| Punch-Out!! | |
| Platforms: | Arcade, Game & Watch, NES, Super NES, Wii, Wii U, Nvidia Shield |
| Developer: | Nintendo R&D3 (1984-1998) Next Level Games (2009) Nvidia Lightspeed Studios (2019) |
| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Genre: | Sports, Fighting, Puzzle |
| Creator: | Genyo Takeda Makoto Wada[1] |
| First Release Version: | Punch-Out!! |
| First Release Date: | February 17, 1984 |
| Latest Release Version: | Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! |
| Latest Release Date: | October 27, 2009 |
is a boxing video game series created by Nintendo's general manager Genyo Takeda, and his partner Makoto Wada. It was originally created because Nintendo had too many TV screens lying around in their warehouse, due to buying an abundance of them after the success of Donkey Kong (1981 video game).[2] Genyo Takeda was consulted as to what to make, and he suggested a boxing game.[3] Thus Punch-Out!! was born.
The first game was Punch-Out!! made in 1984 and released during February of that year at Japan as an arcade unit. The game was then released in the US during March of 1984,[4] which was followed by a sequel, titled Super Punch-Out!! (1984). The series was released on home consoles soon after, starting with Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on the NES in 1987 (with a re-release of the game in 1990, which removed Mike Tyson, due to the license for his likeness expiring. His loss of the heavyweight title to Buster Douglas made Nintendo choose to not renew the contract,[5] and Tyson was instead replaced by the fictional Mr. Dream for the final opponent, who was just a palette swap) and Super Punch-Out!! on the Super NES in 1994, which went back to the style of the arcade games.
A reboot of the series entitled Punch-Out!! was released in May 2009 on the Wii, along with a Club Nintendo exclusive WiiWare prequel Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! in October 2009. Both games were made by Canadian studio Next Level Games.
The series also had a spin-off called Arm Wrestling from 1985, which was released only in North American arcades, and was Nintendo's last arcade game they independently developed and released.
Playing as Little Mac, a 17-year old boxer from the Bronx, the player must climb the ranks of the World Video Boxing Association (WVBA for short), and fight their way against other boxers from around the world, going from the Minor Circuit then the Major Circuit and then the World Circuit, while fighting challengers including Glass Joe, King Hippo, Piston Hondo, Don Flamenco, Bald Bull, Mr. Sandman, or in the original NES version, the former heavyweight boxing champion himself, Mike Tyson. Gameplay differs slightly between each game, but generally, Mac can attack using his left and right fists, performing either a hook, a dodge, or an uppercut. He can also dodge and block to avoid the opponent's attacks, the block dealing less damage. Many games in the series give the player a powerful uppercut ability; its use is limited, must be earned during matches, and is earned from well-timed punches or rapid combos, depending on the game.
The key to defeating each opponent is to learn their fighting patterns, avoid their attacks and respond with a counterattack. Opponents will always give a visual or audible cue to signal their next attack, though as the game progresses, the time given to the player to successfully react significantly decreases. If the player successfully dodges an attack, the opponent will be left vulnerable for a while, allowing the player to strike back. Little Mac can block some of his opponent's punches by holding up his gloves, but he will eventually tire out if he blocks too much.
See main article: List of Punch-Out!! characters.
| Title | Platform(s) | Released | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Punch-Out!! | Arcade, Nintendo Switch (eShop) | Japan: 1984, 2018 North America and Europe: 1984, 2018 | The first Punch-Out! | title. Later released on Nintendo Switch as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives series. | |
| Punch-Out!! / Boxing | Game & Watch | North America and Europe: 1984 | Originally released under the generic title Boxing. Its name was later changed to Punch-Out! | due to the popularity of the arcade game. | |
| Super Punch-Out!! | Arcade, Nintendo Switch | Japan: 1984 North America and Europe: 1985 | The sequel to the original Punch-Out! | arcade game. Later released on Nintendo Switch as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives series. | |
| Arm Wrestling | Arcade | North America: 1985 | The first spin-off in the Punch-Out! | series, as well as Nintendo's last arcade exclusive game it independently developed and released. | |
| Punch-Out!! / Mike Tyson's Punch Out!! | NES, Wii (Virtual Console), Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console), Wii U (Virtual Console), Nintendo Switch (NES game library) | Japan: 1987, 2007 North America: 1987, 1990, 2007 PAL region: 1988, 1990, 2007 | The first Punch-Out! | title to appear on a home console, and the first to feature a plot. The original Japanese version had Super Macho Man as the final boss, while the international version featured Mike Tyson. The game was later re-released in 1990 with fictional boxer Mr. Dream in place of Tyson. | |
| Super Punch-Out!! | Super NES, Wii (Virtual Console), Wii U (Virtual Console), New Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console), Nintendo Switch (SNES game library) | Japan: 1998 North America: 1994, 1996, 2009 Europe: 1995, 2009 | An updated home console version of the arcade game of the same name and the sequel to the NES game. It is the first to allow players to select any boxer they want to battle against, instead of a group. | ||
| Punch-Out!! | Wii, Wii U (Virtual Console) | North America: May 18, 2009 Europe: May 22, 2009 Japan: July 23, 2009 Australia: August 27, 2009 | A reboot of the Punch-Out series. It is the first title in the series to be published in over a decade, and was developed by Next Level Games. It is the first title in the series to be rendered in 3D, as well as the first to include a multiplayer option. The game was digitally re-released on the Wii U via the Nintendo eShop in 2015. | ||
| Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! | WiiWare | North America: October 27, 2009 | A prequel to Punch-Out! | (Wii). It is a WiiWare title originally available exclusively to Club Nintendo Platinum members in 2009.[6] It was later re-released between January and June 2015 to all users, prior to Club Nintendo's closure. |
The series has made multiple appearances in other games as well. The Super NES version of Super Punch-Out!! was included in the GameCube version of Electronic Arts game Fight Night Round 2. The protagonist of the Super NES version of Super Punch-Out!! appears as a secret boxer in full 3D with the name "MAC" on his boxers and was referred to as "Little Mac" as part of the Nintendo-exclusives deal between Nintendo and EA in allowing several Nintendo characters to star in EA sports games. Due to the third-party nature of his role in the game, it is considered by several fans of the series, to be uncannon. Little Mac further made a cameo appearance in skip Ltd.'s Wii video game Captain Rainbow, where the title character has to help train Little Mac to get in shape to regain his championship title.[7] Little Mac also appears as an assist trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl before becoming a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[8] and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Punch-Out!! would get referenced in Family Guy on multiple occasions. In "Tales of a Former Sport Glory", during Peter's boxing fight for the title they use the sound effects from the Arcade ("Nintendo") Punch-Out!!, since they were "out of budget to take it (music) from the movie." In "A Fistful of Meg", when Meg goes to Quagmire to help get training, they re-enact the famous bicycle scene from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!. And in "Not All Dogs go to Heaven", when Meg gets the family together to say grace and let's Peter lead, Peter prays to God for the cheat codes to Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, stating that he was stuck on Bald Bull for years.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, co-produced by Nintendo and based on the company's Mario franchise, features a pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York City named after the Punch-Out!! series as a prominent location. Photos of characters from the games can also be seen inside the pizzeria.[9]