Punch-Out!! is a series of boxing video games created by Nintendo's general manager Genyo Takeda, and his partner Makoto Wada. It started in the arcades simply as Punch-Out!!, including a sequel (Super Punch-Out!!), and has spanned home consoles, including the NES (Punch-Out!! / Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!), an SNES sequel (Super Punch-Out!!), and a Wii title (Punch-Out!!). In November 2009, Platinum Club Nintendo members can receive a code to download Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, which features a fight between the protagonist Little Mac and his mentor Doc Louis. The series also had a spin-off called Arm Wrestling which was released only in North American arcades.
[edit] Video games | Title | Platform | Year | Notes | | Punch-Out!! | Arcade | Japan and North America: 1984 | The first Punch-Out!! title. | | Super Punch-Out!! | Arcade | Japan and North America: 1985 | The sequel to the first Punch-Out!! arcade, the first to feature the "duck" move for avoiding moves that cannot be dodged sideways nor blocked, and the first to appear on home computers with a real boxer; however, Nintendo wasn't involved in the home computer ports. | | Arm Wrestling | Arcade | North America: 1985 | The first and only spin-off in the Punch-Out!! series. | | Punch-Out!! / Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! / Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream | NES, Virtual Console | Japan: 1987, 2007
North America: 1987, 1990, 2007
PAL region: 2007 | The first Punch-Out!! title to appear on a home console, as well as the first to feature a plot. Also, a semi-port of both the Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! arcade games (mostly inclined towards the latter) with some variations. Originally featuring Super Macho Man as the final boss in the gold version given out to Golf U.S. Course Famicom Tournament winners. Then came the Mike Tyson version, and later featuring Mr. Dream. | | Super Punch-Out!! | Super NES, Virtual Console | 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 three NES versions. | | Punch-Out!! | Wii | North America: May 18 2009
Europe: May 22 2009
Japan: July 23, 2009
Australia: August 27, 2009 | Enhanced remake of the NES versions. It is also the first title in the series to be rendered in three-dimensions and full motion video, as well as the first to include a multiplayer option and optional motion based controls. | | Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! | WiiWare | North America: October 27 2009 | A standalone WiiWare game, Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, was available as a download exclusive to 2009 Club Nintendo Platinum members.[2] | [edit] Gameplay As opposed to other more realistic boxing sims, Punchout!!'s gameplay focuses more on observation and timing. Playing as a solitary boxer (known as 'Little Mac' in the console versions), the aim of each game is to make your way through a series of increasingly tougher opponents until you become the champion. Gameplay differs slightly between each game, but generally the player can attack with his left and right fists, either at the head or the body, and can also dodge and block to avoid blows from the opponent. The key to defeating each opponent is to figure out their fighting patterns, dodge their attacks and respond with a counter attack. Opponents will often give a visual sign of the attack they are about to make. If players successfully dodges an attack, they will have a short space of time in which they can attack with a few punches. The player wins a round by knocking their opponent out for a count of 10, or knocking them out three times in a round for a TKO. [edit] Fighters | Character | Punch-Out!! (arcade) | Super Punch-Out!! (arcade) | Punch-Out!! / Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES) | Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES) | Punch-Out!! (Wii) | Doc Louis's Punch-Out!! (WiiWare) | | Aran Ryan |  N | N | N |  Y | Y[3] | N | | Bald Bull | Y | N | Y | Y | Y[3] | N | | Bear Hugger | N | Y | N | Y | Y[3] | N | | Bob Charlie | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | The Challenger | Y | Y | N | ?1 | N | N | | Disco Kid | N | N | N | N | Y[3] | N | | Doc Louis | N | N | N2 | N | N3 | Y | | Don Flamenco | N | N | Y | N | Y[3] | N | | Donkey Kong | N4 | N4 | N | N | Y[4] | N | | Dragon Chan | N | Y | N | Y | N | N | | Gabby Jay | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | Glass Joe | Y | N | Y | N | Y[3] | N | | Giga Mac | N | N | N | N | Y[3] | N | | Great Tiger | N | Y | Y | N | Y[3] | N | | Heike Kagero | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | Hoy Quarlow | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | Kid Quick | Y | N | N | N | N | N | | King Hippo | N | N | Y | N | Y[3] | N | | Little Mac | N | N | Y | ?1[3][5][6] | Y | Y | | Mad Clown | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | Masked Muscle | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | Mike Tyson / Mr. Dream | N | N | Y | N | N[7] | N | | Mr. Sandman | Y | N | Y | Y | Y[3] | N | | Narcis Prince | N | N | N | Y | N | N | | Nick Bruiser | N | N | N | Y | N[8] | N | | Piston Honda / Piston Hondo | N | N | Y | N | Y[3] | N | | Piston Hurricane | Y | N | N | Y | N | N | | Pizza Pasta | Y | N | N | N | N | N | | Rick Bruiser | N | N | N | Y | N[8] | N | | Super Macho Man | N | Y | Y | Y | Y[3] | N | | Vodka Drunkenski / Soda Popinski | N | Y | Y5 | N | Y[3] | N | | Von Kaiser | N | N | Y | N | Y[3] | N | - Notes:
1 The protagonist's in-game name in the Super NES version of Super Punch-Out!! is a mystery. He also features a very different look, leading many to consider him a separate entity from the NES/Wii's "Little Mac". However, numerous official Nintendo-sanctioned materials have suggested the two are the same, since the Super NES version of Super Punch-Out!! is said to take place after the events of the NES/Wii "Punch-Out!!" games. [3][5][6] 2 Doc Louis appears as Little Mac's coach in both the NES and Wii Versions. 4 Donkey Kong can be seen in the audience on the far left and far right sides of the bottom screen in the Punch-Out!! and Super Punch-Out!! arcade games. 5 Vodka Drunkenski was renamed Soda Popinski in the NES and Wii versions due to Nintendo of America's prohibition of alcoholic references. [edit] Little Mac Little Mac is the protagonist of the NES and Wii titles in the series. He has black hair, wears a black tank top with green trunks and gloves, and is described as being supposedly 17 years old, 4 ft 8 in, 107 lb (5 ft 7 in, 107 lb in the Wii version, according to the May 2009 issue of Game Informer), 107 lb (49 kg)., and hailing from the Bronx, New York. While his ethnicity is not officially known, Little Mac is speculated to be Italian-American, as hinted in an interview with pro boxer Paul Malignaggi, the man who played Little Mac in the commercial for the Wii version of Punch-Out!!.[9] After being rejected by two hundred boxing trainers, Little Mac meets Jerome "Doc" Louis, a former heavyweight champion, and begins his journey to the top of the boxing circuit.[10] The diminutive Little Mac is known for his jumping uppercut called the "Star Uppercut". He is also well known for his legendary positive smile, as seen in the profile screen in the NES Punch-Out!! games. Outside of video games, Little Mac featured as the protagonist in the Punch-Out!! stories featured in Valiant Comics' Nintendo Comics System, appearing in the stories "The First Fight", "Outsiders", and "Fox and Hounds."[10] He also makes a cameo in the prologue short of the Captain N comic books. He has also appeared as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, voiced by Hisao Egawa.[11] In the Wii version of Punch-Out!!, he is voiced by Matt Harty. Nintendo has been inconsistent on the issue of the protagonist seen in the SNES Super Punch-Out. According to the May 2009 issue of Nintendo Power, Bryce Holliday, one of the main developers of the Wii version of Punch-Out, explicitly stated that Little Mac is a missing element from the SNES title.[12] However, during the North American and European Virtual Console releases of the SNES title, Nintendo of America and Europe has claimed that Little Mac is in the SNES game,[5][6] even the history section of official website for the Wii version of Punch-Out!! claims that he is Little Mac, despite Bryce Holliday.[3] According to Nintendo of America, the SNES title is said to take place after the events of the NES and Wii titles of the series. Little Mac was given a makeover and went off on his own without his coach, Doc Louis, but fondly remembers his saying: "It's not about brawling---it's about finesse!"[6] He also used some then-new moves like the Knockout Punch, the Rapid Punch and the Counter Punch.