we’ve all heard countless urban legends about classic games: for example, that the mythical pokemon mew can be obtained not just by crosspromotional toys r us garbage but instead by using the perfect sequence of actions on an unassuming out-of-place truck. i think there’s something beautiful about these urban legends- they get at the hyper-idealized version of a game we imagine in our minds.
punch out is a game about these moments- if your enemy unleashes their signature move you can often get a huge opening by unleashing a perfectly timed parry. little mac’s sprite in a round break reflects the damage you’ve allowed to be wrought upon it during the previous round. when knocked down, you can stay down and risk getting an early ko called to regain just a bit more health when you get back up. listed matter-of-factly in glass joe’s profile, you can see that this ziploc bag of a guy somehow was able to serve up a single knockout. call it soul. call it attention to detail. call it whatever you want. it’s these touches that bring the actual aesthetic experience of a game closer to the fantasy that we’re anticipating when we pull the cartridge out of the box or load the rom up or what have you.
the word “immersive” gets thrown around a lot about games these days, reflecting a more general shift in values that instead of being a maximally “fun” experience in and of itself a game instead does all in its power to make you really feel like spiderman. NES games are typically not excellent at this- the system’s limited audiovisual memory often forces every resource to be rationed to convey the maximum possible gameplay information. but punch out is able to exude style and oomph that makes the experience not just tangible, but visceral. “racist boxing” may seem like a threadbare setting to put a player into, but when the game heats up and you hyperfixate on the smallest of movements of whatever jk rowling extra you’re put up against the zone you get into legitimately feels like you’re in a fucking street fight. the danger might be fake, but the adrenaline in your veins damn well isn’t.
smarter people than me have pointed out how punch out’s rhythm of watching, dodging, and opportunistically attacking preempts the developments the action genre would take over the next several decades but this compliment is often delivered alongside a complaint that punch out’s lategame is overtuned, much too hard. it’s not difficult to back up this argument, especially looking at the game’s final boss.
mike tyson truly earns his place on the box. this motherfucker could make a teamup of dracula, the yellow devil, and shadow link say “erm, maybe we’ll just get into an mmo.” iron mike spends the first full minute and a half- a full sixth of the time you’re given to beat him- launching instakill punches at you, many of them delayed or hastened to throw you off of any groove you may be desperately clinging on to. the following sections of the fight increase the amount of openings you have, but they also widen the gamut of possible moves and patterns you’re expected to react to. frankly, beating punch out requires dedication that will elude most players. but i’m honestly a little surprised that this is still seen as an objective fault. punch out is from the ancient and nearly extinct land of the arcade, where games don’t necessarily have to be beaten to be enjoyed. the idea of playing a video game to finish it, finishing it, and being done is not the end-all be-all philosophy of interacting with a game. mike tyson is the DREAM FIGHT, just seeing him is akin to encountering a cryptid, let alone beating him. for most people, the game is about honing yourself on the remaining cast of characters in the game, becoming steadily more confident and experimental as you push yourself deeper and deeper into the roster. it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of boxing action
but if you do make it to iron mike, and you’re able to survive past his initial rush of instakill punches and make it into the subsequent rounds, you’re granted some rare respite. for the briefest of moments, he will lean back and blink a few times, and you can punch him to earn a star punch. but, if you hold off, and punch in the last 3 frames of his blinking, he’ll simply fall to the mat. the tightness of this timing cannot be understated- even when using a save state placed right before to specifically see it, it can take several tries. but in the midst of one of the tensest fights in gaming, the game humbly offers you the opportunity to have your own, private, EVO moment.
punch out is a game about these moments- if your enemy unleashes their signature move you can often get a huge opening by unleashing a perfectly timed parry. little mac’s sprite in a round break reflects the damage you’ve allowed to be wrought upon it during the previous round. when knocked down, you can stay down and risk getting an early ko called to regain just a bit more health when you get back up. listed matter-of-factly in glass joe’s profile, you can see that this ziploc bag of a guy somehow was able to serve up a single knockout. call it soul. call it attention to detail. call it whatever you want. it’s these touches that bring the actual aesthetic experience of a game closer to the fantasy that we’re anticipating when we pull the cartridge out of the box or load the rom up or what have you.
the word “immersive” gets thrown around a lot about games these days, reflecting a more general shift in values that instead of being a maximally “fun” experience in and of itself a game instead does all in its power to make you really feel like spiderman. NES games are typically not excellent at this- the system’s limited audiovisual memory often forces every resource to be rationed to convey the maximum possible gameplay information. but punch out is able to exude style and oomph that makes the experience not just tangible, but visceral. “racist boxing” may seem like a threadbare setting to put a player into, but when the game heats up and you hyperfixate on the smallest of movements of whatever jk rowling extra you’re put up against the zone you get into legitimately feels like you’re in a fucking street fight. the danger might be fake, but the adrenaline in your veins damn well isn’t.
smarter people than me have pointed out how punch out’s rhythm of watching, dodging, and opportunistically attacking preempts the developments the action genre would take over the next several decades but this compliment is often delivered alongside a complaint that punch out’s lategame is overtuned, much too hard. it’s not difficult to back up this argument, especially looking at the game’s final boss.
