View source for Punch-Out!! (1987 video game)

{{Short description|1987 video game}}
{{About|the 1987 NES game|other video games of the same name|Punch-Out!! (1984 video game)|and|Punch-Out!! (2009 video game)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox video game
| title = Punch-Out<nowiki>!!</nowiki>
| image = Punch-out mrdream boxart.PNG
| caption = Front packaging of the re-release
| developer = [[Nintendo Integrated Research & Development|Nintendo R&D3]]
| publisher = [[Nintendo]]
| director = [[Genyo Takeda]]
| producer = [[Minoru Arakawa]]
| designer = Kazuo Yoneyama<br>Mayumi Hirota
| writer = 
| programmer = Masato Hatakeyama
| artist = [[Makoto Wada]]
| composer = Yukio Kaneoka<br>[[Akito Nakatsuka]]<br>[[Kenji Yamamoto (composer born 1964)|Kenji Yamamoto]]<ref name=ninty>{{cite interview|last=Yamamoto|first=Kenji|last2=Sakamoto|first2=Yoshio|interviewer=Akinori Sao|title=Developer Interview, Volume 3|url=https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-super-metroid/|location=Kyoto, Japan|publisher=Nintendo|date=n.d.|access-date=May 11, 2020|quote=Yamamoto: 'First, I worked on the sound for Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'|archive-date=September 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925084427/https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic/interview-super-metroid/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| platforms = [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]
| released = {{Unbulleted list|'''''Gold Version''''' {{vgrelease|JP|September 18, 1987}}
  |'''''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!''''' {{vgrelease|NA|October 1987|JP|November 21, 1987|EU|December 15, 1987}}
  |'''''Punch-Out!!''''' {{vgrelease|NA|August 1990|EU|1990}}
 }}
| genre = [[Sports video game|Sports]]
| modes = [[Single-player]]
| series = ''[[Punch-Out!!]]''
| arcade system = [[PlayChoice-10]]
}}

{{nihongo foot|'''''Punch-Out!!''''',|パンチアウト!!|Panchi-Auto!!|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} originally titled {{nihongo foot|'''''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!''''',|マイクタイソン・パンチアウト!!|Maiku Taison Panchi-Auto!!|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1987 [[boxing]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Nintendo]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES). Part of the ''[[Punch-Out!!]]'' series, it is an adaptation of the [[arcade video game]]s ''[[Punch-Out!! (arcade game)|Punch-Out!!]]'' (1984) and ''[[Super Punch-Out!! (arcade game)|Super Punch-Out!!]]'' (1984). Differences from the arcades include the addition of former [[Undisputed championship (boxing)|undisputed]] world heavyweight champion [[Mike Tyson]] as the final boss. It received critical acclaim, and is retrospectively considered one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest video games of all time]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=We rank the 100 greatest videogames|url=https://ew.com/article/2003/05/13/we-rank-100-greatest-videogames/|access-date=July 20, 2020|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|archive-date=April 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408160444/https://ew.com/article/2003/05/13/we-rank-100-greatest-videogames/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
[[File:Baldbull.png|left|thumb|Little Mac has punched at the right time to defend himself against Bald Bull's "Bull Charge", instantly knocking his opponent down.]]
''Punch-Out!!'' features [[Little Mac (Punch-Out!!)|Little Mac]], a young boxer fighting his way up through ranks of the World Video Boxing Association.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut">{{cite web|url=https://www.giantbomb.com/mike-tysons-punch-out/3030-4848/|title=Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!|first= |last= |website=[[Giant Bomb]]|date= |access-date=July 28, 2024|archive-date=November 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211120125549/https://www.giantbomb.com/mike-tysons-punch-out/3030-4848/|url-status=live}}</ref> After facing a series of colorful fictional opponents in three circuits and winning the championship in each, Little Mac enters a final "Dream Fight" against a highly skilled boxer. In the Gold Version, the final boss is Super Macho Man, who was also the final opponent in ''[[Super Punch-Out!! (arcade game)|Super Punch-Out!!]]''. ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' features [[Mike Tyson]], the real-life undisputed [[List of heavyweight boxing champions|World Heavyweight boxing Champion]] at the time. After the license to use Tyson's likeness expired in 1990, he was replaced by the fictional Mr. Dream in later releases of the game.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/>