[13] [edit] Doc Louis Jerome "Doc" Louis is Little Mac's personal trainer from the NES and Wii games. As well as training Little Mac in between championships, he provides Mac with advice between rounds during fights (although sometimes, he will just express his love for chocolate and urge Mac to join the Nintendo Fun Club or, in the Wii version, Club Nintendo). It's revealed he's the creator of the "Star Punch", the move Mac uses in his arsenal. In Punch-Out!! for Wii, he is voiced by Riley Inge. Doc Louis appears as the sole challenger in the Club Nintendo exclusive Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!.[2] [edit] Other appearances in media The series has made multiple appearances in other games as well. The SNES version of Super Punch-Out!! was included in the Nintendo GameCube version of Electronic Arts' Fight Night Round 2. Along with that, the protagonist of the SNES 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 a few characters from the Mario franchise to star in NBA Street V3 and SSX on Tour, but, due to the third-party nature of his role in the game, while originally being a nameable character with a different look compared to the original Little Mac and not have a default name, it is considered by several fans of the series, especially those of the NES versions, to be uncanon; however, when the Virtual Console release of the Super NES version of Super Punch-Out!! was released, the official details for the game in the Wii Shop Channel referred to the protagonist as "Little Mac".[6] A review of this version by Chris Scullion of Official Nintendo Magazine also referred to the protagonist as "Little Mac" as well.[5] His latest cameo appearance is in skip Ltd.'s Wii video game called Captain Rainbow, where the title character has to help him get in shape to regain his championship title.[14] [edit] Other boxers - Glass Joe is a timid, frail boxer from Paris, France, often called "France's Glass Jaw".[15] Glass Joe debuted as the first opponent in the Punch-Out arcade game, followed by the NES and Wii versions. He also made appearances in issues of the Nintendo Comics System, and in the cartoon series Captain N: The Game Master.[10] His successor in the SNES version of Super Punch-Out is Gabby Jay who is Glass Joe's boxing student. Within the storyline, Gabby Jay's sole victory was against Glass Joe.
- Bear Hugger is an overweight lumberjack from Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Canada. His first appearance was in the Super Punch-Out!! arcade game as the first opponent and while holding a sign that reads "NEW CHALLENGE!" to introduce the then-new feature to the Punch-Out!! series: the ducking ability. Bear Hugger is immune to body blows in most appearances, due to his size. His signature move is a two-armed body blow called the Bear Hug. In the Wii cutscenes, it revealed that he trains with a squirrel and grizzly bear.
- Great Tiger is an Indian mystic from Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), who first appeared in the Super Punch-Out!! arcade game. His special move is the Mirage Dance, which makes him jump back, move left and right a few times, and then use a punching move similar to Piston Hurricane's Hurricane Rush. In the NES and Wii versions of Punch-Out!!, Great Tiger supplements his boxing with the use of supernatural powers such as teleportation. In the Super NES version of Super Punch-Out!!, a Japanese kabuki/bishonen boxer Heike Kagero became Great Tiger's successor. Heike's Mirage Dance moves in the same pattern as Great Tiger's original Mirage Dance, but with supernatural powers like Great Tiger's Mirage Dance in the NES Punch-Out!! series. Kagero also attacks with his hair.
- Von Kaiser is a German Militant from Berlin, Germany. He is the second opponent Little Mac encounters. He is easilly stunned and floored by Little Mac's star punches. Because of this, he always gets sent to the mat by those punches when stunned. In the Wii version of Punch-Out!!, it is revealed that Von Kaiser suffers from emotional trauma when he was defeated by children in one of his boxing classes. In TD,(Title Defense) Von Kaiser gets a military haircut and can dodge Little Mac's star punches without cowering. Little else is known about him.
- King Hippo is a tropical chief from the fictional Hippo Island, South Pacific.[15] He is infamous for his high defense, but is so obese that once knocked down he will not even attempt to get back up. He appears in Captain N: The Game Master, voiced by Gary Chalk, as one of Mother Brain's main henchmen. He appears with blue skin, unlike in the video games, and he is often paired in a comedic duo with Kid Icarus enemy, Eggplant Wizard.