mike tyson truly earns his place on the box. this motherfucker could make a teamup of dracula, the yellow devil, and shadow link say “erm, maybe we’ll just get into an mmo.” iron mike spends the first full minute and a half- a full sixth of the time you’re given to beat him- launching instakill punches at you, many of them delayed or hastened to throw you off of any groove you may be desperately clinging on to. the following sections of the fight increase the amount of openings you have, but they also widen the gamut of possible moves and patterns you’re expected to react to. frankly, beating punch out requires dedication that will elude most players. but i’m honestly a little surprised that this is still seen as an objective fault. punch out is from the ancient and nearly extinct land of the arcade, where games don’t necessarily have to be beaten to be enjoyed. the idea of playing a video game to finish it, finishing it, and being done is not the end-all be-all philosophy of interacting with a game. mike tyson is the DREAM FIGHT, just seeing him is akin to encountering a cryptid, let alone beating him. for most people, the game is about honing yourself on the remaining cast of characters in the game, becoming steadily more confident and experimental as you push yourself deeper and deeper into the roster. it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet of boxing action
but if you do make it to iron mike, and you’re able to survive past his initial rush of instakill punches and make it into the subsequent rounds, you’re granted some rare respite. for the briefest of moments, he will lean back and blink a few times, and you can punch him to earn a star punch. but, if you hold off, and punch in the last 3 frames of his blinking, he’ll simply fall to the mat. the tightness of this timing cannot be understated- even when using a save state placed right before to specifically see it, it can take several tries. but in the midst of one of the tensest fights in gaming, the game humbly offers you the opportunity to have your own, private, EVO moment.
Punch out feels like an impossible game if you think about it.
It's the NES port of an arcade title that had to be drastically changed to its bones, so much so that the cardridges at the time had to receive extra space,
It starred one of the most influencal boxers ever, while still be able to portray its playstyle and personality despite the limitations of the NES.
It was able to take what where basically kinda racist caricatures like Glass Joe or Pitson Hondo and able to give them so much charm that are remembered to this day by thousands of people.
And it was able to take a game about boxing and make it so much more: each match and rematch feels like a monster hunter fight, where little mac goes against giants that can crush him in 2 hits.... but it is also a ryhthm game where you gotta tap and dodge to the bit, a series of puzzles where you gotta understand the way to open the enemy, and an endurance atch, both intimidating but addicting and thrilling..... it's sometimes also a propaganda where Doc Louis screams ad a dying Mac to join the nintendo fan club while he gets murdered by mr. Sandman.
Recently replayed on the NSO, and how much it is able to do I feel makes it stand up even to this day. An absolute classic that is still remembered and beloved form more than one reason.
It's the NES port of an arcade title that had to be drastically changed to its bones, so much so that the cardridges at the time had to receive extra space,
It starred one of the most influencal boxers ever, while still be able to portray its playstyle and personality despite the limitations of the NES.
It was able to take what where basically kinda racist caricatures like Glass Joe or Pitson Hondo and able to give them so much charm that are remembered to this day by thousands of people.
And it was able to take a game about boxing and make it so much more: each match and rematch feels like a monster hunter fight, where little mac goes against giants that can crush him in 2 hits.... but it is also a ryhthm game where you gotta tap and dodge to the bit, a series of puzzles where you gotta understand the way to open the enemy, and an endurance atch, both intimidating but addicting and thrilling..... it's sometimes also a propaganda where Doc Louis screams ad a dying Mac to join the nintendo fan club while he gets murdered by mr. Sandman.
Recently replayed on the NSO, and how much it is able to do I feel makes it stand up even to this day. An absolute classic that is still remembered and beloved form more than one reason.
Man oh man I love punchout
I bought Punch-Out from the Wii U e shop when they offered some classic NES titles for a few bucks a pop.
Sure, that was the version that replaced Mike Tyson with Mr. Dream, but I'm just gonna put this here anyway.
My precious memory from the NES version of Punch-Out was when I got stuck at King Hippo. My struggle caught the attention of my dad and my brothers who pitched in, in an attempt to help me figure out how I was supposed to get even a single clean hit in. Eventually beating him felt glorious, and it was a moment that made me fall in love with the series. I've never actually beaten Mike Tyson/Mr. Dream, but I'm sure that will happen some day.
Sure, that was the version that replaced Mike Tyson with Mr. Dream, but I'm just gonna put this here anyway.
My precious memory from the NES version of Punch-Out was when I got stuck at King Hippo. My struggle caught the attention of my dad and my brothers who pitched in, in an attempt to help me figure out how I was supposed to get even a single clean hit in. Eventually beating him felt glorious, and it was a moment that made me fall in love with the series. I've never actually beaten Mike Tyson/Mr. Dream, but I'm sure that will happen some day.
unbelievably polished game that is one of the best on the NES. a must play. one of my favorite memories ever is beating tyson right on new years eve. if you play it through to the end, you'll never forget it.
I may never be able to beat this game, but you can't trash a classic.
Nintendo somehow made the Bald Bull rematch is harder than Super Macho Man.
Game is really fun, kinda like a puzzle game and an action, but there are certain moments (specifically Sandman, Bull, and Mike Tyson) that feel really crappy to play half the time.
Game is really fun, kinda like a puzzle game and an action, but there are certain moments (specifically Sandman, Bull, and Mike Tyson) that feel really crappy to play half the time.
I love this game and the music is a ear worm that will never leave you alone