Little Mac has a limited repertoire compared to most of his opponents. His punches are limited to left and right jabs, left and right body blows, and a powerful uppercut.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/> The uppercut can only be used once the player earns a star, which is typically accomplished by counter-punching the opponent directly before or after certain attacks are launched. The player can acquire up to three stars, but loses them whenever Mac is hit or knocked down. To defend, Mac can dodge left or right, duck, and block punches by putting up his guard.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/>

Little Mac has a heart counter, which decreases upon being hit, blocking a punch, or throwing a punch that the opponent dodges or blocks. When the counter decreases to zero, Little Mac temporarily turns different shades of pink and appears tired/exhausted, leaving the player unable to attack but still able to dodge, duck, and block.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/>  At this point, Mac can regain some hearts and his normal color palette only by avoiding the opponent's punches. He immediately loses all of his hearts upon being knocked down, but can regain some by getting up.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/>

A bout can end by knockout (KO), if a fighter is unable to get up within ten seconds after being knocked down; by technical knockout (TKO), if a fighter is knocked down three times in one round; or by decision, if the bout lasts three full rounds without a clear winner.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/> In order to win by decision, the player must accumulate a certain point total by punching the opponent. Some bouts cannot be won in this manner and will automatically result in a loss for the player if the opponent is not knocked out. Mac can only get up three times during any one bout; if he is knocked down a fourth time, he will be unable to rise and thus lose by knockout.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/>

When Mac loses his first bout to a ranked opponent, he will have a chance to fight a rematch. However, if he loses a Title Bout, he will fall in the rankings – one place for the Minor or Major Circuits, two places for the World Circuit.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/> Losing a rematch causes him to fall one place (unless he is already at the bottom of his circuit), forcing him to fight his way back up. A third loss, or a loss in the Dream Fight, ends the game.<ref name="GiantBombPunchOut"/>

===Characters===
{{See also|List of Punch-Out!! characters}}
Little Mac faces a total of 14 opponents: three in the Minor Circuit, four in the Major Circuit, six in the World Circuit, and Mike Tyson or Mr. Dream. All character sprites except King Hippo are reused for two characters each, with changes made to colors, head, or special moves.<ref name="Janet Burns">{{cite web |last1=Burns |first1=Janet |title=16 Hard-Hitting Facts About Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63640/16-hard-hitting-facts-about-mike-tysons-punch-out |website=[[Mental Floss]] |access-date=November 16, 2021 |language=en |date=May 6, 2015 |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155903/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/63640/16-hard-hitting-facts-about-mike-tysons-punch-out |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Mario]] has a cameo as the referee.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Good |first1=Owen |title=Mario was Put in Punch-Out Without Permission |url=https://kotaku.com/mario-was-put-in-punch-out-without-permission-5333061 |website=Kotaku |access-date=October 14, 2021 |language=en-us |date=August 8, 2009 |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155750/https://kotaku.com/mario-was-put-in-punch-out-without-permission-5333061 |url-status=live }}</ref> Three opponents from the Minor and Major Circuits reappear in the World Circuit, with new attacks that force the player to devise a new strategy.