- Soda Popinski, from Moscow, USSR/Russia, debuted in the arcade version of Super Punch-Out. He was originally known as Vodka Drunkenski, but his name was changed for the console versions in order to downplay Russian stereotypes, alongside avoiding alcoholic references. However, most of his lines between rounds are obvious puns on alcoholism in the NES versions despite his sprite and name being changed for political correctness. His love for soda is more obvious in the Wii version, and (unlike previous games) plays a large role in his fighting style.
- Bald Bull is a large, bald, and muscular boxer from Istanbul, Turkey who made more appearances in the series than any other opponent. He made an appearance in the arcade game Arm Wrestling as an opponent named "Mask X". His infamous "Bull Charge" move involves him hopping to the ropes of the ring, then quickly charging straight toward Mac and uppercutting viciously. Curiously, Bald Bull's taunts in between rounds of the NES and Wii versions include several jabs at Doc Louis.
- Super Macho Man is a bodybuilder from Hollywood, California, who taunts Little Mac by flexing his pectoral muscles, and incorporates his exercise routines into his attacks. He has appeared in every Punch-Out!! title with the exception of the first arcade game. Super Macho Man is supposedly 27 years old, but he is depicted with gray hair. His trademark attack is "Super Spin Punch" where he winds up and does a varying number of spinning punches causing Mac to play defense for if it connect, it will lead to massive damage or an automatic knockdown.
- Mr. Sandman is a large, rigid boxer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His name and mannerisms refer to the character The Sandman, due to his tendency to "put his opponents to sleep creep" usually using his trademark punch, "Dreamland Express," a triple uppercut combo. His defense is also very high, and he can only be damaged with body blows when stunned. He was originally the Champion in the arcade Punch-Out!, reappeared in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! as the #1 ranked World Circuit boxer (just below Super Macho Man), and later in the SNES Super Punch-Out as the Major Circuit Champion. In the Wii version, Mr. Sandman is the undisputed World Circuit Champion and the final opponent in Career Mode.
Topps and Nintendo of America made a series of trading cards featuring characters from the Mario, The Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, and Punch-Out!! series. The Punch-Out!! cards are of the various opponent boxers that Little Mac fights. The cards have scratch-off spots on them.[16] A Punch-Out!! short story was made for the Nintendo Comics System.[citation needed] [edit] Reception [edit] References - ^ N-Sider.com Makoto Wada, N-Sider, http://www.n-sider.com/personnelview.php?personnelid=360, retrieved 2009-07-01
- ^ a b c http://wii.ign.com/articles/100/1003433p1.html
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Official Punch-Out!! (Wii version) website of America
- ^ http://gonintendo.com/?p=82870
- ^ a b c d Scullion, Chris (2009-03-20), Virtual Console Review: Super Punch-Out!! (Super NES), Official Nintendo Magazine, http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=7511, retrieved 2009-05-12
- ^ a b c d e Wii Shop Channel details for Super Punch-Out!!. Retrieved on 2009-03-30.
- ^ http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/04/22/mike-tyson-unaware-of-wii-punch-out-loves-resident-evil/
- ^ a b http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200903/N09.0331.1442.14433.htm?Page=2
- ^ http://g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/695748/Pro-Boxer-Paulie-Malignaggi-Speaks-On-Playing-Punch-Outs-Little-Mac.html
- ^ a b c (in English) Nintendo Comics System Vol. 1, No. 1 & 2. Valiant Comics.. 1990.
- ^ http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/items/assist/assist10.html Smash Bros. DOJO!!
- ^ Nintendo Power interview with Punch-Out!! Wii developers., Nintendo Power, May/June 2009, http://nintendopower.com/images/NP242_PunchOut.jpg, retrieved 2009-07-01
- ^ In-game tutorial of Super Punch-Out!!., Nintendo, 1994-02-28
- ^ http://wii.ign.com/objects/142/14265257.html
- ^ a b (in English) Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! Instruction Booklet. Nintendo of America, Inc.. 1987. pp. 14.
- ^ http://www.trsrockin.com/gamepacks_scratch.html
[edit] External links | Punch-Out!! | | | Main series | | | | Related titles | | | |
