Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is a class Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game. The unlikely pairing of Mike Tyson and Nintendo produced a game that appealed to both sports fans and gamers. Similar to Nintendo, Mike Tyson was at the top of his craft during the late 1980s. Nintendo was releasing classics upon classics while Tyson was obliterating his opponents in the first round.
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is near the top of the list for the best boxing game of all time. Many of its mechanics are present in the boxing games produced throughout the years. The addictive yet challenging gameplay makes Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! one of those games that can be enjoyed in any generation. And, like all classic games, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! has an interesting history. Here are ten things about Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! that you did not know.
10 Three-Year Promotion
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is considered one of the best NES games. It is praised for being a puzzle game disgusted as a sports game. Nonetheless, it was only marketed for three years.
Nintendo only promoted the game between 1987 to 1990, which was the length of Mike Tyson’s deal. But the game surprisingly continued its success. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! went on to sell over 2 million copies, and spawned several re-releases and sequels.
9 An Excess Of Monitors
Punch-Out!! was an arcade game released in 1983. A few years later, Nintendo rebranded it to Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and released it on the NES. But the creation of the arcade version has an interesting history.
Nintendo had an excessive amount of video monitors after the hype of the Donkey Kong arcade games cooled down so they wanted to create a game that utilizes two monitors. Instead of making a flight simulator, which was the typical genre that used two monitors, Nintendo chose to develop a boxing game. The top screen showed the player’s score and timer while the bottom screen displayed the action.
8 New Features On The NES Version
Converting an arcade game to a home console version was difficult in 1987. Arcade games were larger systems that could fit more components and horsepower. The NES was drastically smaller.
Nintendo had to redesign Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! to make it run smoothly on the NES. A few features were reworked–most notably the graphics–but Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! does include several featured not present in the arcade game. Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! introduced animated cut scenes, and a new password system for saving progress and unlocking Easter eggs.
7 The Introduction Of Little Mac
Little Mac is the protagonist of the Punch-Out!! series. The protagonist is the underdog hero who manages to defeat countless foes and become a champion. But Little Mac was not a part of the series until Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
The arcade games featured an older-looking boxer with green hair and simply referred to as ‘Challenger.’ Nintendo developed a backstory for Little Mac and his trainer, Doc Louis. Little Mac is a 17-year-old boxer from the Bronx. He is a small, skinny fighter with a lionheart. Of course, Little Mac is nothing without his signature green shorts and boxing gloves.
6 Slight Character Changes
Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is filled with memorable challengers. From Glass Joe to King Hippo, every opponent presents a different boxing style that needs to be solved. However, many of the characters heavily play into stereotypes.
It was a no-brainer for Nintendo to re-imagine certain characters when Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! was set to be released globally, especially because a majority of players would be children. The Russian boxer was renamed from Vodka Drunkenksi to Soda Popinski. The complexions of Piston Honda and King Hippo were also changed from pinkish skin, present in the Japanese version, to a mustard yellow color. Nintendo slightly changed a few characters, but a majority of them stayed the same.
5 Another World Circuit
The World Video Boxing Association (WVBA) is comprised of three circuits in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! Little Mac has to complete the Minor, Major, and World Circuits to become the undisputed champion. And there is another hidden circuit for Little Mac.
The fourth circuit is called Another World Circuit. The only way to access the circuit is by inputting a special passcode. Players must enter 135-792-4680 in the Pass Key option then simultaneously press the Select, A, and B buttons. Another World Circuit has only appeared in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and it is game over if Little Mac loses any of the matches.
4 Mr. Dream, A.K.A. Mike Tyson
Former Nintendo of America Founder and President Minoru Arakawa attended a boxing event featuring future heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson. Arakawa was so impressed by Tyson’s performance that he signed the boxer to a three-year deal which allowed Nintendo to use Tyson’s name and likeness.
The Japanese version, simply called Punch-Out!!, was not selling well and Arakawa believed the inclusion of Tyson for the American version would become an instant hit. He was correct. After Tyson’s deal ended, Nintendo decided not to renew the deal. Tyson’s character was replaced by Mr. Dream and the game was re-released as Punch-Out!! Mr. Dream has the same fighting style and design as Tyson’s character.
3 Mike Tyson’s First Time
The Punch-Out!! series will forever be synonymous with Mike Tyson. The heavyweight boxer elevated Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and became a difficult final boss to defeat. Tyson was undefeated in the ring during the peak of the game so winning against Tyson, although a fantasy, was a huge accomplishment for any gamer. However, Tyson himself had yet to play Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! until 2013.
Tyson was in the Fox Sports studios to promote his documentary series Being: Mike Tyson in 2013. Someone at Fox Sports came up with the brilliant idea of filming Tyson playing the game, which turned out to be his first time. Unfortunately, Tyson could not get past Glass Joe.
2 Mario’s Cameo Was An Accident
Mario has made cameos in several Nintendo games throughout the years. One of his most famous cameos is being the referee in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! But Mario was never intended to be in the game.
Game designer Makoto Wada added Nintendo’s golden child into the game as a joke. Wada did not get approval from the higher-ups at Nintendo and thought Mario would be removed during the development process. Surprisingly, Mario made it to the final version. Referee Mario only appeared in Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! and its re-releases before he was replaced by a generic referee in subsequent Punch-Out!! titles.
1 The Golden Cartridge
Remember the NES game Golf? To promote the game, Nintendo created a golf tournament in 1987. Participants had to submit their high scores on Golf to Nintendo and the winners received a gold-colored game cartridge, which featured the precursor version of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!
Nintendo produced a total of 10,000 cartridges. They never planned to release the game to the general public but the demand increased so Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! was released later that year. The gold cartridges were never produced again and currently sell for hundreds of dollars due to their rarity.
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