Super Punch-Out!!

There have been two games called Punch-Out!! and two games called Super Punch-Out!!. They both appeared in arcades, but a home version appeared on the NES and Super NES respectively. Further complicating matters is that the arcade versions and the home versions are very different, even they both share the same character roster.

So, what is Super Punch-Out!! all about? Boxing. Cartoony, video-gamey, over-the-top boxing.

You play the role of Little Mac, an inexplicably tiny boxer out to win the WVGBA (World Video Game Boxing Association) boxing titles. Mac has to take on boxers who are easily 3 or 4 times as big as he is, and are often stronger and faster as well. Nobody said it would be easy.

Each of the 16 boxers in the game has a particular quirk, and identifying and understanding these quirks will expose a weakness and allow you even the playing field. Bear Hugger, for example, is real fat, so punches to his stomach don’t do anything. Narcis Prince is very protective of his face, but if you can hit it, he takes extra damage. Etc. Etc.

So you have to study your opponent. Learn his tells, punch, counter punch, dodge, parry, uppercut, and win! Okay, so it’s not that easy, but perhaps this video of me getting all of the opponents punch-drunk will give you some confidence.

Once you get good at the game, and learn how to fight each of the opponents, it does get a little on the short side. It’s totally possible to beat all of the circuits in about an hour, usually less. The real ongoing challenge is figuring out how to eke out a better KO time or a better score. This is one of the few games that I still keep my Super NES around for.

One Response to “Super Punch-Out!!”

  1. [...] fighting folks over twice his size… or more. The game is a little less polished than the Super NES version, but the main thing that’s different is the, for lack of a better term, heart system. You [...]

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