If, like us, you owned a Nintendo Entertainment System, then there is a high likelihood you also owned Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. When you loaded that sweet, 8-bit, Punch-Out cartridge into your NES system, you assumed the roll of Little Mac; a young and physically underwhelming boxer working his way up the professional ranks. Little Mac takes on a host of characters including: Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, Piston Honda, Don Flamenco, King Hippo, Great Tiger, Bald Bull, Soda Popinski, Mr. Sandman, and — the namesake — Mike Tyson. You had to dodge, block, jab, and (when permitted) uppercut your way to victory — all while keeping your eye on Little Mac’s ever dwindling heart meter. Victory was attained by knockout (KO), knocking your opponent down for 10 seconds or longer; technical knockout (TKO), knocking your opponent down three times in one round; or by decision, earning more points than your opponent at the end of three rounds. The game, which was first released in 1987, is thought by many to be one of the great, original NES classics. How about it? Did anyone ever successfully make it to the final round and conquer Iron Mike?
BGR Throwback Thursday is a weekly series covering our (and your) favorite gadgets, games, and software of yesterday and yesteryear.