==Development==
''Punch-Out!!'' was developed by [[Nintendo Integrated Research & Development|Nintendo Research & Development No. 3]].<ref name="iwataasks">{{cite web|title=Iwata Asks: Punch Out|url=http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/punchout/0/1|website=Iwata Asks|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=September 13, 2009|access-date=March 1, 2019|page=2|archive-date=November 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118084247/http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/kirbysepicyarn/vol1_page4.jsp#/wii/punchout/0/1|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Goggin |first1=Peter N. |title=Environmental Rhetoric and Ecologies of Place |date=July 18, 2013 |publisher=Routledge |page=124 |isbn=978-1-135-92265-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WeQdAAAAQBAJ&dq=nintendo+research+%26+development+3+punch-out%21%21&pg=PA124 |access-date=October 14, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155757/https://books.google.com/books?id=WeQdAAAAQBAJ&dq=nintendo+research+%26+development+3+punch-out!!&pg=PA124#v=onepage&q=nintendo%20research%20%26%20development%203%20punch-out!!&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Genyo Takeda]] (the producer of the ''Punch-Out!!'' arcade games), was the director of the NES game.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scullion |first1=Chris |title=The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System |date=March 30, 2019 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-5267-3780-9 |page=129 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IE8IEAAAQBAJ&dq=genyo+takeda+punch-out%21%21+arcade&pg=PA129 |access-date=October 21, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155752/https://books.google.com/books?id=IE8IEAAAQBAJ&dq=genyo+takeda+punch-out!!+arcade&pg=PA129#v=onepage&q=genyo%20takeda%20punch-out!!%20arcade&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> Because the NES was not as powerful as the arcade hardware, they could not recreate the arcade graphics. Instead of making the playable boxer wire-framed or transparent in order to see the opponent, they made the playable boxer smaller and named him [[Little Mac (Punch-Out!!)|Little Mac]],<ref>{{cite web |title=From Mike Tyson To Mr. Dream, How Punch-Out!! Defined Boxing Video Games |url=https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/from-mike-tyson-to-mr-dream-how-punch-out-defined-boxing-video-games |website=The Sportsman |access-date=October 14, 2021 |language=EN |date=September 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155916/https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/from-mike-tyson-to-mr-dream-how-punch-out-defined-boxing-video-games |url-status=live }}</ref> a 17-year-old boxer weighing about 107 pounds.<ref>{{cite web |title=A cultural history of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3729473 |website=ESPN |access-date=October 21, 2021 |language=en |date=November 27, 2008 |archive-date=October 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004150313/http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3729473 |url-status=live }}</ref> The behavior of each opposing boxer follows a set pattern requiring trial and error and memorization to defeat them.

