Genres Sports | ||
Developers Nintendo IRDNintendo R&D1/R&D3Next Level Games Creators Genyo TakedaMakoto Wada First release Punch-Out!!February 1984 | ||
Punch-Out!! (パンチアウト!!, Panchi-Auto!!) 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!!, which was followed by a sequel Super Punch-Out!!. It has since spanned home consoles, including the Famicom and NES Punch-Out!! / Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, an SNES and Super Famicom sequel Super Punch-Out!!, and a Wii sequel Punch-Out!!. In November 2009, Platinum Club Nintendo members received a code to download Doc Louis's Punch-Out!!, which features a fight between series protagonist Little Mac and his mentor Doc Louis. The series also had a spin-off called Arm Wrestling. Arm Wrestling was released only in North American arcades, and was Nintendo's last arcade game they independently developed and released.
Contents
Gameplay
Playing as a diminutive boxer called Little Mac, the player must climb the ranks of the World Video Boxing Association. Gameplay differs slightly between each game, but generally, the player can attack with his left and right fists, at the head or the body, and can also dodge and block to avoid the opponent's attacks. Many games in the series give the player a powerful uppercut ability; its use is limited, and must be earned during matches, and has a star punch that can be obtained by hitting an opponent while taunting or at just the right time. Little Mac can also block, causing him to take minimal damage.
The key to defeating each opponent is to learn their fighting patterns, avoid their attacks and respond with a counterattack. Opponents will often give a visual or audible cue to signal their attacks. If the player successfully dodges an attack, the opponent will be left vulnerable for a while, allowing the player to strike back. The player can defeat enemy boxers by knocking them down for a count of 10, downing them three times in one round for a TKO, or by a referee's decision.
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". A review of this version by Chris Scullion of Official Nintendo Magazine also referred to the protagonist as "Little Mac" as well. He made a cameo appearance in skip Ltd.'s Wii video game Captain Rainbow, where the title character has to help him get in shape to regain his championship title. 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.
A short story about the NES Punch-Out!! titles was made for the Nintendo Comics System.