is a 1984
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
boxing game by
Nintendo. As the sequel to the original ''
Punch-Out!!
is a video game series of boxing created by Nintendo's general manager Genyo Takeda, and his partner Makoto Wada. The first game was '' Punch-Out!!'' made in 1984 as an arcade unit, which was followed by a sequel '' Super Punch-Out!!'' (1984) ...
'', it retains largely the same
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
gameplay format and digitized speech, while adding several new features and characters. Along with punching, blocking and dodging, players also have the ability to duck. The game also
saves and displays the top three fastest
knockout times, while the game's difficulty is increased.
It introduces a number of new characters to the
''Punch-Out!!'' series, including
Bear Hugger,
Dragon Chan,
Vodka Drunkenski (whose name was changed to Soda Popinski in later releases),
Great Tiger, and
Super Macho Man. Several of the new fighters use illegal moves, from
wrestling
Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...
or
martial arts.
Gameplay
As in the original ''Punch-Out!!'', the player assumes the role of a green-haired boxer (later recast as
Little Mac
is a fictional boxer and the main protagonist in Nintendo's '' Punch-Out!!'' series of video games. He first appeared in the Nintendo Entertainment System game '' Punch-Out!!''. He is the smallest and youngest of all the boxers in the games, ...
in the 1987
Nintendo Entertainment System version),
[One of the Origin/Game Settings Tips about Little Mac's origin and All-Star Mode for ''Super Smash bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U'' reveals that Little Mac was actually debut in the 1984 ''Punch-Out!!'' arcade]
/ref> known by three initials, who works through the ranks of the WVBA (World Video Boxing Association). During matches, the player's boxer is viewed from the rear as a wireframe so the opponents are visible to the player. The player must precisely time punches, dodges, and blocks in order to defeat the opposing boxer. Hints are given as to the opponent's next move by subtle eye changes, but the player must ultimately predict what moves the opponent will make and react appropriately. Mostly, the opponent's eyes turn yellow before attacking, as well as winding up. Like in the previous arcade game, if the player loses, the opponent will glide up and laugh, with their stun animation and their neutral animation being reused.
Once the player defeats the final opponent, the player will win the Heavyweight Belt, then defend it against the same characters that have already been beaten. Each successive time they are met, the opponents are harder and quicker. In order to win a bout, the player must knock out
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...
the opponent within one 3-minute round; failure to do so results in an automatic loss. A technical knockout
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving strikin ...
is awarded if either fighter is knocked down three times, but the opponent will sometimes fail to rise after the first or second knockdown.
The arcade game is housed in a modified upright cabinet. Like the previous game, it requires two vertically stacked monitors. The top monitor is used to display statistics while the bottom one is the main game display. It is otherwise a standard upright arcade cabinet. It has a joystick and three buttons. Two buttons control left and right punches, one for each arm. One button delivers a strong uppercut
The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut; sometimes also referred to as the ''upper'') is a punch used in boxing that travels along a vertical line at the opponent's chin or solar plexus. It is, along with the cross, one of the two main pun ...
or right hook, but it only works when the super meter (also known as the KO meter or power meter) is full. The super meter (an early version of the ''super meter'' used in modern fighting games
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
) is filled by landing successful punches. It is drained when the player fails to block or dodge an attack, or if the player is knocked down. Unlike the original, ''Super Punch Out!!'' also features a joystick which can be pulled straight up from the panel, allowing the player to duck opponents' punches.
Development
The game was developed by Nintendo R&D3
commonly abbreviated as Nintendo IRD, was a Japanese developments division that handled everything related to producing Nintendo's console hardware and associated peripherals. Originally established in the 1970s with engineer Genyo Takeda acti ...
, with development led by Genyo Takeda
is a retired Japanese game designer and executive who worked for the video game company Nintendo. Takeda was formerly the general manager of Nintendo's Integrated Research & Development division, and was the co-representative director and "Tech ...
. Shigeru Miyamoto, due to his increasing responsibilities with the Famicom
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...
