Punch-Out!! (Arcade)
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| Punch-Out | ||
| Developer | R&D 3 | |
| Publisher | Nintendo | |
| System | Arcade | |
| Release Date | US 1984 | |
Punch-Out!! is a boxing game released in 1984. The gameplay and digitized voices made it memorable through out the 1980s. One of it's unique features compared to other arcade games at the time, was having two monitors stacked on top of each other.
History
Because of Donkey Kong's success Nintendo ordered television monitors at a steady pace based on estimated sales. After a few years they were overstocked with extra inventory and decided to try and make a game using two monitors. A new substrate at the time allowed the ability for the monitor to zoom in and out on a single object. After a failed attempt at making a side-by-side racing game, designer Genyo Takeda suggested focusing the monitor on a single person. Unsure of how to make a boxing game with two screens, another suggestion was made to stack the screens on top of each other and use one of them for showcasing the type of banners one would see at a boxing match.
Gameplay
The player controls a transparent wireframe fighter (possibly Little Mac, the star of the NES game) in a series of fights against five opponents.
As in most arcade games, after the final opponent is defeated, the game loops through the previous opponents until the player loses.
Legacy
Punch-Out!! was released for the NES soon afterwards. This game was inspired by the arcade game but was not a remake, as it featured different fighters and a different graphic style.
Sequels
Super Punch-Out!! was released for the arcades several years later. Punch-Out!! also inspired a spin-off called Arm Wrestling.