===Music===
The theme song for ''Punch Out!!'' is "Look Sharp-Be Sharp",<ref>{{cite book |last1=Disrespect |first1=Dr |title=Violence. Speed. Momentum. |date=March 30, 2021 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-9821-5389-2 |page=184 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hy_uDwAAQBAJ&dq=Look+Sharp%2FBe+Sharp+March+punch-out%21%21&pg=PA184 |access-date=October 19, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155748/https://books.google.com/books?id=Hy_uDwAAQBAJ&dq=Look+Sharp%2FBe+Sharp+March+punch-out!!&pg=PA184 |url-status=live }}</ref> composed by Mahlon Merrick.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rodman |first1=Ronald Wayne |title=Tuning in: American Narrative Television Music |date=2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-534024-2 |page=90 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5wdr6DocKgAC&dq=Look+Sharp%2FBe+Sharp+March+gillette&pg=PA90 |access-date=October 19, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155837/https://books.google.com/books?id=5wdr6DocKgAC&dq=Look+Sharp%2FBe+Sharp+March+gillette&pg=PA90#v=onepage&q=Look%20Sharp%2FBe%20Sharp%20March%20gillette&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> It originated with the radio and TV program ''[[Gillette Cavalcade of Sports]]'' (1942–1960).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Horowitz |first1=Ken |title=Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games |date=August 6, 2020 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-8420-8 |page=112 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3D0DwAAQBAJ&dq=look+sharp+Be+Sharp+March+radio&pg=PA112 |access-date=October 19, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817155749/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y3D0DwAAQBAJ&dq=look+sharp+Be+Sharp+March+radio&pg=PA112#v=onepage&q=look%20sharp%20Be%20Sharp%20March%20radio&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref> The opening theme of some characters are classical and folk themes: Glass Joe has the [[France|French]] national anthem, "[[La Marseillaise]]"; Von Kaiser, Great Tiger, and Super Macho Man have "[[Ride of the Valkyries]]" by [[Wagner]];<ref>{{cite journal |last1=English |first1=Jason |title=Three Things I Didn't Know About Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! |journal=[[Mental Floss]] |date=8 February 2007 |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/15820/three-things-i-didnt-know-about-mike-tysons-punch-out |access-date=5 November 2021 |language=en |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105130325/https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/15820/three-things-i-didnt-know-about-mike-tysons-punch-out |url-status=dead }}</ref> Piston Honda has Japanese folk song "[[Sakura Sakura|Sakura]]";<ref>{{cite web |title=Sakura - Traditional Japanese Song on Koto |url=https://ledgernote.com/blog/interesting/sakura-traditional-japanese-song-on-koto/ |website=LedgerNote |access-date=31 October 2021 |language=en |date=24 June 2015 |archive-date=October 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031170558/https://ledgernote.com/blog/interesting/sakura-traditional-japanese-song-on-koto/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Alexander |first1=Kevin |title=8 Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!-themed boozy punch recipes, knocked out by the country's top mixologists |url=https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/8-mike-tysons-punch-out-themed-boozy-punch-recipes-knocked-out-by-the-countrys-top-mixologists |website=[[Thrillist]] |access-date=3 December 2021 |language=en |date=18 June 2013 |archive-date=December 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203170002/https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/8-mike-tysons-punch-out-themed-boozy-punch-recipes-knocked-out-by-the-countrys-top-mixologists |url-status=live }}</ref> Don Flamenco has the prelude to the opera set in Spain, ''[[Carmen (opera)|Carmen]]'' by [[Georges Bizet]];<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gibbons |first1=William James |title=Unlimited Replays: Video Games and Classical Music |date=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-026525-0 |page=26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WBBQDwAAQBAJ&dq=Carmen+don+flamenco+punch-out%21%21&pg=PA26 |access-date=15 October 2022 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817160246/https://books.google.com/books?id=WBBQDwAAQBAJ&dq=Carmen+don+flamenco+punch-out!!&pg=PA26 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Soda Popinski has Russian folk song "[[The Song of the Volga Boatmen]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Four Examples of Russian Music in American Popular Culture |url=https://museumstudiesabroad.org/russian-music-american-popular-culture/ |publisher=Museum Studies Abroad |access-date=2 November 2021 |date=16 December 2017 |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817160247/https://popkult.org/russian-music-american-popular-culture/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Release==
===Gold version===
Before the public release of ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'', Nintendo released it in a gold-colored Famicom cartridge titled ''Punch-Out!!'' in Japan, without Mike Tyson, as a prize for participating in the Famicom Disk System's ''Family Computer Golf: U.S. Course'' tournament held in September 1987. 10,000 units were produced{{mdash}}half were given as high score prizes, and the rest were given as a lottery prize.<ref>{{cite web |title=賞品版パンチアウト |url=http://ninten.style.coocan.jp/notsale-punchout.htm |website=Famicom Soft Collection |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070912110944/http://ninten.style.coocan.jp/notsale-punchout.htm |archive-date=September 12, 2007 |language=ja}}</ref> Its final opponent is Super Macho Man, who is also the final opponent in the arcade game ''[[Super Punch-Out!! (arcade game)|Super Punch-Out!!]]''.<ref name="retrogamer.net">{{Cite web |last1=House |first1=© Future Publishing Limited Quay |last2=Ambury |first2=The |last3=Engl |first3=Bath BA1 1UA All rights reserved |last4=number 2008885 |first4=Wales company registration |date=December 19, 2011 |title=Punch Out Special (Gold) {{!}} Retro Gamer |url=https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/punch-out-special-gold/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331210924/https://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/punch-out-special-gold/ |archive-date=March 31, 2019 |access-date=March 31, 2019 |website=www.retrogamer.net |language=en-US}}</ref>

