Punch-Out was one of Nintendo’s first endeavors in the sports game genre. It was first released on the NES as Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! in 1987. Before I dish about just how awesome this game is, a brief history lesson.

Designer Genyo Takeda had made a version of Punch-Out!! for arcades, and wanted to make a port to the now enormously popular NES. Instead of making the character transparent, the character was shrunk down, not only so the player would be able to see him, but to bolster the whole “underdog” theme.  The main characters name is appropriately dubbed “Little Mac,” perhaps a spin on McDonalds famous sandwich. Mike Tyson was originally brought onto the game after Nintendo of America’s President Minoru Arakawa attended a boxing match with Tyson, and was floored by the boxer’s skill. Tyson was the game’s last boss, and arguably the most challenging fight in the game. Tyson was later dropped, most likely due to controversy regarding Tysons personal life (or perhaps Nintendo foresaw the infamous “ear” incident), and replaced with the character “Mr. Dream.” Speaking as a person who’s played both versions, Mr. Dream can’t hold a candle to Mike Tyson. The poor guy lacks the personality that is so vital for a Punch-Out!! character.

That refferee looks familiar....

The gameplay is incredibly simple. You control Mac, and instead of being able to shuffle about the ring like Ali, you must stay in one place; but you’re able to dodge to the left, right, and duck to avoid punches. Of course, you are also able to attack, such as left and right jabs, uppercuts and super attacks. While the gameplay is nothing to run home about, it is simple, and consistently fun.

Popinski loves his "soda"

Carl Winslow, wary of Urkel's next shinanigan

Where the game really stood out were the characters. Nintendo flirted with the line so much when it came to assembling the cast of Punch-Out!! As tepid as a character that Little Mac may be (perhaps done on purpose), his supporting cast more than makes up for it. Your coach is what I assume to be a retired fighter, in a pink sweatsuit, cheering you on in between matches. He looks like an 16 Bit version of the popular Reginald VelJohnson character “Carl Winslow” of the sitcom Family Matters. King Hippo is a beast of a boxer, who you can only attack once you’ve made his pants fall to his knees. And who can forget Soda Popinski, the Russian boxer who just loves “pop.” For some reason, I think this guy is into more than just Cola, in fact, his origional name is Vodka Drunkenski. I wish I was joking.

Characters are sometimes unapologetically stereotypical. Don Flamenco, the boxer hailing from Spain, is a romantic, ladies man, and has very many bull fighting techniques. Super Macho Man hails from Hollywood, and like many Hollywood stars, he is vain and overconfident, distracting Mac by flexing his pecs This, is especially creepy when rendered in 8 bits.

How does it stack up to today’s standards? Well, recently, Yahoo named this gem the Best Sports Game of All Time. I’m inclined to agree. Punch-Out!! is one of those classic games I can pick up today on my Wii Virtual Console and still enjoy today.

New look, same great taste

Punch-Out!! fans’ cries were finally heard, once Nintendo released Punch-Out!! Wii in May of 2009. Luckily for us, not much had changed since the classic on the NES. The game even offered sideways Wii Remote controls, so it was almost akin to the NES version. The only substantial difference would be the graphics, and the incredible soundtrack. And you thought King Hippo was off putting in 8 bits.

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