PUNCH OUT !! GAME PLAY

In the game, the player takes the role of a green-haired unnamed boxer (sometimes claimed to be Little Mac from the NES versions), known by three initials the player chooses when the game begins. During matches, the player’s boxer is viewed from behind and above as a wireframe so the opponent can be seen. The player must time his punches, dodges and blocks in order to defeat the opposing boxer. Opponents’ impending offensive moves are telegraphed by subtle eye changes (the whites of the eyes flash yellow), but the player must ultimately predict what moves the opponent will make and react appropriately.

Once the player defeats the last opponent, the opponents repeat with increased difficulty. The player has one 3-minute round to score a knockout and will automatically lose if time runs out. A fighter who is knocked down three times in one round will be unable to rise, leading to a knockout. In the event the player loses, the computer-controlled victor will taunt the player and the corner man for the player will try to entice the player to play again (“Come on, Get up and fight!”) via the game’s distinctive digitized speech. Players are only allowed one continue per play through. Like many games made during the Golden Age of Arcade Games, there is no actual ending and the game continuously loops until the player loses.

The game is a modified upright, and was unusual in that it requires two video monitors, one atop the other, for the game’s display. The top monitor is used to display statistics and fighter portraits, while the bottom one is the main game display (similar to Nintendo’s Multi-Screen Game & Watch titles and the Nintendo DS) with the gameplay and power meters (representing stamina) for each fighter. Apart from this, the game is more or less a standard upright. The game has a joystick and three buttons. Two buttons control left and right punches, one for each arm (denoted by “Left!”, or “Right!” when hitting the head, or “body blow!” when hitting the body with either arm). The third, larger button allows the player to deliver a powerful uppercut or right hook, but only when the “KO” meter a meter on the top of the bottom display is completely full. The meter increases when the player successfully lands a punch, decreases when the opponent lands one, and drops to zero when the player is knocked down. Once the meter is full, the corner man’s digitized speech encourages the player to either “Put him away!” or “Knock him out!” The joystick can be used to raise/lower the player’s guard and dodge left or right.

OPPONENTS:

1. Glass Joe
2. Piston Hurricane
3. Bald Bull
4. Kid Quick
5. Pizza Pasta
6. Mr. Sandman

Reception

The arcade game was a hit in all regions for Nintendo. In Japan, Game Machine listed Punch-Out!! on their April 15, 1984 issue as being the second top-grossing upright/cockpit arcade cabinet of the month.

In North America, Punch-Out took the arcade market by storm according to Play Meter magazine in 1984, capitalizing on the success of sports video games following Track & Field (1983). It was one of the more successful arcade games during the post-boom period of the mid-1980s. Punch-Out topped the US arcade charts during 1984, including the RePlay charts in July (upright cabinets) and December, and the Play Meter charts for dedicated arcade cabinets from August 1 through November 15. Punch-Out went on to become the top-performing arcade game of 1984 in the United States.

The arcade game was reviewed in the August 1984 issue of Computer and Video Games, published in July 1984. The magazine gave the game a positive review, describing it as a “knock-out” and a “fabulous boxing game”. The review also praised the graphics as being “great” and “cartoon-style” and concluded that it is “a very addictive game which is great fun to play.”

Punch-Out!! was later marked in the Killer List of Videogames Top 100, as one of their top 100 best games of all time. They also listed it as the Game of the Year for the year 1984. In 1995, Flux magazine rated Punch-Out!! 21st in its “Top 100 Video Games.” In 1996, GamesMaster ranked the game 83rd on their “Top 100 Games of All Time.”

In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, series protagonist Little Mac appears as a playable fighter. The character features a set of wireframe alternate costumes based on his appearance from the original arcade games. Little Mac also features a special mechanic based on the KO gauge from the arcade titles, which, once full, can usually let him instantly KO an opponent with a powerful uppercut.

During the same year, an arcade sequel to Punch-Out!! titled Super Punch-Out!! was developed and released by Nintendo, which has fewer, but tougher boxers to fight against.

In 1985, a spin-off called Arm Wrestling was developed and released in the arcades only in North America by the same company, which is based on real arm wrestling.

In 1987, the growing popularity of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) caused the development and release of Punch-Out!! for the console to happen. Several elements, such as opponents and their names, were changed for this version. In particular, professional boxer Mike Tyson was added as the game’s final boss. In 1990, when the contract licensing the use of Tyson’s name in the console version expired, Nintendo replaced Tyson with an original character named Mr. Dream, re-releasing it as Punch-Out!! (or Punch-Out!! featuring Mr. Dream). Like Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, Punch-Out!! featuring Mr. Dream bore no further resemblance to the arcade version.

During its release, the Game & Watch game called Boxing was re-released as Punch-Out!!, which used the front box art of the Mr. Dream version as its package art. Sometimes it was released with different cover art.

A Super Nintendo Entertainment System sequel, Super Punch-Out!! was released in 1994. It was far more faithful to the arcade stand-up gameplay; however, it was not a direct port either.

A Wii title, Punch-Out!! was released in 2009. It is a reboot of the Punch-Out!! series, that brought back many characters from the previous games, as well as introducing Disco Kid and Donkey Kong as opponents.

The game was released on March 30, 2018 on the Nintendo Switch by Hamster Corporation as part of their Arcade Archives series under license from Nintendo.

*Some of the content information above was provided by Wikipedia and KLOV (Killer List of Video Games).

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