===''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!''===
[[File:Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! NES Box.jpg|thumb|right|The initial box art for ''Punch-Out!!'', featuring [[Mike Tyson]]]]
[[Nintendo of America]]'s founder and former president [[Minoru Arakawa]] attended a boxing match during the [[Heavyweight unification series]] that featured its future champion [[Mike Tyson]]. Arakawa became so astonished with the athlete's "power and skill" that he was inspired to use his likeness and the tournament itself in the upcoming game.<ref name="ma-nsider">{{cite web |last1=Bayer |first1=Glen |title=Profile: Minoru Arakawa |url=https://www.nsidr.com/archive/profile-minoru-arakawa |website=N-Sider |date=January 2, 2003 |access-date=May 9, 2009 |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817160344/https://www.nsidr.com/archive/profile-minoru-arakawa/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Tyson was rumored to have been paid $50,000 for a three-year period for his likeness. This transaction was something of a risk for Nintendo, as it occurred before Tyson won the [[World Boxing Council]] (WBC) heavyweight championship from [[Trevor Berbick]] on November 22, 1986, which greatly increased the profit for the game.<ref name="history">{{cite book |last1=Kent |first1=Steven L. |author-link=Steven L. Kent |title=The Ultimate History of Video Games: Volume Two |publisher=Three Rivers Press |isbn=9780307560872 |edition=1st |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |date=June 16, 2010 |access-date=April 12, 2012 |archive-date=February 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207095416/https://books.google.com/books?id=PTrcTeAqeaEC |url-status=live }}</ref> Nintendo would release the Mike Tyson version of ''Punch-Out!!'' in Japan soon after its North American release.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/525246-mike-tysons-punch-out/data|title=Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! – Release Details|last= |first= |website=GameFaqs|date= |access-date=July 17, 2024|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215155943/https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/nes/525246-mike-tysons-punch-out/data|url-status=live }}</ref>

=== ''Punch-Out!!'' ===
''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' was rebranded to simply ''Punch-Out!!'', and re-released in the U.S. and Europe in 1990<ref>{{cite magazine|date=November–December 1990|title=Bulletin Board – Nintendo Classics Reissued!|url=https://archive.org/stream/Nintendo_Power_Issue001-Issue127/Nintendo%20Power%20Issue%20018%20November-December%201990#page/n101/mode/2up|issue=18|page=96|magazine=[[Nintendo Power]]}}</ref> and 1991, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! |url=https://nindb.net/nes/mike-tysons-punch-out/index.html |website=NinDB |access-date=March 1, 2019 |archive-date=November 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171125052057/http://www.nindb.net/nes/mike-tysons-punch-out/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> When Nintendo's license had expired with Mike Tyson, his likeness was replaced by a fictional character named Mr. Dream.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McCarthy |first1=Caty |title=Mike Tyson Doesn't Seem to Know Nintendo's License to Use His Name in Punch-Out!! Expired in 1990 |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/mike-tyson-doesnt-seem-to-know-nintendos-license-to-use-his-name-in-punch-out-expired-in-1990 |access-date=October 17, 2021 |work=USgamer |date=April 4, 2019 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817160309/https://www.vg247.com/mike-tyson-doesnt-seem-to-know-nintendos-license-to-use-his-name-in-punch-out-expired-in-1990 |url-status=live }}</ref> This version of the game was used in all major re-releases, including the [[Virtual Console]], ''[[Animal Crossing (video game)|Animal Crossing]]'' for GameCube, the [[NES Classic Edition]], and on the [[Nintendo Classics]] service (which Mike Tyson humorously contested).<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike Tyson takes issue with Nintendo's re-release of 'Punch-Out' having Mr. Dream as final boss |url=https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/mike-tyson-takes-issue-with-nintendos-re-release-of-punch-out-having-mr-dream-as-final-boss/ |website=CBS Sports |access-date=November 11, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111182733/https://www.cbssports.com/boxing/news/mike-tyson-takes-issue-with-nintendos-re-release-of-punch-out-having-mr-dream-as-final-boss/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| NES = true
| WII = true
| ACE_NES = 920/1000<ref name="ACE">{{cite magazine |title=Console Wars |magazine=[[ACE (magazine)|ACE]] |date=October 1989 |issue=26 (November 1989) |page=144 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d9/ACE_UK_26.pdf#page=144 |access-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610164925/https://retrocdn.net/images/d/d9/ACE_UK_26.pdf#page=144 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| CVG_NES = 94%<ref name="CVG">{{cite magazine |title=Complete Games Guide |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=October 16, 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |access-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611004221/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| GSpot_WII = 8/10<ref>{{cite web |last1=Navarro |first1=Alex |title=Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/punch-out-featuring-mr-dream-review/1900-6169232/ |website=GameSpot |access-date=March 1, 2019 |date=April 17, 2007 |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817160409/https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/punch-out-featuring-mr-dream-review/1900-6169232/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| Gen4_NES = 90%<ref>{{cite magazine |title=PUNCH OUT |url=https://abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=27&num=394&album=oui |magazine=[[:fr:Gen4|Génération 4]] |issue=7 |date=December 1988 |access-date=March 1, 2019 |pages=24–25 |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916153819/http://abandonware-magazines.org/affiche_mag.php?mag=27&num=394&album=oui |url-status=live }}</ref>
| rev1 = ''[[Mean Machines]]''
| rev1_NES = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Takoushi |first1=Tony |title=Mean Machines |magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=August 16, 1988 |issue=83 (September 1988) |pages=122–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-083/page/n121/mode/2up}}</ref>
}}