, had a smaller role for the sequel, aiding artists with their concept images. Takeda held brainstorming sessions with R&D3 on how to improve on ''Punch-Out'', but initially had difficulties coming up with ideas within the rules of boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
. Takeda said they "did everything we could do with boxing," so the "only thing we could do was to include illegal moves, and that's why we made it so anything goes and had characters who would kick or were like martial artists
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preserv ...
, and that became ''Super Punch-Out!!''"
Reception
In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Super Punch-Out!!'' on their November 15, 1984 issue as being the third most-successful upright arcade unit of the month.
In the United States, the U.S. National Video Game Team selected ''Super Punch-Out'' as the best game at the AMOA Expo show in October 1984, and as one of the six games to be played in the 1985 national video games competition. Team member Phil Britt said the "inclusion of world records and the increased difficulty make it more" playable.
Other releases
''Frank Bruno's Boxing''
An unlicensed version of it was released in 1985 for the Commodore 64, the ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
, the Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Si ...
, and in 1986 for the Commodore 16 and Commodore Plus/4 titled ''Frank Bruno's Boxing''. It was developed and published by Elite Systems
Elite Systems is a British video game developer and publisher established in 1984 as Richard Wilcox Software. It is known for producing home computer conversions of popular arcade games. Elite also published compilations of games on the Hit-Pak ...
exclusively in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
. Instead of the nameable wireframe boxer, real-life boxer Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno, (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning ...
stars as the protagonist of the game. Only the first three opponents of the ''Super Punch-Out!!'' arcade are included in the game; however, their names were changed. Bear Hugger was renamed "Canadian Crusher", Dragon Chan was renamed "Fling Long Chop", and Vodka Drunkenski was renamed "Andra Puncharedov". Five exclusive characters were added to the game: Tribal Trouble, Frenchie France, Raviolo Mafiosi, Antipodean Andy, and Peter Perfect. Like ''Super Punch-Out'', it features a KO meter, allowing a more powerful punch to be thrown when the bar is filled.
''Frank Bruno's Boxing'' was the sixth best-selling home video game of 1985 in the United Kingdom. Elite Systems later re-released the game as ''Frank Bruno's World Championship Boxing'' on their Encore budget label to coincide with the Mike Tyson vs. Frank Bruno
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...
bout of 1989.
Others
Great Tiger, Super Macho Man, and Vodka Drunkenski appear in the 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System version of ''Punch-Out!!
is a video game series of boxing created by Nintendo's general manager Genyo Takeda, and his partner Makoto Wada. The first game was '' Punch-Out!!'' made in 1984 as an arcade unit, which was followed by a sequel '' Super Punch-Out!!'' (1984) ...
''. Vodka Drunkenski was renamed "Soda Popinski" in order to eliminate alcohol references in a family-oriented game.
The ''Super Punch-Out!!'' arcade inspired the development and release of '' Super Punch-Out!!'' for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System console in 1994. Several elements were slightly changed for this version. Characters from both ''Punch Out!!'' arcade games are featured in the game with basically the same looks and attacks. including Bear Hugger, Dragon Chan, and Super Macho Man.
As in the original ''Punch-Out!!'' arcade, Mario
is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his cre ...
, Luigi
is a fictional character featured in video games and related media released by Nintendo. Created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, Luigi is portrayed as the younger fraternal twin brother and sidekick of Mario, Nintendo's masc ...
, Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
, and Donkey Kong Junior
is a 1982 arcade platform game that was released by Nintendo. It is the sequel to '' Donkey Kong'', but with the roles reversed compared to its predecessor: Mario (previously named "Jumpman") is now the villain and Donkey Kong Jr. is trying ...
all appear in the audience part of the ''Super Punch-Out!!'' arcade. Also, one of the victory tunes heard in the ''Super Punch-Out!!'' arcade was later used in Nintendo's 1985 ''Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
'' for the NES as the home run theme.
Notes
References
External links
*
''Super Punch-Out!!'' at arcade-history
a
NinDB
{{Punch-Out series
1984 video games
Arcade video games
Video game sequels
Boxing video games
Punch-Out!!
Video games developed in Japan
Single-player video games
Nintendo arcade games
Video games featuring black protagonists