In the wake of Nintendo’s Wii Virtual Console, which gives new players access to many older, classic video game titles, I have decided to review a number of older, classic video games.  First up: the 16-bit Super Nintendo classic, Super Punch Out!!

     Super Punch Out!! is the sequel to an old, 1987 NES 8-bit classic, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!.  Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! actually had its titular boxer as the final opponent you faced in the game, but when good ole Mikey started “going strange” (raping girls with his allegedly thirteen inch long penis, biting people’s ears off, claiming he could sell out Madison Square Garden masturbating and threatening news reporter’s children with cannibalism) Nintendo re-titled the game.  It was then called Punch Out! and rereleased with everything intact except Tyson’s name in the game and his likeness was colored white and dubbed Mr. Dream.

     Punch Out! is available on Wii Console as well, but like many of the older games, new players have a hard time getting over the primitive graphics and insane difficulty levels.  That is why I have chosen to review Punch Out’s sequel, Super Punch Out!!.  It has a much more tolerable learning curve, is quite a bit easier, has a lot more gameplay value and the graphics, though cartoony, were exceptional for its day.  All in all, even though it’s easier, Super Punch Out!! is a lot more enjoyable than Punch Out!, even though they share similar game mechanics and characters.

     Although these games were categorized as Sports titles, because of their boxing premise, they bear little resemblance to the actual art (haha, right?) of organized, professional pugilism.  Being anything but simulations, if in a real boxing match the amount of hits to the face taken were the same as in just a few seconds of a Punch Out! or SuperPunchOut!! match, the boxer would be dead and his face would look like canned Manwich.  Fight Night this is not.  What it is, however, is an arcadey, slug-fest of boss fight after boss fight during which pattern recognition and timing must be perfected.

     Your tools in this journey are simple: one button punches left, the other right.  Default is body shots but if you hold up on the D-pad, a shot to the face is given.  Holding left or right on the pad executes a dodge in the respective direction.  Ducking is done by pushing down and blocking by holding up without touching a button.  Also, landing punches fills a meter at the bottom of the screen that when full, gives you access to the Super Punches.  Super Punches can be given to the head or body and come in two flavors: a machine-gun speed flurry or the preferred, explosive single punch.  While you are employing these tools, your opponent attempts to execute his attack pattern of blocks, dodges and special techniques.  It is these foes and their patterns that give the game its addictive and entertaining qualities.

     You will face each opponent in a single three minute match from a viewpoint just behind your boxer, who is transparent so you can see what is going on.  Three knockdowns by either of you, and it’s TKO for the victim.  However it is possible to KO an opponent in less than three knockdowns by executing certain combinations at the right time in their attack animations.  These usually involve a Super Punch somewhere in the combo and certain combinations net further opportunities to strike outside of the typical, dodge/retaliate gameplay.  For instance, if the Irishman, Aran Ryan, is struck once in the face after his five string uppercut combo is dodged, another opening is allowed and if during that time a fast Super Punch to the face is executed, he will spin around a few times, dazed.  At the end of that animation, a correctly timed single Super Punch to the face is allowed which after all the punishment involved usually ends in a knockdown.  Every boxer you face has multiple possibilities for combinations like the one just mentioned and the trick of the game is to figure them out- as well as how to avoid each boxer’s signature special moves.

     The boxers themselves are all very cartoony and well designed and their special moves compliment their personalies.  For instance , the obese redneck, Bear Hugger actually gives you bear hugs.  Bald Bull (returning from the first game) has a bull charge, where he rushes you and then uppercuts.  Dragon Chan pulls out all the stops by trying to jump kick you.  Mr. Sandman uses his infamous “Raiser” uppercut combo from the first game to put you to sleep and Super Macho Man executes the dizzying Cyclone Punch.  The only real snoozer characters are actually the last two boxers, who look like bald Mr. Clean rejects, although their wild, powerful combos make up for their lackluster aesthetics.  All in all there are twelve unique boxers (no repeat fights like in the first game) to test your mettle against.  However, the last four opponents can only be unlocked by beating the first eight without a loss.  Once you know their pattern, it isn’t all that difficult of a feat.

     Once you’ve gone through all the boxers, it’s still fun to keep going back through the game and trying to beat the computer’s times and scores as well as your own and even your friend’s.   The game keeps track of all stats and allows for up to six different profiles.  And when you’re done with all that you can go online and fine plenty of mind blowing times that other players around the world have posted.  Some of them are truly spectacular.  You might even find a few new combos you never found out on your own.

     So the high replay value, zany, cartoony boxers and addictive pattern-discovery type gameplay make Super Punch Out!! a true classic.  This game should be well-received by newcomers as well as veterans who never got a chance to play this excellent sequel to Tyson’s Punch Out.  I highly recommend it to everyone.

                                                                                                -jr

SCORE: 8.5