More than {{nowrap|2 million}} copies of ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' were sold in North America by 1988. It is one of two NES games to reach this sales milestone that year, along with ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lindner |first1=Richard |title=Video Games: Past, Present and Future; An Industry Overview |date=1990 |publisher=[[Nintendo of America]] |location=United States |url=https://archive.org/details/06Kahle001551}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sheff |first1=David |title=Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children |date=1993 |publisher=Random House Incorporated |isbn=9780679404699 |page=172 |url=https://archive.org/details/gameoverhowninte00shef/page/172 |url-access=registration }}</ref>

''Punch-Out!!'' was well received by critics. In 1989, ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' magazine said the NES version of "the great boxing arcade game" had "big, brilliantly drawn and animated sprites, a brilliant control method and utterly superlative gameplay", making it "definitely THE best boxing game available on any machine".<ref name="CVG"/> ''[[ACE (magazine)|ACE]]'' magazine in 1989 listed it as the second highest-rated NES game, after ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' They stated it bashes "the proverbial s@*t out of any other home boxing game on any other console or computer" and it proves "that even if Nintendo's hardware may be technologically naff, they can still squeeze an excellent game onto a cartridge".<ref name="ACE"/>

A ''[[GameSpot]]'' reader poll ranked it as the 6th greatest NES game. ''[[Nintendo Power]]'' magazine ranked it as the 17th best game for a Nintendo system in its Top 200 Games list.<ref name="NP Top 200">{{cite magazine|date=February 2006| title=NP Top 200| magazine=[[Nintendo Power]]|volume=200|pages=58–66}}</ref> In August 2008, ''Nintendo Power'' listed it as the sixth best NES game, praising it for putting arcade-style fun over realism.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 2008 |title=Nintendo Power - The 20th Anniversary Issue! |volume=231 |magazine= [[Nintendo Power]] |issue=231 |page=71  |location=[[San Francisco, California]] }}</ref> Historian Steve L. Kent called it the second major game of 1987.<ref name="history"/> Author Nathan Lockard cited the graphics, violence, controls, and the variety for making it a "true classic" and one of the best NES games.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lockard |first1=Nathan |title=The Good, the Bad, and the Bogus: Nathan Lockard's Complete Guide to Video Games |date=September 1, 1994 |publisher=Adventure Press |isbn=9781881583042 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KOCsc1h-o4C |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> In 2005, ''Punch-Out!!'' is on ''[[GameSpot]]''{{'}}s list of the greatest games of all time.<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6122838/index.html|title=The Greatest Games of All Time: ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!''|website=[[GameSpot]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007124852/http://www.gamespot.com/features/6122838/index.html | archive-date=October 7, 2007}}</ref> Editor Shawn Laib of ''Den of Geek'' ranked it 7th out of the 15 Best NES Games of All Time,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Laib |first1=Shawn |title=15 Best NES Games of All Time |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/best-nes-games-all-time-ever/ |website=Den of Geek |access-date=December 9, 2021 |date=September 20, 2021 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107163603/https://www.denofgeek.com/games/best-nes-games-all-time-ever/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'s Dom Nero and Cameron Sherrill ranked it fifth.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nero |first1=Dom |last2=Sherrill |first2=Cameron |title=These Are the 15 Best NES Games of All Time. Period. |url=https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g28567881/best-nes-games/ |website=Esquire |access-date=December 9, 2021 |date=August 1, 2019 |archive-date=February 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227020652/https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/g28567881/best-nes-games/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

