a seventeen-year-old boxer from the Bronx who dreams of rising through the ranks to become the world champion, but it's a long and difficult road to the top. Fourteen bouts stand between Mac and the belt.

Punch-Out!! plays more like an action-based puzzle game than it does a traditional arcade boxing title. These guys require a carefully considered, reactive approach. The quickest way to find yourself eating the mat is to exhaust yourself by throwing punches in a blind frenzy, so you'll instead want to study their movement patterns, learn the ways in which they telegraph their moves, and work out strategies to exploit their weaknesses.

It's a difficult game, but it's an addictive one, and the flamboyant, stereotype-chewing cast of fighters give it a flavor all of its own. Who could forget Glass Joe's begging you to let him win, or Soda Popinski laughing with his hands on his hips as you struggle to get back on your feet? And Mario even moonlights as the referee!

Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! has always reminded me of Rocky, and since I think of Rocky IV as a Christmas movie, I figured that revisiting this classic NES cart would be a fun way to kick off the holiday weekend.
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.

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