365//365: Day 014 – Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out !! (NES) [Quickie]

.

Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! is one of the most important video games ever released. Not only did it set a high standard for a video game starring a world famous icon, but it put together excellent arcade controls, an over the top and memorable cast of characters and an effortless, yet addicting gameplay that only its sequels have matched.

.

You control Little Mac, an up and coming boxer that’s fighting his way through the ranks, with his ultimate goal being the Major Circuit champion (at 107 points and the tender age of 17). Throughout your career, you will encounter memorable opponents, like your first opponent, the lovable loser, Glass Joe, with a record of 1 win and 99 losses. Glass Joe serves as your basic training with the controls, which are just about perfect. You have a left and right body punch, hold Up and you have a left and right head punch. No fancy or elaborate complexity to them. Hitting your opponent at the proper time will win you a star, which lets you throw a powerful uppercut out by pressing Start. Left and Right on the dpad lets you dodge, holding down lets you block and pressing down twice is a duck. Everything is so uncomplicated, yet works to perfection, with no complaints about delayed response, or any other oddities.

.

1-100 after that Star Punch!

.

Your opponents are detailed quite well, with standout animations and styles that have never been replicated. Don Flamenco does a dance with a rose in his mouth just before the bell rings, King Hippo hops around while opening his mouth, and so on. Not one boxer you face feels the same as the next, nor do they look like a carbon-copy in terms of animations. The difficulty hinges on pattern recognition and timing. If you can memorize when to throw your body punch at Bald Bull during his charge, how to get body shots on King Hippo, what one eye blinks mean when fighting Tyson and so on, you have a better time dealing with what’s up ahead. If you don’t have it all memorized, you will have a much more difficult time, although the difficulty is very fair, up until the first 90 seconds of your fight with Mike Tyson.

.

There’s only two knocks I can make against this game. One being that there’s no in game method of pausing. It’s not that bad really, as you’ll have ample time to take a break between rounds and fights, which go by fast enough where it doesn’t feel dragged out, but slow enough so that you don’t feel like its being rushed. Finally the music, while its pretty awesome, is repeated throughout each match. You hear the same tune every match, which really isn’t that annoying since it does sound good, but a special tune for title bouts would have been delightful.

.

Why is it that you could never see Doc's other leg when he's pedaling? One legged biker?

.

Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! is a good time that never gets old. Whether you’re playing alone, or passing the controller around between rounds or matches, the undeniable charm, ease of the gameplay and excellent replay value will stand the test of time. As timeless as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! will forever be one of the all time greats in the video game world.

.

Rating: 9.3