''[[GamesRadar]]'' ranked it the 11th best NES game ever made, calling it a "brilliant puzzle game [disguised] as a sports game".<ref>{{cite web |author1=GamesRadar Staff |title=The best NES games of all time |url=http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/ |website=[[GamesRadar]] |date=April 16, 2012 |access-date=December 5, 2013 |archive-date=June 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630014007/http://www.gamesradar.com/best-nes-games-all-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Game Informer]]'' ranked ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!'' as its 14th favorite game ever in 2001. The staff noted that no boxing game since has been as "beloved".<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Game Informer's Top 100 Games of All Time (Circa Issue 100) |url=https://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091119071214/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2009/11/16/game-informer-s-top-100-games-of-all-time-circa-issue-100.aspx |url-status=live |archive-date=November 19, 2009 |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |last=Cork |first=Jeff |date=November 16, 2009 |access-date=December 10, 2013}}</ref> ''IGN'' named it the 7th best NES game.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 100 NES Games |url=https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-nes-games/7 |access-date=August 9, 2021}}</ref> ''[[Official Nintendo Magazine]]'' ranked the game 74th in a list of greatest Nintendo games.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=7206  |title=80 - 61 ONM |magazine=[[Official Nintendo Magazine|ONM]] |access-date=September 9, 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223134335/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=7206 |archive-date=February 23, 2009 }}</ref>

==In media==
On ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' on October 29, 2014, Mike Tyson was challenged by host [[Jimmy Fallon]] to play the game on live TV.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kastrenakes |first1=Jacob |title=Watch Mike Tyson fight himself in the 1987 'Punch-Out' for NES |url=https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2014/10/29/7088753/mike-tyson-plays-punch-out-against-himself-tonight-show-clip |access-date=October 20, 2021 |work=The Verge |date=October 29, 2014 |language=en |archive-date=August 17, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240817160322/https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2014/10/29/7088753/mike-tyson-plays-punch-out-against-himself-tonight-show-clip |url-status=live }}</ref> The virtual Tyson defeated the real Tyson in the first round by TKO.

While interrogating a murder suspect in ''[[Brooklyn Nine-Nine]]''{{'}} Season 5 episode "The Box", Detective Jake Peralta laments the difficulty of beating the Punch-Out!! character Great Tiger as he teleports around the ring. To which the accused confidently asserts, "I beat him every time. You just punch him when he gets dizzy."

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Moby game|id=/mike-tysons-punch-out}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100626035701/http://www.nindb.net/game/mike-tysons-punch-out.html ''Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!''] at [http://www.nindb.net NinDB]
*[https://gizmodo.com/hacked-nintendo-punch-out-game-finally-lets-you-fight-1848023336 Hacked Nintendo Punch-Out!! Game Finally Lets You Fight Mike Tyson Using Motion Controls] by Gizmodo
* [https://www.nintendo.com/jp/famicom/software/hvc-pt/index.html ''Punch-Out!!''] on the [[Famicom]] 40th Anniversary page {{in lang|ja}}

{{Punch-Out series}}{{Mike Tyson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Punch-Out (NES)}}

[[Category:1987 video games]]
[[Category:Boxing video games]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Mike Tyson]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Classics games]]
[[Category:PlayChoice-10 games]]
[[Category:Punch-Out!!]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video games based on real people]]
[[Category:Video games developed in Japan]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Akito Nakatsuka]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Kenji Yamamoto (composer, born 1964)]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games for Wii]]
[[Category:Virtual Console games for Wii U]]
[[ja:パンチアウト!!#ファミコン版]]